An Inconvenient Portfolio

By: <cite>Fast Company</cite> StaffWed Dec 19, 2007 at 8:22 AM

Al Gore's financial-services startup, Generation Investment Management, buys shares in companies that fit its founders' definition of sustainability. The firm doesn't disclose holdings, but public filings reveal some familiar names--Whole Foods, Staples, and General Electric. Here's a sampling of seven other lesser-known stocks in the portfolio as of March 31.

Al Gore's $100 Million Makeover
Not long ago, he was the butt of jokes--lockbox, earth tones, a postelection beard. Then he dusted off an old slide show and jumped with both feet into the private sector. The untold story of how an epic loser engineered what may be the greatest brand makeover of our time.
Al Gore Inc.
"I have really enjoyed the business world much more than I expected," says the former Vice President. Among his business and financial interests.
Video: The Future of Online Advertising--Current TV VCAM (viewer-generated commercial)
Current TV is tapping into the future of online advertising, working with advertisers to create viewer-generated commercials like this SONY HDV ad created by a 16-year-old. To date, some 32 VCAMs have hit the air. T-Mobile has selected three VCAMs already, and Pop Secret, Sony, and L'Oreal are also using VCAMs.

Aflac
Aflac, which insures more than 40 million people worldwide--and is the number-one insurer in Japan--has won plaudits for its diversity in hiring and for its high philanthropic profile. It also boasts the largest on-site child-care facility in its home state of Georgia.
Autodesk
Chances are you touch something every day--from a building to a piece of machinery--that was designed using Autodesk software, a pioneering tool for eco-friendly and sustainable design.
Becton Dickinson
BD is a global medical-technology company devoted to improving drug therapy and enhancing the diagnosis of infectious diseases.
Blackbaud
Blackbaud is the leading provider of financial software and related services designed specifically for nonprofits.
Johnson Controls
The company may be best known for auto interiors that help make driving more comfortable and safer, but it also offers products and services that optimize energy use and batteries for hybrid-electric vehicles.
Northern Trust Corp.
Besides its asset management and banking for corporations, institutions, and affluent individuals, this 125-year-old company has a unique charitable trust that supports nonprofits in the Chicago area.
Waters Corp.
Its tagline is "the science of what's possible." Waters makes mass spectrometers, analytical software, and other lab equipment used in the health-care, food-and-beverage, pharmaceutical, biotechnology, government, and industrial sectors.