Investing my Time

My day has consisted of two things: one that I enjoyed but it ended all too soon, and one that I didn't enjoy while it lasted by continued nevertheless when I got home. Here's the first:

Today I experienced my first Rotary Club luncheon. Rotary Club, I hear you wonder, Isn't that for good-ol'-boys? Well, yes. But let me explain: For openers we bowed our heads in prayer, which, while I don't claim to religiously speak to the Lord (sorry, faith-based joke), I do appreciate the value of prayer in our society; this was followed by the Pledge of Allegiance, which being a naturalized citizen of this great country (Texas), I relish reciting at any opportunity; after the Pledge the room burst into song, God Bless America was the ditty accompanied by Mrs. Fenninger on piano, which nicely summed everything up. This preface was all a nice bonus to the real reason I was there, Mark Alan Robinson, aka the guy who recently had the green wedding...

Mark's presentation reaffirmed my commitment towards sustainablity and environmentally-conscious decisions. He greeted a mixed audience of eco-eager guests and skeptical regulars some of who seemed to wonder, "if the guy only uses 2-gallons of water each month, what does he do about his lawn?" I think some missed the point...

Of the numerous ways to cut foreign fuel dependence, one of Mark's suggestions was to turn up your thermostat by 3-degrees during the summer. I had to smile at this one, since December my air conditioner has clicked on maybe a dozen times. It's currently set at 80. I don't think I could improve much in that department if I tried...

So that was my fun for the day, and now I should be packing for my rapidly-approaching trip, but after sitting at the computer for the other 7 hours of my work day, I just couldn't resist getting straight back in the chair to do a little research as soon as I got home. No, I wasn't researching green hotels, recommended restaurants, or biodegradable plastics. I was actually exploring my mutual funds to see if I possess any socially responsible investments. To my shock and horror, I find the exact opposite (actually it was more or less as I expected, that's what you get with standard 401k funding options). It appears my worse nightmare has come true, I own a part (albeit tiny) of WALMART (I know more than one of you will not approve). Fortunately I make up for it in other areas; 0.17% of my S&P 500 fund is in Waste Management WMI, 2.99% is in General Electric GE and 0.08% is in Whole Foods WFMI. It's my intention to move more into these areas while moving away from the Johnson & Johnson and Proctor & Gambles of this world. What I really need is to invest in lunch with my financial advisor... Oh, and if anyone can find the symbol for Green Mountain Energy (not the Vermont Co. or the coffee producer) please let me know, I'm stumped...

So, here I am, ready to move on to something different. I'm giving an hour of my time to A Trip to the Stars. Something much more profitable.