National High School Climate Forum Hosts Meeting on Environmental, Social, & Governance, Investing

By Andrew Noviello ‘23

On November 10, the National High School Climate Forum (founded by Fifth Formers Andrew and Alex Noviello) hosted its fall 2022 speaker event, titled ESG Investing: Financing the Future. The event featured Daniel Hochman (Head of Sustainability Research at Bridgewater Associates) and Jean Rogers (Global Head of ESG at Blackstone and the founder of the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board). Alex and National High School Climate Forum (NHSCF) President of the Midwest Region Aana Shenai, a senior at the Seven Hills School (Cincinnati, Ohio), moderated the event. Students from all across the country attended, including a number of Lawrenceville students from the Sustainability Seminar course and the Sustainability Council.

The event began with a presentation by Hochman, discussing his research at the intersection of economics, policy, finance, and emissions reduction at Bridgewater, the world’s largest hedge fund. Some highlights from Hochman’s presentation include the 3D model of portfolio building, mapping risk, return, and impact to inform investment decisions, and his groundbreaking report surrounding emissions distributions between sectors and specific corporations.

Rogers offered the event a more personal touch, discussing her background in sustainable investing and recounting the story of her founding of the Sustainable Accounting Standards Board. She also explained the incredible scale and company-building capabilities of Blackstone, the world’s largest private-equity fund, especially in comparison to government action through the recent Inflation Reduction Act.

Both speakers offered an optimistic outlook on the battle against climate change and encouraged students to act on their passion for the environment. The event was a great success for the NHSCF, offering the forum an opportunity to underscore the interdisciplinary nature of anthropogenic global warming and demonstrate the breadth of the climate crisis’s role in shaping our future society.

NHSCF is dedicated to fostering an exchange of ideas between high school student environmental leaders from across the country while educating students at our member schools on climate change and other environmental issues. The Forum has grown to more than 130 member schools from 35+ states across the U.S. It has hosted senior leaders from World Wildlife Fund, General Motors, NOAA, Microsoft, IBM, First Solar, ecoAmerica, Conservation International, the U.S. Forest Service, Princeton University, and more, along with prominent climate activists and researchers. NHSCF was honored to have U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-N.J.) open the 2022 summit. The Forum hosts delegate meetings for member schools’ student environmental club leaders at both the regional and national levels, publishes newsletters, hosts competitions, and more.

For additional information, contact Lisa M. Gillard H'17, director of public relations, at lgillard@lawrenceville.org.