The group defined socially responsible investing as involving at least one of these three strategies: shareholder advocacy, community investing and avoiding stocks that shareholders find objectionable.

And in the last few years, shareholder advocacy has led to a growing number of lawsuits against Japanese companies.

"Management went bananas," said Joseph Blasi, a management professor at Rutgers University who has been studying shareholder advocacy among employee stock-ownership plans.

In addition to stock ownership either directly or through mutual funds, other key aspects of SRI include shareholder advocacy and community investing.

However, the term is also used more broadly to include more proactive practices such as impact investing, shareholder advocacy and community investing.

Whether or not National Presto is pressed to take action, the project does show how attitudes toward shareholder advocacy have changed over the years.

The committee engages in shareholder advocacy on behalf of Wesleyan, which may include proxy voting, corporate letter writing, and the filing of shareholder resolutions.

US SIF members practice SRI through methods such as portfolio selection analysis, shareholder advocacy and community investing.

To promote environmental and social corporate responsibility through shareholder advocacy, coalition building, and innovative legal strategies.

Besides ensuring that your money is not being used in ways you disapprove of, socially responsible investment has also evolved to include the practice of shareholder advocacy.