Food & Farming

From inventing higher-performing and more sustainable renewable energy systems, to reducing food waste, to solving the plastic waste problem, the 2022 Ray of Hope Prize finalists offer inspiring solutions through their use of biomimicry. The finalists were selected from companies from around the world by Biomimicry Institute team and other experts. Read More

Transforming CO2 into concrete and plastics. Designing cutting-edge green university campuses. Sourcing circular materials for consumer electronics, cleaning products and fashion. Expanding diverse talent in sustainability professions. Those are just a few of the ambitious efforts of the 2022 members of the GreenBiz 30 Under 30 list. Read More

United Natural Foods, Inc. announced its science-based emissions reduction targets covering the organization’s operations and value chain have been validated and approved by the Science-Based Targets initiative (SBTi), making the Company among the first NA wholesale grocery distributors to adopt these targets. A core part of UNFI’s ESG agenda. Read More

Newday Impact, a asset management and financial technology company recently launches the Newday Ocean Health ETF. The fund is one of the few ETFs dedicated to protecting and restoring healthy marine ecosystems. It builds on the company’s five years of impact investing and strong relationships with grassroots nonprofit organizations. Read More

Despite greater corporate climate disclosure and commitments to greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets, net zero targets and other climate-related goals, many companies in the U.S. food sector fail to adequately disclose to investors on how they intend to achieve said ambitions. This new report provides comprehensive guidance. Read More

It’s natural to want to celebrate our progress in the fight against climate change. Since GreenMoney’s founding in 1992, we’ve had a few wins —we’ve bent the emissions curve, leaders have committed to cutting emissions further, EV sales have skyrocketed, and clean energy costs have declined. Investors are investing in communities now experiencing the direct effects of climate change. But there is still much work to do. Read More

I see a great reconnection in business and investing taking root – a joining-up of finance and the wisdom of our natural world. I don’t mean a focus on investing in nature, though that is vital. I mean a focus on investing as nature, a shift in how our decisions are considered and made and monitored. It reflects a deeper level of reunion, a reconnection of investing with the world it is meant to serve. Read More

The first phase of the responsible investment movement has matured. We, at Domini, believe the way companies respect their relationships with people and the planet adds value to the investment decision-making process. Our stakeholders include the natural ecology, work forces, suppliers, customers, investors, taxpayers, and communities, both locally and in the global sense. Read More

GoSun has created a micro-grid of self-reliance that integrates nearly 30 products designed to work in unison, or as stand-alone portable energy solutions. These appliances are some of the most efficient appliances possible, so you only need a small amount of energy to get the job done in the first place. Indeed, a conventional oven needs up to 4000wh to cook a meal, the GoSun oven only needs 150wh. Read More

Bowery Farming produce is now sold in more than 850 supermarkets across America including Whole Foods Markets, Walmart and Amazon Fresh. “There is a critical need for new solutions to our current agricultural system – as well as an enormous economic opportunity. This is just the beginning,” said Irving Fain, CEO and founder of Bowery Farming. Read More

Our food and agriculture systems are fundamentally broken. It’s no exaggeration to say that the warming planet, social inequities, and health epidemics bear this out. However, there’s real hope. We can heal ourselves, our communities, and our planet when we begin to participate once again in the creation of healthier food systems through regenerative organic agriculture. Read More

The future of food and farming may not be dependent solely on breakthroughs in science – celebrity investors may play a role in changing the way society thinks about food from farm to table. And as improvements in agriculture technology become more well-known, more investors look at agriculture through new eyes - and choose to invest in something that will benefit the world. Read More

It was a fortuitous sharing of vision and willingness to take risks that drove Equal Exchange founders in 1986 to move forward with their vision of Fair Trade and a better world. The three were managers at a food cooperative in the NE who dreamed of a large and inclusive economy that lifted up the prosperity of growers in the Third World, growers whose poorly paid labor had long kept the wealthy in comfort and the growers in poverty. Read More

Organic farming is both good for the environment and can generate attractive returns. Our first fund had a 69 percent financial gain in net asset value over seven years. Also, our largest CA farm showed we generated a 46 percent net gain for the ecosystem, including: carbon sequestered in the soil, harmful ag practices avoided, enhanced biodiversity, healthy pollinator habitats, and reduced use of water for crops. Read More

Regenerative agriculture involves practices that equitably use land to address climate change, biodiversity, soil health, and the well-being of workers and local economies. In 2019, Domini launched its Forest Project, focusing on the systemic importance of forests to environmental systems, businesses, and investments. We recently drew more explicit connections between our forest work and our sustainable agriculture work. Read More

Since the slow money movement’s first low interest loan to a local organic farm in 2010, more than $80 million has flowed to over 800 small farms and local food businesses. And now we’ve launched beetcoin.org as a platform for small donors to participate in building a grassroots source of capital as we also aim for more local 0% loan groups. Slow Money is fixing things from the ground up in ways that industrial food systems and industrial financial systems cannot. Read More

“We are excited to be what we believe is the first pure-play ETF that invests in companies innovating with plants and producing animal free products. We believe that today’s investors want a more resource efficient, climate friendly, and cruelty-free food and materials supply system…and want to invest their dollars in the same,” said Elysabeth Alfano, CEO and CMO of VegTech Invest Read More

ImpactAssets has released its eleventh annual IA 50 List, a free database for impact investors, family offices, corporate and family foundations and institutional investors that features a diversified listing of private capital fund managers delivering social and environmental impact as well as financial returns.This year’s list includes Emerging Impact Managers and Emeritus Impact Managers. Read More

Recently I had the privilege of visiting several organizations in Kenya supported through Praxis Mutual Funds’ commitment to community development investing. This was alongside a visit to my family in my birth country, after five years of being away. This article is a personal reflection on how impact investing and gender lens investing delivers real-world impacts – and how financial advisors can help their clients understand those impacts. Read More

For far too long, protections for clean water and other environmental regulations have been framed as an impediment to a strong economy. When in reality, the opposite is true. Water is the foundation of a stable and growing economy and thriving communities. Protecting everyone’s right to clean water is a moral obligation. And it’s also a financial necessity. We simply can’t afford polluted water and here’s why… Read More

Water is elemental. Crucial for life as we know it. Finite in supply — particularly fresh water — and is degraded over time by countless contaminants. Add it all up and it seems like the perfect combination of inelastic demand and diminishing supply. We need more, and better access to, safe fresh water. It seems very straightforward to invest in freshwater solutions and enjoy the returns. But, invest in what, exactly? Read More

NEXUS, a unique global community that brings together Next Gen philanthropists, impact investors and social innovators representing over $700B in family assets with a deep dedication to social impact, announced the launch of its second annual Impact Accelerator. To help manage this exciting program, NEXUS is partnering with H/L Ventures, one of New York's most active firm focused on impact and diversity. Read More

“We believe it is important to recognize and reward leaders who work to improve the lives of diverse individuals. This new DEI Leaders List shines a light on those who are driving positive change within their organizations and communities. We are proud to recognize these remarkable individuals and we look forward to seeing their continued impact.” – Tiffany Pham, CEO and founder, Mogul. Read More

Most food companies are not taking the necessary action to reduce their demands and impacts on freshwater resources, further worsening the global water crisis, according to a new report from the sustainability nonprofit Ceres. The new report, Feeding Ourselves Thirsty, is a benchmark analysis of 38 food companies, that shows some encouraging signs of progress on corporate water management, but underscores that much more work needs to be done by companies to help ensure sustainable water supplies, now and in the future. Read More

Praxis Mutual Funds, a leading faith-based, socially responsible family of mutual funds from Everence Financial has released a new impact report entitled “Praxis Real Impact 2021”. The report communicates the many ways that Praxis’ unique values-driven approach to sustainable investing, delivered real-world change through a range of impact strategies in 2020. This year’s report introduces the new Praxis ImpactX framework: seven strategies that Praxis uses when evaluating potential investments. This framework of distinct impact strategies highlights how investments can support and contribute to the change we want to see in the world. Read More

A discussion of market gaps in financing, using legacy data sources, and the risk of network biases with Esther Pan Sloane, head of partnerships, policy and communications for the UNCDF. In this conversation with C&C’s co-founder David Garrison, Esther shares thoughts on five key points, as part of the Climate Leadership Interviews series. Read More

A great variety of different sectors and industries from all over the world were represented at the virtual awards ceremony. The diversity on display – both in terms of geography and in the working sphere – demonstrated how delivering a clean, more responsible business future is now an international mainstream effort – and opportunity. Read More

“Since day one, our mission at Impact Shares is to transform the way people think about investing. The outstanding financial performance of our three flagship funds demonstrates the viability of working with leading advocacy firms to achieve actively-managed social outcomes without sacrificing financial returns.”– Ethan Powell, CEO of Impact Shares Read More

In the first half of 2021, the total value of new green bonds issued reached almost $250 billion, more than the value of all bonds issued in all of 2020. Green bonds have proven to be an effective way to mobilize private capital as they have the same fundamental risk and return characteristics as conventional bonds. Read More

My book, Investing in a New Climate is not about doom and gloom, but about adapting to different kinds of “changes” in our world. Climate change is about the shifting of circumstances. To survive — and succeed — we must adapt. What impact will a new meteorological climate means to economies, industries, and financial markets around the world? Read More

Paul Hawken’s new book explains how Regeneration creates abundance, not scarcity. It expands what is possible. It is about the optimism of action instead of the pessimism of thought. Regeneration is an inspiring and necessary guide to today’s climate movement that will enable readers to understand its many facets — and more importantly, to act. Read More

The “Blue Economy” is defined as the systems and economic opportunities emerging in how we protect and maintain a healthy ocean. For World Oceans Day, we showcased Ten innovators and leaders to watch in the Blue Economy. These ocean innovators will inspire and excite you with their amazing stories and innovations. Read More

When it comes to climate change, oceans are the bellwether. For Maine, with a heritage and economy heavily tied to the sea, this is increasingly apparent in the changing behaviors of marine creatures, which is also affecting people’s lives and livelihoods. For Maine’s iconic fishing industry, known for its sustainable management of marine resources, commercial aquaculture can be a part of the solution. Read More

ESG and sustainable investing have taken center stage in asset management. Climate and now Oceans are leaders in this elevation with a proliferation of products, firms, and frameworks increasingly on investors’ radar screens. The oceans are becoming broadly investable, with market-based opportunities across all sectors of the Blue Economy. Read More

B Lab has announced the Certified B Corporations (B Corps) that have achieved the distinction of Best for the World 2021 companies. It recognizes the B Corps globally whose B Impact Assessment scores ranked in the top five percent, and across one or more of the five impact areas - community, customers, environment, governance, and workers. Read More

The Global Sustainable Investment Alliance, of which US SIF is a founding member, has released its biennial Global Sustainable Investment Review 2020, revealing an industry that has grown to US $35.3 trillion, up 15 percent since 2018. It now comprises 36 percent of all professionally managed assets in the US, the EU, Australia/NZ, Canada, and Japan. Read More

3BL Media’s annual 100 Best Corporate Citizens ranking, recognizes leading environmental, social and governance (ESG) transparency and performance amongst the 1,000 largest U.S. public companies. Owens Corning tops the 2021 ranking for the third consecutive year, followed by General Mills, HP, Cisco, and Intel. Read More

In June, Beyond Investing announced it is launching five new investment products in partnership with its affiliate Beyond Impact. The products are spread across the world, in both public and private markets, providing more options for investors, and to further Beyond Investing’s mission of a world free of animal exploitation. Read More

Their dreams are bright: Walkable, equitable cities. Clean energy for Native American communities. Planet-healing fast food. Circular outdoor gear. Decarbonized buildings. Electrified mobility. That’s only a sampling of the ambitions of the sixth class of the GreenBiz 30 Under 30. The honorees for 2021 are intrepid startup founders, tenacious corporate innovators and determined public servants. Read More

Advancing its commitment to regenerative farming systems, Organic Valley is partnering with the Clean Energy Credit Union to provide loans for farmers seeking to reduce their reliance on fossil fuels with renewable energy and efficiencies. The program is first of its kind for both cooperatives, pioneering a unique clean energy loan fund for over 1,700 farmers across the country. Read More

Simply cutting CO2 emissions is not enough, says the UN IPCC. To slow global warming, we need to actually remove carbon from the sky. But how? As companies turn to the latest carbon-capture technologies, one low-tech solution has been gaining ground: Carbon farming, or regenerative agriculture. Read More

Indigenous people are on a journey together. Money is love. Money is medicine. These enterprises are cultural capital. We undertake these entrepreneurial deals as Native Americans. This regenerative agricultural enterprise is taking back the Buffalo, our relatives, and bringing our people back to their health. Read More

Betterment Harvest is currently building on the regional momentum to bring a scalable and community-based approach to sustainable Ag which utilizes state-of-the-art, science-based practices that maximize productivity and profit while minimizing environmental damage, like installing indoor hydroponic systems in renovated industrial buildings in KY. Read More

During the pandemic, farmers and food producers selling locally showed their strength, as the global food system showed weakness. Local farms provided good food, while stewarding the land and strengthening communities. Our local food ecosystem’s resilience is a result of the incredible work ethic of farmers, buoyed by varied collaborations and the growing role of investors. Read More

Regenerative farming involves nurturing the land through healthy soil biology, crop rotations, pollinator habitat, and other science-based practices focused on making that land more vital and productive to the roots. We look at each 20 to 40 acre field on each farm and identify its ideal crops and develop a 10-year crop rotation plan to increase soil health, plant happiness and the best economics. Read More

The industry’s first publicly available, searchable resource of impact investing fund managers sees record number of applicants and assets, reflecting the innovation and exponential growth that the IA 50 has helped to spotlight over the past decade. Read More

Founded by Claire Smith, Beyond Investing is an advisor to the world’s first cruelty-free and eco-friendly ETF. Beyond Impact Advisors, invests in plant-based and cruelty-free start-ups and animal-replacing foodtech and biotech. And Beyond Animal, works to grow the vegan economy. Read More

Green Century Funds are the first family of fossil fuel free, responsible, and diversified mutual funds in the US. The Funds have an award-winning shareholder advocacy program and are the only mutual fund company wholly-owned by environmental and public health nonprofits. Read More

The new Report authored by Clean Production Action, benchmarks companies on their progress toward best practice in chemicals management and discusses corporate leadership strategies on this increasingly important investment issue. A variety of investors commend market leaders for normalizing chemical footprinting and setting new trends for chemical safety. Read More

By 2025, widespread adoption of climate-smart ag practices could reduce ag's contribution to total U.S. GHG emissions by more than half. These practices – including rotating crops, planting cover crops, reducing tillage and integrating crop and livestock systems – improve soil health, sequester carbon and produce co-benefits such as reduced erosion, increased water infiltration, and economic and environmental resiliency. Read More

Corporate Knights and As You Sow released their annual update to the Clean 200 list of companies that are leading the way with solutions for the transition to a clean energy future. The companies are putting sustainability at the heart of their products, services, business models, and investments. Read More

The annual State of Green Business report is presented in two parts. First are the 10 Trends to watch in the world of sustainable business and second the State of Green Business Index, which looks at wide range of metrics for thousands of companies and provides insights into the direction business is headed. Read More

All of the chapters in my money story could be summed up with three words: make it count... For me, true financial success comes when we thoughtfully combine money with meaning and (for those who are so inclined) faith. Wealth is best managed according to a purpose higher than self, a principle I saw lived out in my family. The essence of my money story focuses on faith more than finances. Read More

As part of its long-standing commitment to use its scale and platform to positively impact the communities it serves, the Starbucks Community Resilience Fund will invest $100 million by 2025, to advance racial equity and environmental resilience by supporting small business growth and community development projects in neighborhoods with historically limited access to capital. Read More

The Foundation’s NextGen Committee is comprised of Ray Anderson’s five grandchildren and their spouses. Carrying on Ray’s impactful legacy over the past eight years, the committee has funded more than $500,000 in programs with focus ranging from conservation and climate change education, to urban agriculture, agroforestry and now grassroots solutions to climate change in Indigenous communities. Read More

Going into 2021, investors and business executives are facing increasing economic challenges and risks in several sectors. Impactful trends like climate risks, ESG factors for investors, non-economic disclosures, social inequality, circular economy, and carbon net zero strategies are some of the issues that will be on the top of business leaders to-do-lists in order to have a more resilient and sustainable economy. Read More

The environmental problems that define our lifetime are climate change and biodiversity loss. Although both are the result of the actions of mankind, they are distinct issues and their consequences are inextricably linked. Examining the nexus of these challenges is valuable to academics, scientists, and investors alike with a shared interest in finding solutions that mitigate both challenges while ensuring the future sustainability of the planet. Read More

(From the Archives) – Last year I spoke with Liesel Pritzker Simmons of Blue Haven Initiative, where she oversees an impact investing portfolio structured to generate financial returns and address ESG challenges. The portfolio spans asset classes, from traditional equities and private equity to philanthropic programs. Blue Haven was created with impact investing as its mission. Read More

The GreenMoney Journal team is excited to announce our Editorial Calendar for 2021. Truthfully, we spend months deciding on these topics and you’ll notice we have added a couple of new ones for 2021 including ‘Green Impact Bonds’ and ‘Oceans and Climate’. Each issue explores different aspects of the topic throughout the month online and in our biweekly eJournals. Read More

Mellody has been a trusted advisor to me and the company for more than 20 years. She is a fearless leader defined by her grace and wisdom. She has long embraced the purpose of Starbucks and, along with the leadership team, will continue to reimagine Starbucks future through the foundation of its past” said Howard Schultz, founder and chairman emeritus Read More

Rodale Institute, the global leader of regenerative organic agriculture, is “putting its money where its mouth is” by investing $2 million dollars with Iroquois Valley Farmland Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT), a farmland finance company that works with mission-driven investors to provide organic and regenerative farmers land security through long-term leases and mortgages. Read More

Over the past 25 years, CIC has grown to a firm with over $575 million in total assets, raising capital from hundreds of brokerage firms and institutions and thousands of individuals. Making nearly a 1,000 loans and investments to over 500 organizations across 100+ countries, supporting hundreds of thousands of businesses and benefitting millions of lives around the world. Read More

“Biomimicry and Business is exactly what the movement needs right now examples of people successfully practicing biomimicry to help heal their part of the world. This new book [by Margo Farnsworth] represents the next step and will be important in the annals of this emerging discipline” said Janine Benyus, Co-Founder of the Biomimicry Institute. Read More

In 25 years of reporting on sustainable business, I have become fascinated by the pivotal relationship between capital and innovative solutions to climate-related issues. More recently, I have engaged with organizations, companies, and events as many have focused ESG, impact investing, and SRI strategies and practices that address climate change. Read More

This year World Tree became the highest funded female-founded company on Wefunder. We raised over $2 million and became the third most funded company on the platform ever. Our core mission is to “Elevate, Educate, and Innovate for the Planet.” We value people and we value Mother Earth. Our business is designed to address big issues like climate change, poverty, and deforestation. Read More

Faith investors have long engaged companies and governments on exploitative practices involving child labor. They have also weighed in on negative infant formula marketing, violent video games, and obesity impacts from junk food over the past four decades. In fact, faith investors are typically the first shareowners to flag negative business impacts on children. Read More

Join thousands of leaders online — from the private and public sectors, utilities, solution providers, investors, and startups — who are advancing systemic solutions to address the climate crisis through five key markets: clean energy, electrified transportation, the circular economy, carbon removal and sustainable food systems. Read More

Started by Wendy Burton in 2015, World Tree USA, recently surpassed $2M on the Equity Crowdfunding Platform. This marks the third most successful capital raise in Wefunder’s history and the highest amount raised by any female founder. The agroforestry company offers investors the opportunity to participate in a timber investment through its Eco-Tree Program. Read More

The report examines why sustainable investors in the United States are interested in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the challenges in furthering the SDGs. The Sept. 2020 report also assesses whether the SDGs have led to a change in investment strategies, new investment products or new investment flows. Read More

China’s influence on the global economy, financial markets and geopolitical system is significant. The decision whether to invest in China is a complicated one. The power and reach of China’s state-led model, its weak human rights record and lack of transparency, can dissuade investors. Calvert chooses to invest in China and engage as a shareowner, rather than divest. Read More

“For 20 years we’ve been on the leading edge of ESG focused investment advice. From clean energy to gender empowerment to self-driving cars, we’ve helped investors build diversified ESG portfolios, and participate in some of the world’s fastest growing trends,” said Arturo Tabuenca, founder of Blue Marble Investments. Read More

The Covid-19 pandemic has brought much uncertainty to human lives and the global economy. In this turmoil, the water theme has not remained immune, facing many ambiguities and difficulties but also potential opportunities. The water industry now needs to consider the resilience of this essential service in the light of future risks while recognizing the importance of water for the well-being of our societies. Read More

To weather this global pandemic, we need a sustained effort to protect the health and well-being of all people, while also planning for an economic recovery that leaves our communities and economy stronger and more resilient. One-fifth of the US economy, including the agriculture, healthcare, manufacturing, and electricity sectors, need a reliable and clean supply of water. Read More

Clean water and sanitation for all is the subject of the UN’s sixth sustainable development goal, and an increasingly relevant topic to both emerging markets and the developed world. The need for water infrastructure is great in the developing world, and in the developed world, ensuring access to clean water is an ever-present issue. All of which brings opportunities for sustainable investors. Read More

(From the 2020 Archives) The sheer scope of the global water crisis means that the entire financial system has to get onboard—and act boldly to significantly reduce water impacts. Creating this shift will depend on bringing together a broad group of investors and companies that recognize the market, and the financial and reputational risks of water use and management and act to mitigate these risks. Read More

To expand municipal solar in Maine, we’ve helped community banks learn the ropes through participation in a CEI municipal solar loan. CEI takes the lead in organizing, negotiating and documenting a solar financing transaction, while the bank provides funding dollars and, learns how to replicate the model. The involvement of community banks, along with new legislation, has allowed the scale of projects to expand statewide. Read More

The fifth annual list from GreenBiz includes young sustainability leaders from companies, nonprofits and communities. They hail from seven countries, tackling diverse challenges — from cultivating a more sustainable food system to advocating for climate justice on behalf of disadvantaged communities to testing best practices for circular cities to negotiating impactful renewable energy contracts. Read More

This new book by William Ginn, founder of NatureVest at TNC, outlines the need to invest trillions in renewing our large-scale infrastructure, from energy production to water delivery systems. While the business world has often exploited nature, he argues that its entrepreneurial talent and financial capital are critical resources for developing solutions to global issues while protecting natural systems. Read More

As I sat down to write this article, a story appeared on CNN about the Whoa Nellie Farm in Acme, PA. I had no choice but to start the article with them because when, due to covid-19 supply chain disruptions, the farm’s milk processor stopped purchasing their milk, so they ramped up the bottling and pasteurization operation on the farm and put out a call to their community. Before long, there was a line of cars. Read More

As the demand for meat continues to escalate during this pandemic, the store shelves grow bare and the food supply system shows cracks. Sustainable, smaller production models, like Niman Ranch, are succeeding and supporting the families who work the land and raise the animals. At Native American Natural Foods, we believe buffalo can positively impact the future of a more sustainable food system. Read More

By investing in companies providing solution-oriented products and services aligned with themes — from renewable energy systems and electric vehicles to breakthrough medical technologies, healthy and organic food, and lending for underserved communities — the new Fund is designed to help create a more sustainable future and provide investors an opportunity to better align their portfolios with the SDGs. Read More

As I write this, the pandemic we’re experiencing has warned me that perhaps the days of buying expensive gear and plane tickets to travel halfway around the world to fish, ski, climb and surf may be over, if not greatly reduced. But we still need to eat. In fact, I think the only revolution we’re likely to see is in agriculture, and I want to be a part of that revolution. Read More

(From the Archives) As organic food sales are increasing, consumers are also drinking more organic, no sulfites added, wine. So far in 2020, in light of the global pandemic, organic wine sales are rising as people are choosing to eat and drink pure products for their health and the health of the planet, because we know that sound organic farming practices will build healthy soil today and nourish future generations tomorrow. Read More

The food and ag sector is transitioning towards more sustainable food production and consumption. Growing environmental and resource pressures, changing consumer demands, innovation, and regulations are disrupting depletive practices and unhealthy preferences. We now see new fast-growing insurgent companies and changing business models leading to investment opportunities. Read More

The publicly available online database for impact investors, family offices, financial advisors and institutional investors features a diversified listing of private capital fund managers delivering social and environmental impact as well as financial returns. And new for 2020 is an Emerging Impact Manager category Read More

Risk assessment is a ubiquitous tool used to understand the impacts of investment. What past assessment tools have lacked, however, is a complete understanding of Indigenous women’s experiences of life in their communities. We are recalibrating the lens to more aptly account for Indigenous women’s economic and social wellbeing. Read More

For over 50 years, the National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development (NCAIED) has played a leading role in business and economic development for tribes, tribal owned businesses, Native American and Alaska Native entrepreneurs, and anyone seeking to do business or invest in Indian Country. Read More

March 1st Edition Overview As I read through the articles for this March 1st edition by so many esteemed contributors, I am struck by the progress that we have made together in this field. Our work has led us all to consider individually and collectively the frameworks and practices necessary to implement a just transition with and for Indigenous Peoples. Read More

The Oneida Nation, located in northeast WI, was one of the first Native Nations to formally adopt Sustainable, Responsible and Impact Investing policies for our trust assets. This resulted in nearly 30 years of engaging with companies as shareholders to bring forth issues impacting Native Country and the environment. Read More

With the opportunity to interview a leader in the Native American community, the first name that came to mind was Jason Campbell, because he understands through his strong Native entrepreneurial spirit how Sustainable, Responsible, Impact (SRI) Investing can and does positively impact Indigenous Peoples. Read More

A rediscovery of the Grand Canyon that includes our stories, accurate historical accounts, and true representation of Native people will provide visitors, as well as local communities, the opportunity to interact with our people in a positive way and create an equally beneficial economic paradigm. Read More

Indian Pueblo Cultural Center

New Mexico Maker Space & Incubator

Solve by MIT

Indigenous Communities Fellowship Program

Indian Pueblo Cultural Center Maker Space & Incubator

There is no place in New Mexico Read More

Like many of us, Millennials are large consumers of energy. Previous generations may have been indifferent to where their energy came from; generated by a coal plant or at a dam. But this is changing as Millennials desire to have meaning in their work, their products, and the type of energy they consume. Read More

The 13th annual report, examines Key Trends and Metrics about Corporate Sustainability: how, and how well, companies are making progress in assessing and minimizing their impacts and embracing a range of strategies that move them forward in significant ways. Read More

Investors should consider long-term climate and environmental risks as fundamentally material, and act accordingly. Prioritizing ESG and using all the tools of active ownership to hold portfolio companies accountable for mitigating the environmental and social harms that have traditionally been treated as externalities. Read More

Over the last decade, issuance of green, social and sustainability bonds have exploded. Over $190 billion in green bonds issued globally this year and another $49 billion in sustainability bonds and social bonds. Markets will continue to grow because both issuers and investors want to make an impact on the world. Read More

Patagonia founder talks with FC about the sustainability myth, the problem with Amazon — and why it’s not too late to save the planet. He set the standard for how a business can mitigate the ravages of capitalism on earth’s environment. Read More

Maersk, Kimberly-Clark, BT, Hannon Armstrong, Intel and Firmenich were among winners at the international Ethical Corporation Responsible Business Awards. Over 300 leading figures in global responsible business gathered at the 10th ceremony held in London. Read More

The climate crisis is precipitating a sustainable investment revolution. Investors are putting their money where their mouth is: sustainable funds attracted $13.0 billion in net flows in the first three quarters of 2019. I expect the exponential growth of ESG investing to continue in 2020; and I think three factors largely will drive it. Read More

The report, T100 Focus: The Frontier of SDG Investing, unearths data from 76 Toniic member portfolios, totaling $2.8 billion in committed capital, to reveal where the most active impact investors see investable opportunities towards the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) across asset classes. Read More

SRI Investing has reached $12 trillion in assets. But, the vast majority – 97 percent – are investments in the traditional capital markets. Beyond adding ESG screens to portfolios, it is imperative that we find ways to support direct, community-level investments as innovative nonprofits are at the forefront of driving social change, but for them to scale they must attract significantly more capital. Read More

Self-Help believes in investing in communities on the front lines of harm from climate change. Our mission: create and protect economic opportunity for all with a focus on the underserved, including people of color, women, and low-income families and communities. We loan to environmental projects like recycling, land conservation, affordable housing, and solar energy. Read More

ImpactAssets, a nonprofit financial services firm that increases the flow of capital into investments delivering financial, social and environmental returns, celebrated its ten-year anniversary by announcing in June that AUM in The Giving Fund, its donor advised fund, have topped $1 billion. Read More

This new Report identifies 67 investment approaches to grow and develop Regenerative Agriculture capital opportunities. It showcases over $320 billion in investments that focus on sustainable food and agriculture. Read More

Domini Funds shareholders use their investment dollars to make a difference by helping build a world of universal human dignity and ecological sustainability. The Report details how Domini works for change on behalf of fund shareholders. Read More

GTS, tracking private green investments since 2009, has released its 2019-20 Report. New capital continues expanding clean energy, green construction, corporate R & D and a widening of the healthier plant-protein food sector. Read More

Consumer demand for healthier products continues to grow. With concerns ranging from the cost of healthcare to the effects of food and agriculture on climate change, consumers of all ages are opting for natural, organic and functional foods and beverages, nutritional supplements, natural medicines and other eco-friendly products from mission-based companies that share their values and address their concerns. Read More

The idea of “nose-to-tail” dining, shorthand for using as much of an animal as possible, has no field-grown counterpart. What about the grains that make up so much of our agricultural production and diet? Where is our “seed to stalk?” In Maine, the craft beer industry is making sure that grain is valued from field to glass to trough. Read More

Clean, transparent, fresh, sustainable. Environmentally-friendly, animal humane, high quality are all traits identified with organic, and in 2018 they all helped push organic sales to unprecedented levels. Read More

As Americans become more aware of the environmental and health benefits of organics, we are presented with an increasing number of opportunities to align our investments with our lifestyle choices – by investing in the companies and agricultural operations that are driving organic innovation and bringing natural products to the marketplace. Read More

Our Planet Earth is at a challenging ecological intersection. We’re looking at Peak Farmable Soil and Carbon Capture Capacity, Peak Edible Food, and Peak Water all bundled into escalating Climate Instability. Here are three strategic solutions. Read More

Ranked No. 4 among all large-cap Russell 1000 companies in the annual listing, which measures and ranks corporate responsibility, analyzing 98 environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors. Read More

The 2028 Olympics in LA will occur as the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development approaches. What might a train ride to Perris, CA look like through a lens of sustainable urban agriculture? Will passing neighborhoods display small-lot gardens, homes with grey water and rain catchment systems? Will large open spaces be organized into working landscapes, blooming with ecosystem benefits? Read More

Impact investing has emerged as a major force in philanthropy. Last year GIIN conducted a survey showing that the estimated value of the impact investing sector doubled between 2017 and 2018, increasing from $114B to $228B. There’s a growing demand for investments that actively produce measurable positive social and environmental outcomes. Read More

Sustainable companies don't just make the world a better place, they offer higher returns and longer lifespans according to Corporate Knights. Read More

The 12th annual edition looks at key trends and dozens of metrics assessing how, and how much, companies are moving the needle on the world’s?most pressing environmental challenges. Read More

The structure and mission of credit unions uniquely positions them to effectively provide a range of basic financial services critical to Native communities. Read More

Sourced in Peru and roasted locally by Stolen Sun Craft Brewing & Roasting Co., Impact Coffee supports the empowerment and promotion of women-grown coffee. Read More

Business can be a force for good, here’s 100 companies that are growing by doing good. Real Leaders, with Big Path Capital and B Lab, rank the top companies applying capitalism for greater profit and greater positive impact. Read More

The Next Economy Index’s strong track record demonstrates that climate change-focused, innovation-driven investing offers an effective way to preserve and create wealth. The strategy currently holds 115 publicly traded companies. Read More

MSCI explores pressing topics for investors heading into 2019. The five key ESG trends anticipated to dominate the conversation are: climate change, waste management, leadership and talent, ESG regulation, and the ESG signal revolution. Read More

(Fall 2011)  When Holly Mosher read about Muhammad Yunus and the story of Grameen Bank’s microcredit for women in Bangladesh, she was fascinated. Why had an economist and a bank won the prize for peace and not the prize for economics? And how had one man gone from loaning $27 to 42 people, to helping millions of people? With these questions in mind, she embarked on a film about his work. Read More

Ethical Markets released in late April its 2018 Green Transition Scoreboard® finding $9.3 trillion of private investments in green sectors worldwide, cumulatively since 2007. Read More

Marking its 35th anniversary, Stonyfield Organic, the country’s leading organic yogurt maker, announced in April 2018 a bold commitment that not only celebrates the brand’s organic leadership role in the food space, but also casts an eye to a different and equally as large issue facing families. While huge strides have been made in the organic food space over the past 35 years, less is happening around environmental and health issues specific to the use of pesticides beyond food. Read More

Understanding Food and Climate Change: A Systems Perspective explores the links between food systems and our changing climate with an emphasis on systems thinking. A systems approach helps to illuminate how seemingly disconnected phenomena are often dynamically linked and can be understood best when viewed in a larger context. Read More

Iroquois Valley Farms has reached a milestone: This spring we added the 50th farm to our portfolio. Our farmland REIT provides secure land tenure for 35 farm families working 9,000 acres of farmland. More families will be joining us soon. We have seen strong and steady growth in the value of our investment portfolio since 2007. We recently launched a new offering to raise $20 million to help fund more farmers. We also offer Soil Restoration Notes to investors, with a portion of the returns going to help our farmers transitioning to organic. Read More

On February 2016 The New York Times ran a story, "Oaxaca’s Native Maize Embraced by Top Chefs in US and Europe", highlighting the work of a new company called Masienda that was sourcing landrace (heirloom) corn from small farms in Mexico. Masienda’s business model emphasizes conservation of agrobiodiversity, while supporting smallholders using sustainable/organic farming methods. When some of us here in Santa Fe saw this article we asked the question, "Why can’t this be happening in New Mexico as well?" And so the New Mexico Landrace Corn Project was born. Read More

The challenge is clear for global food and beverage companies: as the population rises, the agriculture sector they rely on will need to produce more food with fewer greenhouse gas emissions while shifting toward farm practices that conserve or restore diminishing water and soil resources. Sustainable sourcing strategies and supply chain transparency are essential for the food and beverage industry to ensure that their suppliers are making these critical changes. As significant owners of and lenders to companies, investors can be a major force in driving more sustainable practices. Read More

American consumers in 2017 filled more of their grocery carts with organic, buying everything from organic produce and organic ice cream to organic fresh juices and organic dried beans, according to the Organic Trade Association's 2018 Organic Industry Survey released in mid-May. Read More

Farming, like investments, carries some degree of risk. How SFP mitigates these risks is unique and key to the opportunity. Market demand for organic food is the fastest growing segment in grocery stores. Geographically, our established operating network of farms is spread out to minimize the impact of local weather. Our distributed farm network is focused on areas with the best available soil and linking that network allows us to negotiate better offtake agreements and discounts on inputs. In the event of any crop damage due to weather, which diminishes yields, we have crop insurance. Read More

This story begins with a strange orange glow in the sky that awakened me at 1:00am on the morning of October 9th, 2017. Stepping outside into a howling wind, I watched in horror as a huge wildfire burned on the distant ridge. The wind was blowing away from us and towards are neighbors, then it all changed. Read More

Industry’s only free, searchable resource of impact investing fund managers features firms that manage $29.2 billion in assets Read More

Global businesses can and must take the lead on environmental and social issues, because the future of sustainability is now in the hands of worldwide brands, their consumers, and the NGOs holding them accountable. Read More

Bigger, faster, more. Whether due to policy, technological or climatic changes, companies face an onslaught of challenges that are happening sooner and more dramatically than many could have anticipated. Investors in turn are Read More

New research finds businesses are making money from planting trees and growing sales as rapidly as 10 times per year Many investors don t know what restoration is or realize the Read More

In 2014, I predicted that "Desert Greening is the Next Big Thing", and it would be led by sustainable green investors. Surprisingly I am still waiting for the shift from humanity’s single minded focus on traditional agricultural crops (glycophytes) that rely on the planet’s three percent of fresh water. Why such a slow transition to more sustainable, nutrient-richer, salt loving (halophyte) plant foods, such as quinoa? Because vested interests in the vast incumbent global agro-chemical industrial complex are as powerful and persistent as those in the worldwide fossilized sectors. Read More

Over the past decade, the term sustainability has caught on in the boardroom, courtroom and living room. While the concept has reached the mainstream, opportunities abound for implementation.

Ten trends to watch for Read More

What never grows old? The burning desire of youth to reinvent the world. That ambition and impatience is on full display in Forbes 2018 edition of the Forbes 30 Under 30, our annual Read More

Domini is proud to announce that we have recently signed the Stockholm Declaration, re-affirming our support for the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs). The Stockholm Declaration was organized by the GRI Read More

Last year, as CEI conducted a strategic review as part of our leadership transition, we found ourselves asking the same questions that were being asked across the country, on both sides of the political aisle. At the heart of those questions was the recognition that our economy is not working for everyone. And a major takeaway was that rural regions, gateway cities, and the people who live there were being left behind. Maine-based CEI is taking strides to change that, from investing in small businesses, job training programs, and pragmatic policy solutions. Read More

After decades of working at the intersection of community development, philanthropy and community economic development, we see a significant shift in how philanthropic assets are being used to build vibrant, prosperous communities. Many place-focused foundations are seeking to complement their grantmaking with local investments to create greater impact in their own communities. There’s a growing recognition that traditional grantmaking is not enough to address complex, tough community issues like early childhood education, affordable and energy efficient housing, good jobs and career opportunities for all. Read More

Green Century Capital Management announced recently that its assets under management (AUM) reached a new landmark, exceeding $500 million as of October 20, 2017. Green Century is the investment advisor to the first Read More

ImpactAssets announced in September 2017 the addition of new lower minimum, high-impact investment options within the ImpactAssets Giving Fund (www.impactassets.org), its donor advised fund. The four private debt and equity investments are managed Read More

For more than 40 years, Muhammad Yunus, the Bangladeshi founder of the Grameen Bank and recipient of the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize[1], has been asserting that the most powerful way to eradicate poverty Read More

Aligning the capital markets more directly with the urgent needs we face as a society to halt environmental destruction and reverse decades of worsening inequality must be our priority for 2018. Alignment needs to occur at every level, across the global markets. Despite the tremendous efforts behind the Paris Climate Accord, formalization of the UN Sustainable Development Goals and a long history of other efforts to change the course of climate change and inequality, we are not making nearly the progress needed. The 1,700 signatories to the UN Principles for Responsible Investment, which represent $70 trillion of assets and a wave of press about ESG investing, have not gotten us on track yet. Read More

LIFT Economy was recently recognized for creating extraordinary positive impact as a business based on an independent, comprehensive assessment administered by the nonprofit B Lab. Honorees are featured on B the Change, Read More

Financial technology provider ImpactUs announced in Sept and October the onboarding of six additional issuers to its impact investing platform, ImpactUs Marketplace. The Marketplace is a community-driven fintech platform offering institutions, individuals and Read More

It’s Monday morning, the beginning of a new week. The day starts with greeting the sunrise from our garden that faces to the East. A few minutes of taking in the energy that provides us so many benefits every day, and then some meditation, establishes the foundation for all else. After a stroll in the garden it is time to enter into the technological universe with a quick review of Bloomberg.com and WSJ.com. What is happening on the global stage and in the financial markets? How are the markets doing and how might global factors and the events of the day impact the people that I work with? Read More

In northern Montana, Doug and Anna Jones-Crabtree restore soil health while growing organic heirloom and specialty grains, pulse and oilseed crops on 4,700 acres. A thousand miles away in Central Minnesota, the Main Street Project sequesters carbon as it transforms 100 acres of bare ground to a permaculture farm alive with hazelnut trees and foraging chickens. Read More

Leading community development financial institution (CDFI) Virginia Community Capital (VCC) and the nationally recognized Center for Rural Entrepreneurship (CRE) announced in June the launch of LOCUS Impact Investing (LOCUS), a new social enterprise to empower place-focused foundations to invest their capital locally to build prosperous, vibrant communities. Read More

As an entrepreneur, I lean optimistic, and so here are a few predictions for where the organic marketplace is heading. Several megatrends will combine to keep the sales of organic foods growing at a robust rate, they include: Increased awareness about the negative health impacts and costs of widespread agrichemical exposures; Organic Certification will remain the only reliable standard for consumers seeking real, clean foods; the positive role that organics can play in mitigating the effects of climate change including better data on the benefits of organic production; and Lower cost organic offerings. Read More

The for-profit subsidiary of a West Side nonprofit that provides transitional jobs for the formerly incarcerated in its production of local honey and honey-infused skincare products; a company that employs adults with autism founded by the father of an affected child; a collaborative created to renew a corridor that was once the heart of entertainment and shopping on Chicago’s south and southwest side – these are three of the beneficiaries of the first loans to be made by the impact investment fund established for Benefit Chicago. Read More

We at Iroquois Valley Farms are pleased to announce a new corporate entity as we begin our 11th season of operations. In 2007 when we started the company, our idea was simple - growing healthy foods on organic soils would be good business. Read More

Imagine you are seated on a patio in the Tuscan countryside. The fresh mozzarella coupled with sweet tomatoes, ripe from the warm sun, pairs beautifully with the garlic sourdough bread and crisp local wine. The setting opens the heart and soothes the soul. The vineyard you overlook is in its crucial stage of ripening, that last conversion of acid to sugar, and the company of friends and family couldn’t be better. Read More

Hundreds of people have died in northern Kenya in recent months due to conflict between armed cattle herders and the wildlife conservation community. During my visits to this part of Kenya over the last two years, I was surprised to find livestock in a region renowned for wildlife. Read More

I often refer to Slow Money as "the CSA of investing." As with community-supported agriculture, our efforts revolve around informal, direct relationships and shared risk. Slow Money funding is flowing in a variety of ways in dozens of communities across the US — peer-to-peer lending, investment clubs, and angel networks. Read More

A group of investors has released a new white paper, Impact Investing in Sustainable Food and Agriculture across Asset Classes: Financing Resilient Value Chains through Total Portfolio Activation. Read More

April 18, 2017 marked the publication of an ambitious new book with the audacious goal of showing how to reverse the warming of the planet through a myriad of innovations, many of them led by business for profit. Read More

In late April 2017, the latest Green Transition Scoreboard® (GTS) found that, despite Trump’s anti-green policies, private green investments now total more than $8.1 trillion USD ($8,133,456,730,370). Read More

As most everyone interested in sustainability knows by now, the concept has been appropriated by numerous entities and used in various ways, often to achieve different objectives. In his introductory chapter to the excellent 2013 edition of the Worldwatch Institute’s State of the World report, Robert Engelman coined the term "sustainababble" to reflect this "cacophonous profusion of uses of the word sustainable to mean anything from environmentally better to cool". Read More

Whole Foods Market CEO John Mackey announced the release of his new book last month, The Whole Foods Diet: The Lifesaving Plan for Health and Longevity. Mackey co-authored the book with Dr. Alona Pulde and Dr. Matthew Lederman, known for the documentary, Forks Over Knives. Read More

Interview with Jon Bishop and Laura Dreese For the past decade, for-profit microfinance company Envest Microfinance has been striving to bridge the gap between microfinance and financial markets to make access to financial services universally available. It has tapped into support from individual and institutional investors to provide sustainable financing to the world’s economically marginalized and geographically isolated populations. Read More

Sustainalytics, a leading global provider of ESG and corporate governance research, ratings and analytics, recently released a new thematic research report titled, 10 for 2017: Investment Themes in a Changing World. The report looks at the key drivers of 10 ESG investment themes that are expected to create new risks and opportunities for investors in 2017. In addition, the report profiles 10 companies, spanning seven countries and eight industries, that are poised to take advantage of these trends. Read More

New condiments, functional beverages and natural foods

Recently, Whole Foods Market’s (NASDAQ: WFM) global buyers and experts announced the trends to watch in 2017. Wellness tonics, products from byproducts and purple foods are just a few top predictions according to the trend-spotters, who share more than 100 years of combined experience in sourcing products and tracking consumer preferences. Read More

Back in November, when we announced we’d give 100 percent of our global retail and online Black Friday sales directly to grassroots nonprofits working on the frontlines to protect our air, water and soil for future generations, we heard from many of our customers calling it a “fundraiser for the earth.” Read More

Twenty-five years ago travelers were just beginning to think about the environmental impacts of their travel. Ecotourism became a catch-all term in the 1990s for making travel environmentally and socially beneficial — that both conserved the environment and sustains the well-being of local people. Read More