Impact Investing

We’re using a record amount of electricity here on Earth but while emissions are up, the energy mix is changing significantly. Indeed, wind and solar were up 19% year-on-year from 2021, whereas coal was up just 1.1% and natural gas use actually plateaued. As a result, the energy we use now has the lowest carbon emissions ever. Read More

Recently, Environmental Finance named Sunwealth’s Solar Impact Fund their 2023 ESG Fixed Income Fund of the Year. This recognition is part of Environmental Finance’s 2023 Sustainable Investment Awards – a global initiative that seeks to recognize fund and asset managers focused on ESG and sustainability. Read More

The new scorecard by the Ceres Accelerator for Sustainable Capital Markets shows how 10 federal financial regulators have implemented key actions to address the financial risks of climate change. There is still much more work to do addressing these risks with the same level of ambition and urgency as their global counterparts. Read More

The economic tailwinds are behind the clean energy transition. Climate change is a glaring risk on the horizon that should be impossible to ignore. But like so much of society, the stock market is stuck in Don’t Look Up mode. Asset managers can impactfully change the narrative around sustainable and climate-focused investing, while fulfilling fiduciary duty. Read More

Trillium’s Sustainable Opportunities thematic public equity strategy aims to address global sustainability challenges in three core areas: climate solutions, economic inclusion, and healthy living. While many of Trillium’s equity strategies have exposure to renewable energy, the Sustainable Opportunities strategy has a greater level of exposure to climate solutions, like renewable energy and energy conservation. Read More

For investors concerned about climate change risk, the issue of which stocks to buy, hold and sell can be quite complicated. The power sector represents the largest consumer of carbon fuels and is highly regulated. Data that measures climate risk – from sector-level analysis to security-level analysis – can be vital for investors who want exposure to the power sector while minimizing transition risk to a lower-carbon future. Read More

Energy transition investments globally hit $1.1 trillion in 2022, breaking the $1 trillion mark for the first time, according to BloombergNEF. And a projected $1.7 trillion will be investing globally in clean energy in 2023, significantly more than the approximately $1 trillion expected to flow into fossil fuels, according to International Energy Agency. Read More

In support of the transition to a low-carbon economy, Parnassus Investments, a pioneer in responsible investing, is removing its long-held exclusion on companies that make more than 10% of their revenue from nuclear power generation and/or related activities. We believe nuclear energy offers a critical source of fuel, with benefits that include low to no emissions, safety, and stability. Read More

Croatan Institute’s recent report, Soil Wealth Areas: Place-based Financing for Conservation, Rural Communities, and Regenerative Ag, summarizes a USDA-funded, feasibility assessment regarding development of place-based financing districts in NC, CA, OR, and WI. The project engaged with 40 farms across 25K acres as well as a diverse group of partners, investors and stakeholders. Read More

“I started Farm Holdings to restore as much land as possible and soon became obsessed with soil and soil erosion. We’re learning a lot about what you need to do to make regenerative ag work financially for investors, including partnering with farmers and ranchers around the collocation of clean energy with regenerative ag,” said Tim Luckow, founder Read More

By investing in the development and scaling of alternative proteins, we could reduce GHG emissions, create economic opportunities, and contribute to sustainable development. In addition to the environmental benefits, they offer other potential advantages. Plant-based proteins can be produced with significantly less land, water, and other resources than traditional animal agriculture as well as improve animal welfare. Read More

Global meat consumption is expected to grow over the next decade. The changing global climate poses significant risks not just to the growth, but to the fundamentals of the industry. From the rising price of feed to desertification of grazing lands and increasing regulation to reduce GHG emissions, climate-related risks require an extra layer of analysis for asset allocation in the sector. Read More

2022 was a breakout year for organic agriculture. Consumer demand for organic food continued its steady rise, with strong prices for producers, rising land values and excellent returns for investors. Beyond these results, three significant trends were sharply apparent last year that will continue to affect not only organic farming but the entire agriculture sector including investor interest in sustainable farmland practices. Read More

Trillium’s Sustainable Opportunities thematic suite of public equity strategies aims to address global sustainability challenges in three core areas: climate solutions, economic inclusion, and healthy living. As an intersecting theme, sustainable food and agriculture, cuts across these issues. Since 2008, Trillium has identified companies benefiting from the shift to a more sustainable economy. Read More

John Koudounis of Calamos Investments and NBA superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo share the goals of economic empowerment, financial education, and giving back, especially to young people in the community. So together they are creating sustainable funds and ETFs designed to generate investment and societal returns, based on ESG research and investment principles. Read More

Praxis Mutual Funds, a leading faith-based, socially responsible family of mutual funds from Everence Financial has released its 2022 Real Impact Report. The third annual report shares specific real-world impacts arising from the Praxis team’s work to fulfill its stewardship investing mission. Key themes include supporting the low carbon transition, protecting human rights and addressing inequality. Read More

Domini’s new report underscores how their impact investment standards, in-house research, and corporate engagement helped to address some of most pressing issues. “Encouraging companies to deepen their sustainability efforts was a focus of our work in 2022. We leveraged it to support the climate transition, safeguard nature, and promote equity,” said Domini CEO Carole Laible. Read More

Recently Amazon Watch published Respecting Indigenous Rights: An Actionable Toolkit for Institutional Investors. The Indigenous-led guide for pension funds, asset managers, and other institutional investors looks at the responsibility to respect the rights of Indigenous peoples which is crucial for climate stability, biodiversity protection, and financial risk management. Read More

Leslie Samuelrich, President of Green Century Funds, was named to the new list of Barron’s 100 Most Influential Women in U.S. Finance, joining the ranks of prominent women including Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and other notable names in finance. Samuelrich has been an articulate and powerful voice in promoting SRI for the past 10 years. Read More

The recent U.S. IRA directs $720 million to tribes and Native communities for climate resilience and solutions. From gold rushes to oil booms, Native American lands have been subjected to some of the worst environmental abuses in America including unregulated mineral mining, rapacious fossil fuel extraction, and multiple pipelines. Read More

Are you involved with your local Land Trust? If the answer is “Yes, I go hiking on the local trails,” you are not alone. There are currently more than 1,700 Land Trusts including 467 accredited Land Trusts in the U.S. When you are called on to make a donation or to join the staff or board, this will help give you some insight into the current and rapidly changing landscape of finance for community protected areas. Read More

“The Clean200 has demonstrated consistently that what we called the ‘clean energy’ future seven years ago is now the clean energy present. This year, the scale and global diversity of leading companies continue to expand and redefine the term cleantech to be any company that has products and services that will reduce demand for fossil fuels and water” said Andrew Behar, CEO of As You Sow and report co-author. Read More

In the 16th annual edition of the State of Green Business, the GreenBiz editors and analysts have selected 10 key trends worth watching, reflecting a broad spectrum of environmental and sustainability topics: transportation, carbon removal, the circular economy, climate tech, sustainable food systems, renewable energy and more. Also find the state of biodiversity, and insights on green jobs and careers. Read More

ImpactAssets has released its twelfth 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

Investing at the nexus of gender and climate finance has been evolving in recent years: from the development of new research and case studies that help make the case for this approach and illustrate its benefits, to the emergence of tools to support investors in adopting an integrated approach. This new report is for both investors and investment intermediaries. Read More

“US SIF has accomplished so much and is poised to accelerate its impact and accomplishments. This is an incredible opportunity to apply my experience from FAIRR and PRI to the US sustainable investment market and to help drive the mission and impact of US SIF to the next level” said Maria Lettini. Read More

If you’re an investor looking to support solutions to climate change, how do you know your money can make an actual impact? Here are a few answers. As CEO and co-founder of Carbon Equity, Jacqueline has leveraged her experience as a private equity investor and company builder to create an organization that directs capital to climate funds. Read More

Sustainable investing has gained momentum over the past decade with both financial professionals and casual investors. Growing social, economic, and environmental concerns have fueled an increase in socially responsible investments, and CDFIs are critical players, leveraging specialized knowledge and resources to create innovative financial products with a positive social return. Here are key CDFI investing trends. Read More

An analysis by McKinsey found closing the racial wealth gap would add up to $1.5 trillion in economic activity over the next 10 years through job creation and income gains. This article looks at the benefits of moving low-cost capital to depositories advancing access to capital for minority and women-owned businesses as well as access to homeownership to build wealth. Read More

In honor of Women’s History Month, Stella Tai, Stewardship Investing Impact and Analysis Manager at Praxis Mutual Funds interviews Lori Scott, Managing Director of Impact Credit at Lafayette Square to reflect on the contributions and achievements of women in the field of investing. Lori brings 25 years of experience in community development finance and has paved her own way in the impact investment field. Read More

Investing with a Gender Lens is not new. Many of us have been at this for a while now. And yet 2023 is the year we stand to make significant progress in bringing more balance to both our finances and to corporate America and beyond. Gender Lens Investing is an approach to investment due diligence that seeks to incorporate gender considerations into investment decision-making. Read More

Oyster aquaculture and restoration program celebrates successes, looks to the future – When the COVID-19 outbreak shuttered restaurants throughout the country, commercial oyster growers saw their sales plummet. At the same time, the pandemic forced many organizations that were restoring native oyster reefs to suspend their work. During this challenging period, The Pew Charitable Trusts’ conserving marine life in the U.S. project and The Nature Conservancy recognized an opportunity to connect the two groups through an effort that we named Supporting Oyster Aquaculture and Restoration (SOAR). Read More

Industry players must keep making their products even more attractive, appeal to older generations and bring down costs. Only then can we address the significant environmental impacts of animal agriculture while satisfying the meat-loving masses. The environmental benefits of having a hefty proportion of the global population moving to a meat-free diet are well documented. Animal farming uses around 77 percent of the world’s agricultural land; yet, it only supplies 17 percent of our food. It is this inefficiency that continues to drive the expansion of farms, and ongoing deforestation and loss of ecosystems. Read More

Mad Capital, an impact-focused lender offering funding for organic and transitioning farmers, announced that they've raised a $4M seed round, led by Trailhead Capital. "Regenerative agriculture aspires to work with nature, rather than against it. Our goal is to finance 10 million acres of farmland by 2032." said co-founder, Phil Taylor. Conventional industrial agriculture is responsible for the ongoing degradation of our soil, greenhouse gas emissions, biodiversity loss, and chemical laden foods. Regenerative farming is a rising movement that addresses these challenges. However, many farmers struggle to convert to regenerative because traditional banks are largely unwilling to supply transition financing. Read More

After more than a year of pressure from environmental groups, the major outdoor retailer REI announced February 21, that it will ban hazardous “forever chemicals” from its clothing and cookware by fall 2024. REI’s new product standards will require its suppliers to eliminate all per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, from the pots, pans, apparel, shoes, bags, packs, and similar gear sold by the retail chain. Suppliers of heavy-duty apparel like professional-grade raincoats will have until 2026 to make those products PFAS-free. Read More

Each year, the Institute for Local Self-Reliance tracks and scores states based on how their policies help or hinder local clean energy action. The states that score the highest let communities take charge and build the energy future that best suits local needs. In the 2023 Scorecard, 4 states excelled, 14 states and the District of Columbia saw above average scores, 6 were average, and 13 states received failing grades. Read More

Cities + Solutions series: Ann Arbor, Michigan which, like many other cities, has set ambitious emissions targets. Unlike most other cities, it’s piloting plans in one of its lowest-income communities. “We made a really strategic decision to focus on those who have been hurt first and worst by climate change and systemic racism.” – Missy Stults, Ann Arbor Sustainability Director. Read More

Egg prices are in the news and hitting budgets hard. Two main factors led to higher egg prices, but there may be a bit of relief coming. Through November 2022, egg prices jumped 49%, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. If you’ve checked the grocery store, the price of a dozen eggs varies but you may see prices closing in on $10. You can also find organic eggs at a lower price point than conventional. Read More

In August of 2022, President Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act into law, creating the largest investment in environmental and climate justice in U.S. history. Now, the Biden-Harris Administration announced the availability of $550 million from the Inflation Reduction Act for the EPA's new Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Grantmaking program which will fund up to 11 grantmakers for community-based projects that reduce pollution. Read More

Norway’s sovereign wealth fund, the world’s single largest investor, has warned company directors it will vote against their re-election to the board if they do not up their game on tackling the climate crisis. Carine Smith Ihenacho, the chief governance and compliance officer of Norges Bank Investment Mgmt. said “the fund was preparing to vote against the re-election of at least 80 company boards for failing to set or hit environmental or social targets.” Read More

On the Manhattanville campus, the architecture of Diller Scofidio + Renfro reinforces a social movement in business education to do good as well as make money. The design of the campus coincided with business schools around the country coming to terms with rising criticism that companies are too predatory, exploitative and monopolistic, and that business education had to change. Read More

Purpose-driven marketing and ESG stakeholder relationships have seen escalating through the pandemic — with increased challenges and opportunities. In 2022, we saw brands double-down on purpose-driven initiatives as they worked to drive consumer loyalty, retain top talent and create exponential impact — all amidst a rise in consumer skepticism and politically motivated attacks on ESG. Read More

January 1st was the start date of five new women helming Fortune 500 companies, bringing the total number of female CEOs to 53. Which means, for the first time—after years of being stuck at the 8% mark—over 10% of Fortune 500 CEOs are women. Let's take a moment to recognize how far we've come by celebrating some of the history-making women who brought us over the 10% line. Read More

Pittsburgh’s goal: a zero-carbon budget. An ambitious plan adopted in 2018 with objectives like 100 percent renewable energy by 2030, a fossil-free fleet and zero-waste. There are several ways a city can slice its budget. One is incremental budgeting, wherein the previous year’s budget provides the baseline for the next. Priority-based budgeting maps every dollar a city spends to a specific program. Read More

On January 9, Hypatia Capital Management LLC announced the launch of a new exchange traded fund, the Hypatia Women CEO ETF (NYSE: WCEO), which invests in large women-led companies. "We believe investors are increasingly interested in the research that highlights the performance of female leadership” said Patricia Lizarraga, founder and managing partner. Read More

Institutional investors across the globe are taking stock of natural capital — the value extracted from soil, air, water, climate and all the living things and ecosystem services that make the economy possible. Examples include advancing sustainable hydroponics, beef alternatives, biodegradable consumer products and degraded land restoration. Read More

In MSCI’s ESG and Climate Trends to Watch for 2023 we discuss the key topics investors face, from climate change, the environment and the road to net-zero, through to regulatory requirements, supply chain innovations, biodiversity and new technologies, as well as issues affecting everyday life. Read More

Major disasters like hurricanes and wildfires can wipe out buildings and crops, causing losses for the banks that make loans against these assets. On January 17th the Federal Reserve released new climate risk analysis details it’s asking six major U.S. banks to conduct, to assess just how vulnerable big banks are to this kind of upheaval. Read More

Big global banks are eyeing some of the world’s most fragile countries for a new experiment in financial engineering: debt relief in exchange for environmental protections. As much as $2 trillion of developing country debt may be eligible. Ecuador is said to be working on a $800 million transaction and Sri Lanka is considering a $1 billion deal. Read More

The field of ESG ratings is in a phase of rapid growth—it is estimated that there are 150 different ESG data providers in the market, and these figures are expected to grow. The estimated scale of ESG-related assets under management (AUM) is predicted to reach US$53 trillion by 2025, equivalent to a third of all global investments. Read More

According to the 2022 Trends Report, from 2020 through the first half of 2022, 154 institutional investors and 70 investment managers collectively controlling nearly $3.0 trillion in assets at the start of 2022 filed or co-filed shareholder resolutions on environmental, social or governance (ESG) issues. Investors also focused on disclosure and management of corporate political spending and lobbying. Read More

The US SIF Foundation using a new modified methodology for their 2022 Trends Report identified 497 institutional asset owners applying ESG incorporation practices across $6.6 trillion in assets under management. The group included institutional asset owners and plan sponsors such as public funds, insurance co, educational and faith-based institutions, foundations, labor funds, hospitals, and family offices. Read More

Using the US SIF Foundation’s new modified methodology, the 2022 Report on US Sustainable Investing Trends identified 349 money managers and 1,359 community investment institutions incorporating Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) criteria into their investment decision-making processes across a total of $5.6 trillion in assets under management (AUM). Read More

The US SIF Foundation’s 14th edition of the biennial Report on US Sustainable Investing Trends identifies $8.4 trillion in total US sustainable investment AUM at the beginning of 2022. This represents 13 percent of the total US assets under professional management. These totals reflect the Trends Report’s new modified methodology. Read More

“Protecting and restoring biodiversity and ecosystems is critical to ensuring sustainable economic growth. It is also a key component of our response to climate change mitigation, resilience, and adaptation. The private sector has a central role to play. This guide is a compass for businesses and investors seeking to align their activities with the goals of sustainable growth and a healthy planet.” said Makhtar Diop, IFC Read More

ESG investing has been all the rage over the last several years, and today’s investors can choose from hundreds of stocks, mutual funds, and municipal bonds. Eco-friendly investing puts money behind companies that claim to be better for the environment by actively trying to lower their carbon emissions. But investors who want to make decisions with the environment in mind can find themselves trying to navigate a confusing landscape. Read More

Calvert Impact recently announced the publication of its 2022 Impact Report: Responding to the Need for Transformative Change. The report showcases Calvert Impact's portfolio partners' work in communities around the globe and the impact of its investors' capital. It also highlights key internal trends, with particularly noteworthy increases in Calvert Impact's climate and small business portfolios. Read More

Vert Asset Management, a dedicated ESG investment manager, recently announces the 5th anniversary of Vert Global Sustainable Real Estate Fund, an open-end mutual fund which seeks to achieve long-term capital appreciation. The Fund invests across the globe in publicly listed real estate investment trusts (REITs) using evidence-based environmental, social and governance (ESG) criteria. Read More

Can financial instruments such as green bonds and other sustainability-related products deliver enough financing for a multi-trillion-dollar energy transition? The cost of transitioning from fossil fuels to clean energy seems fantastically astronomical. Current estimates of the capital needed to decarbonize the global economy and achieve net zero emissions by 2050 offer some eye-watering figures. They range from about $1 trillion to $9 trillion annually. Read More

Women are at the forefront of the movement towards a new kind of capitalism – one where companies don’t simply focus on maximizing profits for shareholders, but consider their impacts on all stakeholders, including the environment, their workers, and the communities in which they operate. Also we’ve seen companies where women hold top leadership roles tend to meet higher ESG standards than their industry peers. Read More

Compared to just two years ago, our clients are far more aware of ESG as an investment approach. This includes awareness that ESG is, to some, a controversial topic. Part of our role as financial advisors is to dig into investment opportunities to ensure we understand them and how they match up with our clients’ goals for a more sustainable future – that includes a better planet and society over the next five, 10 and 20 years. Read More

There is a growing recognition that addressing the climate crisis will require tapping into the knowledge, insights, and expertise of the whole population. If we want climate solutions that create a just transition for everyone affected, we need everyone involved - as innovators, entrepreneurs, workers, policymakers, customers, and investors. Gender diversity and other forms of inclusivity are material to climate investments. Read More

Calvert Impact has invested in women since our founding nearly 30 years ago. As an investment firm dedicated to investing in solutions that people and planet need, we helped grow the microfinance and community development financial industries, both of which are important sources of capital for female entrepreneurs. Ten years ago, we began experimenting with a more formal approach to investing in women. Read More

Calvert Impact Capital, Inc. announced the formation of Calvert Impact, Inc. as its new holding company and as the overall brand to expand its impact investment activities. The changes will facilitate the launch of new impact investment products and service offerings that advance Calvert Impact's goal of better connecting the capital markets with organizations that positively affect communities and the planet. Read More

“The results of GIIN’s new market sizing study should fill us with optimism and determination. We should be optimistic about the capacity of the impact investing market to enact positive change, and we must be determined to continue to grow the use of impact investing as a critical strategy to address the challenges of our time” said GIIN Co-Founder and CEO Amit Bouri. Read More

Here’s the first in-depth, multi-faith analysis of the extent to which faith groups align their values with their investment portfolios. There's been a huge rise in interest in values-driven investing in recent years, including among faith groups who are increasingly aware of the importance of investing in line with their faith values to help them achieve their environmental and social goals. Read More

Jesus called out economic injustice. He turned over the tables in the temple, because of the way the financial system of the temple treated the poor. The poor would bring what they had, but it was not in the currency of the temple. So, they exchanged it with unscrupulous money changers to get the right currency. Jesus recognized this abuse and rejected it. Read More

On the theme of values-based investing, a speaker at a Christian MBA networking conference I attended explained the importance of having a framework to look at how a company treats all of its stakeholders, namely, its customers, employees, suppliers, host communities, the environment, and broader society. The bottom line was her assertion that what is right is also, in many cases, good for business and investors. Read More

Community investing combines prudent management and economic sustainability of traditional investments with an understanding of the challenges faced by orgs seeking to bring opportunity and long-term financial viability to those on the margins of our society. Where charity seeks to do good work, community investing seeks to leverage charitable and community resources to expand that “good work” by multiples Read More

Faith-based investors have an opportunity, indeed an obligation, to exert influence on businesses to maximize the human welfare of shareholders, broader stakeholders, and society at large. Such investors may align investments with their belief system, like Quakers eschewing any business dealings with companies involved in the slave trade, or early Methodists avoiding investments in alcohol, tobacco, gambling or weapons. Read More

There is a reawakening among faith investors to address global challenges through the power of mobilizing assets in alignment with their values. Over the decades, faith leaders charted a course that has engaged both values-aligned investors and financial professionals. Today, we are witnessing some of the first “impact investing” pioneers coming together with a new generation of faith-based asset owners and networks. Read More

Water is essential to planetary well-being and securing water for different uses provides countries with socio-economic development. However, investing in water resource development is still challenging for governments and corporations worldwide. Energy has alternatives (solar, wind, nuclear, etc.), but there is NO substitute for water. Read More

CEI’s Business Lab is an example of the kind of solution that Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) excel at. Through their lending and business advising in economically sidelined communities, CDFIs learn directly from the individuals in the communities that they serve, what the key barriers to success are, allowing them to develop tailored solutions. Read More

Since 2008, in response to expanding social and racial inequities across the United States, the Surdna Foundation has worked to foster sustainable communities guided by principles of social justice and distinguished by healthy environments, inclusive economies, and thriving cultures. These pillars – environment, economic opportunity, and culture – form the backbone of a more fair and just society for all. Read More

Should a private foundation be more than a private investment company that uses some of its excess cash flow for charitable purposes? This was a question pondered by the Heron Foundation’s Board of Directors as they considered how best to use the Foundation’s assets to promote its mission of helping people and communities help themselves. And for the last 10 years, Heron has invested 100 percent of our assets for our mission. Read More

Impact investing has found a foothold in donor advised funds. From affluent individuals and families to community and corporate foundations, donors are looking at the investment side of their philanthropic capital and investing charitable assets in ways that provide immediate benefit to those who need it most. The $160 billion in DAF assets represents a pool of patient capital and an ideal source of catalytic capital. Read More

The global impact investing field has been expanding like never before so it is worth considering what impact investing’s further growth and mainstreaming could mean for philanthropy and foundations and the dynamic role they have long played. Informed by 40 years and more than $700 million of impact investing, the MacArthur Foundation sees three main ways that philanthropy should continue to engage. Read More

What could the next 30 years bring? At Homewise we are working towards a future in which a growing and increasingly diverse spectrum of Americans have the opportunity to build intergenerational wealth and foster strong communities through homeownership. We believe that this work, if taken to scale and adequately resourced, could transform the distribution of wealth and opportunity in America within 30 years. Read More

As we look forward to the next 30 years, we believe that capital markets are on the precipice of an increase in the impact of corporate ESG performance on security prices. We expect a corresponding acceleration of capital deployed to solve the environmental challenges, such as greenhouse gas emissions and plastic pollution. We also expect improvements in corporate DEI performance. Read More

From the 2022 Archives – For GM, the pandemic became an opportunity for company-wide innovation. With the development and launch of numerous EVs, we showed ourselves and the world just how agile and creative we could be, even during a challenging time for everyone across the globe. Today, we’re using what we’ve learned to propel forward our vision of an all-electric, more sustainable and more inclusive future. Read More

In light of my forthcoming retirement at the end of the year, I am especially pleased to be included in this 30th anniversary issue of GreenMoney. It has been a tremendous privilege to be embedded in the evolution of ESG Investing for 50 years, first at ICCR and then at BTW. This is an occasion to look ahead at the ESG industry’s future. But first, let’s reflect on the foundation laid by investors since 1971. 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

“Investor demand for tools that help them build trustworthy ESG investment products and lower their carbon footprint has never been higher and Bloomberg’s new Climate Index Family provides industry-standard climate benchmarks investors can use with confidence,” said Chris Hackel, Head of ESG Indices, Bloomberg. 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

Buildings account for 60% of carbon emissions in cities. And with billions of people moving into cities in the next 30 years, there is a responsibility to ensure that the real estate sector, and the permanency of buildings and our communities, are evolving and adapting in sustainable ways that are good for the planet, job creation, health, and equality. 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 transition to a more sustainable economy will require more intentionality than we see today, in the sense that businesses, capital markets, civil society and governments will need to reach consensus on goals and how to reach them. We should not underestimate the immensity of this challenge, transitioning from a depletive economic model to a more circular, restorative economic model. 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

3BL Media recently released their annual 100 Best Corporate Citizens ranking, recognizing outstanding ESG transparency and performance among the 1,000 largest U.S. public companies. The 100 Best Corporate Citizens ranking is based on 155 ESG factors in eight areas: climate change; employee relations; environment; finance; governance; human rights; stakeholders and society; and ESG performance. 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

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

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

It’s time for my first interview in 2022 and it’s with the highly energetic, award-winning climate finance campaigner Lucie Pinson, CEO of Reclaim Finance. We spoke remotely, her in Paris, me in Sydney, and the discussion ranged from her work journey to some of her incredible successes over the years in getting banks and companies to move on climate change. 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

Many times, in life progress stems from the connections we make — between our money, our values, and an array of social, environmental and governance (ESG) issues. In 2021, assets in the five Domini Funds reached over $3 billion. For Domini, this growth has gone hand-in-hand with new efforts to understand critical global challenges and look closely at how companies are responding to them. Read More

When adults encourage young girls to dream about their future careers, they often mention becoming teachers, nurses, or childcare workers. Young boys get to imagine themselves in suits and ties while handling business transactions or leading meetings. It’s one reason why men have long dominated the financial world – but women are changing the game and the future with ESG investing. Read More

If you are interested in the interdisciplinary topics of environmental, social, and governance and how they influence businesses, you might consider a career in ESG Investing. If you have hard time reconciling the person you need to be for your day job versus the person you are outside of work, ESG could be a good fit. There are so many opportunities today at the intersection of finance, business, and sustainability. Read More

ESG strategies are rapidly gaining popularity as interest in supporting companies that manage their carbon footprint, invest in their employees, and promote gender diversity surges. As more and more funds claim the ESG label, how can investors effectively decide which investments are genuine? See the practical framework in this article to help with your financial decisions. Read More

The concept of financial wellness is often associated with managing your money the right way or having a certain net worth. But this definition leaves out something just as important as the numbers – how your finances impact your mental and physical well-being. At OneEleven Financial Wellness, we are changing that by looking at more than just the numbers and taking a holistic approach to personal finance. 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

The three trends, I outline in this article, are fueled by increasing investor interest, and will continue to challenge and disrupt the water sector status quo. They are: traditionally slow pace of innovation and scaling of new technologies and business models is giving way to faster adoption in response to the harsh reality of the impacts of climate change; also democratized access to data and actionable information; and failing aging infrastructure and outdated public policies. Read More

“We have seen significant growth in the demand for our impact and ESG investment strategies over the last decade from a variety of investors, including endowments, foundations, faith-based organizations, high net worth investors, non-profits, and healthcare organizations. We are proud of our team members and are excited to share the new video and impact report.” said Alyssa Greenspan, president and COO of CCM. Read More

“The Clean200 has demonstrated consistently since 2016 that the clean energy future is the clean energy present. This year, the scale and global diversity of leading companies continue to expand and redefine the term cleantech to be any company that has products and services that will reduce demand for fossil fuels and water.” said Andrew Behar, CEO of As You Sow. Read More

The worlds we collectively inhabit—corporate sustainability, sustainable finance, the circular economy, climate tech—are all reaching inflection points, growing and changing faster than many could have imagined. Along the way, they’re roiling industries, companies, jobs and career paths—mostly for the better but also in a be-careful-what-you-wish-for kind of way. Here are the top sustainable business trends we see. Read More

Water risk hasn’t received the same attention as carbon emissions in sustainable and ESG investing, but if you’re not paying attention to water, you’re already behind. Droughts, floods, deteriorating infrastructure, poor water quality and more are materially impacting companies’ direct operations and supply chains across the globe. The changing climate will only accelerate the manifestation of these water risks. Read More

Fresh water is a unique resource. It is essential to life, prosperity, and environmental sustainability. It is also a limited, scarce resource. It is renewable through nature’s hydrologic cycle or through the expenditure of real resources on recycling through treatment and purification. To achieve a fair, efficient, and sustainable allocation of fresh water, it must be priced in all its uses to reflect its opportunity cost and scarcity value, including any negative environmental externalities. Read More

Companies that are leaders in water efficiency and reuse practices as well as those offering innovative solutions to global water challenges may be in position to outperform their competition over the long term. Investors can allocate capital to companies equipped to meet these challenges – driving capital to responsible companies in the water industry will drive more investment in solutions to global water challenges. 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

Recently Starbucks selected the first seven CDFIs to receive funding as part of the company’s Community Resilience Fund. With this first round, Starbucks is investing $21 million across these organizations to support equity and economic growth in the communities it serves. These organizations focus on advancing small business growth and community development projects in BIPOC communities across the country 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

Many of us were sitting around the dinner table during the Holidays and someone youngish started talking about “crypto,” “bitcoin,” maybe something about a “doge”-coin? Breathless talk of massive returns may have followed without the mention of risk. A cult leader would be impressed by the level of evangelism. Inevitably a wiser individual asks some variation of the question: “But what is it and why do I need it?” Read More

Millennials are keen to make an impact with their money. According to a 2021 survey by Morgan Stanley, 99 percent of millennials surveyed were interested in sustainable investing, an all-time high. Interest in sustainability persisted despite the COVID-19 pandemic, and climate change is the key focus. The emergence of ESG investing is rapidly growing, though it is still largely unknown among many retail investors. Read More

Most millennials express their commitment to helping non-profits through volunteering either in non-profit activities or by serving on boards and through financial donations. There are several planning tools that millennials can use that go far beyond making a routine contribution. Here are 3 tools millennials can use for improving organization of their charitable activities and long-term impact. Read More

For those looking to invest in a solidarity economy, CDFIs offer a proven way for one’s investment to make a positive impact on someone’s life and contribute to a long-term shift in who participates in our nation’s economy. Attuned to the greatest needs of underrepresented communities, investments in CDFIs represent an opportunity to place one’s money where it has meaning and positive impact. Read More

Incorporating Sustainable Investing into Your Practice: A Roadmap for Financial Advisors covers the basics of sustainable investing, including ESG incorporation and investor engagement strategies. It also explains the business case for sustainable investing with a review of current research on financial performance and risk reduction, fiduciary duty considerations, and data on the growing demand for sustainable investment products and services. The guide also details six steps advisors can take to get started or strengthen their sustainable investment practice. 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

ESG integration has been touted by Wall Street firms as a useful method for identifying risk factors that would otherwise be overlooked by traditional investment analysis, as well as optimizing investment returns in times of economic uncertainty. In todays’ world, it makes sense to put equality for women at the forefront of investing, because organizations that prioritize the rights and equality of women make their own organization stronger. Companies that rank higher from an ESG perspective for embracing the gender lens for investments also help to optimize the returns on their investments. 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

Many companies understand that a diverse workforce can enhance innovation and in turn profitability. A McKinsey study found companies with executive teams in the top quartile for gender diversity were 25% more likely to have above-average profitability than companies in the bottom quartile. Companies with more women in executive roles and in the board room, stand to benefit from a range of financial, social and reputational advantages. Read More

The newest SEC staff interpretation relating to shareholder proposals is poised to make it easier for ESG issues to get onto the ballot at company annual meetings. While terms like "diversity," "inclusion," and "gender lens investing" are becoming part of corporate and investing vocabulary, implementation of the values for which those concepts stand is far from complete. Read More

(From the Archives) While it has taken far too long for financial professionals to see us women as key decision-makers, with women set to control more wealth in the coming years, at last that seems to be changing. So, what to do with this newfound power when it comes to climate? Start a conversation with your money manager on how to begin aligning your investments with a safe climate for all. Read More

Women are looking to sustainable investing to help them express their care for the climate, for low-income communities, and for global health, knowing that all of these things are interconnected. They understand that gender diversity starts at the top. As companies hire more women and include more diversity in their upper management and on their boards, the organizations realize both better balance and better financial results. Read More

Corporate Vision Magazine recently announced the winners of the Media Innovator Awards 2021 which acknowledges businesses, and individuals who have excelled within the industry. Welcoming all businesses, enterprises and professionals, from print media, broadcasting, and social media. The GreenMoney team is honored by the award. 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

This five-step guide assists retirement plan sponsors considering the addition of investment options that address ESG criteria to their defined contribution (DC) retirement plans. It includes increasing plan sponsor knowledge of sustainable investing, gauging participants' interest, discussing implementation, choosing funds and educating participants. Read More

“We’ve remained flexible and adaptable as we continued to focus on achieving our mission in an impactful and sustainable way. From delivering our programs and services remotely to responding to changing economic and market conditions with innovative new programs, services and assistance for our clients.” – Mike Loftin, CEO of Homewise 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

Founding members, Dr. Judith Moore and Alya Kayal, JD, along with Senior Advisor Stuart Kinnersley, have launched ImpactARC, a dedicated impact advisory firm that aims to support asset owners and managers, international financial institutions, corporates and non-profit organizations in a just transition towards net zero outcomes. Read More

Most central banks align their asset purchasing programs with supporting risk mitigation – like investing in green bonds, for example. However, as modeling by the NGFS, an association of more than 90 central banks, has shown, shifting portfolio emissions requires more than green bond purchases; fossil fuel exposures must also be severely limited. Read More

Sustainability-linked bonds could help finance the transition of carbon-heavy companies, but only if the issuers are serious about climate. The green bond market is on fire, channeling record funds into climate-friendly projects around the globe promising synergy between investors chasing ESG products and the need for climate finance, especially in developing countries. 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

With the EU beginning to issue green bonds and predictions that have annual green bond issuance hitting $1 trillion by 2023, many have been left wondering: “What exactly is a green bond?” Green bonds allow investors to buy bonds that make a specific impact on the environment, especially climate. And now there’s social, sustainability, and positive impact bonds. Read More

The green bond market has played an increasingly important role in financing assets needed for the transition to a low-carbon future. In 2021 labelled green bond issuance as a percentage of the total has grown to 20% in Europe and 3% in the US. 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

“Americans, especially younger generations, increasingly prioritize and support local economies. We are arriving at a collective conclusion that global and domestic problems need local solutions and investing in place-based opportunities can offer investors appropriate risk-adjusted returns while positively impacting our communities to be better, greener, and more just.” - David Sand, Chief Impact Strategist at Community Capital Management Read More

With so many investment options geared towards ESG strategies, it can be hard to identify ones that drive direct and measurable impact towards their desired causes. Sustainable infrastructure projects have a great story to offer when considering community impact. Dollars are invested directly into tangible benefits to communities, people, and the environment. Read More

ESG is necessary but insufficient. The IPCC Report delivered an expected but still major jolt to the global financial community. Now, the question is, how should global finance respond to the report’s urgent recommendations? Is the widely adopted ESG approach the best way to successfully mitigate carbon emissions to meet Paris Agreement goals? Read More

Innovative fundraising options can meet community challenges that cut across race, gender, and geography. They include Banks (under the Community Reinvestment Act); Donor-Advised Funds (DAFs); and perhaps most promising, Fiscal Sponsor Programs. Read More

Investing in low-income communities struggling at the margins of the economy has been a pillar of SRI for more than half a century – the movement has broadened to include “sustainable” and “impact investing.” While faith-based and other investors have also launched corporate dialogues, screened investments and proactively invested in communities. Read More

If America is committed to helping everyone achieve affordable, stable housing, we must do more to help low-income families and families of color own their own housing. Affordable homeownership is not the capstone of economic well-being, it is the cornerstone. And it will also help close the racial wealth gap. Read More

Welcome to the ongoing GreenMoney Interviews series. This issue features two Women of Color who are emerging leaders in Socially Responsible Investing and Community Investing: Kimberly Jones of Self-Help Federal Credit Union who interviews Nicole Middleton Holloway of Natural Investments. Here is their wide-ranging conversation. Read More

Faith-based investing has been around for a long time and comes in countless methods of implementation and interpretation. Many faith-based investment strategies and products take different approaches to aligning faith from screening to advocacy to community investing. This report shares details on aligning faith and finance, including its history, terminology, performance, and religious guidelines. Read More

Impax Asset Management is celebrating the 50th birthday of the Pax Sustainable Allocation Fund, which launched in August 1971, marking the inception of the Pax World mutual fund family. The Fund was the first publicly available mutual fund in the US to use social and environmental as well as financial criteria in the investment process, and it helped give birth to the Sustainable Investing industry. Read More

Reducing climate risk in portfolios can be accomplished by assessing the climate risk of every investment, building climate-risk assessments into valuation models, and taking steps to minimize exposure to companies and industries that face significant exposure. Firms in just about every sector face transition risks as they shift away from reliance on fossil fuels. Read More

“We are deeply honored to receive the Keeling Curve Prize in recognition of our pathbreaking work on the carbon sequestration potential of seaweed aquaculture. The prize will be critical to advancing our mission to restore abundance to the world’s oceans.” said Oceans 2050 Founder Alexandra Cousteau. 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

Of all the types of institutions playing a role in averting catastrophic climate change, banks are perhaps unlikely protagonists. Yet by the everyday process of allocating capital and issuing loans to clients, lenders can be powerful allies or destructive antagonists in the fight for a climate-safe world. The impact of their lending has significance on the climate, our ecosystems and overall planetary stability. Read More

The Earth is a water world covered by vast oceans and a sheltering atmosphere. All life emanates from and is sustained by this watery cradle. Every breath we take, every drop we drink, every aqueous cell that binds our physical being; reminds us that we are water creatures. The sheer immensity of our oceans has made them appear impervious to man’s presence. But they are not. 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 new Report showcases key milestones achieved through company engagements globally. In 2020, we had 300 engagement meetings: 73 focused on climate change; 115 focused on human capital development; 60 focused on sustainability; and 88 focused on corporate governance. Helping us all to navigate the transition to a more sustainable economy. 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

The Koehler Group is investing in the European Circular Bioeconomy Fund (ECBF) with the aim of actively fostering the development of sustainable innovations and technologies. The ECBF is the first growth investment fund to be dedicated exclusively to projects in the field of the bioeconomy in Europe, including the accompanying circular economy. Read More

A circular economy moves beyond our take-make-waste industrial model and works toward designing products to eliminate waste and pollution and to regenerate natural systems. It’s a tall order for our complex global economy and demands a fundamental change within and across industries and stakeholders. The Circularity Gap Report from Amsterdam-based, Circle Economy is a useful and informative guide. 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

Some of the world’s biggest companies and investors are lining up trillions of dollars to finance a shift away from fossil fuels. Assets in investment funds focused partly on the environment reached almost $2 trillion globally in the first quarter. More than $5 billion worth of bonds and loans designed to fund green initiatives are now issued every day. Read More

JLL’s new research, Responsible Real Estate – Decarbonizing the Built Environment shows, the RE industry has accelerated its focus on responsibility and social purpose, with building occupants and ESG investors making strong commitments to decarbonize and build back better for the future. An increasing number of solutions include renewable energy. Read More

For over 25 years, USGBC has supported its members – which include corporations, small businesses, government entities and nonprofits – to achieve their green building goals through its LEED program, the world’s most widely used green building rating system and promotes the use of strategies that reduce environmental impact, enhance human health and support economic development. Read More

The case for sustainable investing is clear. The impact of addressing sustainability issues, from climate change to racial and social justice, has become a compelling investment case and, not factoring these issues represents an investment risk. Companies and investors are accelerating the transformation to greener and more sustainable economies. Read More

Buildings consume 40% of global energy and create 30% of global greenhouse gas emissions. With that data, it was logical for the focus of ESG investors to be on energy use reduction. It was also an easy ROI. Reduce the energy use, reduce the utility bill. That’s good for the planet, and good for profit too. But what about the people? Read More

In 2017, the Clean Energy Credit Union received its federal charter and became the first “thematic,” online-only, federally insured depository institution with an exclusive focus on clean energy lending. Since then, CECU has experienced tremendous success with thousands of members and is influencing both the banking and clean energy sectors. Read More

Each year, we publish our forecast to help corporate leaders navigate and lead on the year's most notable ESG advocacy trends like: Racial Justice, Biodiversity, Chemical Recycling, ESG Disclosures, Building Electrification, a K-Shaped Recovery, Net Zero, Community Resilience, and Companies & Democracy. Read More

This book offers clear-eyed portraits of two successful and intriguing major world investors. These profiles offer the immediacy of oral history, the hard-won knowledge of lived experience, with direct quotes from the major investors. This covers world history as their investments have influenced over 5,000 companies during their careers. Read More

Clean energy investment firm Sunwealth has received a $3M loan from CIC to support their solar access work. They’ll be using the financing, together with a tax equity investment from private investors, to support 18 solar projects on the rooftops and parking lots of NGOs, Apt. buildings, Churches and office buildings in underserved areas. Read More

Domini Impact Investments LLC, a women-led impact investment firm, has published their 2020 Impact Report, which highlights how investors came together to harness the power of finance to build a better world—despite the world 2020 delivered. The report underscores—our climate crisis, the COVID pandemic, and racial and gender inequality. 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

“What I’m particularly proud of is that it happened during a pandemic. And very importantly, that at a time when you would think women would be more pulled back, we actually had net positive inflows every single week of the year,” said Sallie Krawcheck, co-founder and CEO of Ellevest Read More

Women are achieving greater prominence and power in both the public sector and the private sector. Janet Yellen now serves as the nation’s first female secretary of the Treasury. Citigroup has a new female CEO as does TIAA, and both the NYSE and the Nasdaq are led by women. Read More

The mainstreaming of sustainable investing is what we have been aiming for, but we still have work to do – particularly with retail investors. This has been my focus with Moxie Future – a platform for engaging with women on sustainable investing – and now with my new book. Read More

As an energy lawyer and the founder of the Providentia Group, Krystal speaks on corporate profits, community good and collective responsibility, as well as the potential for economic and social equity in the climate economy. Read More

My firm focuses on the preservation of biodiversity as an investment theme allowing investors to align their investments with their values – an approach to investing that often has a special appeal for women. It inherently recognizes that we cannot continue to take from nature and not give anything back. It also recognizes that the future of our planet will require a more nurturing approach as is often used in ESG investing. Read More

Many of us realize that racial equity requires much more than intentional conversations and thoughtful grants. Though these are important efforts, there is a growing imperative to address the disparities experienced by people of color, and especially women in the US, with action and systems change. A place to start is by providing equitable access to the resources women of color need to create economic opportunity for themselves and their communities. Read More

Like it or not, in our position as Financial Advisors, we become gatekeepers. At my gate, I give preference to investments that demonstrate not only financial health, but also a deep commitment to socially and environmentally responsible practices that intentionally include working to build equity across gender, race, and class through their work as well as increasing representation and equity across management, staff, supply chains, and service providers. Read More

(From the Archives) Women and millennials value investment principles that have a positive impact on challenging issues, such as climate change, gender diversity, social justice, and employee equity. Demographic trends are among several powerful political, economic, and societal forces combining to produce a global investment landscape that demands increased alignment of core values and investment decisions. 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

Indigenous intermediaries are crucial to overcoming asymmetries between impact investors and Native America through the building of relationships of trust, creation of an ecosystem for impact investing in Indigenous communities, and performance of the due diligence investors need to manage risk. 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

The new report communicates the many ways Praxis’ unique Stewardship Investing philosophy delivers real-world change through a range of impact strategies. This is the first report of its kind for Praxis Mutual Funds and describes the firm’s longstanding commitment to impact investing and how they are responding to unprecedented social and environmental challenges. Read More

The flood of money into Sustainable Investing has been accelerated by BlackRock CEO Larry Fink, whose 2021 annual letter to the business community bluntly states that the climate transition “presents an historic investment opportunity.” His call to action — echoed the 2015 announcement by Mark Carney, then-governor of the Bank of England: “Climate change is the investment opportunity of our generation.” Read More

As I approach 70, next year, perhaps being more focused on money, might have made things easier over the years, but I have no regrets. I love what I do and love helping others and mobilizing capital to create an economy based upon well-being. If you are doing something that gives you energy, you are in the right place. If you are doing work that costs you energy, you are in the wrong place. I am where I belong. Read More

I have been working with people and their finances for almost twenty years now, and one thing I know for certain: Each person’s relationship with money is unique and powerful, whether they choose to recognize it or not. I have also noticed that those who are willing to accept and work with the realities of their relationship with money generally lead happier and more balanced lives. My experience is no exception. 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

After retiring from a 33-year career in the investment business, I have a pension, a home and savings. And yet, when I was asked to write about my relationship with money, I had to pause and think hard about that relationship. It may appear that I received a great grounding in financial matters and that the journey was easy, but it was chaotic and I spent a good deal of time looking in the rearview mirror. 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 number of ESG investors is growing rapidly, and First Affirmative has been at the forefront assisting sustainable wealth managers since 1988. With this partnership, we are delighted to be advancing the forefront of the SRI ecosystem by enabling advisors to communicate to clients the impact their investments are making” said Theresa Gusman, Chief Investment Officer of First Affirmative Financial Network. 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

As a millennial myself, I find my generation faced with the challenge of tackling humankind’s greatest crisis: climate change. Growing up under the specter of a rapidly warming planet, we’ve had to decide that the cost of chasing unlimited profit may not be worth the payoff and the corresponding destructive social or environmental consequences. The lens of investing has broadened so that positive social and environmental outcomes can be coupled with lucrative returns. Read More

What a time to be a millennial investor. A chaotic 2020 offered both investment pitfalls and opportunities. 2021 should trend toward a more “normal” environment, but disruptive companies, elevated volatility and information everywhere will continue to define the investment landscape. These 3 themes have millennials positioned to thrive. So my advice is to trust your gut, stay flexible and maintain a sense of optimism about the future. Read More

Whether you are a family member in endless contentious investment committee meetings or a wealth manager attempting to align disparate client priorities, differing intergenerational perspectives frequently create challenges. Oftentimes the gap between prioritizing achieving better financial returns versus prioritizing greater social or environmental impact seems insurmountable. Here is how to integrate the two perspectives. 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

CNote, a women-founded and led financial technology platform that makes it easy to invest in economic inclusion, has closed a $3M private funding round to extend its reach in the fast-growing SRI investing space. CNote is focused on advancing economic justice through community investments and will use the funding to grow its team and scale its offerings. 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

Domini Impact Investments has launched a new mutual fund which combines core exposure to international equity markets through the lens of the impact investor with an allocation to solution-oriented companies helping to address some of our greatest sustainability challenges. The new Fund was built to capitalize on the success of their U.S. equity strategy. 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

ESG-driven products have continued to attract billions at a rapid rate during the last year, including a record $36 billion in October alone. The market keeps calling for a common set of rules to guide and govern such investments in a sector with hundreds of different ESG rating frameworks. Will that call be answered by the newly-created Value Reporting Foundation? Read More

According to the Trends Report, from 2018 through mid-2020, 149 institutional investors and 56 investment managers collectively controlling nearly $2.0 trillion in assets filed or co-filed shareholder resolutions on ESG issues like corporate political activity, fair labor and equal employment, climate change, and other issues. Many investors also reported that they engaged in dialogue with companies on ESG issues. Read More

The US SIF identified, in their 2020 Trends Report, 530 institutional asset owners with $6.2 trillion in ESG assets, equivalent to 51 percent of the $12.01 trillion that money managers identified as institutional assets. The group included institutional asset owners and plan sponsors such as public funds, insurance co, educational and Faith-based institutions, foundations, labor funds, hospitals, and family offices. Read More

The US SIF Foundation identified, in their 2020 Trends Report, 384 money managers and 1,204 community investing institutions incorporating Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) criteria into their investment analysis and decision-making processes. The $16.6 trillion in ESG incorporation assets they represent is a nearly 43 percent increase over the $11.6 trillion in such assets identified in 2018. Read More

Sustainable investing in the US continues to expand at a healthy pace. The total US-domiciled assets under management using sustainable investing strategies grew from $12.0 trillion at the start of 2018 to $17.1 trillion at the start of 2020, an increase of 42 percent. This represents 33 percent, or one in three dollars, of the $51.4 trillion in total US assets under professional management. 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 has been like no other – and it was clear that this year’s ranking must evolve to meet the moment. The 2020 MPW list covers industries ranging from space exploration to book publishing, and highlights women who are using their power in myriad ways. It is the most diverse and dynamic list that Fortune has ever published. Read More

When Gender Lens Investing started a decade ago, the focus was largely on the number of women in management and CEO roles, but a more nuanced and far-reaching approach is now emerging and it is likely to find increasingly wide acceptance among all investors, according to a recent report from Glenmede. 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

Far more women advisors are seeking to help women investors in the sustainable investing space. Because sustainable investing, which includes screening investments for ESG factors is no longer just a way to simply feel good; it makes sense from a business perspective. All of this leads to a far more equitable society, and a more efficient and resilient economy. Read More

If we wish to see more women in finance, it’s up to us as role models to volunteer in schools and other youth organizations. We can also help to teach girls financial literacy and the power of money by linking it to achieving better environmental and social outcomes; after all, as values-based, sustainable, and impact investors know, money is often the key to making real change in this world. Read More

Economic insecurity among women brings long-lasting consequences for families and the overall economy. Many women are now the breadwinners in their households. Their loss or reduction of income impedes their ability to provide for their families. This, in turn, can have a negative impact on the well-being of children and can lead to increased education and economic inequality. 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

As faith communities know from their decades of advocacy, there is deep benefit in coming together to share knowledge and grow commitments aimed at achieving meaningful real-world changes. Those same lessons can be applied to faith-based investing efforts. As investors, faith communities must learn from each other, coordinate across different groups, and make their collective capital count. Read More

Adam Matthews, director of ethics and engagement at The Church of England Pensions Board is on the vanguard of a growing trend among activist institutional investors of all sizes who are no longer waiting for governments to tackle the world’s most important and impactful environmental and social issues, particularly climate change. Read More

We aren’t owners; we are stewards of the resources that God has given us. This knowledge should radically change the how, where, and why behind our investment strategies. Imagine the impact that would occur when all Christ-following investors use investment capital to deliver community impact, spiritual integration, and financial return. We can take what God has given and put it back into the work He is doing on earth. Read More

(From the archives) The United Church of Christ was present at the creation of a new era in the intersection of faith and finance. In the early 70s, energized by the anti-war and anti-apartheid movements, the women’s movement, and the battle for civil rights, Protestant denominations began to examine how their religious values and social justice positions were reflected in their investing and business decisions. Read More

We need to find a way forward that allows us to care for the poor and our planet, without feeling guilty about having money, and enjoying it wholeheartedly for the good it produces in the world and our lives. I suggest being mindful about your money by giving your money some love—the right kind of love. Not avarice or greed, but spiritual love that is mindful of our responsibility to live in alignment with our values. Read More

Religious investors have been a vital force in the development of modern responsible investment. Pax World, the first SRI mutual fund in the U.S., was launched in 1971 by two Methodist ministers. In that same year the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility was founded, and over the next half-century ICCR members have been engaging with corporations on issues ranging from the South Africa boycott to climate change. Read More

For all investors, but particularly for communities of faith in these turbulent times, the prospect of impact investing offers an abundance of meaningful opportunities to realign and reaffirm how our values support our investment strategies. From a congregation that decides to make a deposit in a local credit union or Black-owned community development bank, or to a church-based pension fund that invests in climate resilience. Read More

"How does God’s love abide in anyone who has the world’s goods and sees a brother or sister in need and yet refuses help? Little children, let us love, not in word or speech but in truth and action." (1 John 3:17-18, NRSV) Traditionally seen as a call to greater charity, in 2020 this verse can provide inspiration for investors to integrate their values and pursue impact through their portfolios as well. 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

First Affirmative, a pioneer in SRI Investing announced in September it will return to independence as an employee-owned Certified B Corp focused on values-based investing. First Affirmative and Goldman Sachs announced the spinoff as part of Goldman Sachs's acquisition of Folio Financial, which acquired First Affirmative in 2016. Read More

Climate & Capital Media is a global media company that connects investors and entrepreneurs working on climate change solutions. Its news service develops informative profiles that deliver meaningful investment and leadership insights about businesses who are addressing global warming and building a more sustainable climate economy. 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

In the ever-evolving landscape of ESG investing, Trillium’s philosophy has remained the same since 1982: provide for the financial needs of our clients while leveraging their capital for positive ESG impact in alignment with their values. Trillium’s ESG Global Equity fund has proven itself, through a long track record of positive results and generating returns responsibly. Read More

Emerging markets have historically presented an added challenge for investors focused on sustainability factors. However, the growth in ESG disclosure by emerging market companies and the ever-widening coverage of those companies by ESG data providers has dramatically lowered this hurdle, giving SRI investors far more opportunities to invest. 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

We are not just advocating for our SRI field because we think it might help you make better investment decisions, though it might. We are advocating for this investment approach because we believe that only an engaged investor class can prevent a complete collapse of the fragile ecology of our planet, and provide universal dignity to all people around the world. Read More

While barreling down a dirt road in Tanzania with Francis Sabuni, I was asking him investment questions for his Conservation Fund. “What time horizon should we consider for investment 5-7 years, 7-10 years?” He answered “500,000 years!” Then said, “This national park endowment is not for us, it is for our grandchildren, and their grandchildren’s grandchildren.” 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

Sustainable fund flows in the US continued at a record pace in the 2nd quarter of 2020, with net flows of $10 billion, bringing the total for the first half of the year to $21 billion, just shy of the annual record of $21.4 billion in sustainable fund net flows set in 2019, that were 4 times the previous record for a calendar year. Read More

This free online introductory course is designed for individual investors who want to learn the basics of sustainable and impact investing and is meant to make it easier for individuals to align their investments to address their financial, social and environmental priorities. Read More

The intersection of a new pandemic and reinvigorated demands for racial equality has created a gut-check moment for communities across the country, one that calls for a “new model” of place-based philanthropy. Now is the time to re-imagine a community and an economy that work for all and re-invest to make them happen. Read More

Foundations have a unique ability to provide capital to ramp up new technologies, catapult “moonshot” ideas to fruition, influence corporate behavior and activate other funders to participate in projects that might have been considered too risky for business or government, accountable to a different set of external stakeholders. Read More

Homeownership is an important way that many create financial security and build wealth, which are critical to a family’s financial well-being and quality of life. Many families face obstacles that lock them out of the long-term economic benefit. Homewise addresses these obstacles through a two-pronged strategy. Read More

Donor-Advised Funds are a hot topic in the world of philanthropy and impact investing. Seems everyone has a perspective on how DAFs could be better utilized or why they’re underleveraged. We believe, one path to unleashing the power of DAFs is through impact venture capital. Read More

Throughout 2019, Domini Funds enhanced their Impact Investment Standards, continued to identify how their investments support the UN’s SDGs, and collaborated with a wide variety of stakeholders, including companies, civil society organizations, and other investors. In addition to its focus of addressing climate change and human rights through its investment process and engagements. Read More

Companies that exhibited the best capabilities to serve customers as they began to shelter in place relied on innovation long before the pandemic emerged. Remaining relevant to customers during this time requires inventiveness, adaptability and resilience. Here are the companies that have stepped up, supporting the virtual economy, while investing in the workplace and managing supply chain risks. Read More

As it happens, Index-based Investing and ESG Investing met 30 years ago, when Peter Kinder, Steve Lydenberg and Amy Domini ran a research firm in Boston, and assembled a set of socially responsible stocks they called the KLD 400 Social Index. MSCI has created a new interactive timeline, which traces the evolution of ESG indexes back to 1990. 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

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

Water Foundry, a global advisor in solving water challenges and driving technology innovation, and ConnectMii, a company and platform that delivers unique virtual conference experiences, announced the launch of Blue Foundry Events, a virtual meeting and events platform that aims to facilitate meaningful engagement amongst water industry stakeholders. Read More

Apple has released a 10-year roadmap, as part of its 2020 Environmental Progress Report, to ensure that every device it produces has a net-zero climate impact by 2030, as part of its plans to become carbon neutral. "Climate action can be the foundation for a new era of innovative potential, job creation, and durable economic growth," said Apple's CEO Tim Cook. Read More

Leading climate scientists have warned that we have to keep global warming below 1.5°C, beyond which even half a degree more will worsen the risks of drought, floods, extreme heat and poverty for millions of people. Meeting that target requires emissions not just to stabilize but decrease, requiring immediate transformation of our infrastructure, including how we generate energy and fuel our economy. 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

Buildings consume 40% of global energy and create 30% of global energy-related greenhouse gas emissions; they are a big part of the climate change puzzle. The energy needs of our data has increased exponentially as our music, our movies, and more of our lives has moved into the "cloud". It actually resides in buildings we call data centers, which have a large and growing carbon footprint. Read More

The competitiveness of Renewable Energy with fossil fuels is strong, driven by innovation, and economies of scale. The transition to a low-carbon economy is happening and will continue over the coming decades. Corporate leaders have largely embraced this outlook and individual and institutional investors have turned to ESG strategies to avoid risk, capture alpha and drive this low-carbon transition. Read More

The Investor Alliance for Human Rights has recently published this Toolkit for asset owners and money managers to address risks to people posed by their investments. The variety of crises in the world, has shown a light on systemic economic and social inequalities across societies as well as the precarious foundation that financial markets rely upon which is more evident now than ever. Read More

Intel has a long history of integrating corporate responsibility efforts into its operations, and now 10 years have passed since the company developed their 2020 corporate responsibility goals-achieving nearly all of them. Their latest CSR Report details efforts in addressing climate change and sustainable water use; advancing gender diversity and taking responsible business practices worldwide. 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

Acquisition International magazine, based in London, has announced the winners of the 2020 Business Excellence Award. The goal of the Awards is to shine a spotlight on the achievements of entrepreneurs, managers, owners and founders around the world. The GreenMoney Journal team is honored to receive this award, which is our fifth significant award over the last 3 years. Read More

The winner in the Impact Investing category of Fast Company’s 2020 World Changing Ideas Awards, is As You Sow’s “Invest Your Values” online tool, which gives users a chance to view what’s in the funds they’re investing in and — if they don’t like what they find — to pick a mutual fund more aligned with their goals. It helps everyday investors to align their investing with their values. 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

Providing investors and industry stakeholders with publicly available ESG metrics for tens of thousands of funds, companies and indexes is helping to drive awareness, educate the market and raise ESG disclosure standards. MSCI believes that enhanced transparency and comparability is fundamental to ensuring broader adoption of ESG indexes, and in driving capital towards more sustainable investments. 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

Diversity of a company’s leadership team is a highly material variable that should be assessed and factored into a prudent investment process. It’s one of many variables that should be analyzed to create a holistic picture of a company’s risk and opportunity profile. First and foremost, how and from where, does a company derive its revenue stream must be evaluated as well. Read More

I am hearing loud and clear from our Ellevest community on their desire to help each other during this crisis. Some of us will donate our time, others our money. I think there’s another thing to consider doing: continue to shift capital to investments that are better for women. Because as we come out of this crisis, the same global issues that existed before will exist afterward. Read More

Barron’s decision to recognize and honor influential women in finance comes at a time when business institutions themselves have begun to realize that their long-term competitiveness, and the health of the capital markets, require remediating the industry’s gender gap. In the financial world, men have generally made more money than women and dominated management. 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

Within the impact investing community, the value of gender diversity as an investment evaluation screen is rarely questioned because we know a secret that mainstream private equity and venture capital investors have failed to identify. We’ve discovered that investing in women-led companies is not only exceptionally impactful, but it is also an excellent financial strategy. Read More

Climate change is a story that encompasses everyone. It’s an equal opportunity wolf at the door. But, as is the case with diversity in almost every pursuit, more diverse groups bring more to the table, and considering that climate change is the one of the most important problem humans must solve, diversity has a positive contribution to make. Read More

Investing to promote gender equality and advance the socioeconomic standing of women is a leading priority of many sustainable investors. The US SIF found that at the start of 2018, institutional investors considered “gender lens” as a criterion in $868 billion of investment assets, doubling since 2016. 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

Last Year, the Sierra Club Foundation embarked on an intentional effort to partner with tribes not only to defend the environment from the extractive industry but also to invest early capital into clean energy projects that advance social justice outcomes. We established a new High Impact Investment Fund within our broader investment portfolio. Read More

My journey understanding SRI and how to implement it within Indian Country has been a captivating and everchanging learning experience. This journey led me to meet many inspiring people that have dedicated their lives to the SRI beliefs. Their commitment and enthusiasm have kept me moving forward to help solve this puzzle for my tribe. Read More

One of the challenges, especially in relation to investing in Indigenous communities, is measuring the “S” in ESG for the dual purposes of understanding the full extent of social impacts as to development, but also to advocate for a process that elevates Indigenous perspective and values, as to social and cultural impacts. Read More

The Reconciliation and Responsible Investment Initiative is part of an emerging movement to align investment with reconciliation and Indigenous rights and values. Long-term investment returns for Indigenous and non-Indigenous investors depend on resilient communities and sustainable economies. 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

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

Millennials are excited by social enterprises that tackle injustice at scale. At CGF, our team is motivated by the challenge of maintaining a balance between the imperative to fulfill our mission and the need to generate revenue, everyone is directly engaged in finding solutions. Read More

What good is a well-funded retirement in a world of extreme inequality and climate disaster? After searching for solutions from personal action to ecology, I now believe the answer is to change the paradigm of the investment community, so that it supports its own sustainability by combating climate change. Read More

Millennials were born into a rapidly changing financial landscape which should inform us of the diligence required for the next economic revolution. Thousands of individuals, corporations, and institutions are moving investment assets away from fossil fuels and towards renewable energy. Millennial investors should do the same. Read More

MORNINGSTAR – Sustainable funds in the United States attracted new assets at a record pace in 2019. Estimated net flows into open-end and exchange-traded sustainable funds that are available to U.S. investors totaled $20.6 billion for the year. That's nearly 4 times the previous annual record for net flows set in 2018. 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

ESG themes are long-term, but some can emerge suddenly. MSCI is watching Five Trends they believe will unfold in 2020 to catapult ESG investing into the new decade: Climate Innovation, Corporate Finance, Real Estate, Human Capital, and Stakeholder Capitalism. 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

The shared experiences of Millennials have created a sense of shared destiny. Seeing the effects of financial market events and sharing our responses to them, mostly on social media, has made risk very real for us when making financial decisions. It has created a unique set of values with how we interact with money and our investments. Read More

The second saga of Facebook has begun, as they capitalize on the rise of social media as a primary news source. They do not call themselves a news outlet, but a news ‘platform.’ That is a subtle but meaningful distinction as it relates to the issue of their responsibility for the news that finds its way onto the Facebook ‘platform’. 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

Calvert Impact Capital passes $500 Million milestone in distribution of Community Investment Notes via Incapital Network and releases new Guide to Impact Investing to help Financial Advisors keep pace with growing client demand Read More

The new survey from RBC Global Asset Management uncovers a variety of views on responsible investing among institutional investors. While more institutional investors are going “all in”, others stay on the sidelines for now. Read More

These leading Millennials and Gen Z financial advisors, investment professionals, social entrepreneurs, issue advocates, employees of mission-driven organizations, students and researchers are set to lead the way forward in SRI and ESG Investing. 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

Responsible Investing has grown from a cottage industry, born from values-based investing, to one that truly is becoming mainstreamed based on material ESG (Environmental, Social & Governance) factors that impact value, risk, and return. As this decade comes to a close, let’s take a moment to assess the progress and the way forward. Read More

Companies face expectations to be good stewards of the environment, to treat their workers well and pay them fairly, to encourage diversity, respect human rights, deliver safe and useful products, and behave in an ethical and transparent manner. This requires making decisions through a sustainability lens, which considers all relevant stakeholders. 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

More than eight in ten U.S. individual investors now express interest in sustainable investing, while half take part in at least one sustainable investing activity, according to a new survey published in September 2019 by the Morgan Stanley Institute for Sustainable Investing. Read More

The award honors 20 dreamers, pioneers, entrepreneurs, designers, engineers, business leaders, policymakers and investors on the cutting edge of sustainability and technology. Every economic movement, every technology revolution is led by the vanguard, blazing a trail to the future. Read More

In a new white paper, the American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE) explores the current state of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) investing in the U.S. and provides recommendations for ESG methodologies that better reflect renewable energy use and investment. 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

In the next decade, local impact investment funds will be an essential asset for most place-focused foundations. Why? Principally, communities need this type of flexible investment. The mission-aligned foundations leading these funds demonstrate their willingness to remain relevant in their communities – putting distance between themselves and other financial services companies and online tool providers. Read More

Gurtin supports social impact by investing in municipal bonds that fund essential government projects, like improving access to affordable housing. We also support social impact in communities by investing in municipal bonds that finance projects like parks and recreation facilities, libraries, public transit, bridges, and other infrastructure that benefit underserved communities. 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

Because public and private equity investing garner most of the attention of impact investors, the liquid “cash” portion of the portfolio is often overlooked despite the availability of a variety of socially impactful options that may even yield better returns at a lower risk than traditional approaches. Read More

The megatrends underlying the transition to a more sustainable economy, such as climate change and widening inequality, are global issues. Companies are addressing sustainability risks and opportunities globally. We look at the ESG quality phenomenon and other takeaways about risk and performance from our experience managing the Pax MSCI EAFE ESG Leaders Index Fund. Read More

Acquisition International magazine, based in London, has announced the winners of the 2019 International Finance Awards. The Award recognizes the companies, and individuals, within the finance industry who have shown excellence and dedication in their field. The GreenMoney Journal team is honored to receive this award. Read More

The Fund focuses on place-based community investments primarily utilized by financial institutions. It has evolved to include 18 impact themes and diversified its client base through the launch of Institutional Shares for religious organizations, non-profits, foundations, and HNW investors along with Retail Shares for individual investors. Read More

Natural Investments has been named a Best For The World honoree in recognition of their work to improve the lives of their customers through the use of their financial products or services. Ranking in the top 10 percent of all 3,000 B Corps for their positive impact on society and the environment. Read More

Ariel Investments, LLC Founder, Chairman and CEO John W. Rogers, Jr. has announced that current President Mellody Hobson has been elevated to the position of Co-CEO. Hobson’s promotion recognizes her longstanding commitment and unparalleled leadership for the last 20 years. 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

In Asia, ESG investing encompasses large, transformational changes. It focuses on companies that can potentially deliver profits and growth from improving the quality of life across the region. Within this context, Matthews Asia launched the ESG Fund more than four years ago. The Fund seeks to capitalize on the growth of the region by investing with an ESG lens. Read More

This is the first of two articles featuring short profiles on a number of the International SRI Mutual Funds, which invest in companies outside the United States, including from Domini Impact Investments, Thornburg Investment Management, Boston Common Asset Management. Read More

This is the second of two articles featuring short profiles on a number of the International SRI Mutual Funds, which invest in companies outside the United States, including from Calvert Research and Management, Green Century Funds, Praxis Mutual Funds, and Mirova. Read More

One of GreenMoney’s main goals since 1992 has been to bring our readers more clarity about their relationship with money as it informs so much of how we approach our daily lives on a variety of levels. Assessing our relationship with money requires honest self-examination. Here are my latest thoughts on the topic. Read More

“Look at my choices Mija, and be sure to make better ones.” This is what my mother used to say to me when I was young. I was a happy and precocious child and my mother took great care of me. She made our home a place of love, laughter, learning, and music. Then our lives took a financial turn for the worse. Read More

I’ve always hated talking about money. Growing up in a rich family, I learned through the ­behavior of those around me that money and materialism were evil. Instead of being used in love and service, money was weaponized and became a tool to manipulate and control behavior. 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

Growing up as a little girl in Brooklyn, I had no idea that we were low to middle income. Our community was rich and full. We loved and respected each other, our neighbors and our friends. We never talked about money but somehow we managed to “manage.” Then at age 11, I experienced what not having money meant. Read More

My money story began in a middle-class neighborhood in the suburbs of Seattle. My father was a teacher and worked evenings selling financial products to bring in additional income. My mom stayed home and raised three children. My parents modeled frugality in their money choices: reusing and getting the maximum life out of everything from clothes to tools. Read More

Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility’s annual award was created to honor those whose work has provided a strong moral foundation and an enduring record of demonstrated influence on corporate policies. Read More

Praxis, a leading faith-based, SRI family of mutual funds from Everence Financial, is celebrating it’s 25th anniversary. Since 1994, Praxis has achieved a number of important milestones in stewardship investing. Read More

“What creates financial success?” “How do you move from zero savings to financial security?” Those were my burning questions for many years. Now, things have improved personally. We have a city home and a country cabin. The desire to own a home and to have financial security springs from being homeless for a while in my teens. Read More

Buildings are a big part of the sustainability challenge, and thus a huge opportunity. The construction and operations of buildings account for 40% of global energy use, 30% of energy-related GHG emissions, approximately 12% of water use, nearly 40% of waste, and employs 10% of the workforce. Read More

Combating climate change requires our economy to make a comprehensive transition to clean energy, where rooftop solar is part of the solution. The buildings all around us consume so much power and generate so much carbon. But the rooftops of those buildings have high technical potential to generate solar power right at the point where it is consumed. Read More

Improvements in building efficiency provide cost savings to landlords and tenants. Impactful initiatives include installation of more efficient LED lighting; upgrades to HVAC; smart metering; reductions in water consumption; and waste management. Also sustainably-managed structures typically command higher rents, and experience lower vacancy and higher tenant satisfaction. 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

One year into its campaign to reach $1 trillion in U.S. private sector investment in renewable energy and enabling grid technologies by 2030, the American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE) releases their progress report. Read More

The Dutch Government recently issued one of the largest green bonds ever: 6 billion euros. This bond for low-carbon development and sustainable water management will finance natural infrastructure solutions. Read More

Fast-changing technologies and global risks are forcing companies and cities to become more adaptive, and business models to evolve and diversify. This challenging time has many opportunities to create a clean economy that increases economic and community resilience. 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

This report brings together results from regional market studies by the sustainable investment forums in Europe, the US, Japan, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Africa. 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

The report highlights the progress made over the past year toward their 2020 goals with important insights and information for all stakeholders, including investors, customers and employees. Read More

This report provides best practices and practical steps for retirement plans, corporations, educational institutions, philanthropic foundations, family offices, nonprofits and other asset owners. Read More

ESG investing has garnered more and more acceptance and enthusiasm in the market as investors tackle some of the most urgent environmental and social issues of our time, from climate change to social inequalities. I have long been passionate about women’s advancement and inclusion in the workplace. Read More

New survey shows that 75% say their firms now offer sustainable investing strategies, up from 65% in 2016 because of increased expertise, better data and impact reporting. Read More

The industry’s first publicly available, searchable resource of impact investing fund managers sees record number of applicants and features firms that manage $28.5 billion in assets. Read More

The Rockefeller Foundation and Omidyar Network join the new Catalytic Capital Consortium and call for more flexible impact investments and more collaboration. Read More

The aggregate retirement program has a focus on SRI, offering comprehensive, bundled 401(k) plan services with full fiduciary outsourcing capabilities for companies. Read More

US SIF’s Lisa Woll on how women are moving forward with investments in sustainability-focused products and strategies with 84 percent of women expressing interest in SRI. Read More

When I began working to make boards more gender diverse in 2001, the percentage of women on the boards of large companies in the United States was around 12 percent. By 2011, women had gained a few more seats at the table, and by 2016 women held 21 percent of board seats at Fortune 500 companies. Read More

Homewise is working with women, particularly those of low-to-moderate income, to build assets through successful and sustainable homeownership. Each year single women and single mothers make up 30 percent of new Homewise homeowners; that’s nearly 200 New Mexico women buying a home of their own and building financial stability and wellbeing every year. Read More

At the financial firms I am involved with, Domini Impact Investments has five employee equity-owning managers in leadership. Four of the five are female. The Sustainability Group has four partner-level members and three of the four are female. I feel pretty secure in stating that female leadership is possible, even within the financial asset management field. 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

Place-based impact investing is sparking community development projects that create more just, equitable local economies, and build prosperous, vibrant communities. Place-focused foundations, like community foundations and family foundations are exploring ways to complement their traditional grant-making with local investments that can catalyze positive community change. Read More

Philanthropy is transforming to incorporate advocacy and investing, presenting new opportunities to create change and measure impact. Among a field of new players, vehicles and approaches, one strategy gaining traction is SRI investing. As philanthropies broaden beyond traditional grant making they are reassessing and reallocating their financial as well as non-financial resources. Read More

Often, the most compelling impact investments are made, not found. That phrase describes how foundations and impact investors use “catalytic capital” to support social and environmental progress. These patient, flexible, “catalytic” investments take on more risk and/or accept a lower return than commercial capital to finance gains that would not otherwise be possible. 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

These foundations, large and small, are beginning to move their endowment assets to align with their values–-and their missions keep expanding. Read More

Case Foundation’s CEO Jean Case’s new book, Be Fearless, profiles leaders who have used their desire to solve a problem, to drown out their fears or risk of failure. 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

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

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

Thinking about and talking about money and investing has a huge impact on how we understand ourselves, our families and our relationships. My advice to millennials about money is to find spiritual practices that support you as you navigate financial conversations and decisions. Read More

As a millennial, my generation has little trust in large institutions — from governmental offices to our large banks and financial institutions. We want our money aligned with our values and desires for a more sustainable planet. We are poised to catalyze big shifts in how financial services operate. Read More

I rose to the podium, looked at Exxon CEO Rex Tillerson, and asked “Why does Exxon fund climate-denying organizations [like ALEC], when you publicly support a carbon tax?” Tillerson deflected the question saying “we would never impinge on ALEC’s free speech.” Two years later, Exxon ceased funding them. Read More

Companies that are winning at attracting millennials are nailing it on culture and values. My career path is a perfect example. I left a large mutual fund company to join a sustainable investing firm because its focus on investing for both performance and impact resonated with me. Read More

I examine my personal finances by asking myself three overarching questions: How am I making money? How am I investing it? And how am I spending it? As a full-time social entrepreneur, I routinely ask myself if I’m making money in a way that allows me to have a real impact. Read More

Millennials see investment decisions as a way to express their social, political and environmental values. With CNote, we make investing simple and impactful. Our members’ money works towards revitalizing communities; building affordable housing; and getting women and minorities business loans. Read More

The fund focuses on solutions to major global transitions such as demographics, environmental issues, technological advances, and governance changes by investing in companies with a positive impact on the UN SDGs, while avoiding companies that have a negative 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

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

Sustainable and impact investing in the US continues to grow and to make a difference. Investors now consider environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors across $12 trillion of professionally managed assets, a 38 percent increase since 2016. Financial firms and institutional investors are addressing a diverse set of ESG concerns across a broader span of assets than ever. Many of these money managers and institutions, concerned about racial and gender discrimination, gun violence and environmental protection, are using portfolio selection and shareowner engagement to address these important issues. Read More

Mark Tercek spent 24 years working as an investment banker and the last 10 years as the CEO of The Nature Conservancy. How to scale up investments in nature – is what he thinks about and what he wants you to start thinking about more. Read More

Issued in November 2008, the World Bank’s first green bond created the blueprint for sustainable investing in the capital markets. Today, the green bond model is being applied to bonds that are raising financing for all 17 Sustainable Development Goals. Read More

Climate finance is a central issue in how the global community proposes to follow through with implementation of the Paris Agreement. A new study, shows that while investment in climate action has been steadily increasing, it falls short in key areas. Read More

The Centre for Sustainability and Excellence releases its third annual report on Sustainability (ESG) Reporting Trends: North America 2018. This research provides a useful and convenient representation of the current state of Sustainability Reporting. Read More

The United Kingdom is the frontrunner in Europe for sustainable and responsible investment (‘SRI’) according to data published in November 2018 by Eurosif, Europe’s sustainable and responsible investment membership organization. Read More

SRI Investing in the US continues to expand at a healthy pace. The total US-domiciled assets under management using SRI strategies grew from $8.7 trillion at the start of 2016 to $12.0 trillion at the start of 2018, an increase of 38 percent. This represents 26 percent—or 1 in 4 dollars—of the $46.6 trillion in total US assets under professional management. Since 1995, when the US SIF Foundation first measured the size of the US sustainable and responsible investment universe at $639 billion, these assets have increased more than 18-fold, a compound annual growth rate of 13.6 percent. Read More

Community Investing is a vital form of SRI Investing that the US SIF Foundation has tracked for 20 years. The community investing sector has experienced rapid growth over the last decade, nearly doubling in assets between 2014 and 2016, and growing more than 50 percent from 2016 to 2018. In the US, community investing institutions direct capital to communities and individuals underserved by conventional financial services. They provide capital for small businesses, affordable housing units, charter schools, grocery stores as well as responsible lending products and related programs. Read More

Amidst all of the important improvements in Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) data, all of the thoughtful research reports, and all innovative new investment options, another, deeper trend has taken root. As we turn towards 2019, we see increasing evidence that Systems Thinking is becoming more prevalent and influential throughout corporations and the sustainable investment community. This subtle, under-the-surface development is one of the most vital requirements for effective long-term investing. Systems Thinking aims to understand the whole, in addition to the individual parts. Read More

For investors interested in Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) strategies, a regionally diversified approach can help capture global growth. In the coming year, Asia offers a prime opportunity to invest in profitable companies addressing critical ESG challenges through robust and sustainable business models. ESG innovation in Asia is evident across many sectors, including health care and pharmaceuticals, technology, finance and alternative energy. To fully capture the growth and profits of the world’s most innovative ESG companies, it is worth considering Asia. Read More

As engaged investors, we need to persuade the companies in our investment portfolios to say loudly and clearly: We will no longer tolerate gender inequality — on our boards, in our executive suites, in our workplaces or in our supply chains. Our industry cannot even begin to talk about investing in the transition to a more sustainable global economy unless gender equality is a core component of that transition. Eradicating gender inequality could help unleash perhaps the greatest period of economic growth in the history of the planet. Read More

Investors increasingly seek opportunities to make a social and environmental difference through their impact investment portfolios. Read More

The growth of GLI is a positive development in a year overshadowed by the gender pay gap, lack of women on boards and harassment scandals. Read More

As You Sow released its fifth ‘Invest Your Values’ screening tool, Gender Equality Funds, an online resource that can be used by any investor. Read More

Incorporating ESG factors into an investment strategy has shown to decrease volatility and improve risk-adjusted returns over the long term. Read More

“Water security is the single largest investment opportunity in the years ahead. It is the foundation for healthy people, planet and profit. Water security investments ensure social and environmental returns, as well as possible financial outperformance,” states writer Thomas Schumann. Read More

The Financial Times published an article stating that Larry Fink, CEO of the world’s largest asset manager, BlackRock, had announced that “sustainable investing will be a core component for how everyone invests in the future.” He further explained that a sustainable investing strategy will lead to higher returns. Read More

With the rising number of “responsible” funds in the early 90s, there wasn’t really an option for Christian conservatives to invest without compromising their beliefs, in life and family values. In 1994, under Art Ally’s leadership, the Timothy Plan unveiled its fund aimed at evangelical Christians. Secular investment firms weren’t thrilled by the arrival of Timothy Plan’s Biblically Responsible Investments, but investors were, and today there are over a dozen successful BRI-based mutual funds with billions in assets. Read More

Each financial seed we plant in each and every field we choose, is only destined for success if all the criteria in the divine mandate has been met. Good seed in good soil and people of integrity managing the process. Unethical practices, policies or products erode human dignity and moral enterprise. Read More

The phrase “What would Jesus do?” emerged in American consciousness during the 1990s as motto for many Christians seeking to regularly reflect on how the moral teachings of Jesus could be reflected in their daily lives. Whether one participates in organized religion or not, the idea of finding a mechanism that calls us to step outside of our personal situation to view things from a different, morally-grounded perspective can have many benefits especially for values-driven investors. Read More

Bill Gates has Breakthrough Energy Ventures investing in radical energy startups capable of drastically cutting global emissions Read More

Investors around the world see sustainable investing as the way of the future. Across all ages, wealth levels and regions. Read More

Most institutional investors believe environmental, social and governance (ESG) integrated portfolios will perform well Read More

Direct investments in companies with social and financial objectives is a dynamic industry with robust activity in the region Read More

The fast growing impact investment theme of GLI has attracted over $900 million in assets from investors around the world Read More

The path from modern Financial Capitalism to Integrated Investing that helps create the World and lives we seek Read More

Renewable Energy was the most-added source of new power generation in 2017. In an increasing number of regions, clean energy is the cheapest source of new electricity. Confidence in the clean energy sector can be seen in the large commitments made by major banking institutions. The public and our investors are grasping the reality of a renewable energy future. Rooftop solar panels are commonplace and are required on new homes in some cities in California. Solar photovoltaic installers and wind turbine service technicians have become the nation’s two fastest-growing occupations. Read More

At Sunwealth, we invest in a sustainable future by financing diverse renewable energy projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions, strengthen local resilience and bring the benefits of renewable energy to under-served communities. Since 2014, we have financed over 70 solar installations on rooftops and in open spaces. We are poised to invest over $12 million in solar energy and storage projects in 2018, more than double our 2017 investment. We have a 2019 pipeline of over $40 million in new solar projects that will provide 20 megawatts of solar power across 50 communities. Read More

Bloomberg New Energy Finance predicts that two-thirds of the world’s power will be generated by renewable resources by 2050. This projection is based on the continuing growth of new renewable power generation projects, primarily wind and solar. Conditions have certainly changed since New Alternatives Fund entered the investment world in 1982. Our Fund’s approach has always been to consider the broad sector of energy and related environmental areas like clean water, clean air, and naturally grown and organic food. Energy is not just the production of electric power we also see conservation and efficiency playing major roles. Read More

New app and platform enables consumers to invest in proprietary portfolios for social good with a low minimum Read More

The new fund invests in companies positioned to benefit from the transition to a more sustainable global economy Read More

A new comprehensive guide for money managers on incorporating sustainable, responsible and impact investing at their firms Read More

The "In Sight of the Clean Trillion" report gives an update on the ever-expanding landscape of investor opportunities Read More

The new credit union focused exclusively on clean energy lending also begins taking deposits and making loans all online 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

(Feb 2016) Without a doubt we, the millennial Generation, believe that we can change the world. There is a “change agent” in each and every one of us. How do I know? Well, because we are different. Huge economic, cultural, and social shifts have changed our view on the world, and as a generation, we have demonstrated a desire to leave the world a better place than it was when we entered. Read More

(July/Aug 2017) The responsible investing movement that we have started and shaped has reached the end of the beginning, with a broad and strong foundation that will evolve to provide the superstructure of our society’s continuing struggle to address and solve its greatest challenges. Our efforts are working, and we are being joined in our mission by more investors worldwide every day. Read More

(Fall 2012) Twenty years from now, we will have either successfully transitioned from our current economic growth paradigm to a new model of Sustainable Capitalism or we will be suffering the calamitous consequences of our failure to do so. Likewise, sustainable investing will either remain a niche strategy or it will have supplanted mainstream investing. Read More

(Aug 2014) Does the challenge of making informed decisions about your life seem far more complex today than it did even a short time ago? Does the future—yours, and that of the world—feel highly uncertain, perhaps even precarious? Read More

(July/Aug 2017) Responsible investing momentum is strong. For me, and for many of my generation, the future is clear: we are well on our way towards the installation of a vitally important system-level force for good, one that will protect future generations, indeed the planet itself. We have laid the groundwork for a financial system which functions globally to protect people and the planet. Read More

(Sept 2015) Today's environmental challenges are bigger than ever. And a rapidly growing population coupled with climate change will only exacerbate current threats. The environmental movement must try new approaches and scale up our work so it’s bigger, better and faster. Read More

(Feb 2014)  “Eliminating poverty is not a gesture of charity. It is an act of justice… Like slavery and apartheid, poverty is not natural. People have created and tolerated poverty. And it is people who will overcome it.” In 2013 on Nelson Mandela’s 95th birthday, children with crayons in Kazakhstan drew his face on the sidewalk. At the UN, Malala Yousafzai from Pakistan, who has been shot in the head by the Taliban, says Mandela has influenced her and she forgives her shooters. Later that year the world mourned his death but we still harvest lessons from this monumental man who has taught us so much, and left so much more to do. Read More

The US SIF Foundation recently released a guide for financial advisors on how to incorporate sustainable, responsible and impact investing into their practice. The Financial Advisor Roadmap was prepared with insights from financial advisors and other industry professionals. 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

Published to coincide with International Equal Pay Day in April 2018, the first edition of a new annual scorecard ranking 33 of the world’s largest financial, technology, and retail companies on their current gender pay disclosures, performance, and commitments shows Apple, Nike, Starbucks, Wells Fargo and JP Morgan with the highest grade (A-), while Facebook, Goldman Sachs and Walmart are among 11 companies that share the lowest grade (F). Read More

New report from Toniic provides evidence that investors are going farther, faster and deeper into impact, while meeting their targeted financial and impact returns. 100% impact portfolios are getting easier to build, the pioneers behind them are accelerating their shift to deeper impact, and investors are meeting their goals for both financial and impact returns, reveals a new Toniic Institute report released in late May 2018. 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

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

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

For the past several years Domini Impact Investments has been incubating a small portfolio that, in addition to other standards, applies a gender lens of the simplest nature. In order to qualify for stock purchase, the company must employ one female on the executive management team or have one female on the board of directors. The portfolio is unconstrained, multi-cap, global and opportunistic. Within this Wild West of a universe, this one standard has produced portfolio management challenges, personal challenges and frustration well beyond anything I had anticipated. Read More

My path to finance has not been unusual; throughout my childhood, my parents ran an investment management and brokerage firm, so I grew up in the industry. Watching and admiring the dedication my parents put into their business and their careers showed me the value of entrepreneurship, independence, and of planting a garden and tending it. I’m grateful for the lessons in responsibility, hard work, and drive that have been ingrained in me, and early on it became obvious to me that finance could and should be a tool for good. Read More

From wealth advisors and fund managers, to start up entrepreneurs, to company leadership at the board and executive levels, intuitively we have long known the need for greater gender diversity within the financial industry. Research shows a variety of benefits for companies, and their investors, that embrace inclusivity. With findings that show diverse teams are more innovative (leading to increased revenue generation) and that companies with women in leadership perform better during times of financial uncertainty, we are well on our way to making a strong financial case for inclusion. Read More

Corporate Annual Meetings will Reflect Opioid Crisis, Gun Laws, Board Diversity and more Read More

Impact Investing Success Story: Lending in Developing Countries - Improving Lives and Livelihoods While Generating Market Rate Returns 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

Sustainable Investment Firm Withdraws Pay Equity Shareholder Resolutions at Discover, HP, KeyCorp and US Foods Read More

By Bonnie Foley-Wong, Pique Ventures Some impact fund managers began their careers in traditional venture capital whilst other investors have found success previously as entrepreneurs. Read More

Investors are more interested in gender equality than they ever have been before, judging by things like proxy voting and shareholder engagement. BlackRock, the world’s largest asset manager, recently has signaled in its proxy voting guidelines that all-male boards are not acceptable, and noted that boards should have at least two women on them. Pax World has been voting like that for years and we know our impact will be multiplied if other investors vote similarly. Another large investor, State Street, reportedly voted against directors of 400 companies whose boards were all-male Read More

Every weekday, instead of a private car, Benno Dorer takes Bay Area Rapid Transit from San Francisco to Clorox’s headquarters in Oakland. The Clorox CEO buys sustainable products, including his company’s Brita water Read More

NIA Impact Capital Launches RIA To Provide Wealth Advisors with Impact Investing and Women-Focused Investment Solutions Nia Impact Capital (www.niaimpactcapital.com) announced in February 2018 the launch of its women-led Registered Investment Advisor 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

Consider these recent developments - California emerged from drought in 2017; fewer companies reported impacts associated with water scarcity; and the average freshwater intensity of companies in the MSCI ACWI Index dropped by 15 percent. While these are positive short term signals for investors concerned with water scarcity, 2017 was also the most costly in U.S. history for natural disasters. This underscored the thinking behind a key trend that MSCI ESG Research identified last year - institutional investors are shifting their portfolio analysis from the measurement of regulatory risks to physical risks. Read More

Water is a systemic risk to investors, as in many parts of the United States and other areas of the world this precious resource is in danger. Investors and market players should be deepening their research and investment process to tackle water risks, often hidden in holdings across all asset classes. As investment advisors, how do we first protect our clients from these risks, and how do we position these same clients to benefit from the growth opportunities in companies that are providing innovative systems, products and services to solve water quantity, quality and resilience issues? 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

We are pleased to announce that Pat Miguel Tomaino, Associate Director of Socially Responsible Investing at Zevin Asset Management LLC, has been honored in Bloomberg Businessweek’s inaugural Bloomberg 50 issue. The issue highlights Read More

A quick guide to the minimums, fees, investment types and impact of leading online advisors for retail investors. As the socially responsible, ESG (environmental, social and governance), and impact investing[1] movements have gained 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

From UBS Intellectual Capital (Dec 2017) Technological advancements are not only enabling increased automation and connection across many businesses, potentially transforming business models, but also enabling greater awareness of global economic and social Read More

Amalgamated Bank (“Amalgamated”) and New Resource Bancorp, the parent company of New Resource Bank (OTC: NRBC; together, “New Resource”) announced in mid-December 2017 the signing of a definitive merger agreement by which Amalgamated Read More

The financial services industry is a bit obsessed with trying to understand the next generation of investors – the notorious millennials. And for good reason – millennials represent the largest generation in history with a spending power of over $1.5 trillion. Many millennials are well into their wealth accumulation phase and have already begun to inherit $30 trillion in the largest wealth transfer ever. As a millennial working in SRI, I believe, that for everyone, money is inherently personal, complicated and ultimately a vehicle to attain the goal of living a rewarding life. Read More

Walter Cronkite was the legendary CBS News anchorman known as “The most trusted man in America.” In 2003, I had the chance to go sailing with Mr. Cronkite, we talked constantly while tacking our way through the waters off the British Virgin Islands and while visiting his friend, Remar Sutton, who I worked for. Having the opportunity to talk for hours on end with such an iconic figure was life changing for me. From those wind-swept discussions the FoolProof Foundation was born. The big question we needed to answer was: is financial education, as it exists, working? Read More

There are two opinions about millennials floating around society. The first is that our generation is lazy, and we feel "entitled." The second is that we are going to change the world because we don't settle for following in the set paths that have been established before us. As a millennial that has had to work hard on all levels, including being a 4x Olympian and an entrepreneur in financial planning, I agree with the second opinion. Millennials are different than previous generations, but that's how we are going to set ourselves apart. Read More

GMJ: Why did you write this book?

Morgan: Impact investment—the practice of investing not just for profit, but also for social benefit—is the trillion-dollar trend most people have never heard of. There’s Read More

Edited by Jed Emerson

Practical guide to impact investing lays out how individual investors, family offices, financial advisors and foundations can generate social and environmental value through capital investing.

With greater demand than Read More

Investor Activist/Sustainable Wealth Manager Championing Gender Pay Equity in Tech, Banking and Retail Industries Earns Unique Spot in Special Issue of Businessweek; Which Sector is Next?

“The Bloomberg 50” list of the Read More

Vert Asset Management, a dedicated ESG investment manager, recently announced the launch of the Vert Global Sustainable Real Estate Fund (Ticker: VGSRX), an open-end mutual fund which seeks to achieve long-term capital appreciation. Read More

A new report, published in Dec 2017 by the Global Impact Investing Network (GIIN), provides a comprehensive survey of the state of impact measurement and management (IMM) in the impact investing industry. The 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

Homewise is a non-profit Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) that offers a comprehensive suite of homeownership services for low-to-moderate income individuals and families, many of whom have been largely underserved by traditional lending institutions. Our services include financial education and coaching, real estate brokerage, mortgage lending, home improvement and refinance lending, real estate development and disinvested property rehabilitation. Each of our services is designed to bolster our other services, providing a one-stop resource for creating an accessible and affordable path to successful homeownership. Read More

Community Capital Management is an RIA, based in South Florida, with offices in Boston and Charlotte. The firm manages just over $2.4 billion, most of which is in our CRA Qualified Investment Fund (CRA Fund). "CRA" stands for the Community Reinvestment Act, which regulates banks within the U.S. The CRA Fund is a market-rate, fixed income fund that invests in U.S.-based community impact investments. Community impact investments focus on positive criteria for inclusion in a portfolio and can include a wide range of intentions such as affordable housing, neighborhood revitalization, and small business development. Read More

The annual award recognizes Sustainable, Responsible, Impact Investment Industry Leadership. Richard Liroff and Cliff Feigenbaum named as 2017’s most influential leaders in SRI. The SRI Conference, which hosted more than 800 investment professional Read More

Samsung Trails Behind Apple in New Greenpeace Guide to Greener Electronics. Average Grade Across 17 Companies Is D+, Indicating Long Way to Go Toward Sustainable IT.

The 2017 Guide to Greener Electronics (the 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

The Center for Responsible Business at the Haas School of Business, University of California, Berkeley, announced in October, in collaboration with The SRI Conference, the winner of the 2017 annual Moskowitz Prize. The Read More

At Appleseed Capital, we have watched developments in SRI and ESG with great satisfaction. Having launched the Appleseed Fund nearly 11 years ago, we are proud to have been a participant in the long-term movement to align investments with values. As we look forward to 2018 and beyond, we expect to see the recent trends surrounding SRI investing to remain solidly intact. We believe that more and more traditional investors and asset managers will come to understand the value, both social and financial, of investing with a purpose, and we are confident that the Sustainable Responsible Impact Investing industry will continue to evolve in response to the changing political and economic environment. 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

Looking into 2018, higher corporate earnings – inevitable with the new lower taxes rates – ought to lead to the sort of volatility-free rise in the stock market that 2017 saw. Further, employment is full in this country; emerging economies continue to grow at rates that exceed those of developed economies; exciting new industries such as software-as-a-service, alternative energy storage and the internet of things arise with regularity fueling dynamic growth. Then there's the other picture. There are two enormous longer-term and permanent threats to my cheerful scenario. China is the macro geopolitical one and the other is due to climate change. Further, there are three short-term unavoidable threats, also worth acknowledging. Read More

Combination of Sustainable Investment Leaders Will Significantly Expand their Investment Management, Global Research and Client Service Capabilities Pax World Management LLC (Pax), investment adviser to Pax World Funds and a pioneer in Read More

In response to rapidly growing demand for sustainable, responsible and impact (SRI) investing, the US SIF Foundation recently released a new guide for retail investors, “Getting Started in Sustainable and Impact Investing.” This 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

Change Finance, a majority women-run asset manager, announced in October the launch of its first ETF. The Change Finance Diversified Impact U.S. Large Cap Fossil Fuel Free ETF (CHGX) is the only ETF Read More

It began with a magic trick. When I was young a friend of my father's would pull a quarter out from behind my ear, and then make it disappear again. This became an apt metaphor for my relationship with money: one moment there and the next moment gone, feeding two powerful feelings about money: insecurity and lots of fear about never getting it back. My next memory of money was of being gifted with Kennedy silver half dollars on my birthdays (one for every year). Not realizing their worth, I spent most of them, but when I moved some years ago I found a stash of them in a small black bag. 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

As a child, money was tight; often a stressful topic at our house. Money messages included being prudent, entrepreneurial and thrifty. I wore hand-me-down clothes, planted seeds in our victory garden and overheard as my parents argued over whose turn it was to pick up the food stamps. My father taught math at a local high school and then took to the streets as a Fuller Brush salesman in the evenings. To bring in additional income, my mom corrected high school English papers and my father managed apartments to reduce our rent. I learned about the importance of saving money, of looking for opportunities, and of working hard. Read More

For my first 40 years I lived a life of "noble poverty". When I heard that term I had a visceral reaction in my heart and my gut. I felt deeply understood, experiencing relief having named a condition I had lived with since I was a child. It is "the belief that there is virtue in not having money and that good people do not have it". People with this mindset live by the phrase "it is better to be good and poor than rich and evil". Now I understand that this mindset is based on a false dichotomy that you can have one or the other, and not both. 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

The SRI Conference on Sustainable, Responsible, Impact Investing, is the industry’s seminal event. The 28th annual conference is right around the corner. Thought leaders, investors, and investment professionals from all corners of the Sustainable, Responsible, Impact (SRI) investing universe convene to gain and share knowledge and strategies that align financial performance with positive change. Conference participants are working to catalyze a shift to a more socially equitable and environmentally sustainable economy. 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

Toniic Institute, the global action community for impact investors recently released T100: Insights from Impact Advisors and Consultants 2017. This is the second report in the T100 Research Project, a longitudinal study of 100% impact investing portfolios of Toniic members. Read More

The world faces a looming challenge of handling our waste, an in creasing percentage of which is made of plastic, which simply does not go away. Plastic usually accounts for up to 20 percent of a municipality’s waste generation by weight, but by volume, the proportion is significantly higher. Most small communities do not have access to solutions, and this is where "catalytic philanthropy," particularly in the resource recovery sector, can make an enormous impact on peoples’ lives on a global basis. Read More

In a continuing and growing commitment to helping investors integrate sustainability considerations into portfolio decisions, Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ: MORN), a leading provider of independent investment research, and Sustainalytics, a leading global provider of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) research and ratings, announced in July 2017 that Morningstar has acquired a 40 percent ownership stake in Sustainalytics. The direct investment represents an important milestone in Morningstar’s long-term sustainability strategy and intends to support Sustainalytics’ ability to deliver high-quality, innovative ESG products and services to the global investment community. Read More

When SRI industry leaders look at the future of sustainable investing, our tendency is to pat ourselves on the back for the tremendous progress we have made and make optimistic predictions about the wonderful progress that still lies ahead. While not wanting to be the skunk at the garden party, and while remaining a die-hard optimist when it comes to possibilities, I am more pessimistic about probabilities if we remain on our current course. We need to up our game and here is how. Read More

The SRI field has grown rapidly to nearly $9 trillion and the next decade will bring continued expansion in assets and in the types of investors who control those assets, as well as further growth in the products and services available. From high net worth individuals to retail investors to new robo-advisor platforms all will increasingly bring their assets into SRI. Foundations of all sizes will be changing their investment process to better connect their mission to their endowments and Pension funds, including private sector funds will offer sustainable investment options. Read More

I believe that companies will continue to benefit economically by pursuing excellence in corporate responsibility, especially in the context of climate change and increased resource scarcity. As responsible investing integrates into the mainstream, ESG data will be incorporated into greater numbers and types of investment strategies. Investment firms that can successfully identify companies with leading ESG profiles, strong financials and attractive fundamentals will be the most likely to succeed. Also leadership in the responsible investment industry will require meaningful engagement with portfolio companies on ESG issues. Read More

Where did this begin for me? Was it watching the “Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau,” or the ecology flags we pasted on our bumpers in the early 70s? Or that public service TV spot of the canoeing Native American tearing up as he looked at the litter along the river. Or maybe it was those smog alerts in LA where I grew up. Fast forward to the 80s when I was working at a hospital in the NW. After I chose my 401k plan I soon discovered, as I tried to make more “informed” financial decisions, that the mutual funds had numerous tobacco stocks in their holdings. Wow! At a healthcare institution! A good friend who was a skilled editor decided after much research to join me in writing an article on SRI for the local Journal of Business – they published our first draft. Read More

Responsible investing momentum is strong. For me, and for many of my generation, the future is clear: we are well on our way towards the installation of a vitally important system-level force for good, one that will protect future generations, indeed the planet itself. We have laid the groundwork for a financial system which functions globally to protect people and the planet. My purpose in advocating what I called ethical investing was to build a large enough investor presence that demanded a clean and dignified future for all. Read More

The responsible investing movement that we have started and shaped has reached the end of the beginning, with a broad and strong foundation that will evolve to provide the superstructure of our society’s continuing struggle to address and solve its greatest challenges. Our efforts are working, and we are being joined in our mission by more investors worldwide every day. The UN Principles for Responsible Investment – of which Calvert was a founder – counts 1,700 large investors & $70 trillion in assets. Read More

Eight years ago I received the call asking me to consider joining Trillium Asset Management as CEO. Since that time, we have seen more interest than ever in the field of sustainable investing from a wide variety of institutions, mainstream money managers, and families often driven by women and millennials, bringing assets over to impact. Looking out over the horizon, I see six emerging trends that I believe shed light on the future of sustainable investing. Read More

With income inequality in the United States at record high levels, employee ownership is increasingly being lauded as a potential solution to spreading wealth more broadly. Most recently, research from the National Center for Employee Ownership released in May 2017 shows that employee owners have a household net worth that is 92 percent higher than non-employee owners. They also make 33 percent higher wages, and are far less likely to be laid off. Read More

A report published June by The Investment Integration Project (TIIP) examines the opportunities, challenges, and breakthroughs needed for investors to finance the circular economy. Written by William Burckart (TIIP) and Jamie Butterworth (Circularity Capital), Investing in the New Industrial (R)evolution: Insights for asset owners and managers financing the circular economy details how investors and corporations are incorporating global issues related to the health, food, and energy systems, as well as others, into their investment and production design processes, respectively. 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

The Global Impact Investing Network (GIIN) 2017 Annual Impact Investor Survey is now available. The survey is based on an analysis of the activities of 209 of the world’s leading impact investing organizations, including fund managers, foundations, banks, development finance institutions, family offices, pension funds, and insurance companies. Survey respondents collectively manage nearly USD $114 billion in impact assets, a figure which serves as the best-available “floor” for the size of the impact investing market. 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 March, the Global Sustainable Investment Alliance (GSIA) released its biennial Global Sustainable Investment Review 2016, showing that global sustainable investment assets reached $22.89 trillion at the start of 2016, a 25% increase from 2014. 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

Social Capital Markets (SOCAP) is in the vanguard of the emerging global impact economy - convening ideas and capital to catalyze world change. We are a network of investors, entrepreneurs, and social impact leaders addressing the world’s toughest challenges through market-based solutions. Read More

Index-fund giant State Street Global Advisors on Tuesday March 7 began pushing big companies to put more women on their boards, initially demanding change at those firms without any female directors. The money manager, which is a unit of State Street Corp., says it will vote against board members charged with nominating new directors if they don't soon make strides at adding women. Firms won't have an exact quota to be in compliance with State Street's mandate, but must prove they attempted to improve a lack of diversity. A firm that doesn't add women, for example, would have to prove to State Street it attempted to cast a wider net and set diversity goals. Read More

In the world of Sustainable and Impact Investing, few ideas have captured the imagination as quickly as Gender Lens Investing (“GLI”). In just the past few years, the number of Gender Lens solutions has grown rapidly. The premise of this Read More

ImpactAssets has released its 2016 impact investing showcase, the ImpactAssets 50 (IA 50), a free online resource for investors and financial advisors. The sixth annual list provides a diversified overview of fund managers representing private debt and equity investments that deliver social and environmental impact as well as financial returns. Read More

For an industry that prides itself on mastering risk management, finding value and uncovering arbitrage opportunities, I think the financial services sector is falling flat. Why? Because most firms are overlooking one of the biggest investment opportunities ever: women. Read More

Community Capital Management, Inc. (CCM), a leading fixed income impact investing manager, announced recently that it has become a signatory to the United Nations-Supported Principles for Responsible Investment (UN PRI), enhancing its 18-year commitment to incorporating environmental, social, and governance (ESG) criteria into its investment philosophy and processes. Read More

What do an artificial heart, the theater, and Gabon all have in common? From where you’re sitting, probably not much. For me, however, they are key facets of my life that have led me to a career in impact investing. Read More

With a new administration in the White House and major national policy shifts underway, shareholder proponents are focused on preserving key gains they have won in their shareholder resolutions this spring. Investors will consider a near-record number of proposals filed on environmental, social and sustainable governance (ESG) issues for consideration at corporate annual meetings. Proxy Preview 2017, released in early March by As You Sow, the Sustainable Investments Institute (Si2), and Proxy Impact, lists the specific shareholder resolutions filed this year and lays out major themes, including corporate political influence, climate change and economic inequality. Read More

“The fight against the Dakota Access Pipeline has implications beyond the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe. It is a fight for everyone who wants clean air, clean water, and gender equality. As governments increasingly prove incapable or unwilling to protect these things, citizens are turning to the market and the market is responding.”

Read More

Once a year, a small group of executives who control trillions of dollars in American companies meet for lunch in Manhattan. Among the things they discuss: pushing for greater say in how companies are run. It is an elite gathering, but you will not see a single man in a suit in the room. The event, called the Women in Governance lunch, underscores a rare corner in finance where women dominate. Read More

It’s hard to imagine a time more hopeful and horrifying for sustainable business. On the one hand are great achievements and milestones. The Paris Agreement on climate change was ratified in 2016, faster than any United Nations pact in history, Read More

A profound political disruption has raised the stakes for clean money. It's a watershed moment for progressive business and investing, and a major bump in the pathway from the old economy to a new one. We must double down to ensure a just, resilient future civilization. Read More

A new report examining 28 of the world’s largest banks on their management of climate-related risks concludes they are failing to align their business practices with targets to keep global temperature rises below two degrees ^[1]. The investor assessment comes despite praising banks for introducing measures such as climate stress testing, carbon footprinting and governance for climate risk. 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

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

I am a son of the American South and a student of her often troubled history. A native Alabaman, I now live in Atlanta and only recently became aware of an instance where Coca-Cola used corporate power to do social good in the Civil Rights Era. In 1964, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. had just been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize and the city of Atlanta was preparing a formal dinner befitting of this great honor. Invitations went out to the city’s elites but almost no one responded. Worried, Atlanta Mayor Ivan Allen expressed his concerns to Robert Woodruff, the former president of the soft drink giant and still one of the most powerful people in town. Read More

For those of you who know the Case Foundation, we’re bullish on the impact investing movement and the power of private capital for public good. While still a relatively small market, impact investments are surging, with some seeing a trillion-dollar market potential by 2020. Against that context, we do a lot of thinking about what is standing in the way of tipping significantly more interested investors to activated investors. Read More

Let’s take a break from talking about investments. Yeah, yeah. This is a journal about Sustainable Investing, but what is it you’re really after? What’s the reason you’re investing in the first place? Have you thought about where you’d like to end up? How will you know that you accomplished what you’ve set out to accomplish if you haven’t defined your goal? Investments are an important tool but they become more powerful when you view them as a part of your larger financial life strategy. Read More

by Pat Miguel Tomaino, Associate Director of Socially Responsible Investing, Zevin Asset Management Marketers are obsessed with attracting Millennials, and their pitches can look downright desperate. Domino’s invites young customers to order Read More

Offering New Insights and Resources from the Frontier of Impact Investing

Toniic Institute, the global action community for impact investors, recently released T100: Launch “Insights from the Frontier of Impact Investing,” in a presentation at the GIIN Investor Forum 2016 Read More

Examining how the nation’s largest mutual fund companies voted on climate-related shareholder resolutions in 2015 and 2016. The results are revealing.

The vast majority of climate scientists (97 percent) believe climate change is real, but what about your mutual fund company? We examined how the nation’s largest mutual fund companies voted on climate-related shareholder resolutions in 2015 and 2016. The results are revealing. Read More

Just about every big Wall Street firm and big-time philanthropist has recently tried to get in on what’s often called double bottom line investing. The idea is that an investment isn’t just intended to score a high return; perhaps more important, it is supposed to make a significant difference in an area that had been considered un-investable. Goldman Sachs, for example, created social impact bonds to reduce the recidivism rate for adolescent offenders at the Rikers Island correctional facility in New York City. 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

This year may ring the bell on a fundamental rethink for investors. Underlying all the major trends we identified for 2017 is a strategic decision point – do we change the way we think about investing, or is this business as usual in a new order? Read More

On December 29, 2016, the Department of Labor (DOL) rescinded Interpretive Bulletin 2008-2 relating to the Exercise of Shareholder Rights and replaced it with Interpretive Bulletin 2016-01 (www.dol.gov/newsroom/releases/ebsa/ebsa20161228) which reinstates the language of Interpretive Bulletin 94-2 with some modifications. US Read More

The 7th edition of the biennial Eurosif Market Study reveals double-digit growth for sustainable and responsible investment (SRI). The growth ranges from 30% for stewardship (Engagement & Voting) to 385% for Impact Investment. SRI is growing faster than the broad European investment market with retail investors returning to the market (up 549% since 2013). Read More

Money managers increasingly are incorporating ESG factors into their investment analysis and portfolio construction, driven by the demand for ESG investing products from institutional and individual investors and by the mission and values of their management firms. Of the managers that responded to an information request about reasons for incorporating ESG, the highest percentage, 85 percent, cited client demand as a motivation. Read More