I have always looked to the future with a feeling of optimism, and wondered where I’d be in it and how it would look. Also, as a publisher I have the ongoing opportunity to think about and plan for the future as I prepare forthcoming issues of the GreenMoney Journal.
So welcome to the Future: this is the second of two issues celebrating our 20th Anniversary by looking ahead at The Next 20 Years of Sustainable Business and Investing. Writers in this expanded online version reflect an outlook similar to one we encourage in GreenMoney: The future will be challenging, yet inviting. Yes, our generation will be facing many of those powerful challenges, from economic to personal to environmental, but exciting and innovative solutions are in development. Resource management, especially energy, water, and food, requires all hands on deck in our global economy. What a time to be living!
The immediate need to manage debt here and around the world is more pressing than ever. In truth, debt mismanagement has compromised the economic recovery everywhere. It is time to stop over-spending and begin managing our budgets responsibly. As Europe and America in all their financial arrogance have figured out, (we hope!) deficits at some point become untenable. Borrowing is easy, paying your bills is responsible. And yes, unrestrained money is ruining our political systems. Unlimited and untraceable dollars for candidates and political parties is not how a democracy sustains itself. It seems both parties and their PACs are taking huge sums of money from anyone or any company or any country.
Do I sound pessimistic? Maybe a little, but I like money and I am a friend of capitalism in its sustainable forms. As several of our writers indicate, only capitalism, – an ethical and transparent capitalism – can restore our trust in a brighter economic future. Responsible CEOs, boards and investors are learning that in order to enjoy long-term relevancy and profitability, they must also work for the common good and for a genuinely sustainable enterprise. For the record, I still believe in the American Dream; if you work hard, by yourself and with others, make good decisions, and become educated, you can achieve anything.
This Fall 2012 issue opens with an insightful article by Pax World Management CEO Joe Keefe, who looks at the next 20 years of Sustainable Investing; Amy Domini, founder of Domini Social Investments, examines the specific impact of social criteria on the investing world; business leader Aron Cramer of BSR explains the evolving interrelated elements of responsible business; Lisa Hall of the Calvert Foundation looks ahead at the world of impact investing; and Dr. Doug Arent rounds out this very full issue with the expansive future of clean energy, a keystone to the sustainable global economy.
As GreenMoney turns 20 we’re proud to launch this newly upgraded website here at GreenMoney.com. Check out the new look. You will find a simpler, cleaner, and more useful website with more frequent updates. Though we won’t overwhelm, we do offer quality information, filtered to help you make informed financial decisions that will have a positive impact on the world.
In this expanded Fall 2012 online edition you will find articles by Robert Zevin, Timothy Karsten, Ben Bingham, Hazel Henderson and Janine Benyus, to name a few. And check out the newly designed extensive Global Calendar of Green Events. A few of the Key events this fall include the SRI Conference, Social Capital Markets Conference and BSR Conference.
In closing, we value your insights. Please share your opinions and reactions to these articles as well as your own predictions for the next 20 years in sustainable business and investing. We will be featuring those in future issues.
As we begin the next chapter for GreenMoney, a sincere thank you goes out to our readers, advertisers, and sponsors. Please do business with each other.
And finally, GreenMoney.com owes a lot of gratitude for its successful re-design to people behind the scenes: the non-stop efforts of Michelle Mosser of Grace Communications, Bahman Mahdavi of Socialfunds.com and the team at Ranch7 Creative. A special acknowledgement goes to my long-time editorial team of Ted Ketcham and his wife Diane.
Thank you. Here\’s to the next twenty.
– Cliff Feigenbaum, Founder and Publisher, cliff@greenmoney.com
