Saturday, April 14, 2007

'Banking' on a Sustainable Future

Ever wonder how banks make their big bucks? Banks invest the investments you make in them. That’s right; banks make money off your hard earned cash!

But are all of the banks' investment ventures environmentally friendly?

That’s something ethically-conscious investors and environmentalists are wondering.

With billions of dollars at their disposal, banks have a significant influence over economic growth and activity. They can decide whether a business sinks or swims.

Equally, they can invest in ‘green’ or ‘dirty’ technology.

That’s why this coming June 7th the Financial Times and the International Finance Corporation are holding a “Sustainable Banking Conference and Awards” in London, UK.

It’s going to be a big boost towards sustainability, as more than 100 financial institutions form 51 countries are expected to attend.

The awards will “act as a catalyst for further innovation in sustainability banking, helping to encourage best practice and transparency in the way banks approach sustainability and stimulate debate on the role banks can or should play in the area of sustainability.”

Several online networks are jumping on the bandwagon to offer investors online sustainable investment assistance. They help companies cater to the environment when making investment decisions.

Banks and other investment institutions need our cash to generate profit. They operate just like any other run-of-the-mill business.

As consumers we can choose to put our money in banks that take a proactive approach to sustainable investing – investing in technologies with little environmental impact.

The truth is ‘we consumers’ have an enormous amount of power and can pressure banks to make environmentally-friendly decisions.

And it looks like the banks are catching on…let’s hope.

1 comment:

JJB said...

That's why I only bank at Money Mart. At least you know where your 'three bucks on a hun' goes.