Socially Conscious Investing

Green Global GROWTH promotes sustainable, ethical investment in the developing world along with a strong sense of social consciousness and environmentally directed action in industrial countries.

Our main role is advocacy and information sharing. From that mindset, we have developed a fundamental core philosophy that guides all of our outreach and publishing ventures.

• Individuals are the key at home: Global action starts at home, both in the curbing the excesses of some activities and promoting an evolution of smarter, more efficient technology. Knowing and managing your environmental and economic impact leads to intelligent steps forward in limiting the damage that some of the excesses of the developed world cause.
• Individuals are the key across the world: By the same token, we believe in investing in the individual abroad too. Helping one family farm or small village generate cheap power or produce clean water can drive a host of other possibilities for development and advances in economic, educational and cultural opportunities.
• Demand real action: Due to the demands of socially responsible investors like the contributors to Green Global GROWTH, more than 4,000 companies now release Corporate Social Responsibility Reports that detail their impact on the world. Large megacorporations now realize that the path to true globalization cannot be at the expense of the workers who make that process possible. Thanks to these reports, socially responsible investors have demanded improved working conditions for the employees of hundreds of companies operating in the developing world.
• The power of the dollar: Acting with a global conscious requires us to put our money to use only where it can do the most good. This means we demand total transparency of all investment vehicles and complete insight into their relationship with big business, and with international government and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). We don't advocate investing money in any cause without full investigation of the proposed uses of that money.

As the investors at Carbon Lighthouse have put it: “Social responsibility can be seen as both an asset in-and-of itself, and as an indicator of how the company is managed overall. The market for green products and services is increasing and in some cases is re-enforced by legal mandates, such as minimum fuel efficiency standards for cars or energy efficiency labeling requirements for appliances. Several studies have also shown that people are willing to pay a premium for goods and services that were produced responsibly.”

Thinking Green Globally

For a long time, many people believed that renewable clean energy was a luxury item that most of the world couldn't afford. The reality of global climate change and increased population and development means now people can't afford not to invest in clean energy and sustainable production.

The good news is renewable sources are more affordable than ever and in 2015 the developing world actually invested more money than developed nations – a total of $156 billion, or a 19% increase from the year before. China, which has relied on dirty coal for its fuel longer than any other country, built more wind, hydro and solar power generation than any other country last year. According to REN21's Global Status Report, China now leads the way with 496 gigawatts of renewable production annually, followed by the United States (202), Germany (97), India (83) and Japan (65).

One factor that has fueled (pardon the pun…) this development is new markets for energy are emerging where there was no prior infrastructure. Officials in China, India and other developing nations are seeing renewable clean energy is better and cheaper than traditional power plants.

It Still Starts With The Individual

It is estimated that 2.7 billion people in the world rely on wood, charcoal or biomass (i.e. animal dung) for home energy requirements. That fact impedes economic development and releases huge amounts of carbon into the environment. It also presents an enormous market for the sale of inexpensive technology like compact solar panels, solar ovens or small micro-hydro power systems. More than 30,000 small solar panels are sold in Kenya annually, easily replacing dirty home diesel generators.

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Resources

Triple Pundit: Climate Change and Sustainable Investing

Renewable Energy World: 40 Companies & Organizations Bringing Solar Power to the Developing World

Green America: Social Investing

New Horizons: Blue Energy

One of the newest technologies to come along is osmotic power, colloquially known as “blue energy.” Osmotic power involves harnessing the power generated by the spontaneous movement of solvent molecules through a semi-permeable membrane. A recent study documented in the journal Nature was able to generate power by placing a three-atom thick membrane with a small hole between ionized water and non-ionized water. The ions naturally attempt to pass through the membrane, and when they do, an electrical current is generated. The result is energy production using only fresh water and salt water in the form of a power plant made with affordable technology. When the design is complete, a practical application could be constructed in an estuary where a fresh water river reaches the ocean. A one-meter square membrane could generate enough power to light 50,000 LED light bulbs with water as the only by product.

VIDEO Blue Energy Explained

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