Have you ever thought about what the bank institute does with the money you have in your saving account? You probably know that they are investing it.
If you give money to an institution (e.g. by putting it in your bank account or investing it in stocks), you enable it to proceed with whatever they do and increase their market power. The actions of the institution become bigger and more influential. Depending on what they do this means that the environmental pollutions in- or decreases.
Just think about your powerful position – you are able to empower the institutions which are environmentally friendly.
Just think about in what position you are if you have (spare) money to invest. You are able to empower the institutions you think are not only successful economically but also environmentally friendly. At the same time you are not promoting institutions or companies which are harmful for the environment because you do not give your money to them.
With this „power“ comes the responsibility to invest wisely and consider the three pillars of sustainability. Does the institution you are giving your money to incorporate social and ecological factors besides the economy? And how are their actions controlled? There is a lot of „green washing“ going on and what seems like a sustainable green company might just be good marketing. It is definitely not easy to find a truly sustainable company but the research is worth the effort in any case!
And finally…
…to empower the companies acting responsibly towards the environment we all need to support them in order to outdrive the once who are not considering factors of sustainability. This means if we have some money to invest, we have to give it to the right institutions.
And compared to donations (which are also very important!), investments can bring financial returns.
I am planning on introducing companies and institutions I am investing in or I think are worth to promote. If you also know some, please let me know!