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Socially Responsible Investing
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Many people will sigh cynically over the fact that the only things that corporations will listen to is money, but what if this could be used to your advantage?
One thing that businesses will invariably listen to is their investors, and you will find that as investors start demanding new and greener methods of production and manufacturing, changes will happen. This is where green and social responsible investing come in, and though it may surprise you, this is not a new phenomenon at all!
One early example of socially responsible investing can be found with the Quakers during the 1700s, when they refused to frequent or endorse businesses that had anything to do with the slave trade. This is a form of boycott, and as can be seen with other social boycotts, it definitely got the message across. Looking back more recently, another example of socially responsible investing occurred in the 1970s, when Dow Jones, which made napalm for use during the Vietnam War was protested, and again when American investors withdrew from companies who were, openly or silently supporting Apartheid.
For a long time, socially responsible investing was thought of as a popular trend and not one that was very credible in the mainstream marketing environment. At the time, companies who took a real interest in the environment were considered too risky or simply not big enough to interest serious investors, but this perception is one that is changing and fast. Green investing broke into the mainstream world just a few decades ago, and as the world continues to move forward, this trend is only increasing.
If you are in a position to invest money, you’ll find that you can find screened lists of companies (see list of resources below) that are considered socially responsible. When looking at such lists, make sure that you ask what criteria were used that allowed these companies on the list and kept other companies off. In addition to this, you’ll find that some companies have a lower profitability than others but offer a great deal in the way results with high potential, like research towards more sustainable fuel sources.
When you are considering green and socially responsible investing, you’ll find that there is a great deal out there. Make sure that your money goes towards a world that you are interested in living in!
Resources for Socially Responsible Investing:
Wikipedia’s Page on Socially Responsible Investing
Michael Bluejay’s Directory of Socially Responsible Stocks
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