Dan White, Edmonton Real Estate Executive, Touts Bright Future for Eco Investing
Our interconnected globe allows us to communicate, interact and learn about people and parts of the world that once were only accessible after long hours of travel and hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars. This increased level of connection has also created a heightened awareness of our fellow global citizens. Due to this growing societal and environmental consciousness, eco-investment and socially responsible investing have emerged as viable and responsible ways of diversifying an investment portfolio, while also helping the environment or a developing community.
David Suzuki, a leading global environmentalist, describes eco-investing and socially responsible investing as, “What you get when environmental, social, and governance factors come together in the selection and management of investment.” Eco-investing and socially responsible investing incorporate environmental sustainability or stewardship, labour practices, human rights, and corporate governance for maximum societal and environmental impact. These investment opportunities are also vetted for things like human rights violations, community involvement, and environmental performance, making them wise choices for the globally conscious.
Whether it’s investing in new green innovations or helping to fund a sustainable community initiative in a developing nation, there are numerous ways to participate in this growing green global revolution. According to reports, socially responsible investment and eco-investing in the United States is estimated to bring in an annual $6.57 trillion dollars, making up approximately 17 percent of the $25.2 trillion of the total investment market.
Over the last decade, socially responsible investing has evolved from its modest beginnings as a marginal form of investment to one of the fastest-growing sectors of the investment spectrum.
“In a world where individual investor insight into the asset management process is becoming more commonplace, the practice of evaluating companies based on strong corporate governance standards, first-rate social practices, and clean environmental track records is becoming more mainstream,” a NASDAQ blog post states. “As more and more investors become aware of such issues, we can only expect the environmental, social, and corporate governance space to continue to grow.”
One of those socially conscious investors happens to be Edmonton’s Dan White. A seasoned financial analyst and developer, Dan White wanted to merge his investment portfolio knowledge with his environmental conscious. That is why he jumped at the opportunity to invest in the Progreso Verde, Green Paradise Project, a project which aims to sustainably develop the Choco region of Columbia.
Dan White found the Green Paradise business plan attractive because it is not only focused on investor gains, it also has a concrete plan on bettering the lives of area residents. “The economic activities, such as Non-Timber Forest Products, Sustainable Forest Management, Agro-Forestry, Ecotourism, and Biodiversity Conservation, fund a variety of social improvement initiatives in that region, including healthcare, clean water, affordable housing, education in the local communities,” explained Dan White.
The Green Paradise Project also looks to preserve the natural wonder that the dense Colombian rainforest offers. “The Green Paradise lands have some of the greatest biodiversity in the world. The climate, topography and elevations lend themselves to diverse array of flora and fauna, within the rainforest,” Dan White added. “These unique areas of our planet need to be conserved and celebrated.”
With the market for eco-investing and socially responsible investment predicted to increase exponentially in the coming decade, there has never been a better time to invest in the future. Investing in projects like Green Paradise is a great way to diversify your portfolio, while simultaneously embracing your role and responsibility as a global citizen.
This post was sponsored by Reputation.ca
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