Sustainable Investing

Moving Wealth from Wall St. to our Local Communities

Many observers argue that genuine, long-term sustainability requires a re-localization of our economy.  Investment and enterprise must work in harmony with natural systems, rather than exploit them from a distance for maximum financial gain. Decisions about resource use should be made by those more connected to communities and ecosystems.  Here are some resources for learning about this way of thinking.  Consider making your own personal investments more local and sustainable.

An excellent new resource on investing in Vermont

Post Carbon Institute, in collaboration with Vermonters for a New Economy and other organizations, has published a concise, accessible, and very useful overview of local investing:  Vermont Dollars, Vermont Sense.  This guidebook is available free online at  scribd.com.

Some key books that explain the problem with the current global economy and benefits of relocalization:

Agenda for a New Economy:  From Phantom Wealth to Real Wealth  by David Korten  (2010)

Local Dollars, Local Sense:  How to Shift Your Money from Wall Street to Main Street and Achieve Real Prosperity  by Michael Shuman  (2012)

Inquiries into the Nature of Slow Money:  Investing as if Food, Farms and Fertility Mattered  by Woody Tasch  (2008)

Locavesting:  The Revolution in Local Investing and How to Profit from It  by Amy Cortese  (2011)

Owning Our Future:  The Emerging Ownership Revolution  by Marjorie Kelly  (2012)

Online resources

Green America provides practical resources and background information on social investing.

Slow Money is a growing national network of visionary investors

Slow Money Vermont is building a network here

The Vermont Community Loan Fund is a well-established vehicle for putting money to work in communities around the state

BALE (Building a Local Economy) in the White River Valley is launching a local investment group

Resilience.org contains numerous informative articles on building stronger local economies

The Forum for Sustainable and Responsible Investment  provides information and resources for investment professions and others