This from the Guardian highlights a few little nuances that may surprise you if you are lucky enough to have a few spare quid and choose to invest in one of the so called 'ethical funds'.
Reading it made me smile. There are obviously rather varying shades of ethical just as there are varying shades of green.
So, if you thought that your ethical fund investment was directly helping to tackle climate change, you just may have to reconsider having read this.
It's just not easy being green, or ethical, is it?
Junkk.com promotes fun, reward-based e-practices, sharing oodles of info in objective, balanced ways. But we do have personal opinions, too! Hence this slightly ‘off of site, top of mind' blog by Junkk Male Peter. Hopefully still more ‘concerned mates’ than 'do this... or else' nannies, with critiques seen as constructive or of a more eyebrow-twitching ‘Oh, really?!' variety. Little that’s green can be viewed only in black and white.
Monday, February 11, 2008
2 comments:
I believe in freedom of speech. But I also don't like bullies on blogs, even verbal ones, as they can drive away those with something valid to say... or offer.
Subjective is fine, but well argued and substantiated is even better. Calm and polite tops. Anything that crosses my personal line will not go up. There may be reasons given, but not guaranteed.
I'm not too keen on 'Anon' as a handle (and the content usually explains why), so if that's what you opt for it may not make it. Sorry.
You are right, it's not easy to be green. What is ethical or green -- is up to the individual to decide. However, I believe that if we all invest according to our personal ethics, then we will all end-up better-off. Investors need to be very clear with their investment advisors about how they want their money invested!
ReplyDeleteIncidentally, I've been following ethical investing for about forty years. Readers might like to know that I cover the latest global ethical investing news at www.investingforthesoul.com
Best wishes, Ron Robins
Welcome Ron.
ReplyDeleteAs with ... too much... it is the few negatives who tend to colour the many positives trying to make a real difference.
Sadly my investing has been a tad more localised this last decade (in Junkk.com and now RE:tie... they will pay off one day... I pray!), but should I ever get back into the happy position of having some extra to splash about on dotage and family I will most certainly look forward to seeing what sage advice guys like you have to offer on doing it properly and in the right direction(s).
Actually, as I seem in the thick of dealing with VCs and BAs at the moment, and not too many so far that worried about the planet aspects of making gold from green, it may well be worth doing so now in case some might pop up who might help in the other direction! At least with some business guys to point my way to hook up with to add a necesssary fiscal balance to my overly creative soul.
I head to your URL now!