Can your finances fix the planet?

Let’s face it, for many of us thinking about our finances is like going to the dentist — you know it needs to happen every few years but it’s uncomfortable, annoying, and so easy to put off…

Now sit with that feeling, and climate change into the mix — something which many feel anxious and sad about…🤯

Not exactly a winning combo.

Given that, it’s a wonder my recent lunch & learn workshop with tech company Brandwatch attracted so many people, each giving up their lunch break on a Thursday afternoon. We discussed the three main ways of having an impact with your finances, how to ride the wave of interest in sustainable investing, and what other values aligned finances there are.

Thinking about your personal finances as a way of fighting climate change can seem less intuitive, than, for example deciding to fly less. But research shows that it could be more effective than many of our current behaviour changes. And now, more than ever, is a good time to get started because:

• More options & opportunities — There are so many more options out there than there were just one or two years ago. Wherever your savings are, e.g. with your bank, your pension fund — they are now likely to have a low carbon or a sustainable option whereas even 5 years ago asking these questions felt like you were asking if the earth was flat.
• Governments are putting their weight behind it — with regulation coming in putting more pressure on companies to disclose what they’re doing on the climate change front, investors, as part owners of the companies, are in a stronger position to demand change.
• Sustainable investments to dominate by 2025 — Everyone else is doing it too! Sustainable investments in Europe increased 3x over the last 10 years and by 2025 it’s expected there will be more sustainable investments than ‘traditional’ ones.

Is it a fad? Maybe, but I’m banking on it sticking around

Get involved — contact me if:

1. You’d like your company to host a host a Lunch & Learn 🤓
2. You’d like to join the Women and Impact Investment Hackathon in March, organised by The C Collective, to experience the power of design thinking to create solutions to the world’s biggest problems. Anyone can join. I’m leading a team on how corporates can be more engaged in this topic (but there are plenty other topics)💪
3. You’d like me to come into your company and host a series of three small group sessions to support women to take climate action with their money. We’ll use the OwnIt programme, a tried-and-tested model developed by Friends of the Earth in collaboration with Enrol Yourself, a social enterprise specialised in supporting people to explore their goals through peer learning.🌎

Francesca Spoerry, @franspoerry