It’s easy to look at climate change as business owners, or even individuals, and think that we can’t do anything to help.
But what about our money?
Namely how we spend and invest money, since many spending habits have a hidden impact on the climate that most people don’t even realise.
In reality, our money can have a negative impact on the climate, either directly or indirectly, depending on where our money actually ends up.
If we are to turn the tables on climate change, then this needs to stop.
Your finances can help the planet if you want to do your bit. Here are 9 ways you can make your money greener today.
Switch To A Green Bank
In the last 12 months, Barclays, HSBC, Santander, Lloyds and Natwest have given $37 billion to the fossil fuel industry - Make My Money Matter.
Furthermore, the same report highlights that $141 billion has been given to the top 5 worst offending banks for climate change since 2016.
It’s a shocking fact that some of the leading banks directly fund climate change due to their support of the fossil fuel industry. This is especially the case given renewable energy has existed for some time now, which we know is a much better alternative than burning coal.
Sure, your bank may offer great interest rates and similar incentives.
But shouldn’t the biggest incentive be taking care of our planet, given we only have one?
Green Investing
You invest money to make money.
Similar to banking with a greener bank, it’s also possible to make your money greener by carefully selecting your investments.
Investing sustainability is also known as eco-investing. It involves making investment decisions based on the environmental, social and governance (ESG) risks of that company.
In short, making sure that your money is put into funds that actually set out to do some good, rather than funding fossil fuels or other wasteful or damaging environmental practices.
Listen to learn more: 🎙️🌳 EcoSend Podcast S2 E1: ‘Fund the future you want’ with Dan Sherrard-Smith
Make Environmentally Conscious Purchases
A simple way to make your money greener is to control your spending.
It’s so easy to get swept up by sales. To buy things we don’t really need. Or even purchase items that aren’t built to last.
But what all of this does is contribute more towards climate change. Everything from the production of that item to its lifecycle needs to be considered.
So if you already have something similar at home, or if you could upcycle rather than buy new, then these are the types of measures which will reduce landfill waste as well as carbon emissions from the manufacturing process.
For anything you do have to buy, consider how that item has been made. If a greener alternative exists in terms of materials or production methods, then this is one simple change that can soon add up if we all join in.
Switch To A Green Gas & Electricity Supplier (Renewables)
Energy bills have been in the news lately for all the wrong reasons.
But what isn’t getting enough attention is that of the 100 companies most responsible for carbon emissions, the top offenders are related to the oil and gas industries. The report which featured this research highlighted 71% of carbon emissions can be traced back to these companies.
As a customer, you might feel a bit powerless reading that. But something you can do is switch your energy to a green provider (where the likes of coal are not used). In addition, you can ensure that your investment portfolio doesn’t feature any of the top polluting energy companies.
Green or renewable energy is the future. Not only is it much cheaper than fossil fuels, but greener energy means we can stop using polluting energy sources for good.
Use Green Transport Options
How you spend money on getting around can also become a little greener.
On an everyday basis, this may involve walking more (which is free!) or taking public transport.
If you own a car, then switching to electric is greener compared with petrol or diesel vehicles. Electric car charging stations are starting to pop up everywhere now too, meaning a lack of charging stations is no longer a barrier to switching.
For existing petrol or diesel vehicles, you can reduce the amount of fuel consumed by altering your driving style, and removing unnecessary weight from the vehicle itself. Hopefully, you’ll be inspired to switch to a more sustainable car though after reading this post!
Flying obviously isn’t the mode of transport that’s climate compatible. In some cases though, flying remains the only feasible option.
By 2050, there is a target for 60% of all aviation fuel to be sustainable aviation fuel, up from 2% by 2025.
In the meantime, when going to book a flight, it’s possible to see the carbon emissions of that flight, and whether a greener alternative exists.
Although flying should still be avoided wherever possible, these smaller steps are still better than opting for the most polluting flights in cases where flying is unavoidable.
Pay To Offset Any Previous Emissions
The following point couldn't be a better introduction to our next one, especially if you’ve just thought about all the flights you’ve taken, or miles you’ve driven in your car.
That is to use carbon offsetting schemes such as flight offsetting.
Carbon offsetting isn’t a solution to fixing climate change, and of course not creating carbon emissions is always preferable to offsetting them.
However, in terms of making your money greener, the ability to put money into schemes which help offset our own carbon footprint is yet another way to make a positive difference.
Some airlines may also offer the option of offsetting the cost of your flight when booking.
As well as planting trees, offsetting schemes can be used to fund various environmental projects across the globe.
Switch To A Sustainable Marketing Platform
Did you know digital marketing is also contributing towards climate change?
EcoSend is on a mission to fix this, by reducing carbon emissions generated by sending emails.
Most people don’t know that emails can emit up to 50g of carbon, depending on their size. With 300 billion emails sent per day, that soon adds up.
If you are reading this right now and you or your company does any kind of email marketing, EcoSend is an easy switch you can make today. Not only will it make your money greener, but your company greener too!
With paid EcoSend plans starting at just $49 per month, your business could also save money as well as making your money greener.
At present, no other email marketing platform is tackling climate change. EcoSend is proud to be making the first move here, and we can’t wait to welcome your business onboard.
Consider Climate Quitting If Your Job Won’t Go Green
Future generations will ask what the current generation did to do their bit for climate change.
If you don’t happen to be a company founder and instead work for someone else, you might want to consider climate quitting.
For those new to the term, climate quitting is when someone leaves their job to pursue a career working within environmental causes. Or to switch to a similar role within a company which has better green credentials.
While quitting your job may seem extreme, when companies fail to become more sustainable, sometimes employees may feel like they have no other choice. After all, we’re all worried about the climate. In particular, for parents who want to improve the problem for their children and future grandchildren, climate quitting is how they can take a stand.
As part of becoming a sustainable business, companies can work to retain more of their talent by showing their commitment to the climate.
But when a company just isn’t doing its bit for the climate crisis, any money earned from that company won’t be as green as it could be. Therefore, climate quitting is just one of the many ways to make your money greener.
Make Green Home Improvements
From solar lighting to biodegradable phone cases, when you do have to buy stuff, or even if you want to upgrade aspects of your property - use green options wherever possible.
Other terms to look out for when shopping are energy-efficient, eco-friendly and zero waste.
This also extends to any renovations or upgrades you may wish to make to your property.
In a previous post, we discussed ways to make your office building more sustainable. This includes measures such as getting an energy efficiency survey, adding plant walls and retrofitting your building to reduce heat loss.
In total, there are so many ways to spend green including on your home!
EcoSend - Greener, Cleaner Digital Marketing Is Only A Couple Of Clicks Away
Generating green money through earning, spending, saving or investing means your money is contributing to the right things, rather than funding climate change.
There are lots of benefits to having greener money, and this also includes the ability to make more money from some of the measures too. Though the real benefit is for our planet, and we all have the ability to make an impact with how we save, invest and spend.
As mentioned, if your business does any kind of email marketing (or is looking to start!), then EcoSend is the greenest option on the market.
With EcoSend, you’ll get all the features you need to send email marketing campaigns. However, unlike other email providers, our systems run on renewable energy sources. We’ll also plant trees on your behalf just for using us, and we’re re-investing some of our profits into climate-related causes.
Sign up for EcoSend today to claim your free trial, where cleaner, greener email marketing awaits!
