Sunday 19th May 2013     Log In | Register            Change text size:

Photo: Fairtrade Foundation

How Fairtrade is going further for the world’s smallholder farmers

This Monday marked the start of Fairtrade Fortnight 2013 – the 17th in a series of annual celebrations of Fairtrade. Richard Anstead of the Fairtrade Foundation reflects on how the event looks to help drive change for farmers across the world. This year we launched with the key message...


Photo: Shared Interest via Flickr

Why I chose ethical investment: aligning my money with my values

Sally Reith is an ethical investor. She moved her money so that it chimed well with her values when she took a job as engagement officer at ethical investment co-operative Shared Interest. Since then, she hasn’t looked back, and in fact has become a staunch advocate for sustainable finance. Away...


Photo: Charles Clegg via Flickr

Free markets need to be free

Capitalism is often described today as being in crisis. This overstates the case. Like democracy, it’s the worst form, except all those other forms that have been tried from time to time. The true spirit of capitalism – an individual or group identifying a genuine need or want and...


Barchester Green

Ethical IFA of the week: Barchester Green

There are plenty of independent financial advisers (IFAs) across the country who give advice on ethical and environmental investments. Our job is to tell you about them. Barchester Green is one of the UK’s longest-serving ethical IFAs. Formed in 1985 in Salisbury, it has expanded significantly in the 28...


Photo: Karen Roe via Flickr

Why we can’t afford to lose ecosystem services

Ecosystem services are crucial to our survival; we literally can’t afford to lose them. Increasing investment in and protection of these hugely important environmental assets can only be beneficial for future generations. Ecosystem services provide us with the essentials of life. They’re what increase our happiness, health and prosperity....


Photo: No Dash for Gas via Twitter

No Dash for Gas protested for a clean, sustainable future. And EDF is suing them for it

Protests drive progress. From Rosa Parks on an Alabama bus to the ‘tank man’ in Tiananmen Square; these are the people that have effected real societal change. But a recent attempt to push sustainable energy to the fore has been met with a multi-million pound lawsuit. The public outcry...


Oil

Claims of oil prosperity fail to note the finite nature of fossil fuels

Oil and gas companies are celebrating a three-decade peak in North Sea investment, as well as thriving jobs and tax reliefs, but our future energy mix will one day not include fossil fuels at all. While some countries in Europe are planning to achieve an oil-free economy in a...


Photo: Gavin via Flickr

We can learn a lot about clean energy from Scandinavian nations

Scandinavia has managed to reduce its carbon emissions and achieve considerable economic growth. As a result, countries like Denmark and Sweden have become some of the greenest in Europe. The exploitation of finite resources is a double-edged sword. Not only is it harming the planet for future generations, but...


Photo: Herry Lawford via Flickr

Juggling sustainability and mining: is Mongolia a suitable host for World Environment Day?

The UN Environmental Programme (UNEP) last week chose Mongolia as host of World Environment Day 2013 – a country, it says, that has made a significant shift to a greener economy over the past three years. Mongolia has one of the harshest climates in the world, with its capital...


Photo: Alan Cleaver via Flickr

Responsible investment terms: what is sustainable investment?

Sustainable investment holds the key to balancing the needs of people and the planet, whilst engaging in a prosperous financial opportunity. The term ‘sustainable’ is being used ever-more frequently in everyday life. But what does it actually mean? And more importantly, why invest this way? When Blue & Green...


Photo: Mr Fogey via Flickr

Me and my friends are being sued by EDF. This action should concern us all

Discovering that you’re being sued for £5m by a gigantic, state-owned, multinational corporation is a pretty overwhelming experience; particularly when you realise that this is a company that makes an annual profit of £1.7 billion by ruthlessly pursuing vulnerable customers who are struggling to pay their energy bills. But...


Green Party

Four decades of Green Party progress

Forty years ago today, a small group of people gathered in Coventry for what would become the first official meeting of the Green Party. Joseph Iddison reflects on its impact during its four-decade existence, and looks to the future to see how far it can go. The Green Party...


TED

TED talks: the global food waste scandal – Tristram Stuart

A report by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) last month uncovered some shocking statistics into global food waste, claiming that between 30-50% of food produced “never reaches a human stomach”. For Tristram Stuart, British author and campaigner, this news wasn’t new. He has spent the bulk of his...


Photo: eutrophication&hypoxia via Flickr

Sustainable investment needs to be ‘core to how we live our lives’

Joe Keefe, president and CEO of US firm PAX World Management, has written a piece for the Huffington Post about the importance of sustainable investment in all aspects of life. Speaking about investment in fossil fuels, Keefe says there are three general approaches: to continue to invest (A), to...


Photo: Garret Clarke via Flickr

Why we chose ethical investment: to make an environmental or social difference

Nikky Wilson and Steve Connelly are ethical investors. They have specifically tried to invest in areas that make a positive difference to the world – as well as avoiding some of the most damaging industries. This is a belief that stems from their early careers. The pair both started...


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