Top features of the week: July 6

This week on Blue & Green Tomorrow, Suzanne Biegel explored the investment bullseye and aiming off centre when investing for impact.

We also discussed how sustainable business models can add value to businesses in the long term, and Dan Hird looked at how the Big Potential fund will help charities, voluntary and social enterprises diversify their income streams.

1. Big Potential fund will help charities and social enterprises diversify income

Dan Hird: The launch of the new Big Lottery Fund, the Big Potential, will help voluntary, community and social enterprise organisations (VCSEs) diversify their income streams, says Dan Hird, head of Triodos Bank corporate finance. Read more.

2. Hitting a bullseye in investing for impact – and sometimes aiming off-centre

Suzanne Biegel: Whether it’s climate change, renewable energy or water scarcity, we all have areas we want to invest in – but it’s not always possible to hit that sweet spot straight away. Suzanne Biegel writes about the investment bullseye, and why aiming slightly off-centre is not always such a bad thing. Read more.

3. On this day in 1860: Oxford debates evolution after Darwin’s seminal text

Blue & Green Tomorrow: One hundred and fifty-four years ago today, seven months after the publication of Charles Darwin’s On the Origin of Species, a group of British scientists and philosophers debated the theory of evolution at the Oxford University Museum. Read more.

4. Sustainable business is simply ‘doing business in a better way’

Charlotte Malone: As concerns around sustainability increase, from energy consumption to resource scarcity, businesses are realising that a more sustainable business model can add value and benefit the business in the long-term. Read more.

5. Green and gullible: how tree investment schemes aren’t always what they seem

John Fleetwood: If it’s too good to be true, it probably is. Many people seem to forget this maxim when investing. In recent years, there has been a spate of unregulated ‘green’ investment schemes. These ‘guarantee’ returns of 13% per annum or more, and claim to save the planet, but how true is this? Read more.

Photo: jtkunley via Freeimages