Oxford-based event to celebrate positive investment

An event to be held in Oxford on Friday 23 May will celebrate and reflect on the growing status of positive investment in the UK.

Organised by ethical investment website Ethex, the first annual gathering is designed to show both investors and potential investors how to do good with their money, the difference that it can make and give them a chance to find out what has been happening in the industry over the last year.

Jamie Hartzell, Ethex founder and managing director, said, “So much good stuff has been happening in positive investment in the last year. We felt it was time to get together to celebrate what has been achieved and think about how we can continue to move forward.”

During the day, attendees will be able to hear from sustainable businesses about the impact they are having. The event aims to give investors a chance to consider their investment portfolio and their wider impact whilst giving them access to information and those working in the industry.

A variety of workshops, such as ‘getting your money under control’ and ‘investing in fairtrade’, will also take place throughout the day.

Hartzell added, “We want to combine fun and celebration with some serious thought and debate. Participants will feel as though they have stepped from Oxford’s streets into a positive investment fete complete with stalls and bunting.

“We’ll be exploring themes such as should we be acting as citizen or consumers when it comes to our positive investment decisions?”

Speakers at the event include representatives from the Ecology Building Society, energy co-op Generation Community, impact investment firm Resonance and Triodos Bank.

Triodos renewables executive director Matthew Clayton will be speaking during the ‘investing in renewable energy’ workshop, where he will explain three different renewable energy investment products before allowing attendees to vote for the one they would most like to invest in.

Clayton commented, “How energy is generated in the future is one of the biggest challenges we face in the UK, and increasingly investors are mindful of the convergence of climate change, energy security and the need for a safe and sustainable energy future.

“The event is timely offering those interested in positive investment the chance to assess the different options available.”

Photo: 401(K) 2012 via Flickr 

Further reading:

‘Positive’ investment worth £1.6bn in the UK

Ethex reached £1m positive investment milestone

UK’s largest businesses prepare £200bn investment

Third sector urged to assess ethical investment policy

83% of British women support ethical investment