Investing IN Change

SDG #14 Life below the seas. Investing in the oceans would require keeping plastics out and boosting healthy fishing practices. Johan Bergenas, World Wildlife Fund’s senior vice president for oceans, warns Liz and Steve that fighting over the seas could become the next natural resources war. Also, George Baunach, one of the founders of Hatch, explains the importance of ramping up sustainable aquaculture.

SDG #13: Climate Action. Human-caused climate warming is here and accelerating. Recent reports from the IPCC highlight the incredible changes happening to our world and the urgent need for immediate action. The Net Zero America research project from Princeton University seeks to answer the question: How do we quickly transition to a net-zero economy by 2050 to stave off the worst of climate change? Dr. Chris Greig from Princeton joins this episode to discuss the findings and offer up several pathways for the U.S. to move forward. The finance community will play a critical role as the upfront capital requirements will be large and will need to be mobilized quickly.

SDG #12 Ensure responsible consumption and production. Recycling is one obvious way to reconcile the waste people generate as they produce and consume goods, but the process of creating new treasures with trash is complicated. Liz and Steve ask Tom Szaky, founder and CEO of social enterprise TerraCycle, how his firm is able to work with retailers and cities to turn packaging and products into new goods.

SDG #11: Sustainable Cities. Efforts to make cities inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable face significant challenges that have been exacerbated by the pandemic. Liz and Steve investigate the investments and projects that will help the world’s cities evolve by 2030, when an estimated 5 billion people will be residing in them. Anjali Mahendra at World Resources Institute describes the benefits of tying investment priorities to development goals and Derek Ballantyne of New Market Funds explains the opportunities of affordable housing projects and how advisers are the key to putting impact investments in the hands of retail investors.

SDG #10: Reduced Inequalities. Much has been written about the gap between the wealthiest people and the rest of the population and ways to reduce the wealth gap in a sustainable way. Liz and Steve explore one method in this episode that looks at inequality and ways to improve the profitability of companies providing what are known as quality jobs. Sarah Bratton Hughes at Schroders lays out the concept and Ana Herzog joins the podcast from Brazilian retail giant Magazine Luiza (also called Magalu), which implemented a bold strategy to increase the number of Black Brazilians in its upper management.

SDG #9: Sustainable industrialization. Embracing the innovations and clean tech solutions being developed today in transportation, energy and beyond is essential for the maintenance of Earth’s life support system. Deploying capital for sustainable economic development projects and system retrofits around the globe is key to implementation, adviser Erika Karp and climate investor/philanthropist Ibrahim AlHusseini agree. Catherine Von Burg tells Liz and Steve about the challenges of operating a business executing on the triple bottom line, people, planet, profit.

SDG #8: Sustainable economic growth. World Tree is a business and impact investment that provides farmers of the Empress Tree a sustainable living, while also providing giant carbon sinks for the world. Financial adviser Max Mintz describes the financing and how it's helped business development at his firm, while farmer Kim Martens explains to Liz and Steve what it feels like to watch your dream coming true.

SDG #7: Affordable and clean energy. Increasing the use of renewables for electricity generation is key to curbing carbon emissions, which is essential for fighting climate change. At Nashville-based Clearloop, founders Phil Bredesen, Tennessee’s former governor, and Laura Zapata have taken a creative approach. The company sells carbon offsets to companies and uses the proceeds to fund renewable energy projects in areas of the country without the inherent impetus to do so. Economic development officials in Jackson, Tennessee, the site of the Clearloop’s first solar project, tell Liz and Steve how the prospect of that new electricity source is helping that town attract employers that have clean energy mandates.

SDG #6: Clean water and sanitation. The amount of money the poor pay in health care, lost wages, and lost economic opportunity in order to access water is nearly equal to the amount needed to solve the problem. WaterEquity, co-founded by actor Matt Damon, has an innovative way of unlocking investor dollars to focus on solutions for the poor while providing solid returns. Members from its team as well as Dibyajyoti Pattanaik from Annapurna Finance in India join Liz and Steve to discuss.

SDG #5: Gender equality for all women and girls. Achieving gender equity around the globe is especially crucial post-Covid-19 because women were more likely to lose their jobs and be economically hurt by the pandemic. Adviser Patricia Ferrar-Rivas explains how gender lens investments can focus on improving the lives of women or on supporting companies and other organizations that embrace equitable leadership and ownership, while Sapna Shah of the GIIN describes the business case for incorporating a gender lens within a portfolio. UNCDF's Esther Pan Sloane tells Liz and Steve about one night she and others spent in 2015 negotiating this goal.