Photo courtesy of Pexels, for illustration purposes only
As individuals,
there is a lot more role we could play to be more environmentally friendly
rather than recycling. We need to ask ourselves, “have we thought about the
impact our wallet is having on the environment”? Every day, we are accountable
towards the climate crisis. What we spend on and how we spend could make the
big difference to whether we are increasing or decreasing our own carbon
footprint. If you want to spend more sustainably but don't know how, try
following some of these tips:
How Green is
your Bank?
We all are aware
that fossil fuels are the worst enemy to the environment. How do you ensure
that your money isn’t being spent to fund the extraction of dirty fossil fuels?
Nowadays as
Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) demands are on top almost all
financial institutions’ agenda, it is not that difficult for you to assess
which are the ethical banks out there that upholds commitments towards a low
carbon economy and overall sustainable practices.
Some banks have
commitments to stop investments in industries such as fossil fuels, coal and
mining.
Apart from that,
some banks have game up their support towards a low carbon economy by
increasing their renewable and energy efficiency portfolio.
How Green is
Your Mortgage?
A lot of banks
are now making it eligible for a green mortgage for property owners that
purchased energy-efficient property or that runs by renewable energy. Some
banks provide attractive packages with benefits such as lower interest rates
and cashback offers.
Normally, green
mortgages are eligible for sustainable renovations, conversions, new self-build
properties and homes.
Green mortgages
also encourage a more sustainable and greener standard of living that and
enables property owners to reduce their property climate footprint as well as
reduction in monthly electricity bills.
How Green is
Your Investment?
Profit is a win
but gaining profit while contributing to a good cause is a win-win. It is
important to align our investment with our core values of Sustainability.
Nowadays, there
is an increasing demand for more transparency of where our money goes and how
it is invested. The key driver of this is because there has been greater focus
on ESG impacts of companies we invested in.
Sustainability
and Investing is all about ensuring our money is aligned to a sound sustainable
economy. In order to achieve this, we can be guided by focusing on impact
investing as well as ESG and Socially Responsible Investing (SRI). There are
growing markets to invest your money more sustainably such as investment that
can create positive change to the community, or also investing in cleaner
energy sources.
Have You
Thought About Green Loans?
You might want
to consider taking a loan for you to financing the green energy or
energy-efficient home installation. This can vary from installing LED lighting
to equipment that can save water consumption. Green energy the reliance on coals
and fossil fuels – and you can make savings on your energy bills. Innovation in
technology, bolstered by financial support from the government, means that
there is an abundance of sustainable energy options, preventing pollution from
clogging up the atmosphere.
Apart from that,
you can also shift towards green transportation. Increase demands for Electric
Vehicles (EV) across the global market indicates that there has been a shift
from consumer to be more green and contribute to lower their own carbon
footprint.
Some Banks also
provide lower interest to the borrowers as part of the incentives to encourage
customers to minimize their environmental footprint from their own property and
to purchase EVs.
