Your financial choices can
also be ethical and/or green. You may decide for yourself which
companies to invest in or to avoid, but a good
course would be to visit
www.eiris.org
and consult one of the listed independent financial
advisers (IFAs) experienced in ethical financial planning.
The
Ethical Investors Group offers independent advice
on investments, mortgages and pensions. A useful BBC
Moneybox site is
here (May 2007).
Ethical investments can perform
well. IFAs can help you to avoid funds that invest in, for
example, arms, petrochemicals, gambling or alcohol,
or steer you to funds or companies that contribute
to a healthier environment, such as renewable energy, advising you of
the risks involved. There is a FTSE4Good
index of companies satisfying environmental and
human rights criteria. The Co-operative
Investments offer similar advice. Friends Provident, Scottish
Equitable and Scottish Mutual run ethical fund based
pensions.
You can save your money, or
borrow, with an ethical bank
such as the Co-operative Bank, the Nationwide
Building Society or the Ecology Building Society
(which invests in green projects).
Insurance
is another area where green or ethical options are
available. Some car insurance policies offset
all or part of your carbon emissions and ensure
recycling etc; offsetting is better than doing
nothing and some policies cost a little more.
Ibuyeco, The Green Insurance Company, Ecoinsurance
(Co-op) and More Than are worth considering.
Many local banks and post
offices are being closed – don’t give them an
excuse – use them or lose them!
The Charities Aid Foundation
offers free ethical investment guide
here.
Money is not the only currency -
LETS (Local
Exchange Trading Systems) enable a community to
create a local economic system that does not rely on
your financial wealth, by exchanging time, skills,
produce, etc for units of an alternative currency.
One operates in
South Powys and Abergavenny.
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