Original Globe & Mail link: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/careers/career-advice/co-work-spaces-bring-the-like-minded-together/article584261/

When he graduated with a master's degree two years ago, Timothy Nash found it was a lousy time to find a corporate job in finance. So, like a growing number of Canadians in a competitive job market, he became his own boss, working out of his home in Toronto.

Unfortunately, he quickly experienced the downside of life without an office.

"I started by trying to work at home but I found that was distracting and really depressing," said Mr. Nash, an adviser in sustainable investments. "So I'd set up my laptop in a coffee shop and I ended up spending $10 or more a day on lattes and getting just as distracted."

Original SocialFinance.ca link: http://socialfinance.ca/blog/post/canadian-impact-investment-matrix

As foundations, endowments, and pensions seek out alternative investment strategies to diversify and strengthen their portfolio, many are beginning to align their portfolio with their core values.  Unfortunately, many investors don’t know where to start.  With over one hundred investment vehicles available to Canadian investors, the following Matrix is an attempt to map out the landscape of investments that achieve both a financial return anda positive social or environmental impact.  The Matrix was built by Strategic Sustainable Investments for Community Foundations of Canada in advance of CFC’s day-long workshop with the Canadian Environmental Grantmakers Network and Philanthropic Foundations Canada on May 11th.

Original Green Living Online link: http://www.greenlivingonline.com/sites/default/files/GL_MAC_Socially_Responsible_Investing.pdf

If you’ve ever opened an account with a brokerage you know that investing in stocks is a challenge. If it weren’t, there wouldn’t be such a huge industry in investment advice or in mutual funds.

Buying stocks in early 2011 is also complicated by the fact that the S&P/TSX Composite is up more than 65% since early 2009. Bullish market watchers see room for continued growth, but the market can’t remain on its current trajectory forever.

Still, there are good reasons to consider stocks—especially if you’re an educated investor looking to build an environmentally and socially responsible portfolio. You’ll still need to be pretty good at picking stocks but—the big key—you’ll have free rein to tailor your holdings to your values and responsibility standards.

How much does this matter? A lot, says Alan Harman, a director at ScotiaMcLeod and a veteran investment adviser in the socially responsible field. Say you’re an investor who has decided you’d like to target your investments towards alternative energy. If you buy a generic Canadian Socially Responsible fund, you’ll have to be prepared to own shares in Suncor, a big player in the oilsands. “Suncor will be in pretty much every portfolio because they always rank very high on the SRI indices,” says Harman. “But if you’ve got strong negative opinion on the oilsands, you’re not going to want to buy Suncor. The nice thing about buying individual stocks is that you can decide that.

Original Reuters Link: http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/03/23/idUS181805998020110323

Corporate spending on Research & Development is an informative signal for the direction of the overall economy. R&D strategies and budgets are often laid out in a long-term horizon, so they give a good indication of a company's heading. When companies in a sector start competing to be the 'greenest' company, it spurs rapid innovation. This can lead to advertising campaigns touting environmental benefits that increase consumer awareness, such as Audi's Superbowl ad.

Original Ethical Markets Media link: http://www.ethicalmarkets.com/2011/02/17/new-report-shows-private-investments-in-green-sectors-top-2-trillion/

St. Augustine, FL, February 17, 2011 — Ethical Markets Media (USA and Brazil) released their February 2011 GREEN TRANSITION SCOREBOARD® tracking private investments since 2007 in green companies and technologies globally, now totaling more than $2 trillion.

The Green Transition Scoreboard® (GTS) represents time-based, global research of non-government investments and commitments for all facets of green markets. This update of the GTS totals  $2,005,048,785,088 from 2007 to the end of 2010, significant because many studies indicate that investing $1 trillion annually until 2020 will accelerate the Green Transition worldwide.  This updated 2010 finding puts global investors and countries on track to reach the $10 trillion in investments goal by 2020.

Original SocialFinance.ca link: http://socialfinance.ca/blog/post/a-critical-look-at-canadas-green-funds

Lately, Iʼve been working to map and review the impact investment options for groups like Community Foundations of Canada and the Walter & Duncan Gordon Foundation.

Although Iʼve found dozens of amazing investment vehicles that achieve a strong financial return in addition to creating a lasting social and/or environmental impact, greenwashing is one area that sticks out as a problem.