Speaker: Joanne Logan from Sierra Club, Climate Reality, and Third Act

Many of our biggest banks, IRAs, pensions, and investment accounts are huge funders of coal and gas and oil companies. In the years since the Paris climate accords, they have given more than three trillion dollars in loans to these companies, even as scientists have told us we must stop the expansion of this industry.

What can ordinary folks do about the financial industry’s refusal to change their investment strategies? We need to navigate through our financial dealings with "dirty money" in mind. Some financial switches are easy such as changing your bank or credit card company. Others like redirecting your investments or retirement account portfolios are more complicated.

Fortunately, there are many tools to assess and rate financial institutions for their sustainability, and there are even some global rating systems such as ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) and green.bank that we can use to help us on our journey. 

Presenter Joanne Logan is a retired climatology professor from the University of Tennessee, and an active member of Sierra Club, Third Act, and the Climate Reality project. She recently completed a series of training sessions about green finance and how we can manage our personal money in a more sustainable manner. She will share some of the most important changes you can make to have a more positive effect on the environment.