Making the leap towards a green economy
The transition to a low-carbon economy, though much talked about, is still slow. One of the major reasons: Investors are struggling to locate and assess sustainable projects although willingness to invest is at an all-time high. Here is how Green Invest can help.
— Directly vote for our project here: http://wshe.es/ZsheGq5f —
In 2012, global sustainable investments amounted to around $13.3 trillion. In 2018, that number had already reached $30.7 trillion. Over the next 15 years, that number is expected to grow to a staggering $150 trillion. Even investment giant Blackrock is advising their investment managers to support sustainable projects. Because climate risk is also an investor risk.
However, it is difficult to find one’s way around the maze of product selection. For private and institutional investors it is difficult to find and then assess projects. Often, these projects are located far away, making it hard to judge the impact and validity. Another downside, especially for private investors, is that investing usually comes at substantial bureaucratic effort and money is locked in for the investing period, making it impossible to take out when needed.
Therefore, local green projects often lack the funds to be realised. This jeopardizes the climate goal of limiting global warming to 1.5°C. At the same time, there is some degree of alienation from local communities to renewable energy projects. Moreover, due to the period of low-interest rates for money parked in bank accounts, many people are looking for a more favourable option to invest their money in.
Green Invest connects both small-scale investors, institutional investors and project initiators in one platform. Initiators of such projects can publish their projects if they meet the platform’s rigorous sustainability requirements. And everybody else — starting from as little as ten euros — can invest for example in the solar plant on the roof next door. Rewards are either paid out monetarily or in different forms: If the investment project is a solar roof, green energy from the supplier can be acquired.
By getting to know the person you are supporting by messaging, connections are made in the platform ecosystem and alienation from green projects is being drastically decreased — because it might be your neighbour. If you have a question, just get in touch. That is the local approach of Green Invest.
Whether it is the new solar roof of the tennis court in the neighbourhood, a wind energy park, or building refurbishments: projects like these are listed and easily accessible via a map or list view. Investing may already start at very small amounts (10 Euro), thus making the energy transition accessible and beneficial for everyone and catalysing change at a large scale.
Gamification of app elements such as awarding users who save the most CO-2 will further increase the usage of the app and make saving the climate fun. Educational content can be provided as well: What makes a building energy efficient? How much CO2 does a zero waste shop save compared to a traditional supermarket? By educating users on sustainability we increase awareness for climate policy with such practical examples.
Now it’s up to you: To increase the chance of project realisation we are competing with four other teams for the Global Climathon Award, so please take the time and vote for us until January 15th: http://wshe.es/ZsheGq5f
What are the next steps after that? First, we will roll-out a prototype with our institutional partners in the German city of Stuttgart. Then we will expand our platform to make easy green investing accessible everywhere.
Together we can make the change towards a sustainable economy!
