Terms such as “socially responsible investing” or “values investing” are becoming more commonplace as people choose a means of investing for long-term financial gain while also considering the impact investments have on the planet. ESG funds stand for “environmental, social, and governance” and many of these funds let you customize your stock portfolio to your values and ethics.

Like sustainable investing, green banking is a term used to describe banks that focus on sustainable, community-based development initiatives that make the world a better place. One example is Aspiration, a Certified B Corporation United States-based online bank that doesn’t invest your money in fossil fuels, unlike many of the world’s largest banks. Aspiration chooses to invest in water and forest conservation and makes it easy for users to get involved by setting up recurring donations to environmental projects on monthly statements. The “Aspirations Plus” bankcard itself is made of recycled ocean plastic and is a part of the Planet Protection Program, reducing your footprint by calculating the carbon output of each gas purchase to automatically neutralize the climate impact. You can also connect your card to Aspiration’s “Plant Your Change” program which rounds up every transaction to the nearest dollar to plant carbon-offset trees using the spare change.

While Aspiration is one of the players in the game for green banking, they have extremely high-interest rates on their credit card, no in-person branches, and limited debit card swiping abroad, adding up to what could be a big downfall for some customers. Check out the “Definition” link below for information on this & other B Corp Certified green banks.

When it comes to investing sustainably, the options can seem overwhelming. Visit “Invest Your Values” at the “Action” link below for a convenient guide to the environmental practices of employer retirement funds, mutual funds, and ETFs. By investing in these more sustainable options, you’ll be putting your money to work for the benefit of all.