Green Pastures
IF GREENHUSHING has had an impact on the sustainability realm, it doesn’t seem to have stopped people investing in the charity Green Pastures.
According to Green Pastures — which uses investors’ money to house and employ homeless people — there is rising interest in the idea of ethical investment. “Our investor base is growing, and has been consistently over recent years,” said Matty Hawthorne, head of communications and culture.
Green Pastures started from a church in the Lancashire seaside town of Southport, to offer homes to those in need. What started as a local response has grown into a national social enterprise.
Twenty-six years later, Green Pastures works with more than 100 Christian organisations, housing and supporting more than 1500 people across 100 towns and cities throughout the UK.
Part of the charity’s work is helping to run a Nottingham-based biscuit factory, “Half the Story”. This is a social enterprise employing people facing significant barriers to work, including homelessness.
“We find people are incredibly interested in ethical investing. From the hundreds of enquiries we get about investing with us each year, by far the biggest driver is for people to see their savings and investments doing good.”
The work is funded by money loaned from more than 1700 investors, with £49 million currently invested. Green Pastures has also taken over the old Assemblies Of God college, Mattersey Hall, where Green Pastures’ residents (and others) can apply for bespoke training, education, and theology courses.
Ethex
ETHEX is “absolutely unapologetic” about the current crisis. “We think there is a climate emergency, and we think a lot of people out there agree with us,” the Acting CEO, Chris Butler, said. “So we’re not going to just sort of sway with the prevailing wind on this.
Kent Community Energy One community initiative currently available to investors through Ethex involves Kent Community Energy, shown here engaging with people at Tunbridge Wells Climate and Nature Fair, last month, about their community share, and its social and environmental impact
“At the same time, I think it is really important to emphasise community as an aspect of what we do. This isn’t about input in position from on high: it’s about empowering communities to come together to deliver solutions that make sense for them.”
Established in 2013, Ethex set out to provide businesses with the finance they need to scale and grow in renewable energy, organic farming, sustainable housing, fair trade, and sustainable transport.
Since then, it has been at the forefront of ethical finance, building a community of more than 25,000 positive investors, and raising more than £120 million to make a difference across the UK and Africa.
“Ethex was begun by a group of people who were very frustrated with the state of the financial system, and very passionate about climate action and about social justice. They felt that the financial system really wasn’t working in a way that gave people the opportunity to use their money to further those sorts of objectives, while still generating a fair return,” Mr Butler said.
Mr Butler pointed out that many Christians must be “looking on in horror” at governments’ withdrawing from overseas aid commitments, and the rise of political movements dropping the climate-change narrative.
“We are able now to present on the platform, opportunities to take really tangible action,” he said.
Oikocredit
OIKOCREDIT is a Netherlands-based organisation that uses investors’ money to empower low income-earners across the world.
“It is unfortunate that companies feel unable to be transparent about their climate strategies due to fear of potential consequences,” Oikocredit’s senior institutional engagement officer, Arjen Overweel, said.
“This reflects the immense pressure that publicly traded companies are under. Oikocredit, however, is not reliant on financial markets, but on committed investors who share our values and support the promotion of access to renewable energy, financial inclusion, and a thriving agricultural sector in emerging markets.”
Oikocredit engages in social-impact investing. The organisation started at a 1968 meeting of the World Council of Churches. Young, politically engaged church members from a variety of denominations called for an ethical investment channel to support peace and universal solidarity.
It was innovative and controversial. Against the backdrop of world unrest over issues such as South African apartheid and the Vietnam War, church members wanted assurance that church investments were promoting peace and positive development.
“As we turn 50 this year, we have seen that, over the years, interest in our work hasn’t faded — in fact, it feels more relevant than ever,” Mr Overweel said.
“In today’s unpredictable world, with economic uncertainty, shifting interest rates, and global instability, many people are looking for financial approaches that don’t just deliver returns but also make a difference.”
