How to Make Sustainable Investments on the Stock Market

Julie Starr • March 3, 2022



Investing your money is a great way to secure your future and build your wealth, as an individual , or an organization. While considering companies with a good market cap , you should also consider green investing. If you are trying to lead a more sustainable life, it is important to consider where you are making your investments. By investing in green stocks, you can put your money to good use and support companies that have a favorable impact on the environment by committing to certain acts, such as pollution reduction, conservation of natural resources, and other environmentally friendly practices. 

Here is some more information to help you get started with green investments. 

How to find sustainable investments

Unfortunately, there is no one definition of the term “green” or “sustainable”, but there are many different factors that can qualify an investment as environmentally friendly and are often open to interpretation. 

Look for certifications

Firstly, many companies with green practices tend to get the relevant certifications that provide proof. This is a great factor to look out for. There are also investments that are grouped together under the umbrella of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) and socially responsible investing (SRI) which set out criteria that businesses need to meet. This can be helpful to help you get started. 

Research company practices and investments

Alternatively, if you have the time, you can research a variety of companies to see what kind of initiatives they are involved in. Their business may not sell a sustainable solution, but many companies seek to improve the environment by engaging in eco-friendly research, energy-saving technology, developing sustainable alternatives to materials such as plastics, reducing pollution, and much more. 

There are also a variety of businesses and start-ups that are created with the intention of developing alternative solutions themselves, such as materials and energies. These companies with strong environmental commitments are easy to spot and are a great investment to make.

Bonds 

There is a range of green bonds available on the market, which represent loans to help finance green projects that are created to benefit the environment, typically run by companies or the government. These are typically made attractive with added tax incentives for the investors. 

Mutual funds

Mutual funds, such as the TIAA-CREF Social Choice Equity Fund (TICRX) are a great way to spread your investment across a range of different projects that are designed to help and benefit the environment. This increases your exposure and ensures your investments are put to good use. Some of these projects include innovative renewable energy and other technologies, which is a great way to increase your potential earning profit. 

Just with any investment on the market, you are taking a risk when you invest your money in a green business. With the growth of the eco-friendly market and innovative technology, businesses have been known to return a good profit to investors. 

Green investments are growing to new heights, as they become more important with the rise in natural disasters, government mandates and the awareness of the current climate crisis. Whether you invest as an individual, or as a business, you can make a difference by choosing to support green initiatives. 

 

5 Everyday Items That Can Quietly Boost Your Brand

By Julie Starr • July 17, 2025
The best branding doesn’t always come from big campaigns or expensive graphics. Sometimes it’s the smaller stuff that leaves the biggest impression. Things people actually use, touch, or carry with them. That’s where your brand can quietly make its mark without needing to shout about it. If you’re only focusing on social media and business cards, you’re leaving a lot on the table. Here are five overlooked ways to get your name out there that feel natural, useful, and more personal. Thank-you slips If you’re already sending out orders, there’s no reason not to include a short thank-you slip. You can easily get these made through any decent online print shop , and they’re usually pretty cheap to run off in small batches. Just a simple note that says thanks, maybe with a reminder to follow you online or a cheeky discount code for next time. It’s quick, thoughtful, and makes the whole order feel more finished. Customers notice that kind of detail, especially when everything else they buy online comes with zero personality. You don’t need a complicated design either. Just something clean with your logo, a message that sounds like you, and maybe a social handle. The point is to give them a reason to come back or remember your name without it feeling forced. Branded zip pouches If you sell physical products, offer services, or run events, small zip pouches are surprisingly effective. Think of the kind you’d use for stationery, receipts, or travel bits. You can get your brand printed on the side and hand them out with purchases or include them in welcome packs. People keep them because they’re actually useful. They get tossed in handbags, school bags, or glove boxes and your logo just keeps turning up. Cleaning cloths for glasses or screens This one works brilliantly if you’re in tech, health, beauty, or anything involving screens or eyewear. A simple microfibre cloth with your branding on it can go a long way. Everyone needs one. Whether they use it for glasses, a phone screen, or their laptop, it’s something they hang onto. It’s not the kind of thing people throw away, and that means your name sticks around too. Receipt envelopes You might already use little envelopes to hand over receipts or business cards. Branding those envelopes is a small change that makes a big difference. Instead of someone getting a scruffy bit of paper in a plain sleeve, they’re handed something that feels a bit more finished. You can even add a message inside. Doesn’t need to be anything dramatic. A simple “thanks for visiting” or “see you next time” is enough to add a personal touch. Wet wipes or mini hand gels If your business is in hospitality, food, or anything hands-on, branded wet wipes or pocket-sized hand gels are surprisingly popular. People actually use them, especially at festivals, food stalls, pop-ups, or kids’ events. They end up in handbags or cars and stick around longer than you think. They don’t scream “marketing” either. They’re practical, and when done right, they make your business feel thoughtful. That’s what good branding does, it shows you’ve thought ahead.

How Student-Led ‘Energy Audits’ Are Cutting School Costs (and Lighting the Way Forward)

By Julie Starr • July 14, 2025
What happens when students stop waiting for adults to fix things and start conducting their own energy audits? Money gets saved. The lights get switched off. Data gets analyzed. And a quiet revolution in sustainability begins—inside schools that once overlooked their own inefficiencies. Across the globe, student-led energy audits are proving that change doesn't always need to come from a policy shift or a major capital budget. Sometimes, it begins with a clipboard, a spreadsheet, and a group of curious minds asking: Why are the hallway lights on at noon when sunlight floods the building? The Energy Detectives These audits aren’t science fair projects. They’re rigorous investigations, often done in collaboration with facilities staff, local environmental nonprofits, or even engineering mentors. Students go from classroom to classroom measuring electricity usage, checking for phantom loads , and identifying where heat is escaping in winter or air conditioning is leaking in summer. One high school in Ontario saved over $12,000 a year after its Grade 11 physics students ran an energy audit and suggested simple changes—LED upgrades, motion sensors in bathrooms, and smarter heating schedules. They didn’t just propose ideas. They pitched them with spreadsheets, thermal images, and payback timelines. It worked. Learning That Pays Off—Literally Unlike textbook learning, these audits blend real-world math, environmental science, economics, and persuasive communication. Students aren’t just learning about sustainability. They’re doing it. And the savings add up. From dimming overlit hallways to reprogramming HVAC systems that run all weekend for empty buildings, students are surfacing blind spots that administrators often overlook. In some districts, their findings are influencing energy policy. Elsewhere, the audits have inspired school boards to hire sustainability coordinators—often alumni of the student programs themselves. There’s something poetic about a school funding new books or laptops from money saved by students who found out the vending machines didn’t need to be plugged in 24/7. Why This Matters More Than Ever With education budgets tightening and utility costs rising, every dollar saved is a dollar that can go back into classrooms. And here’s where it gets interesting from a family finance perspective, too. If you’re a parent setting aside money for post-secondary savings, every bit of school efficiency helps. Fewer energy costs might mean more programming, better STEM facilities, or even bursaries. That raises a broader point: when families save for their children’s future, they often look into RESPs (Registered Education Savings Plans). And many wonder—is a RESP deduction available on my taxes? While contributions themselves aren’t deductible, the gains grow tax-free, and students often pay little to no tax when they withdraw the funds during school. A Movement Worth Replicating These audits aren’t just an exercise in environmentalism. They’re leadership labs. Students learn how to spot inefficiencies, speak up in board meetings, and make a business case for change. They don’t just flip switches—they shift mindsets. And they carry these habits into adulthood. The result? A generation growing up not only with climate anxiety, but also with tools to tackle it.