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Why a Sustainable Investing Project?

 

Our generation is seeing accelerating environmental issues: global warming with huge negative impact on humans, both socially and economically is witnessed all over the world. The current means of production are not compatible with the natural pattern of socio-ecological system, an alternative on the long run has become a necessity.

We need to innovate the traditional business model and foster a new way of doing business while tackling environmental, social and governance issues.

 

Divest Concordia and JSIAC

For over 3 years Students have been trying to work with the Concordia Foundation for 3 years making a case for Divestment but it has stalled with lack of transparency on meetings and performance data. SIP was inspired to be an alternative strategy but with a broader focus and vision.

 

Our Vision and Mission:

To influence the financial system by pressuring corporations and institutions to publish timely, transparent and accessible information on their environmental, social, and governance practices.

We will do this by firstly increasing sustainable finance literacy with and for community organizations and secondly by leveraging collective financial equity in the implementation of sustainable investment funds that are aligned with our values.

 

 

 

 

Goals:

  • Co-creating an accessible Sustainable Investment guide for small to med community organizations.
  • Using this network to co-create a collective fund that is aligned with our values.

 

 

 

 

 

How?

By only invest in corporations moving towards increasing ESGs disclosure or adoption as well as those trying to improve ESG performance. The more funders adopt this criteria, the more companies will be motivated to comply.

Our Theory of Change

In speculative markets, knowledge is disruptive and disclosure changes the whole game. If more investors and shareholders use their power to influence market demand towards accountability, while outperforming benchmark returns on investment, we can establish a new norm for the financial system.

Project timeline

Winter 2016

At organizational retreat board members and coordinators agree to create a sustainable investment project to research and invest into a fund that was going to be leveraged as a response to JSIAC’s financial concerns.

Early Summer 2017
    • SC hires two interns, Thomas and Kamden to start research. The project would be overseen by the finance committee.
    • Marc Richard joins shortly after as an advisor.
Mid Summer 2017
    • Through preliminary research and team discussion, project realized:
      • For systemic change we needed an culture of Sustainable Investing (SI)
      • Lots of smaller, knowledgeable organizations were already practicing SI
    • Revised Goals:
      • Co-creating an accessible SI guide for small to medium community organizations
      • Using this network to co-create a collective fund that is aligned with our values
Late Summer 2017
    • The draft version of the guide outline is completed, using a Chapter 1-5 format
    • Thomas ends his internship
Fall 2017
    • 2 new interns joined the team, Jueji and Malia to:
      • Help develop the network;
      • Continue research and building the document
    • Slack is implemented as main communication tool
    • Chantal (CU) joins the team.

What’s new with SIP?

Sustainable Investing Project Updates

February 3, 2020

The Sustainable Investing Project team has been busy in the past few months! Presently, we are preparing to make our first round of investments as… Read more

The first SIP workshop is out!!

July 17, 2018

  Last week, as the first part of our summer retreat with our new and enthusiastic board, Alice and Jueji, members of the Sustainable Investing… Read more

Talking SIP Launch with Floris Ensink

February 9, 2018

Looking back at the launch and discussing the project’s next steps Ankit Kumar – Social Media and Content Creation intern   A team of highly… Read more

How’s interning with SIP?

December 20, 2017

We are now all familiar with the Sustainable Investing Project (SIP) taken on a team of finance-savvy and sustainability-minded folks. One of them is Jueji… Read more

Catching up with the Sustainable Investing Project

December 1, 2017

A few weeks ago, we finally posted information about this amazing ongoing project at the heart of SC’s Carbon campaign: SIP. Do you also wonder… Read more