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SOCAP: Designing the Future – New Ways of Thinking to Fix Problems from Old Ways of Thinking
Göran Carstedt, chairman of The Natural Step and former executive at Volvo and Ikea, shared his perspective on how to re-engineer capitalism during the SOCAP: Designing the Future, in Malmö, Sweden earlier this month.
"We need a new way of thinking to solve the problems caused by the old way of thinking." This was the case for many ventures presenting at the European forum.- Categories
- Environment
- Tags
- impact investing
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Avina’s Evolution: After 16 Years, the Foundation Focuses on Building Multiple Bridges
Fundación Avina describes itself as a “broker, co-investor and facilitator” across many countries in Latin America. Indeed, the organization is often working behind the scenes, building both consensus and bridges between multinational companies, governments and microenterprises, often with the goal of bringing marginalized workers into the formal economy. It’s a strategy aimed not merely at reducing poverty in the short term, but breaking the cycle for future generations.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Environment
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Achieving Sustainable Energy for All Hinges on International Cooperation and Leadership
This year was designated the International Year of Sustainable Energy for All by the UN General Assembly to raise awareness and promote the three objectives: clean energy access, energy efficiency, and renewable energy. 2012 is also the year of the Rio+20 UN Conference on Sustainable Development, to be held in late June. The moment is ripe for action, and lofty goals have been set, but where to begin?
- Categories
- Energy, Environment
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FEATURED EVENT: ‘Cracking the Nut’ on Public/Private Agricultural Investment
In its second year, the Cracking the Nut 2012 Conference, set for June 25-26 at the Enrique V. Iglesias Conference Center in Washington, D.C. has a narrow focus with broad implications: Leveraging public private partnerships to develop rural and agricultural markets.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Environment
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Via London and Seattle, Microfinance and Carbon Credits Intersect in Ulaanbaatar
In the Mongolian capital city of Ulaanbaatar, more than a quarter of the population lives in “gers,” the traditional and ubiquitous tent-like structures, which are often insulated and heated by inefficient coal-burning stoves that contribute to stifling air pollution. A new multi-player partnership to finance carbon credits and energy efficiency aims to change that.
- Categories
- Environment
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Tools of the Trade: Building a Robust Deal Pipeline of Impact Companies in Emerging Economies – Part 3
What are the biggest lessons learned when it comes to finding high-quality companies in emerging markets? I posed this final question to our virtual panel of impact investing leaders who recommended teaming up with other investors to providing appropriate financing, making sure to select companies with a core social/environmental mission, embracing creativity, and embedding capacity building into the process.
- Categories
- Environment, Social Enterprise
- Tags
- impact investing
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Environmental Index Could Save Rural Communities
By creating the world's first long-term record of ecosystem health, Chinese and UK researchers have identified where specific social and economic policies have damaged the environment in eastern China.The work shows that wealth generation over recent decades is damaging essential ecosystem services on which the poorest rely - things like food, fuel, and clean water.
- Categories
- Environment, Impact Assessment
- Region
- Asia Pacific
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Weekly Wrap: On Earth Day, Poverty, in All its Shapes and Sizes
Poverty is everywhere. The state of being impoverished, poverty-stricken, limited or depleted is not exclusive to the bottom of the pyramid, and the bottom of the pyramid is no longer exclusive to the countries we call developing. Poverty is also not exclusive to our species.
- Categories
- Environment