Talking Impact Investing

This episode's special guest is Jeff Shafer - Co-Founder and CEO of CommonGood Capital. We discuss various exciting topics, from Jeff's journey to becoming an impact investor, thinking of how one might define impact investing, the biggest changes in the impact investing space, and areas of focus for CommonGood including forestry projects in the Pacific Northwest and renewable energy projects in Africa. Link to CommonGood Capital: https://commongoodcap.com/ Link to Jeff's Podcast - "A New Lens Podcast": https://commongoodcap.com/podcast/

This episode's special guest is Dr. Andreja Kodrin who serves as an Investment Committee Member for InvestEU Fund, Director of Quintaum, and a member of the International Research Center on AI under Unesco (IRCAI). Link to InvestEU: https://investeu.europa.eu/what-investeu-programme/investeu-fund_en Link to Quintaum: https://www.quintaum.com/ Link to IRCAI: https://ircai.org/

Tell us about your story and how you got successfully involved with ESG (HIP) ratings and impact investing? What does impact investing mean to you – how do you define it? How does a company get an ESG rating? What different asset classes do you rate and what are the biggest differences in HIP rating them if any? How do you make sure to see through greenwashing initiatives by some firms in order to provide objective ratings? Answers to these questions and much more with a special guest R. Paul Herman - CEO and Founder at HIP Investor Inc. Link to HIP Investor website: https://hipinvestor.com/ Link to HIP Investor Book: https://hipinvestor.com/the-hip-investor-book/ Link to The Global Handbook of Impact Investing Book: https://hipinvestor.com/global-handbook/

What is a smart city? Who plays the biggest role in building a smart city - businesses, governments, the EU, or residents? How big is the role of EVs and how should transportation be transformed in a smart city? What is your biggest takeaway from working and reporting on smart cities and urban mobility over the years? Answers to these questions and much more with a special guest Adelino Dinis - Editor at WELECTRIC Link to WELECTRIC website: https://welectric.news/

How are sustainability business models changing in today's era and what should be the focus on to achieve Net Zero goals? What are some of the challenges that companies face today on the path to Net Zero? EU has recently approved the final version of European sustainability reporting standards - how will those affect companies? What is your advice on which KPIs the companies should track and how ESG should be embedded within the firm? Answers to those questions and much more with a special guest Mojca Markizeti - ESG & Climate Director at Deloitte CE South

How does ESG play a role in the banking industry? How is NLB Group navigating the path towards Net Zero? What are some implications of joining the Net Zero Banking Alliance and UNEP FI's Principles of Responsible Banking? What is the importance of establishing KPIs in regard to carbon footprint? Answers to those questions and much more in this episode with a special guest Alenka Recelj Mericna - Sustainability Coordinator at NLB d.d. NLB is a universal bank operating in South-Eastern Europe and number 1 in domestic market share. NLB is also the first Slovenian bank to commit to coal-related financing exclusion. It is also the first financial institution in Slovenia to join UNEP FI – Principles of responsible banking (Sept 2020) and Net-Zero banking Alliance (May 2022).

What is the outlook on impact investing in India? How do geographical and biodiversity differences affect the process of impact investing? What is the story behind the success of Alsisar Impact? Why should investors connect and better understand entrepreneurs? Answers to those questions and much more in this episode with a special guest Anuj Sharma - CEO and Founder at Alsisar Impact

Why do metrics and analysis of the “S” in ESG not fully capture the status of employees' financial security? How do employers and investors stand to benefit by paying greater attention to workers' financial security? What are some examples of recent efforts by employers and benefits providers to consider worker financial security within their ESG framework? What are the critical changes in the future to address the employees' financial security and how can solving this issue be an attractive opportunity for impact investors? Answers to those questions and much more in this episode with a special guest Nick Maynard - Senior Vice President at Commonwealth

What is stakeholder capitalism? What are the key elements firms should consider regarding stakeholder governance during the ongoing war in Ukraine? What are the differences between smaller and larger companies when it comes to ESG investments and governance? Does culture play role in ESG practices and the governance focus of the companies? Answers to those questions and much more in this episode with a special guest Gui Athia - CEO at Gui Athia and Partners

What are the key components of a sustainable business strategy? How can companies incorporate sustainability in their DNA with the help of Nexio Projects? What is an EcoVadis certification? How does HeartWork Measure companies' willingness to change? Find the answers to those questions and more with Felix Keser - Managing Partner at Nexio Projects

Super Bowl, Olympic Games, and Tour de France are live events with tens of thousands of people attending, how can it be made sure that those events are sustainable? How do restaurants with Michelin Stars recognition source food in a sustainable way? How does Sodexo Live set priorities in regards to ESG? What will the future of sustainability look like for the Orlando area? Find answers to those topics and much more in this episode with Molly Crouch - Director of Sustainability at Sodexo Live!

How did a German company Denttabs revolutionize the oral care industry? How did the company deal with unprecedented business growth over the past couple of years? How are toothpaste tablets different from everyday toothpaste? How did Denttabs raise 1 million Euros through a CrowdInvest campaign? Answers to all that, exclusive stories, and much more in this episode with Axel Kaiser - CEO od Denttabs

How does SELF raises capital for loans for sustainable home improvements? What are the biggest environmental impacts of SELF loan activities? How does an average home improvement project look like and how much does it cost? Are there other ways of determining loan size and interest other than the credit score? Answers to all that, exclusive stories, and much more in this episode with Doug Coward - Founder and Executive Director of Solar and Energy Loan Fund More information about SELF and their job postings: https://solarenergyloanfund.org/careers/

What is the model of franchising and what are its pros and cons? What is the story of Shark Tank Investor making an offer to Suntek? How is zero emission lawn care disrupting the industry of lawn care? What is the social impact that Suntek Lawn Care has on its employees and the environment? Answers to all that and much more in this episode with Christopher Lee Regis - CEO of Suntek Lawn Care More information about Suntek: https://www.sunteklawncare.com/

What are the biggest opportunities in the field of eco-innovation? How does CACAO.academy help educate cacao farmers in developing countries? Why does sticking to your root matter for success? This episode features Alyssa Jade McDonald-Baertl - CACAO.academy Founder and CGIAR Board Member

What are the best ways to measure social impact? Who plays the biggest role in fostering social innovation? How can citizens reengage in politics digitally? How can qualitative research provide a useful perspective? This episode features Dr. Gorgi Krlev - Professor at Politecnico di Milano and Award-Winning Author Links to Gorgi's three articles discussed in the episode: https://gorgi-krlev.medium.com/lets-chat-politics-can-we-re-engage-citizens-digitally-5d5c96b98290 -- https://gorgi-krlev.medium.com/how-dyou-wanna-live-when-you-re-old-er-35d565c7910c -- https://gorgi-krlev.medium.com/yo-peace-8f0f37902934

What is a B Corp? How is a B Corporation certification obtained? How do employees perceive the company's dedication towards sustainability and social responsibility? What changes can be made within the hospitality industry for a more sustainable future? Answers to all that and much more in this episode with Jared Meyers - CEO of Legacy Vacation Resorts, Chairman of Salt Palm Development, and Co-Founder of Florida for Good. If you are looking for a sustainable way to enjoy your vacation or to get involved with Florida for Good, make sure to check out the links below: https://www.legacyvacationresorts.com/ https://floridaforgood.com/

How to position your start-up to be attractive for investors? How broad or narrow should your sustainable solution be? How important is the relationship with your Co-Founder? How did ecoSPEARS utilize NASA's technology in their business model? Find the answers by listening to a very insightful episode with Crummer alum Serg Albino - Co-Founder and CEO of an impact venture ecoSPEARS.

What are the biggest lessons from co-founding a company straight out of college? Why should sustainability be mainstream? What kind of marketing solutions Greenwave Solution provides for its clients? This episode features Julia Darmann - CEO and Co-founder of Greenwave Solution and Rollins College Alumna ('20)

How does sustainability play a role in one of the most visited cities in the United States? How to apply multi-decade energy and sustainability strategies into day-to-day city operations? What is the purpose of the Climate First Bank? How to make an impact by starting locally? Find the answers to those questions in this episode with the always enthusiastic Chris Castro - Director of Sustainability and Resilience for the City of Orlando, Co-founder and President of IDEAS For Us, and Climate First Bank Founding Director. As promised within the episode, here is the link to the Electric Integrated Resource Plan for the city of Orlando: https://oucroadmap.com/

What really matters to investors investing in early-stage companies? What is meant by the term "social enterprise"? What is the most common problem that socially responsible start-ups face? How does the social enterprise accelerator Rally operate? Find the answers to those questions and much more in this episode with Rob Panepinto - President of Florentine Strategies and Founder of Rally.