The Boom in ESG Investing: How Sustainable Investing is Becoming Mainstream

 1. The Rise of ESG Investing

Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) investing is a rapidly growing trend in the investment world. With concerns about climate change, social inequality, and corporate responsibility on the rise, investors are increasingly looking for ways to align their investments with their values.

 2. Defining ESG Investing

ESG investing involves considering a company's environmental impact, social policies and practices, and governance structure when making investment decisions. This approach seeks to identify companies that are not only financially successful but also socially responsible and sustainable.

  3. The Benefits of ESG Investing

ESG investing has a number of potential benefits for investors. In addition to the satisfaction of investing in companies that align with their values, ESG investing can also lead to better long-term returns. Studies have shown that companies with strong ESG performance are more likely to outperform their peers over the long term.

 4. ESG Investing Goes Mainstream

ESG investing is no longer a niche approach. According to a report by the Global Sustainable Investment Alliance, sustainable investing assets reached $35.3 trillion globally in 2020, a 15% increase from 2018. This growth is being driven by a range of factors, including increased public awareness of social and environmental issues, regulatory changes, and a growing recognition of the financial benefits of ESG investing.

  5. ESG Investing and the Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of ESG investing. Companies with strong environmental and social policies have been better equipped to weather the pandemic, as they have been better prepared to deal with supply chain disruptions, remote working arrangements, and other challenges. As a result, investors are increasingly looking to ESG investing as a way to manage risk in uncertain times.

  6. Challenges Facing ESG Investing

Despite its rapid growth, ESG investing still faces a number of challenges. One of the biggest challenges is the lack of standardization and transparency in ESG metrics. This makes it difficult for investors to compare companies and make informed decisions. Additionally, there is a risk of "greenwashing," where companies make misleading or false claims about their ESG performance.

 7. The Future of ESG Investing

Despite these challenges, the future looks bright for ESG investing. As more investors recognize the importance of aligning their investments with their values, the demand for ESG investing is likely to continue to grow. This will likely lead to increased standardization and transparency in ESG metrics, making it easier for investors to make informed decisions.

Conclusion

Sustainable Investing for a Better Future

ESG investing is no longer a niche approach, but a mainstream trend that is reshaping the investment world. By investing in companies that are financially successful, socially responsible, and environmentally sustainable, investors can not only make a difference in the world but also potentially achieve better long-term returns. As ESG investing continues to grow, it has the potential to drive positive change and create a better future for us all.

Aquaponics Project sustainable Food Production System

Aquaponics or pisciponics, is a sustainable food production system that combines traditional aquaculture (raising aquatic animals such as snails, fish, crayfish or prawns in tanks) with hydroponics (cultivating plants in water) in a symbiotic environment. In aquaculture, effluents accumulate in the water, increasing toxicity for the fish. This water is led to a hydroponic system where the by-products from the aquaculture are broken down by nitrogen fixing bacteria, then filtered out by the plants as vital nutrients, after which the cleansed water is recirculated back to the animals.

Clifford Chin has a small aquaponics project in Charlotte, NC. He says:
"It's like growing plants on steroids," said Chin. "The vegetables grow three to four times faster than what you put in the ground. You can actually eat here on Friday and come back on Monday and see the difference in size."

Environmentally the basic idea is to have a closed system in which the fish eat the plants. The wastes excreted by the fish are converted by microbes and bacteria into a nutrient that is consumed by the plants. The plants then are eaten by the fish. This is environmentally good and sustainable but has no advantage since neither the fish nor the plants could be eaten by humans to remain sustainable. The modified aquaponics model is to feed the fish with an external supply of food. The fish grow and at the same time excrete wastes that are converted to plant nutrients that grow the plants that are also eaten by humans. The advantage is that we get fish to eat and the nutrients from the fish waste efficiently grows plant food that we can eat. All of this without the use of chemical fertilizers.

There are several disadvantages to this model:

Sustainability of the system depends on the sustainability of the feed for the fish. Efficient fish growing requires specially formulated feed. The wastes produced by the fish in a closed aquaponic system go to the feeding of the plants in the system. The plants are to be eaten by humans not the fish.

It requires growing fish in a recirculating environment that is connected to the plant growing environment. This is not a simple or inexpensive process. If the climate is not suitable for the fish the process must be grown indoors and that requires energy to maintain the proper temperatures.

A proper balance must be maintained between the amount of fish in the system producing the wastes that provide the nutrients for the plants and the amount of plants needed in the system to maintain proper water quality. This balance is not always easy to determine.

Growing plants in liquid requires more labor than growing plants in the ground. The faster growth in a liquid environment, however, may partially offset the extra labor required.

A better model is to grow the fish in the most efficient manner possible. Efficient means growing the fish in an environment that assures the best feed conversion ratios possible, the lowest energy requirements and high survivability. The feed conversion ratio is the amount of feed required to produce a pound of fish. The growing environment must also allow for the capture and removal of the fish wastes from the water. A recirculating environment is the most efficient fish growing environment achieving very low feed conversion rations and low energy costs.

The manure from the fish can be captured and removed from the water in these systems. The manure is de-watered and dried to about 65% moisture. It is then combined with a carbon source, inoculants and a small amount of clay and decomposed in a controlled process into humus compost. The resulting humus compost is a complete organic fertilizer that can be stored and shipped anywhere for growing organic crops.

Humus compost is a more efficient form of compost. More organic matter is bound to the clay particles and will not be converted into carbon dioxide as is the case with regular compost. The organic matter in a recirculating aquaponic system will also decompose into carbon dioxide in a few months. Humus compost is a better form of the fish nutrients and it also makes a smaller carbon footprint since more carbon is sequestered in the soil when humus compost is used.

The consistency of the final fertilizer product is coloidal and putty-like. It is moist and will form a ball if compressed. It will readily mix in water and will form a uniform liquid with suspended particles. The liquid can be pumped through a hydroponic system or sprayed on crops or soil. The solid form can applied to the soil as well.

Since the fish production process has been separated from the plant growing process a complex balancing act is not needed. The amount of organic fertilizer needed in the form of the humus compost made from the decomposed fish manure can be determined for any quantity of plants for any location. The fertilizer can be delivered and applied.

This model is more sustainable, environmentally advantageous and healthier than growing chickens, beef or pork. The feed conversion ratio in a re-circulating environment is 1.6 or less. For chickens the ratio is 2 and for beef as high as 10.

There are also many health benefits from eating fish. Most fish feeds are grain based with fish meal or other fish related products added. Some of the organic fertilizer produced in the above described process could be used to grow the grain. The use of the organic fertilizer would further improve Aquaponics the sustainablilty of the system.