Business Owners Bullish About Green Investing

Survey Sites Concerns About the Ecosystem

A survey of more than 200 business owners with at least $10 million in revenue reveals they’re bullish about investing in “green” causes and financial instruments.  The survey released yesterday by SunTrust Bank Private Wealth Management says a primary motivating factor is the belief that the earth’s environment is slowly deteriorating.

Pollution, energy policy and a personal desire to make positive changes in the world were among the top concerns for the survey respondents.  Oddly, while more than half agreed it was a “good” or “average” time to invest in green financial funds, only 31 percent had allocated their personal money in that manner, and about 28 percent had invested business funds in environmentally-friendly instruments.

However, nearly half of the businesses had official “green” policies that promote energy saving and recycling.  About the same number of respondents donated personal money to non-profit organizations such as the Sierra Club and the Audubon Society.  

The economic downturn does not appear to be affecting the decisions of the survey takers.  When responding to the statement, “Even if there is an economic downturn that moderately affects my business, I plan to maintain my current level of giving to environmental causes in the coming year,” a large majority (69%) agreed with the sentiment.  A majority (59%) believed environmental investment funds would return a rate similar to any other fund.

Perhaps the most surprising finding of all came from the 40 percent who agreed that it was a “good time” for all businesses to adhere to the highest possible environmental standards. 

From an analytic standpoint, the results are most encouraging.  The questions fall into three basic categories: investment, personal action and psychological acceptance.  In all three categories, the resulting numbers are surprisingly high.  This bodes well for Obama’s plan to make America a more energy-efficient nation.  By contrast, President Carter encountered enormous difficulty with green issues in the 1970’s, and most failed.

The difference may be due to the assessment of the earth’s environment.  Despite the multi-million dollar campaigns aimed at debunking the idea of global warming and environmental responsibility, 65 percent of respondents characterized the state of the environment as either “poor” or “fair.”  Thirty percent said the eco-system was in good shape while only five percent said it was in excellent condition.

America may be in the beginning stages of a “green revolution.”  Wherever it leads, it’s bound to be cleaner.