Divest – Invest, From Global to Local

With the US and China recently signing a climate change agreement, it appears that positive steps are beginning to be taken, in spite of our counterproductive congress.

Who knows what makes change happen, but we have watched with interest as the efforts to persuade investors to divest from fossil fuel related investments has morphed into a “Divest – Invest” approach.  The progression has been impressive – from small colleges like Unity in Maine, to powerhouses like Stanford, and from small foundations to the likes of Rockefeller.

Here in the Northwest the Russell Family Foundation recently divested from fossil fuels and reinvested some of the capital into the carbon storing work of our friends at Ecotrust Forests.  This video explains:  http://vimeo.com/106320933

Working on the belief that we should each try to help where we can, the Hyla Woods team has applied our own version of the “divest-invest” approach, by divesting of fossil fuel holdings and reinvesting the resources in the purchase of a significant and exciting addition to our Mt. Richmond Forest.  If our calculations in the past were correct that the Hyla Woods forests capture roughly 50 times the carbon that our family burns each year, that number should now be upped to about 70 times.  We’re pleased and excited.