Green Investing

Green Investing

Investment activities that focus on companies or projects that are committed to the conservation of natural resources, the production and discovery of alternative energy sources, the implementation of clean air and water projects, and/or other environmentally conscious business practices.Pure play green investments are those that derive all or most of their revenues and profits from green activities. Green investments can also be made in companies that have other lines of business but are focusing on green-based initiativesor product lines.

Green investing can be accomplished through individual securities or through pooled investment vehicles such as mutual funds or exchange-traded funds. This style of investingis an off shoot of socially conscious investing, but neither type of investing implies investments that are safer than amarket index such as the S&P 500. In fact, investing in"green" companies can be riskier than other equity strategies, as many companies in this arena are in the development stage,with low revenues and high earnings valuations.