Ancillary #6

The versatility of conscious consumerism — from daily purchases to long-term investments — allows its benefits to appear in various forms. As the rise of conscious consumerism in recent decades has encouraged people to seek more innovative outlets for their money to talk, the practice of sustainable investing in environmental, social, and governance (ESG) funds has become widespread. The impacts of such practice differ significantly from the impacts of purchasing sustainably on a daily basis. Specifically, investing sustainably has shown resilience throughout market downturns. A daily chart from The Economist reveals: “companies with a greater ESG emphasis have high-quality and low-volatility characteristics” (2019). Because of their high-quality and low-volatility nature, ESG funds maintain stability and serve as a buffer against market downturns. Such resilience makes ESG funds the best choice for individual investments. This raises the question of the greater benefits of spending with intention. Beyond the ease to our conscience and the self-satisfaction we receive when our dollar agrees with our ethics, there can be observable, real-world implications. However, our individual efforts to become moral humans are not limited to our bank accounts.