There’s one thing you can do that is likely going to make more of an impact on the planet than anything else you do. More impactful than composting, more than recycling, more than buying from ethical brands who happen to be run by ridiculously cool people *ahem*. In fact, it’ll have more impact than all of them combined (although definitely keep doing those things too!).
And this one thing is really, really, super. Like, we mean literally, it’s actually Super. As in, where you’re keeping your Super, and your money in general.
We know what you’re thinking here: “Who am I, Beyoncé? How are me and all my Bills Bills Bills going to have an impact on the planet?” Sit back and allow us to break this one down for you.
Contrary to common belief, when you give your money to a bank or a Super fund, your cashola is not just sitting there in the Cloud alongside photos from your 2012 trip to Thailand, waiting to be accessed. It’s out there in the world, being used to invest in stuff, and that’s how the banks and funds make their money. After all, they’re just businesses, who like most businesses exist to make a profit.
So if you give the bank $100, until you want it back they’ll go and put it in an investment somewhere to get a return on it. Most banks, with all that profit in mind, are going to be investing people’s money in the places that are going to bring the biggest returns. And as we know, those places are often the most harmful for the environment, like coal mining and companies that run on fossil fuels.
Super funds work in much the same way, but the money in your Super is likely even more powerful. While as a young person accessing your Super can feel so far away that it doesn’t even seem like your money, an average Australian retires with hundreds of thousands of dollarsin Super money. Dang, that sure is a lot of cash for their carbon.
As you can see, funding is what makes big business go round, and if we change that funding, we might even be able to change the world. While it seems at first glance like little old you might not have much power, when you start to think about all that money you’ll have over your lifetime, it really starts to add up. Where you choose to put your money is an investment, and you should think of this investment as an extension of you and your values.
Imagine if you could take all that money and power you didn’t even know you had, and turn it towards something good, like funding renewable energy and environmental projects, which will have the planet smiling as well as your bank balance. And imagine if you could do all of this in the time it takes to watch five TikTok videos.
Well lucky for you, for us, and for mama nature, there are some incredible companies out there who have put a ban on the bad stuff, and they’re only making totally ethical investments, while still ensuring your piggy bank is taken care of. Verve Super and Future Super are a couple of our faves, and when it comes to banking you can look to Bank Australia and Beyond Bank for the goods.
Switching your Super is redonkulously easy, it takes all of five minutes and you can do it online. Do the same with your bank and hey presto, you’re practically saving the planet already! A great place to start is to do some research on what your current investments are funding. You can check out whether your Super is funding fossil fuels here, and your bank here, and compare companies with better practices.
So now that you know that these are two incredibly simple and impactful things you can do for the environment, let’s go change our banks, our Super funds, and the world, together!
Jess and Stef Dadon, TWOOBS Founders
P.S - if you have a friend who often feels powerless about what they can do in the face of climate change, why not forward them this article?
