Without the complex plethora of U.S. subsidies today, who knows what gas would cost. In such a place and time where we all utilize a more efficient source of energy, there would be so little demand for gas that hardly anyone would be drilling for oil and refining it.

In the industrial age it IS all about the subsidy-driven profit, but I believe that is a different story in our current information age. For one simple example, look at eBay and PayPal. Those may be a foreshadowing of the many major global commerce changing innovations to come that are fueled by pure innovation in a [somewhat] free market. I think that is the case; look up TESLA MOTORS. There’s no lack of subsidy holding them back.

Also, about people who don’t care about profit or loss but just want to feel good… Purchasing guilt reduction and accepting a potential loss is a silly way to react to the fact that choosing a good fund is a crap shoot. My personal response is to not choose a fund, and invest my money instead of surrender it.

My definition of investing is to strategically place my assets in ways that will cause them to grow substantially with as much control and little risk as possible. Within that definition, I can’t allow myself to invest more than 5% of my assets in the stock market because I can’t control it or limit its risk. That 5% is invested into individual stocks so that I at least know where my money went. The remainder is invested in things I can understand.

Some very astute companies are marshalling government resources to profit from wind farms and it’s business, not hippie dreams, that are fueling their growth. Companies like Archer Daniels Midland and Cargill making a bundle in ethanol, and they’re not exactly known for preaching a corporate culture of sustainability. It’s all about the subsidy-driven profit for them. Large fortunes indeed have been made by moving into a hot sector just as government decides it is a priority. You need look no further than a military logistics company like Dick Cheney’s Halliburton to see evidence of that.

It is also instructive to know that not every investor is in the game to maximize profit. Since it’s largely a crap shoot to choose the top producing funds anyway, why not choose a reputable company or fund associated with a relatively clean and forward-looking product? A growing number of people believe that whether you win or lose in any given year, using green investing principles, at least you can sleep at night. More and more, we are recognizing our personal connections to the climate crisis and our unique role in addressing its excesses. Maybe investing in a green fund is just a drop in the bucket, but can the bucket ever be filled without any drops?

Allen Taylor