Wanna invest in the political future of our country? The Iowa Electronic Market lets you do just that.

The idea behind the futures market, which is run by the University of Iowa's economics school, is that economics can predict political outcomes. Example: It correctly forecast George W. Bush's 2004 win over John Kerry. 

Snap up some shares of Democratic dropout John Edwards for a paltry $0.002 today, and if a miracle happens, you could walk away with a few hundred bucks.

-Toshio...off to predict the near-future: a weekend of boozing at the Andersen Valley Boontville Brewfest...

I have friends in London I desperately want to visit, but with the insane exchange rate I'd need to take out a bigger-than-micro loan to pay for it. On the other hand, when my Brit friends cross the pond to America, they go buckwild. $15 for a cocktail? Cheap as chips. $250 for a jacket? Not at all a rip-off.

For people in the developing world, the exchange rate is even more insane. With the cash you'd spend closing out the pubs on a Saturday night in Leicester, you can start a whole business.

(For the record, London's not even the most expensive city.)

-Toshio...off to count my pennies...

So I've been quite proud of the fact that I stayed in Brooklyn for 4 whole years. 4 years ago, the Red Hot Chili Peppers' last album provided the soundtrack for my initial move here, and today, their latest is providing the soundtrack for what will be my last summer in Brooklyn (yeah - there's another move on my horizon).

But I love this place. More than I do any other I have been. It's the first place where I have felt an attachment and obligation to my community, a connection with my neighbors. It's the first place that has made me wish I had money to invest - in the little shops and restaurants, in housing and parks. I - quite simply - believe in Brooklyn so much more than I do in that other island across the river.

So the whole idea of community investing is actually my new favorite thing: it just makes more sense to me to SEE where my money is going... I mean - why send my money to some big banking HQ to let THEM decide whether or not my neighbor gets a mortgage? Wouldn't it be so much more rewarding to feel part of that home or business purchase?

Well, I don't have any money to invest right now. But when I do, I am going to try to invest ALL of it locally - in things I believe in, in places I can touch and see.

-Heather... off to wander Brooklyn, listening to "Snow (Hey Oh)"...

For today's blog, please visit:

http://idealbite.blogs.com/ideal_bite_blog_about_it/2005/10/sri_move_the_ne.html

So I have to say that it took me a good 4 years and a switch of a broker to get into some SRI funds.  Most traditional brokers have their systems and relationships (and hidden fees!) so totally locked, that asking them to consider other funds is like asking them to dance naked in the streets.   I am sure you could call some of the funds up directly, but I don't have the bandwidth to really monitor my investments, and the .5% or whatever it is to  have someone else do it is worth it.  Anyway, I am with someone now who got me into a CALVERT fund. 

I am waiting for the next evolution... Sustainable Investment. This is where the companys' business models are regenerative, and whereby their existence improves the environment and our society. 

Until then, thought I would dork-out and spout some stats so you can see that more and more people are doing it... and this one of the HUGEST things you can do to make companies start to pay attention to the environmental actions (good or bad). 

• 1/9 = The share of professionally managed US dollars in socially responsible investments.
• 240% = The growth rate of SRI investment portfolio growth experienced from 1995 to 2003. (By comparison, overall assets grew 174 % over the same time period.)
• 21 = Number of countries where an array of socially responsible investment products are now available.
• $2.16TR = The amount of socially screen investment money (as of December 2003) in a professionally managed portfolios.
• 7% = The growth rate of socially screened portfolios during 2001 and 2002 despite sluggish market conditions that caused a 4% drop in broader professionally managed portfolios.
• 52 = The percent of the top 250 Global Fortune 500 companies that produce environmental, social, or sustainability reports in addition to financial reports.
• 2:1 = The ratio of votes cast by SRI funds, compared to their conventional peers, in support of corporate governance resolutions and ‘vote no’ campaigns. SRI funds are far ahead of ‘conventional’ mutual funds when it comes to voting on environmental, social issues, and corporate governance issues.

Off to sell some organic lemonade or something so I can move the needle more with my dollars - Jen