Green Capitalism sprang from a quick conversation with my friend Rob about socially-conscious investing. Rob was on the cusp of bolstering his 401(k) with a self-funded Roth IRA. He is contributing fully to his 401(k) in order to take advantage of an employer match, but I encouraged him to start a Roth IRA to provide supplemental income during his retirement, which is fast approaching. Rob is 27, but he wants to retire at 40-something. You can see why I'm anxious for him to save as much as possible.

Before Rob funded his Roth, he wanted to know my views on socially responsible investing. I've only explored the idea superficially. A financial planner once tried to sell my partner on Calvert’s socially responsible family of funds. It seems to me that investing with a social and environmental conscience is likely to yield smaller long-term gains than highly-rated equity funds have been providing. Rob suggested he might not need an aggressive, high-returning portfolio if he started saving early and he lived within his means during retirement. I hadn't begun to save at Rob's age. His income is higher than mine. I had not considered the financial plan that he suggested.

Can we be environmentally and socially responsible in practice, and still have save enough money to achieve our financial goals? This site is a way to research this ideal.

There is a seemingly-glaring contradiction between being “green” and being a “capitalist”. From the prices of organic produce at the grocery store, it would appear that I could save money by purchasing conventional produce. Saving money so that I can purchase other goods in the future defines capitalism: the trade of goods and services for money. By choosing not to purchase organic or local produce, I am contributing to myriad environmental and social problems. In other areas of my life I act in accordance with my environmental and social beliefs. For example, I ride my bicycle eight miles round-trip to work each day: rain or shine. I do this for many reasons:

• It is good for my health.
• It is good for the environment.
• It saves money on gas, insurance, and car maintenance.

What other behaviors would both exemplify my desire to be “green” and to have money to purchase the goods and services that I want in the future?

I want to explore more here than just investing with a social conscious or riding a bike. I want to turn the spotlight on my financial behavior to find the means that match my ends. This may cause me a lot of turmoil and highlight many contradictions in my life. However I look forward to the investigation, and would appreciate reader’s insight and information along this journey.