(Jonathan's Note: Dimensional is a fund manager used extensively in one of the three Responsible Investment offerings Rise provides)

Dimensional's sustainability strategies are designed to help investors align their environmental and social values with their long-term investment goals without sacrificing sound investment principles or expected returns.

From campaigning to installing insulation and solar panels, some practical steps you can take to help avoid climate breakdown.

A new initiative to halt and reverse the decline of New Zealand’s natural assets has been launched bringing together senior leaders from across the public and private sectors.

The Aotearoa Circle is a unique and voluntary initiative bringing together senior leaders from across the public and private sectors. The founding members of The Aotearoa Circle share the fundamental belief that by contributing, benefits will flow to New Zealand, its environment, its people and our economy – and that prosperity comes through recognising the connection of people to nature and our responsibility to safeguard this for our mokopuna.

Investment funds by the billions being poured into companies who care about the environment.

A "rising tide" of funds in sustainable investments in New Zealand hit $180 billion last year - a massive 40 per cent increase over the previous 12 months.

For years, making a profit and doing good in the world were regarded as separate – if not contradictory – objectives. The assumption was that corporate social responsibility (CSR) came at a cost; namely a less competitive business that resulted in lower investor returns.

In fact, “ethical” investments are consistently outperforming their more traditional counterparts in the broader market – busting the myth that doing good necessitates financial sacrifice.

Avoiding meat and dairy products is the single biggest way to reduce your environmental impact on the planet, according to the scientists behind the most comprehensive analysis to date of the damage farming does to the planet.

Reinvigorating the business world with their sense of purpose and resilience, a new breed of investor is redefining the parameters of capitalism. No longer a slave to profit, this altruistic investor looks ahead to the future. Mission driven, they seek to shape a better world.

Investment funds by the billions being poured into companies who care about the environment.

A "rising tide" of funds in sustainable investments in New Zealand hit $180 billion last year - a massive 40 per cent increase over the previous 12 months.

Investors are looking to align their investments with their values, writes Tom McKinlay.
"Money, so they say, is the root of all evil today".

That was Roger Water's take on the subject back in 1973, in the chart-topping Pink Floyd song. And if the received wisdom has softened somewhat in the intervening years, the question is still out there: can money do good?

Well, there is some encouraging news on that front. More money is being invested in such a way as to avoid abetting the worst of intentions, the likes of cluster bombs and cigarettes, according to research on trends in New Zealand.

1. Our generational challenge… Just over a week ago the Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) launched its first report on the target of limiting global temperature rise to 5˚C. This is timely. Extreme weather around the world, when warming has reached at only 1°C, highlights the dangers.