Net Impact

It has been a hectic month since my last post. Term papers & presentations, deadlines at work and some serious bugs sucked all the energy out of me! I needed a little down time to recharge and I needed a little zing to get me back on my blogging groove. The zing came in the form of a Net Impact meeting last week. It was hosted by Net Impact's Chicago professional chapter and it brought together a very interesting bunch of MBA folks from the area







A little about Net Impact

Net Impact is an international nonprofit organization whose mission is to make a positive impact on society by growing and strengthening a community of new leaders who use business to improve the world. We offer a portfolio of programs to educate, equip, and inspire more than 10,000 members to make a tangible difference in their universities, organizations, and communities.

Spanning five continents, our membership makes up one of the most influential networks of MBAs, graduate students, and professionals in existence today. Net Impact members are current and emerging leaders in CSR, social entrepreneurship, nonprofit management, international development, and environmental sustainability who are actively improving the world

I had heard of Net Impact before. Never realized that there would be this many concerned and genuine MBA grads. The meeting was about the role of financial markets in the quest for Sustainability. Glad I could attend and listen to folks on the cutting edge of Sustainability, making money and helping the world!

Update: A little more on the guest speakers
1) Jonah Smith: Smith Pierce Sustainable Asset Management
Smith Pierce is an upcoming start up company providing SRI investment services both for the institutional and the individual investors. He talked about the challenges and opportunities presented by the SRI sector, which is growing at an exceptional pace. It was his estimate that SRI had become a trillion dollar worldwide market!

2) Steve Ray: M1 Energy Capital Securities
M1 Energy Securities is a unique & peculiar case in the sense that it brings hedging to the renewable energy sector. Steve talked about a power project they executed in Texas which generates electricity from agricultural waste. I always thought of hedging as a sinister business art form. Am more inclined to see it in a positive light now.

3) Will Ferretti: Chicago Climate Exchange (CCX)
Will walked through the basics of CCX. I have mentioned CCX before. One thing that interested me was the thought of commoditizing air and water to protect it. It would basically expand on the principles of SOx, NOx and Carbon trading. Will felt that there was great wealth to be made in the business of air and water protection. Not sure I am entirely sold on that.