Making a Difference: The Sustainable Shift in Investment Strategy with Sarah Adams
In our second episode of Dollars & Change: The Experts Guide to Sustainable and Responsible Investing, host Peter Krull sits down with Sarah Adams, the Chief Sustainability Officer and co-founder of Vert Asset Management, a dedicated ESG fund manager that bridges the gap between financial services, capital markets, and environmental advocacy, with a mission to make sustainable investing easier for advisors. The pair conducted this interview in sunny Huntington Beach, California, at Future Proof, a wealth management festival.
In the episode, Sarah shares her career journey, starting as a fresh-faced finance graduate drawn towards law and policy as a means of fostering corporate accountability who returned to financial services after the Great Recession. Sarah’s work is a testament to her belief in the power of financial advisors as change agents. She emphasizes how the actions of investment managers can better serve advisors on matters of corporate accountability.
According to Forbes, 40% of global carbon dioxide emissions come from the real estate sector, which is why Vert focuses on increasing sustainability in this industry. Sarah underscores the importance of building owners becoming proactive about changes to their properties, such as revamping lighting and HVAC systems and making sustainability upgrades in order to attract higher rents and maintain tenancy. The ripple effects of these changes then impact large publicly traded companies that are tenants of these buildings, holding them accountable for their own sustainability commitments.
Sarah remains hopeful about the future of sustainable investing with a new generation of interdisciplinary-educated undergraduates entering the workforce. Despite the negative coverage of climate-related disasters and the criticisms of ESG, she believes that these individuals are better prepared to handle the multifaceted challenges of sustainability.
This episode serves as a reminder for all of us to be more proactive in our own spheres of influence. Whether you’re a financial advisor, an investor, or simply someone looking for ways to make a difference, remember the power of sustainable and responsible investing. For the complete episode, click here or search for the series on your preferred podcast platform.
Your likes, follows, subscriptions, and reviews are deeply appreciated. We’re eager to hear your thoughts on the episode and interview style. If you missed it, check out our first episode with legendary actor and environmentalist Ed Begley Jr. to learn more about Ed’s passion for saving the environment!
Be good. Invest better.
The Earth Equity Team.
