How impact investing can help us thrive in every way

Oct 10

What do we need to know about impact investing and how can that help us accelerate towards a healthier, thriving planet? How does the traditional idea of first making as much money as possible (at the cost of social and environmental welfare) and then donating to good causes to address those very problems not make sense?

Ibrahim AlHusseini, the Founder FullCycle Energy Fund, a renowned impact investor, environmentalist, and highly-regarded speaker, shares his expertise and wisdom with us. Let's dive in.

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This is a conversation on Green Dreamer Podcast with Kaméa Chayne, a show exploring environmental and intersectional sustainability from ideas to life. Subscribe to Green Dreamer on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, or any podcast app and let’s learn what it takes to thrive in every sense of the word!

Highlights

[2:09] What first inspired Ibrahim's passion for nature.

[6:32] Ibrahim: "I thought to myself, What's the point of all the money, if there's not going to be any more beauty on this planet?"

[8:20] What led Ibrahim to become a socially and environmentally driven investor.

[10:14] Kaméa: "Do you think there's a common misconception that people can't do good while making a (good) living at the same time?"

[11:48] Ibrahim tells us about his company, FullCycle Energy Fund, which funds companies with the goal of turning landfill waste into energy.

[12:49] Ibrahim: "Our garbage is a resource. It's not something that doesn't have a purpose—it could be repurposed for many things! The simplest thing we can repurpose it for is to create renewable energy."

[14:39] Ibrahim explains how we're actually able to turn trash into renewable energy.

[16:35] Kaméa: "What's been one of your biggest struggles being an investor that cares about more than just the bottom line?"

[18:47] Ibrahim: "What bigger market can there be than making sure we maintain planet earth's life support system? I would attest that that is the biggest market opportunity in the history of capitalism."

[19:06] Kaméa: "How do you stay positive and not feel helpless?"

[19:22] Ibrahim: "When we take action—instead of just talk about it or dread it—then it actually helps lift our mood and give us hope because we are actively doing something."

[21:55] Kaméa: "When it comes to impact investing, what do you look for in a company or project to see if it has potential to really take off, scale, and create huge positive impact?"

[26:12] Kaméa: "Why do you think it is that we know what it takes to improve public welfare and the health of our planet, but we still get all of these forces going against that?"

[26:54] Ibrahim: "If we cooperate, we can all live a much healthier life than if we continue to compete the way we're competing."

[27:31] What Ibrahim says we can do as individuals to help promote positive change.