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Environment, Social and Governance Factors –  Investment in Yourself

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Environment Social Governance Factors -  Investment in Yourself

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Summary: Environment social governance factors (ESG) factors are becoming more commonplace in large companies. The Trails to Empowerment community has been implementing this through our Three Pillar philosophy of Nature Connection, Personal Development and Nature Conservation for over 30 years. But this is a concept that can also work on a personal development level as you invest in yourself.

 

Recently, the “TIME” magazine published an article that talked about a mindset shift within the economy and businesses. More and more business leaders perceive their business as a means to contribute to something bigger. Instead of only focusing on profits, more and more business leaders are starting to link their profits to a purpose. The shift towards purpose-driven business strategies also impacts investment strategies. Investors now invest more in companies that integrate non-financial environment, social and governance (ESG) factors in their reporting. Environment factors include all ways in which the organization can be considered a steward of nature. Social factors refer to the relationships an organization manages with its employees, suppliers, customers and the community. Lastly, governance factors refer to standards and values according to which an organization is structured and managed. Investors can assess whether a company positively impacts and contributes to those factors by looking at different indicators for each factor, providing guidance for investors to align investments with their personal goals, values and philosophies. Investing in organizations that consider ESG factors allows investors to enhance and create value with their money not only for themselves but on a greater scale that benefits the environment and society. Therefore, investors are not only able to invest in long-term secure funds, but also in sustainable impactful funds at the same time.

But next to monetary investment, there is another kind of investment which is even more powerful. The investment in yourself will be the best investment you can ever make with the best return of investment. It will allow you to live fully instead of just surviving. To take responsibility for your life, you firstly have to manifest that the value and potential you possess are important to you and that you are going to give them energy, space and time to grow and develop yourself. Because before you can give to and serve others, you need to take on the responsibility of developing your talents. When you invest in yourself you find out what you are capable of as you feel your growth and you will experience fulfillment. 

So, investing in yourself means to make sure that your actions serve to further your goals and growth. Those actions include the time you spend with friends, your hobbies, work and more. To assess whether one of those actions contributes to your growth you can apply the ESG criteria as well. Just like it helps investors to match themselves with organizations that align with their goals, values and philosophies to create value, it helps you to identify and engage in activities which align with your goals, values and philosophies to create value. It sets the foundation for you to develop habits which empower you to take initiative and responsibility for yourself and your actions. So, following this approach, you should ask yourself the following questions:

  • Do my actions conserve nature (environment)? 
  • Do my actions empower people (social)? 
  • And do my actions align with my standards and values (governance)?

In the Trails to Empowerment community our Three Pillar philosophy of nature connection, nature conservation and personal development is guided by those questions. Here, we are living in a community which is deeply connected with nature and pro-actively contributes to its conservation and stewardship (environment). Being part of this community also means to have compassion for each other, being committed to each other, holding each other accountable and to share our successes, challenges and our evolvement with each other (social). Further, our community and the businesses are guided by our wilderness values and principles. They determine our actions, facilitate opportunities and empower each individual to create positive change for themselves, for others and the environment (governance). 

While this mindset shift has been a rather recent development within the economy and investors, the ranch and its community have been following this purpose-driven approach for over 30 years now. The Three Pillar philosophy embodies the ESG factors and they are implemented on the ground through every facet of our community and all of our partner organizations. The unique environment, challenges of nature and a committed group of people makes our wilderness community a springboard for your personal growth and evolvement. So, if you are willing to invest in yourself and you want to engage in activities which align with your goals, values and philosophies to create environment, social and governance value, then we invite you to join us in the many ways available in our community and with all our partner organizations.

Take a look at our internships here. If you’re particularly interested in conservation, check out the Chilcotin Ark Institute’s website to learn about wilderness steward internships.

 

Lea, Germany