Circularity Is The New Gold In Australia
V.2, N.22
Greetings from Adelaide, the biggest city in South Australia (SA), where I just spent three days speaking to various groups about local investment, courtesy of Green Industries SA. That a government agency is actually named “Green Industries” is itself revolutionary. At the same time the City of Adelaide is operating a Department of Circular Economies. Something special is definitely circulating Down Under!
Imbued with circular thinking, economic developers in South Australia are focused on local production that minimizes the use of nonrenewable resources, generates less waste, and nurtures new businesses that can usefully repurpose whatever byproducts of production remain. Australians understand that every link in this circle can and should be local businesses and that local investment can accelerate this economic transformation.
ESG skeptics, please take note: this approach to investment is neither frivolous nor ‘woke’. It is producing so much money—primarily through fees imposed on waste disposal—that the Green Industries Department is now propping up the rest of a state budget that otherwise would be in deficit.
In this issue, we have a series of articles that spotlight the huge opportunities opening up for local investors. In honor of Earth Day, Cutting Edge Capital profiles some of its clients who are thriving thanks to local investment, including Camino Verda, CoPeace, Kingstown Green, and the Mid-Hudson Energy Transition. The Rocky Mountain Institute reviews the financial tools that states and cities are using to enhance their climate resilience, including municipal bonds. Chris Iggo, Chair of the AXA Investment Managers Investment Institute, predicts “huge” investment requirements worldwide in the coming years for the green transition, with a major role to be played by institutional investors but an even “bigger role for private investors.”
Investment crowdfunding is exploding just in the nick of time to rescue the planet. As Sherwood Neiss of Crowdfund Investment Advisors writes in our last piece, “While traditional VC firms are on the sidelines strategizing on how to keep their portfolios alive, investment crowdfunding investors are hard at work deploying the second-highest month of capital the industry has ever seen.” The great green transition is begetting an equally great capital transition.
- Michael Shuman, Publisher of The Main Street Journal
NEWS
Investing In Our Planet: Sustainability Goals At Work, Cutting Edge Capital (April 24)
Supporting Local Governments As Climate Change Threatens Their Communities, RMI (April 21)
Like The Pandemic, Climate Change Fight Will Drive Global Shifts In Jobs And Investment, South China Morning Post (May 3)
Investment Crowdfunding Sees Near-Record Amounts in April Despite Venture Capital Uncertainty, Crowd Fund Capitol Investors (April 2023)
PARTNER VOICES
Spotlight: Local Enterprise Assistance Fund (LEAF) - Natural Investments, Natural Investments (April 2023)
Community Wealth Building On The Political Agenda In Ireland, North and South, The Democracy Collaborative (April 19)
Designing The Economy Of Involvement In Co-Ops, Ownership Matters (March 28)
EVENTS
NC3: National Coalition for Community Capitol: SuperCrowd23 - Virtual Conference. May 10-11, 2023. Two days of learning about impact crowdfunding that will provide entrepreneurs with invaluable information for fundraising but will also facilitate networking. Use code NC3friend to register for half off. Register here.
Places of Social Inclusion: Addressing Homelessness and Mental Health Needs in Public Space - Virtual Conference. May 16 and 18, 2023. This conference by Project for Public Spaces offers an overview of how the mental health and housing crises play out in public space, and how placemakers can partner with social service providers to contribute to more inclusive places and fairer cities. Register here.
11th International Public Markets Conference – In-Person Conference (Toronto, Canada). June 8-10, 2023. For over 35 years, the International Public Markets Conference has brought together visionary market managers, community advocates, and civic leaders to explore the changing forces that are shaping public markets today. Register here.
Rural Innovation Webinar Series - Virtual Conference. March 31, April 12, April 26, May 10, and May 12 2023. This free six-part webinar series will talk about how discovering how automated intelligence can save you oodles of time in learning the basics and debunking myths of crowdfunding, this 6-part Rural Innovation Webinar Series has it all. Sign up today to learn something new that can help your business. Register for one, or all of the conferences by clicking the video here.
ICYMI
What If You Could Bank With The Federal Reserve?, Investopedia (May 1)
How U.S. Regulators Can Help Community And Regional Banks Address Climate-Related Financial Risks, Center for American Progress (April 28)
New York Considers Community Land Trusts, The American Prospect (May 3)
Nonprofit Grocery Stores Rehab America’s Food Deserts, Axios (May 2)
JOBS BOARD
Vermont Community Loan Fund is hiring a Director of Housing and Community Facilities Programs and a Career Technical Education Loan Program Project Manager
Project Equity is hiring a Business Engagement and Partnerships - Outbound Manager, a Regional Engagement Program Manager - California, and a Financial Analyst
Mission Driven Finance is hiring for multiple positions
FREE SHORT VIDEOS ON LOCAL INVESTMENT
If you want to short answers to your most pressing questions about local investment, we have prepared a series of 5-10 minute videos. You can find them posted on our website under the “Local Investing Videos” page. Or click on the links below to be directed to videos based on the topic:
BECOME A MAIN STREET CHAMPION
Have you always wanted to start a local investment club? A website of local investment offerings in your community? A local investment study group? Whatever your interest or ambition, we invite you to “go public” to help others in your region find you, scheme with you, and start a local investment movement in your community. We aim to identify dozens, then hundreds, then thousands of Main Street Champions like you across America. We already have Main Street Champions across the U.S., from San Luis Obispo, CA to Providence, RI, and even Australia! Together, we can move our hard-earned savings from Wall Street back into our communities. Fill out the intake survey below to join this growing cohort!
SOME OF MSJ’s VINTAGE ISSUES
About The Main Street Journal
The Main Street Journal aims to catalyze the movement of $50 trillion from Wall Street to Main Street to facilitate economic development and economic justice. It’s sponsored by the National Coalition for Community Capital, with a grant from the Heron Foundation. We welcome feedback about everything, from our design to content. And we welcome suggestions of other groups to involve as partners, and other information to include. Please send ideas to Melea Huon-Dumentat at melea@main-street-journal.com.
PARTNERS
We welcome any nonprofit or for-profit committed to local investment as a partner. If your organization is interested, please contact Melea Huon-Dumentat at melea@main-street-journal.com.