Once, when I was getting my masters degree in environmental studies, I met with the then-director of the department to talk about potential career paths upon graduation. I told him that I was interested in figuring out how to enable […]
One could be forgiven for thinking that, with passage of the Inflation Reduction Act, America is all set to reduce emissions and create a bevy of green jobs. In many ways, of course, we are: Climate Power, for instance, has […]
When Capital Good Fund launched the DoubleGreen Solar loan, in Fall 2021, the Federal Funds Rate (FFR) was near-zero, and we priced the product accordingly: by charging borrowers an APR of 3.099% – 4.99%, we could provide a return of […]
In August of 2021, just as Capital Good Fund was launching our solar lending pilot, I wrote an article, Say It Ain’t So, Solar Lenders!, about some unsavory practices in the industry. Since then, several things of note have happened. First, Capital […]
In 2008 I was a graduate student with almost no understanding of the financial system–I couldn’t even explain the difference between an interest rate and an APR!–working to launch what would become Capital Good Fund: a nonprofit lender. One day […]
The Inflation Reduction Act (“IRA”) is one of those once-in-a-lifetime, transformational pieces of legislation that’s so far-reaching and chock-full of potential, it’s hard to wrap one’s mind around it. Indeed, when it passed in August the mood in the climate […]
When we think of building a clean future, the tools that come to mind are technologies like wind turbines, solar panels, electric vehicles, and heat pumps. And all of these are essential, to be sure. But there is a tool […]
So you just bought an electric vehicle (“EV”), solar panels, heat pump, or other clean technology. Are you now a climate hero? You’ve reduced your emissions, to be sure, but… not quite! In this post, I’m going to explore the […]
Anyone interested in maximizing social good must wrestle with an essential question: given a limited amount of money to contribute to various causes, what is the most effective allocation of those dollars? For whether one is able to donate $100 […]
As I begin this essay, the Senate is on the verge of passing historic legislation to tackle the climate crisis, reduce prescription-drug prices, raise taxes on big corporations, and extend Affordable Care Act subsidies, among other things. (Update: the legislation […]