Take a look at your finances – from your current account to any savings and investments you might have – and switch some of your arrangements over to ethical accounts and finds.

Want to be a socially responsible investor? It’s no secret that many of traditional high-street banks – through their commercial trading divisions – end up financing the arms trade or investing in companies damaging the environment. Some still hold Third World debt.

And, even in this time of financial uncertainty, with the credit crunch and all, as more and more people join the Generous community, we are responsible for more and more ‘funds’ – hundreds of millions a year – dual income households and all that. That’s a lot of dough. While some of it is already invested with ethical banks like the Co-operative, much of it is probably not. So we recommend two ethical banks to have a look at.

First, a current account we recommend is from smile.co.uk, the Internet banking arm of the Co-operative Bank, the only UK clearing bank with an ethical policy.

Second, how about opening a savings account with Triodos.co.uk which ‘only works with organisations that benefit people and the environment.’ A Triodos Bank Social Investor Savings Account will ‘directly link your savings with organisations that benefit people and the environment, like organic farms, fairtrade companies and charities.’

Related links
Triodos
Smile

Flickr photo source