Have you ever wondered what your money does once it’s deposited in your checking account? Or what’s actually included in your 401(k) portfolio? It’s easy to think that our cash just sits there, safe and secure — but behind the scenes our own money could be funding fossil fuel companies without us even realizing it.
That’s the bad news. Glad we got it out of the way upfront.
The good news is that updating your banking to climate-friendly financial services is one of the most effective ways we as individuals can help the planet. And even better, it doesn’t come at the expense of lower financial returns.
“How do you tackle climate change? It’s already an overwhelming topic. Which levers do you pull in your life to try and make an impact? Your finances can be one of your most impactful levers if you spend a little bit of time setting it up for success.”
That’s Elizabeth Landau, who along with Bonnie Gurry founded GreenPortfolio, a free online service that simplifies the process of climate-smart investing.
“We want everyone to have access to this information. … No matter where you are, whether you have $5 million or you have $100,” Gurry said. “That’s one thing that we have been very conscious of as we’ve been building out tools, is making sure they’re accessible for anyone.”
In an exclusive conversation with The Cool Down, Gurry and Landau walk us through how users can use GreenPortfolio to take climate action through their own finances — while still earning the same, if not slightly better, rates of return.
💡 How does GreenPortfolio’s free service work?
“We’re here to help you, wherever you’re at in your ‘greening your finances’ journey,” Landau said. Typically that happens in one of three ways:
1. If you’re just starting out: GreenPortfolio offers free resources, “reviews and recommendations — like a climate friendly bank or nonprofits — that you might want to look at to really have your money go further from a climate perspective,” Landau explained.
2. If you’re ready for bigger steps but want the DIY option: You can create a free account and check out how your financial choices stack up against the company’s proprietary Climate Scorecard and overall GreenPortfolio Score.
“You’ll go to your Climate Hub page, and you’ll see your GreenPortfolio score — like zero to 100 on how you’re doing [climate-impact wise],” Landau said. You’ll be able to see how your banks, stocks, and funds are impacting the environment. “We dive into all the underlying holdings of what’s in a fund, which you’re not probably gonna look at yourself, and we can show you your worst offenders. So it gives you a nice baseline of what you can look at to make quick changes.”
3. If you’re looking to get tailored insights for your unique finances: You can get connected for free with vetted, experienced, climate-friendly financial advisers for personalized guidance.
“You’ll fill out this quick, three-minute form where you tell us about your financial priorities, your climate priorities, and we will match you with up to three advisers,” Landau said. “And then you’re in the driver’s seat: They don’t get your contact information, they don’t know anything about you really … until you click ‘book a call.’ And at that point … you have a virtual Zoom meeting and then you can decide if you want to move forward and sign with an adviser.”
💚 How do climate-smart investments actually make an impact?
Remember, your money isn’t sitting idly in your checking or savings account. “Banks are lending that money out for different projects, to different companies, to different industries, and one of those big industries is oil and gas,” Landau said. “If you’re at one of the big banks, odds are your money is being used to fund fossil fuel [activity].”
So conversely, “What is powerful is being able to switch and move your money to climate-friendly options. There are banking products now that exist that commit to making sure that your money is not loaned into fossil fuel activity,” Landau explained.
And beyond that, your deposits can even fund climate solutions depending on which bank you choose. For example, the Clean Energy Credit Union is one of GreenPortfolio’s best green banks of 2025 because while your money is secure, it’s also being used to provide loans to other credit union members who are installing renewable energy projects or purchasing electric vehicles.
And as for climate-smart investments like for your 401(k), peep the next section.
💸 Will I make as much money investing in a climate-friendly way?
“Research done by a variety of different entities … shows that when you manage your money sustainably, it tends to actually match normal returns — match and occasionally exceed, occasionally a little less — but generally very similar,” Gurry said.
In fact, a recent study by Morgan Stanley showed that sustainable funds have delivered better returns in the past five years than traditional funds. Translation: If you invested $100 in a sustainable fund in 2018, you’d have $135 by 2024.
The other piece of the puzzle here is that research shows that working with a financial adviser, regardless of whether you’re collaborating on planet-friendly decisions or not, will make you extra money over time.
“There’s a lot of things that an adviser can help you with that will aid you in reaching your financial goals … and that’s separate even from climate,” Gurry said. “To me, it’s a two-step thing: it’s working with an adviser … for growing your family’s money, and then climate is kind of another question.
“For both of those, it’s generally a win-win,” she added. The bottom line? “You don’t have to sacrifice significant returns by investing with your values.”
🤝 How are GreenPortfolio’s advisers vetted?
GreenPortfolio specializes in connecting users for free with financial advisers who respect their climate values, but how are these advisers approved?
“One of the first things we do is a background check. We think that’s incredibly important: Whether climate aligned or not, you should know that the person you’re working with has not been charged with any sort of crime, in particular, a financial crime. We think that’s pretty darn important,” Gurry explained. “We also look through SEC records. We look through different federal records where there would be a sign of [the adviser] doing some sort of malfeasance.”
The team’s vetting of advisers also includes reviewing their commitment to fiduciary duty (aka always putting clients’ interests first), depth of experience, and climate commitment.
“I’d also like to add that we have a qualitative screener for just making sure that the person is a nice human,” Landau said. “You just hear horror stories from people who feel like they’re talked down to or that the power dynamic is off. … You should be able to be the one that feels respected.”
✅ Do I have to do everything at once?
Not at all. Gurry and Landau believe a lot of the planet-friendly impact you make is with a set-it-and-forget mentality. “This is not something you have to do every day. This is not something that’s impossible,” Gurry said.
You can start with one step at a time — like switching money to an eco-friendly checking account. “You can start [there] and just see how it goes,” she added.
“It doesn’t have to be this overwhelming thing, and it can feel good when you do it — it feels really good to use providers that you know align with what’s important to you,” Gurry continued.
And for the record, “Just because your money will be doing something good in a sustainable investment doesn’t mean it’s … not making you money,” Landau added.
Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don’t miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
link