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Since 2020, we have been hearing that over 50% of global GDP is moderately or highly dependent on nature. In reality, 100% of human existence relies on nature. As the fundamental building block of life and the economy, we need to shift our thinking on the value Nature brings to the Sustainability Transition and how it shows up on the balance sheet of the economy. With Climate Week upon us and the release of TNFD’s final framework, now more than ever is our opportunity to include nature in every decision we make and every action we take. These thoughtful actions must shift global financial flows to innovate new and scale existing solutions, resources, and skills that contribute to nature-positive outcomes.
Hari Balasubramanian, founder of EcoAdvisors and EcoInvestors Capital, is a proven sustainability expert who is driven by the belief that more capital, and all types, can be deployed to achieve positive impact. Hari helps create enduring and profitable social and environmental solutions across sectors, asset classes, and the capital stack. He has worked alongside over 300 projects in 5 languages and 60+ countries and influenced over U$4B in sustainability-oriented financing – helping protect threatened species, forests, oceans, and the people who depend upon them.
In this live virtual fireside chat and audience Q&A, Impact Entrepreneur’s Laurie Lane-Zucker welcomes Hari Balasubramanian to discuss the Sustainability Transition and how leaders engage and value Nature each step of the way — from prioritizing actions and setting targets to executing across value chains and managing and measuring progress.
Hari Balasubramanian is a senior sustainability professional with experience in environmental finance, sustainability integration, impact investing and large-scale program development. Starting with coastal and marine projects, he later led the monitoring and evaluation function at Conservation International where he oversaw hundreds of projects around the world. In 2012, Hari traded in his SCUBA gear for a business suit and founded EcoAdvisors, a Certified B Corporation® which advises governments, corporations, foundations, and individuals on values alignment and capital disbursement. More recently, he founded EcoInvestors Capital which invests for sustainability at scale. He currently serves as a Director for several environmental charities and funds, a mentor to start-ups, and an advisor to investors, corporates, and governments on the value of nature and the future of sustainability. In 2021, Clean Leaders recognized him among Canada’s top impact consultants and enablers. He holds a BSc in Biology from McGill University and an MSc in Geography (Distinction) from Oxford University.
Laurie Lane-Zucker is Founder and CEO of Impact Entrepreneur, PBC, an impact economy business that hosts the Impact Entrepreneur Network — a large, global network of “systems-minded” entrepreneurs, investors, and scholars of social and environmental innovation — and editor and publisher of Impact Entrepreneur, a digital magazine covering the emerging Impact Economy. For over 30 years, Laurie has been a “pioneer” (Forbes) and recognized leader in sustainability, social enterprise, and impact investing. Laurie was the founding Executive Director of the international environmental organization, Orion Society, which publishes the celebrated Orion Magazine, as well as the founder of a global sustainability think-tank, the Triad Institute, and Hotfrog, a Founding B Corporation, GIIRS Pioneer Company, and the first company ever to complete an equity transaction on an impact investment exchange. Laurie is the bestselling and multiple award-winning publisher and editor of books and magazines on sustainability and social impact — having worked with such acclaimed authors as Wendell Berry, Barry Lopez, Terry Tempest Williams, and David James Duncan — and the author of numerous articles on entrepreneurship and impact investing. Laurie is contributing author to the recently published academic textbook from World Scientific, Sustainability: Business and Investment Implications (2023).