Introduction
The Green Stock Exchange (GREENSX) is the first social stock exchange in North America. We are "empowering earth friendly and humanity friendly businesses ", such as social businesses (also called social benefit organizations).
The Green Stock Exchange (GREENSX) is a new “Web 3.0 eBAY.COM AUCTION STYLED” online electronic bulletin board and social network dedicated to Direct Public Offerings (“DPO”) and to the secondary market trading of SEC exempted Regulation A, SB-1, SB-2, small company offering registration (SCOR) shares and carbon trading under the United States Securities Act of 1933, with focus on small eco-friendly, socially responsible and sustainable businesses.
The Green Stock Exchange (GREENSX) will be great for social businesses, as well as for small businesses. Small business has added 20 million new jobs over the last 15 years to the US economy, using less than 1% of publicly traded equity capital. Therefore, it is obvious that if small businesses had more access to public money, they could propel the economy forward in a spectacular fashion.
Financial funding for small green businesses
are scarce with public money; SustainAbility, a consultancy and think tank, says " money remains the main headache for social businesses; 72% of the social businesses surveyed cited raising money as their main challenge". The Green Stock Exchange (GREENSX) intend to bridge this funding gap. It allows investors of green businesses to have more options for quicker exit strategies. Many businesses with triple bottom lines (values, social and economic) make plenty of money - look at Aveda, Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream, The Body Shop, Smith and Hawkins. It is possible to be both ecologically sustainable and economically profitable.
88% of people think it is important for companies not to only
be profitable, but to be conscious of their impact on
the environment and on society.* Furthermore, 82% of U.S. citizens are concern about climate change.** The changes in consumer lifestyles that we are seeing are not simply a passing trend because they are carried
through by a reality: climate change, pollution, scarcity of raw materials, and economic disorder. The responsible consumer is a growing trend.
No wonder worldwide, it is estimated that so-called socially responsible investments (SRI) represent USD $3 trillion in assets. These SRI are mostly unavailable to small green businesses because mostly they are not listed on any stock markets; now, the SRI is mostly invested in traditional businesses that have greener policies than their competitors (example: SHELL instead of CHEVRON). That is probably due to the limited number of SRI choices on where to invest the green dollars in the stock market.
Approximately two-thirds this amount comes from the American market. In Canada, such assets represent approximately CAD $ 50 billion. In a recent poll, 53% of Canadian respondents said they were interested or highly interested in responsible investment. Socially responsible investment is a significant, growing phenomenon and is sharply increasing in the United States, largely exceeding the increase in the market as a whole. In fact, the phenomenon has given rise to a brand new sector of firms offering socially responsible investment consulting and financial products. (source: Quebec National Assembly, 2002), Furthermore, the Green Stock Exchange (GREENSX) also provides over 1,000,000 charitable organizations in the United States (with $1.76-Trillion in assets) with an opportunity to get involved in social investments.
Furthermore, the Green Stock Exchange (GREENSX)'s “ uses an eBAY.COM AUCTION STYLED” system for trading carbon credits.
The Kyoto pact has spurred a carbon trading market was around $30 billion in 2006 as per the estimates of the International Emissions Trading Association. Some analysts estimate that it could grow into a $3 trillion market over the next 20 years.
Founded by artist & social entrepreneur David Kam in 2007, the Green Stock Exchange (GREENSX) is a division owned and regulated by the E=MC² Company Inc. The E=MC² Company is a different kind of company. We are social entrepreneurs (our definition of "social entrepreneur" is a mission driven enterprise that makes money, while benefiting society”).
Our Collaborative Platform
The Green Stock Exchange (GREENSX) is designed as a Web 3.0 collaborative system and social network for bringing together investors, issuers, companies, non-profit organizations and people interested in small eco-friendly, socially responsible and sustainable businesses, including those in the creative industry (music, art, movies, performances). Note that issuers in the creative industry needs to keep their social and creative ideals central to their mission - to ensure both a sustainable enterprise and great art.
Don Tapscott, author of Wikinomics: How Mass Collaboration Changes Everything, urges people to consider new business models, including the wiki workplace and open platforms, which tap into the collaborative spirit. Push programs assume demand can be forecast and treat people as passive consumers. In Wikinomics, the new pull platforms are customized and flexible and treat people as networked creators. For example, rather than relying on music companies to pre-determine the mix of songs on a CD, an increasing number of music listeners are downloading individual tracks and assembling their own tailored sequence of songs. Another good example is blogging tools that provide everyone with the capability of quickly “publishing” their perspectives and creative content like music, photos and even video (example YOUTUBE.COM) and making it broadly available to others.
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As shown in our business model on the right, the Green Stock Exchange (GREENSX) is fully integrated with our grass roots green social network (like
MYSPACE.COM & FACEBOOK.COM), called the E=MC² Creative Friends Network; the community platform allows millions of people and organizations to actively participate in the investment, creation, sales, manufacturing, promotion and distribution of more earth friendly and more humanity friendly products.
Furthermore, through our Green Business Certified Logo program, we can certify to consumers that a company is a green business, by meeting the following social
and sustainable guidelines.
We are part of a grass-roots un-organized international green movement that is loosely identified as LOHAS (Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability). LOHAS members are those
who are passionate about organic foods, the environment,
the planet, social issues, health, about human
rights, relationships, fair trade, sustainable
practices, peace, spiritual and personal development. The LOHAS market is valued at $546 billion market worldwide, and growing, but it is also fragmented and difficult to reach. We intend to unite the worldwide green movement, as well as making it easier to drive more investments into small green companies.
Creative Capitalism
The exchange fosters “creative capitalism”, by not only generating wealth, but also benefiting society; our collaborative system encourages healthier lifestyles, fair-trade, sustainability, protecting the environment, creativity, diversity, helping the poor and charity.
Examples of "social entrepreneurship": are micro-credit to the poor (founded by Nobel Peace Prize winning Dr. Muhammad Yunus founder of Grameen Bank), The Body Shop (when it was first founded for more environmentally friendly cosmetics) and Plumpy’nut (a nutritious food bar created by André Briend to feed the malnourished poor). The Green Stock Exchange (GREENSX) will bring a brighter future for mankind, and for planet earth. As explained earlier, socially responsible investments already represent USD $3 trillion in assets worldwide.
More recently, on November 12, 2007 Canada's Financial Post observed that "ethical investment funds now represent a significant portion of the total funds worldwide - somewhere between 15% and 30%, depending on country and investment criteria. These funds are not investing this way to be nice, they are doing so because it makes sense. The JANTZI Index [started in January 2000, with Dow Jones and the Montreal-based State Street Global Advisors as partners] for example, contains a portfolio of 60 CSR firms, and it consistently outperforms the Canadian stock market."
Since all the listed companies on the exchange are pre-screened, evaluated, and audited according to social and sustainable guidelines set by the exchange, it will make it much easier for green investors to find and support social entrepreneurs.
Furthermore, we donate 15% of all trading fees to charity (E=MC² Foundation), so we can support charitable programs such as MakeHungerHistory.com to alleviate hunger and poverty. We hope to raise $100 million thorough various efforts to make the world a better place.
Come join the green revolution!
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Why the Need for a New Green Stock Exchange (GREENSX)?
- GREENSX makes it easier for green investors
to find and support social entrepreneurs;
- The most active IPO market for
small green companies is now AIM in London, not USA or Canada;
- GREENSX makes public offerings for small green businesses easier & less costly;
- Provides early stage investors, venture capitalists, and angel investors with a quicker exit strategy, in addition to more liquidity for their securities;
- Social businesses are wary of listing on a mainstream exchange for fear of having their social mission hijacked; green businesses have different philosophies than traditional businesses;
- Our Certified Green Business Logo program helps consumers identified that a company is certified green by meeting the social
and sustainable guidelines set by the exchange;
- Makes trading of small SEC exempted securities on secondary markets easier; shares includes regulation A, SB-1, SB-2, and small company offering registration (SCOR) shares;
- Traditionally, a small social business that wants to raise $ 25 million or less via a IPO cannot find an underwriter, but now it is possible with the GREENSX;
- Green investors may be more patient, since all business on the GREENSX benefits society;
- GREENSX attracts pension funds interested in green businesses (social businesses);
- GREENSX creates more companies that support: environment, fair trade and social causes;
- Foundations and philanthropists may find it attractive to invest part of their charity money into GREENSX companies;
- GREENSX provides greater visibility for green businesses (social businesses).
Since, all the listed companies on the exchange
are pre-screened, evaluated, and audited according
to social
and sustainable guidelines set by the exchange,
it will become easier for individual investors
to finance more eco-friendly, socially responsible
and sustainable businesses. Make
money, while benefiting society.
The Green Stock Exchange (GREENSX) helps green investors to support green companies that take responsibility
as members of our global community to make efforts to mitigate
environmental degradation, to address issues of social
justice and to promote healthy communities, in the pursuit
of their financial objectives.
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The eBAY.COM Auction Styled Carbon Trading System
Carbon trading on the Green Stock Exchange (GREENSX) is also a “Web 3.0 eBAY.COM AUCTION STYLED” system, whereby registered brokers for the Green Stock Exchange (GREENSX) can list and auction off carbon emission credits and other environmental products.
The Kyoto |