Cultivating Change
The Path UN SDG Tree
Purpose
At Path, our investment strategy and investment portfolios invest for positive impact.
Positive impact investing is an investment strategy built around a measurable framework that seeks to improve outcomes for both people and planet. At Path, our portfolios are constructed in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, 17 individual goals that act as a blueprint for developed and developing societies to follow in order to ensure that the most pressing issues our planet faces – poverty, education, equality and climate action – are at the forefront of how we live and to ensure a sustainable future for generations to come.
Some of us may be very familiar with the UN SDGs, and some of us may not have had the opportunity to consider them in detail before. Knowing that our personal choices can have huge impact on the individual goals, it can leave us feeling very overwhelmed – a list of 17 abstract targets is a difficult concept to apply to our real lives.
We hope that our UN SDG Tree will serve as an important meeting place and visual reminder of the goals, where our team can discuss what we do and why we do it, and the importance of acting now – including the easy steps you can take to align your personal finances with your values.
We chose a tree, as a symbol of transformation and unity – and as a symbol of the long-term sustainable growth that can be achieved when we work together.
Construction
Our sustainability and our environmental impact are at the core of who we are.
Created by our local artists Victoria & Ashley Jansen in Hastings, it was important for our Tree sculpture to represent our environmental and social commitments while being sturdy enough to be dismantled and transported easily to wherever we are in the UK, to spread our message far and wide. When dismantled, our tree fits into a short-wheelbase van, avoiding the requirement for a larger vehicle.
Our UN SDG Tree is made of upcycled materials, including pallet wood leftover from the construction of Vicki & Ashley’s home, and the remainder sourced from local building sites and local driveways. The supporting centre rings within the trunk of the tree have been made with rescued timber following the demolition of Hastings Helenswood Upper School – giving new purpose to the old school science lab desks. Keen to never let a piece of timber go to waste, Ashley has also created the leaves from reclaimed oak cladding following a friend’s renovation – that Vicki has painted in the corresponding Sustainable Development Goal colours using Lakeland Paints, one of the most eco-friendly paint brands available.
Aside from a very small amount of non-toxic, solvent free glue, every part of the tree has been made from reclaimed and locally sourced materials, including the wooden dowels and pins used to secure everything in place.
The slots in the trunk of the Tree allow for your seed-paper pledges to by posted and stored within it, before being planted in our Path Positive Impact Garden.
The journey so far
Our UN SDG Tree will accompany us to various events around the UK, and we will update this page regularly with key moments on our tree’s journey.
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March 2022
WOW Festival
INVESTING FOR GENDER BALANCE & DIVERSITY
Our Tree’s inaugural outing was at the Women of the World (WOW) Festival on March 11 – 13 2022. You could find us in the Marketplace throughout the weekend, where our female staff and our UN SDG Tree were present, discussing financial empowerment for women and girls and Gender Equality within the finance industry as a whole. -
June 2022
Reset Connect
THE LEADING SUSTAINABILITY & NET-ZERO EVENT
Path was present at the Advisor Hub over the two days, highlighting what conference delegates could do with their own pensions, savings and investments to align their money with their values; protecting the planet without sacrificing performance. As a pioneer in the Positive Impact world, our founder David Macdonald was invited to give talks over both days on Positive Impact investment.
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July 2022
Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival
SEEDING CHANGE
Path was at the world-famous Flower Festival this year spreading the green money message to the green-fingered show visitors. This time, we were not with our tree but with our green £ sculpture.
Most of the Path team were at the show over the course of the week, sharing our message and handing out our wildflower seed sticks.
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September 2022
Green Party Conference
PATH PRESENTS: MONEY, PLANET & YOU
Path hosted a Fringe event at this year’s Green Party autumn conference on Friday 30th of September and manned an information stand for the duration of the conference. The Fringe event was open to conference attendees and highlighted the power pensions and investments have for bad and for good, and the steps individuals can take to make their savings work hard for them and the future they are saving for.
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November 2022
Ethical Consumer Week 2022
CONSUMER ACTION
Path was in attendance (along with our UN SDG Tree) at the Ethical Consumer Conference where the theme of the day was ‘What’s the role of consumer action in the cost of living crisis?’. In the lead up to the conference, Path held a free webinar titled ‘The shocking truth about your money: and what you can do about it…’, exploring the role money has in supporting destructive industries such as mining, oil and gas. Many people don’t realise the role their money is playing in harming our planet – or how easy it is to change.
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October 2023
Green Party Autumn Conference 2023
THE POWER OF PENSIONS AND INVESTMENTS
Path Financial had an information stand at this year’s conference where we highlighted the power pensions and investments have for bad and for good, and the steps individuals can take to make their savings work hard for them and the future they are saving for.
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November 2023
Ethical Consumer Week 2023
THE ROLE OF CONSUMER ACTIVISM IN CREATING THRIVING COMMUNITIES
Thursday 9th of November saw most of the Path team head to Shoreditch to attend the in-person conference at the Rich Mix centre for the sold out event.
A COLLECTIVE CALL FOR CHANGE
Our accreditations and memberships
RISK WARNING
As always with investments, your capital is at risk. The value of your investment can go down as well as up, and you may get back less than you invest. This information should not be regarded as financial advice.