With issues such as global warming making frequent headlines the past few years, concern for and awareness of the environment has increased dramatically among consumers. The impact of this concern can be seen in everyday life, with environmentally-friendly practices such as recycling and organic farming gaining traction in communities across North Carolina. These practices allow people in one way or another to do their part for the environment

Self-Help Credit Union offers environmentally-conscious members a chance to put their money where their values are by offering an Environmental Term Certificate (CD). The Environmental CD has a variety of maturity terms to choose from and gives members a return on their invested dollars while supporting Self-Help’s Environmental Stewardship Initiative.

While concern for the environment continues to gain traction in the national dialogue, Self-Help is actually a longtime player in the field -- the Self-Help CD and the program it supports have been around since 1995. According to Self-Help's Brian Schneiderman, the CD product and the Environmental Stewardship Initiative evolved out of the credit union's loan to a recycling business. In the years since, the credit union has provided more than $29 million to NC businesses that manufacture, purchase or sell environmentally friendly goods and services.

One such business that has benefited from the Environmental Stewardship Initiative is Piedmont Biofuels, a small cooperative located in Pittsboro. Self-Help made a loan to the co-op in 2007 so it could purchase a truck to collect waste grease from Triangle-area restaurants. (see more about the Piedmont Biofuels loan by clicking here).

The loan to Piedmont Biofuels impacted the co-op and the communities it serves in a variety of ways. The truck allowed the cooperative to dramatically increase its collection of waste grease, which keeps the cost of fuel lower for the 500 members of the co-op who purchase biodiesel. Perhaps equally as important, the interaction between Piedmont Biofuels and the restaurants it collects grease from has allowed the co-op to reduce pollution and promote other environmentally friendly practices within the local restaurant industry.

For Self-Help, that win-win scenario for the community is the true sweet spot of the Environmental Stewardship Initiative. The credit union seeks out projects that positively impact the environment, economy and community development --what Self-Help calls the "triple bottom line."

While environmentally-friendly investing and lending is a business opportunity for credit unions, Schneiderman notes that it's not for every organization. "We've learned from experience that this type of program takes a lot of research and a total commitment at all levels of an organization," Scheiderman said. "You've got to be able to walk the walk."