The School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS) has played an integral role in the Great Lakes Impact Investment Platform from its inception, including the leadership role played by Jon Allan, senior academic and research program officer, as well as the role that Drew Gronewold, associate professor of ecosystem science and management, and his students played in setting up and maintaining the Platform's web-based functionality and data collection protocols.  

CHICAGO/PRNewswire—The Great Lakes Impact Investment Platform today announced the environmental performance of its participating sustainability projects across eight U.S. states and two Canadian provinces. Collectively, the projects are reducing 3 million tons of carbon, protecting more than 30,000 acres of forest and farmland, saving 110 million kilowatts of energy, and saving 5.4 million gallons of water. This captures the total environmental performance of those projects. Projects can report their annual or lifetime performance.

The Platform features projects in the Great Lakes states of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Québec. These projects aim to create both a financial return for investors as well as environmental improvements. Overall, the Platform features 45 projects representing nearly US$4.5 billion in economic value.

"The Platform seeks to harness the growing power of impact investing for the benefit of our region," said David Naftzger, Great Lakes St. Lawrence Governors & Premiers (GSGP) Executive Director. "In addition to significant, ongoing investments from government, today's report illustrates the additional impact that private capital can help deliver."

GSGP manages the Platform in collaboration with The Nature Conservancy, the School for Environment and Sustainability and Center for Smart Infrastructure Finance at the University of Michigan, and Environmental Consulting & Technology, Inc. (ECT).

The Platform aims to position the Great Lakes region as a global destination for investments that boost climate resilience, reduce emissions and create other benefits. The region is rich with opportunity for investors seeking to deploy impact capital. The impacts delivered by Platform projects align with 10 of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The Platform's current projects include:

• Green bonds funding renewable energy generation, energy efficiency and watershed protections;
• Preservation projects protecting forest and critical wildlife habitat; and,
• Outcomes-based financing structures for innovative land remediation projects.

"The Platform's ability to showcase great investments and projects, and amplify our work is really important to our mission," said Mary Templeton, President and CEO, Michigan Saves. "When more people and investors know about the economic and other benefits of investing in projects that save energy and protect our water and natural resources, it creates that tipping point that allows for the costs of equipment, installation and capital to decrease – creating even more accessibility for individuals, businesses and governments."

Experts with the Great Lakes Impact Investment Platform, specific partners and project owners are available to meet with communities, organizations and investors that may want to collaborate to drive positive environmental change.