Is Kiva "Green"? - Screening businesses for environmental sustainability

[Guest]

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[hbcheney]

Hi,

I just saw a PBS show about Kiva. It sounds great and I want to participate, but, the one concern I have is that the businesses are not being screened for environmental impacts. 

For example, one the businesses featured on the PBS show was a woman named Molly who wanted to expand her charcoal-selling business in Uganda.  A week or so ago I saw another PBS show about how the mountain gorillas in Africa are almost extinct b/c native people are burning down their habitant to create charcoal, since charcoal is one of the only viable businesses they have there.

I wholly support fostering third world businesses and helping them become more self-sufficient, but NOT if those businesses have serious detrimental environmental impacts.  There are enough already-existing businesses all over the world (the US included) that at minimum are not environmentally sustainable and at most are causing severe damage to our planet… let’s not foster any more of them!   

Can you tell me what Kiva is doing about this issue?  Thank you.

[Soriak]

Welcome

Kiva doesn't screen businesses for environmental sustainability but you can pick directly to whom you wish to loan. If you take a look at the business description, you should be able to estimate the sort of impact it may have on the environment and avoid the business if you think it is too high. We also have some Vegans, for example, who avoid businesses dealing with meat.

Hope that helps 

[Dagfinn]

This is an interesting question - let me share the view I take on this:  It is I and all other Kiva supporters that makes up Kiva and to make Kiva green or at least greener I have to turn to myself.  Hence, I have started bringing used plastic bags when shopping so as not to increase more to the garbage problem.  I change products when I find out they use to much packing material (example a tea bag wrapped 5 times!) and I do not shop for the sheer pleasure of shopping.
I no longer have a car and use the public transport instead (saving me money as well).  I do recycle glass and paper and so on.  I turn off electricuty I do not need and have lowered the temperature 2 degrees.

My point being - I start with myself and not with a woman in Uganda that does her best to make a decent living.  I am sure I can find more ways for myself to be greener and as one small wheel of Kiva make it green;) - I would challenge your concern asking you what else I myself can do to make Kiva green 

[KivanSteven]

Always valid concerns hbcheney...that have recently been addressed here on KF, but of course the issue is always a fresh one...here are a couple links where you will find discussion relating to gorilla habitat and the bush meat issue.

http://www.kivafriends.org/index.php/topic,1025.130.html

http://www.kivafriends.org/index.php/topic,1279.0.html

[Milford]

It is I and all other Kiva supporters that makes up Kiva and to make Kiva green or at least greener I have to turn to myself. 

(...)

My point being - I start with myself and not with a woman in Uganda that does her best to make a decent living.

I try to start with both myself and my borrowers. I agree entirely with what you said about Kiva being us, its users, and thus I feel it is up to me to screen whatever loans I choose to fund. As a suggestion to the initial poster, I'd say one could choose to only fund those businesses who clearly have a environmental-friendly side to them, such as repairing a bus, expanding a scrap business, and so on. There are quite a few of those out there if one is looking.