“Great Lakes of Opportunity” Playbook to Spur Investment in Environmental Projects

On August 16, 2022, the Great Lakes Impact Investment Platform and the Conservation Finance Network released the “Great Lakes of Opportunity” playbook to help spur environmentally focused investment deals in the Great Lakes St. Lawrence region.

In recent years, governments and the private sector have invested billions of dollars to improve the environment in the region. However, a gap of billions still exists to achieve regional goals. The rapidly growing areas of conservation finance and impact investment, which encompass a range of strategies meant to raise, manage, and deploy capital or align incentives for environmental improvements, holds great promise to help close this gap. This playbook outlines a set of strategies to expand the project pipeline and attract investment for regional action.

“Demand for high-integrity environmental outcomes has never been higher. With strong collaboration and leadership, regional practitioners can create incredible opportunities for project and market activity to help address social and environmental needs,” said Leigh Whelpton, Executive Director of the Conservation Finance Network, and co-author of the playbook.

David Naftzger, Executive Director of the Conference of Great Lakes St. Lawrence Governors & Premiers, added, “For the first time, we have an action plan to help unlock impact investment in our region. Now begins the hard work where we collectively roll up our sleeves, build new partnerships, and create new projects and programs to benefit our environment and our people.” 

“Great Lakes of Opportunity: A Playbook to Accelerate the Region’s Conservation Finance Project Pipeline” is available here. The Great Lakes Impact Investment Platform and the Conservation Finance Network will host a webinar about the playbook on Thursday, September 8 at 1:00 p.m. ET. Please register here.