At Sunrise Banks, customers can opt for their deposits to be loaned out only to projects that will reduce carbon emissions.
From the article:
Wildenborg serves as a project leader for Sunrise Banks’ net zero banking initiative, which launched in July 2024. Net zero banking refers to the investment in projects that will reduce or eliminate carbon emissions. Customers of the bank can opt in and allow their deposits to be loaned out only to net zero projects. Since launching its net zero program, Sunrise Banks has received $5.5 million in deposits and has loaned out nearly $22 million. [...] “Many people don’t realize that when they deposit their money with a bank, those funds are loaned out to projects,” Wildenborg says. “With this program at Sunrise, we put that money where our values are, which means in the projects that will reduce carbon emissions — in turn having a positive impact on our community and environment.” Wildenborg says one customer shared that he never thought about what the money in his bank account was used for. After realizing he wants to create a more sustainable future for his kids, he moved all his money to Sunrise Banks and opted into the net zero deposits program. “The more they understand how their money is used,” Wildenborg says, “the more empowered they can be to ensure that their money is going towards cutting their own bank emissions and helping build climate resilient communities.”
This is one of the more overlooked ways that everyday people can help with the climate crisis. Banks with programs like this, usually called "green banking" or "net zero banking", are all over the place and more are popping up all the time as consumer interest grows. If you have to put your money in a bank anyway, it's an easy decision for a lot of people to put in in a bank where it's going to be used to support climate-friendly projects when they have the option.