Idealism and Impact

When I started “Sustainable Investment Research Initiative Practicum”, I thought that it was a great opportunity to learn something new. Having worked in the public sector, I’ve seen firsthand how public policies -despite their weaknesses- can shape lives, backed by entire systems designed to improve society. At the same time, I’ve always admired those who, without any formal obligation, take it upon themselves to create and fund (or even self-fund) projects that address complex challenges with real social impact. Some could have chosen more lucrative paths with little impact, yet they opted for something bigger than themselves, some consciously or not embracing a path of effective altruism. As Peter Singer explains in “The Most Good You Can Do” (2015), effective altruists use the reason and evidence to do the most good possible and achieve the greatest impact. I enrolled in this course hoping to better understand how to work on these types of initiatives and gradually immerse myself in this space.

I was fortunate to be selected to collaborate with a client whose vision is both ambitious and deeply inspiring. Their goal—to reduce emissions and support rural communities—is almost idealistic in its aspiration to have an international environmental and social impact, yet so well thought out that they are actively exploring ways to leverage every available tool: financial, regulatory, political, and beyond. They sought our support in identifying potential locations for implementation and navigating financial mechanisms, including carbon markets. While these markets are far from perfect—facing challenges in emission accounting and unintended industry effects—they remain one of the most viable tools for scaling solutions and securing funding.

Initially, my team and I found it difficult to grasp the full scope of the problem, as it combines investment strategies with the technological and technical intricacies of a specific industry. Before this project, I wasn’t even aware that such an issue existed, which only fueled my curiosity. Today, I find myself not just engaged but fully committed, constantly asking: how can we help scale this solution? As we say in my country, I’m now "usando la camiseta del equipo” -fully committed to the mission-.

There was a particular joy in realizing that, through a university course, we could contribute to Latin America -the region where my home country is located-. It felt like everything was coming together. But one of the first tasks we were given was to investigate political and regulatory barriers, which quickly brought me back to reality. How do we transmit confidence in a region that desperately needs investment yet struggles with political, economic, and regulatory instability? How do we maintain objectivity and professionalism?

What initially felt like an exciting opportunity now feels like an ethical responsibility. And that’s where another crucial factor comes in: when faced with a challenge, surrounding yourself with the right people is key. In this case, it means having a strong team. With our diverse cultural backgrounds and perspectives, my team pushes me to think differently, broadening our approach and strengthening our collective impact. This mirrors the essence of our course. We are a group of individuals who, for different reasons, share a common purpose: to learn, to grow, and ultimately, to contribute to meaningful change. The key is to keep supporting each other so that, one day, we can be like the client we were assigned -idealists, yes, but equipped with the best market tools to turn vision into reality-, and maybe in that journey we can become effective altruists ourselves.