Put Your Money Where Mother Earth Is

You can’t care about money and not care about the planet.

We’re fresh off two and a half centuries of economies focusing on one thing: growth.

The result? The climate has been exploited; natural resources have been exploited; and people have been exploited.

Today, the wealth gap is bigger than ever. Economic growth is actually slowing (see examples in the US, China, and the UK). And the IPCC has mounted a global call for an emergency response to the climate crisis. This “growth at all costs” mindset? It isn’t worth it.

Staring climate change in the face makes one thing clear: we need to boldly prioritize creating a sustainable economy.

Protect the Planet, Protect Your Wealth

A sustainable economy is one that is resilient, and which provides a good life for everybody. It also “stays within the limits of the planet and helps keep global warming within the well below 2°C threshold,” says the WWF EU.

While we believe industries (including manufacturing, finance, and natural resource extraction) bear the greatest responsibility in saving our planet, the shift towards a sustainable economy must come from all angles.

That means you, and me, and all our friends must do our parts.

Why? The broader argument is one of morals: we owe it to future generations to leave the planet better than we found it.

But if that doesn’t appeal to you, a starker truth remains: it won’t matter how much money you’ve saved if the earth becomes broadly uninhabitable, marred by frequent disastrous storms and wildfires.

The bottom line: if we don't work towards protecting the planet, our efforts in building wealth for the future are futile.

Act Today to Secure Your Future

We are huge proponents of financial independence and security for all Canadians. We believe in building wealth. We believe all Canadians should live comfortably, without the stress of poverty, and free of that paycheque to paycheque cycle.

But we also believe that there is no “Planet B”, and that we all need to act immediately to create massive change. Humans are responsible for climate change, and humans will need to take responsibility for healing the planet, too.

It’s a fallacy that only politicians and big companies can meaningfully help save our planet.

We all have a role to play.

So we’ve made some changes around here, and we’ve found a way for Canadians to continue to grow their own wealth while contributing to the creation of a sustainable economy, and while helping to heal the planet.

And get this: it’s free.

Planting Trees For You, For Free

Did you know that the Mogo Visa* Platinum Prepaid Card is totally free?

Our commitment to fighting climate change isn’t new. We’ve already offset 35+ million pounds of CO2 by purchasing carbon offsets to reduce our corporate carbon footprint. And for the record, we’ve got 1.6+ million MogoMembers. If we all worked together, well—that’s a lot of tree planting. That’s massive change.

Canada’s established climate goal is to reach net-carbon neutrality by 2050—but we think that’s too far away. So we’ve hatched a plan.

Yep. The entire country.

There’s no point growing your wealth if you don’t have a hospitable climate to live comfortably within. It’s time to put your money where your mouth is, and join us as we lead the way in fighting climate change.

It’s never too late to make a change for the better.

Join us and get your free MogoCard today.

This blog is provided for informational purposes only. *Trademark of Visa International Service Association and used under licence by Peoples Trust Company. Mogo Visa Platinum Prepaid Card is issued by Peoples Trust Company pursuant to licence by Visa Int. and is subject to Terms and Conditions, visit mogo.ca for full details. Your MogoCard balance is not insured by the Canada Deposit Insurance Corporation (CDIC). MogoCard means the Mogo Visa Platinum Prepaid Card.

1-According to research conducted by Veritree Technology Inc. 500 lbs. is an approximate amount based on Above-Ground-Carbon (AGC) and Below Ground Carbon (BGC) sequestration estimates contained in several scientific research papers regarding the carbon sequestration of Mangrove trees (the “Research”). The Research contains various ranges for the rate of carbon sequestration per hectare of land. In order to arrive at the approximate amount of 500 lbs., Veritree triangulated data points from the Research regarding AGC and BGC sequestration estimates, and then converted those results into the approximate amount of lbs. per tree.

2-An average Canadian emits approximately 42,000 lbs of CO2 in one year. Each tree will absorb approximately 500lbs of CO2 over its lifetime (approximately 25 years). For every purchase made with the MogoCard, a tree will be planted. If you used your MogoCard for 10 purchases each month, 10 trees would be planted. If 10 trees were planted every month for a year, that would be 120 trees, and those 120 trees would absorb a combined total of 60,000 lbs of CO2 over their lifetimes (25 years), making the average Canadian climate positive. Learn more: Blog.

3-Based on the most recently available data from 2019 and assuming future data follows a similar trajectory. If 20% of the approximately 17.79 billion transactions done in Canada in 2019, including by cash, credit card, debit card, prepaid card and via ATM, were instead done on the MogoCard that would result in approximately 3.5 billion trees being planted. 3.5 billion trees multiplied by 500 lbs of CO2 equals 1.75 trillion pounds of CO2 offset over the lifetime of the trees (approximately 25 years) which exceeds the approximately 1.609 trillion pounds of carbon that Canada emitted in 2019, thereby making Canada’s 2019 carbon footprint climate positive (by eliminating more CO2 than emitted). Learn more: Blog