The mission of financial literacy is to equip individuals with the necessary information to make sound financial decisions that impact their daily life. These decisions can directly impact the environment as well, but what is the connection between financial literacy and environmental stewardship? Should you focus on making money at the expense of our environment? Should you protect the environment and sacrifice your standard of living? Is there a happy medium that allows you to generate income as you protect the only planet we know and have access to for all humanity and for future generations to enjoy?

This module is to help you connect the dots between financial literacy principles and environmental stewardship responsibility, in which SUSTAINABILITY is the keyword. In seeking financial health, sustainability is the capacity to endure a lifestyle without depleting or permanently damaging renewable financial resources. In ecology, sustainability is how biological systems remain diverse and productive indefinitely. It is the endurance of systems and processes. The core of our discussion in both financial literacy and environmental stewardship principles is to place sustainability at the heart of both disciplines.

Environmental stewardship through sustainability is the responsible use and protection of our natural resources through conservation and sustainable practices. It refers to methods and processes humans use in their treatment of land, water resources, and animals and plants to meet their needs without hindering the needs of the future generations. It calls for humans to operate within an environmental, economic, social, and ethical context about the planet. Sustainability becomes an integral part of such an operation and is best achieved when incorporated with other components in our society. It is finding a balance between satisfying human needs, but using renewable natural resources. Many opportunities exist to consider environmental sustainability in your daily practice through the use of the following financial literacy principles: budgeting, protecting your assets, differentiating between your needs and wants, saving, and investing.

Purchasing - Exercise your power as a well-informed consumer in purchasing or procuring supplies and products that meet your daily needs as well as those of the environment, such as non-toxic cleaning products, items made with renewable resources, minimal packaging, etc.,
Foodservice - Buy locally grown products and implement recycling and composting programs.
Landscaping - Eliminate all harmful products, practice water conservation, go green and organic.
Transportation - Encourage the use of carpooling, combining trips, and eliminating wasteful use of fuel.
Practice the 3 Rs - Reuse, Recycle, and Reduce.

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You can already recognize the intimate relationship between the principles of environmental stewardship and financial literacy in managing your money to reach a life of financial security and freedom. Now, let's learn how can we save our environment as well as money!

Chapter 1. Foundations of environmental stewardship

Chapter 2. Foundation of financial literacy

Chapter 3. Links between money and the environment

Chapter 4. What is the impact of your financial decisions on the environment?

Chapter 5. Ways to help save money and protect the environment

Test your knowledge!

This was made possible in partnership with The Singleton Foundation for Financial Literacy and Entrepreneurship. This video and more videos like this can be found on Millionstories.com.