The Green Stock Exchange (GREENSX) is "empowering earth friendly and humanity friendly businesses". The exchange serves 2 main sectors:

(1) Socially Responsible Investments (SRI); and

(2) LOHAS (Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability).

(1) Socailly Responsible Investments (SRI)

The exchange fosters “creative capitalism”, by not only generating wealth, but also benefiting society.

Worldwide, it is estimated that so-called socially responsible investments represent USD $3 trillion in assets. Approximately two-thirds this amount comes from the American market. In Canada, such assets represent approximately CAD $ 50 billion. In a recent poll, 53% of Canadian respondents said they were interested or highly interested in responsible investment. Socially responsible investment is a significant, growing phenomenon and is sharply increasing in the United States, largely exceeding the increase in the market as a whole. In fact, the phenomenon has given rise to a brand new sector of firms offering socially responsible investment consulting and financial products. (source: Quebec National Assembly, 2002)

The Green Stock Exchange (GREENSX) makes it easier for green investors to find and support socially responsible investments, since all companies listed on the exchange are pre-screened according to social and environmental guideline.

(2) LOHAS (Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability)

LOHAS is an acronym for Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability. It is a $230 billion market segment in the United States alone and a $546 billion market worldwide. The term LOHAS was first coined by sociologist Paul Ray and psychologist Sherry Anderson, co-authors of The Cultural Creatives (also founders of Gaiam, LOHAS Journal and Forum in 1999). Other authors, such as Richard Florida in his book the Flight of the Creative Class calls this group of people the Creative Class, while Ronald Ingelhardt in his book The Silent Revolution calls this group Post Materialists. LOHAS marketers call this group by many other names including: lohasians, conscious consumers, progressive consumers, tree huggers, humanist, responsible consumers, and green consumers, but none want to be labeled as such.

LOHAS consumers are those who are passionate about the environment, the planet, social issues, health, about human rights, relationships, fair trade, sustainable practices, peace, spiritual and personal development. The LOHAS numbers show that an enormous consumer market exists for sustainable and healthy products. The marketplace includes goods and services such as the following sub-sectors:

• Green Media (eco-publications and advertising )
  
  
• Green Technology (hybrid and electric cars; energy efficient electronics/appliances, air purifiers, soy inks for printing presses, soy plastic, waste treatment, recycling)
  
  
• Cultural Industry (Art & Entertainment)
  
  
• Fair Trade Fashion and Eco-Fashion (fair-trade fashion, organic and natural fabrics)
  
  
• Natural Foods & Beverages (organic and natural food/beverages)
  
  
• Natural Health (vitamin and herbal supplements, natural personal care product manufacturers, yoga products/services, massage centers, spas, fitness products, natural diabetic friendly products, natural and preventive medicine, naturopathic, and Chinese medicines; personal development ...etc.)
  
  
• Green Energy (wind power, fuel cell, solar power, biofuel)
  
  
• Socially Responsible Investing (SRI)
  
  
• Sustainable Products (green and sustainable building; natural household products, sustainable paper goods, cleaning products, gardening)
  
  
• Carbon Trading
  
  
• Everything Else Green (eco-tours, hiking and wilderness trips; environmental consulting ...etc.)

Indeed, countries around the world are showing interest—Japan, Taiwan, China, Australia, New Zealand, India, Germany, Holland, England, France, Canada, and more—all want to understand and integrate LOHAS principles into their own cultures. LOHAS now represent 23% of the population (about 50 million adults) in the United States, and 29% of the population in Japan (about 37 million). What is astounding is the speed with which the group appeared, moving from less than 4 percent of the U.S. population in the 1960s to more than 23% percent in the 1990s, a new record for such a population trend. LOHAS consumers cuts across all age and demographic groups, comprising mainly of artists, writers, designers, scientists, doctors, lawyers, engineers, creative professionals, managers, venture capitalists, technicians , solution seekers, and socially conscious consumers.

It is truly a transformational lifestyle concept. The holistic world view of the LOHAS consumer is a belief in the interconnectedness of global economies, cultures, environments, and political systems, as well as the interconnectedness of mind, body, and spirit within individuals in order to achieve full human potential. As opposed to a typical demographical group defined by age, income, or other definitive means, the LOHAS consumer cuts across those boundaries and is representative of more "higher-being" ideals. Their social consciousness, rather than their generation or socioeconomic status defines these LOHAS consumers. LOHAS consumer cuts across demographic age boundaries and is representative of more "higher-being" ideals. Theirs is a lifestyle that includes:

• Brand loyalty (perceived benefits to themselves and to society)
• Express themselves, and influence over others
• Price insensitivity
• Creative people need to express themselves, to show their identity
• Hear different kinds of music and try different kinds of food
• Want to meet and socialize with people unlike themselves
•Trade views and spar over issues
• Combine "hip/cool" with "green"
• Quality that is as good as or better than that of typical non-green products
• Consume less and are less materialistic
• Make informed decisions, the ones who read the labels well beyond the ingredient list
• Decision to choose one product over another is based on the overall company ideals
• Environment is at the core of the LOHAS consumers' belief system
• Fair trade, sustainability, shade grown, or ethical practices, coincide with LOHAS consumers' interests, attitudes, and beliefs.

Throughout the United States the major natural foods supermarkets, such as Whole Foods Market and Wild Oats Markets (recently acquired by Whole Foods Market -and many mainstream food supermarkets-are taking a macro view of health, stepping beyond their traditional services to meet consumer demands for a more encompassing approach to health. These stores are incorporating health-food restaurants, health clinics with an emphasis on alternative therapies, natural home centers featuring natural goods such as non paraffin candles and organic fiber products, massage centers and day spas, in-house nutritionists, and even eco-vacation planning.

Quick Facts

• The two fastest growing countries in terms of LOHAS are Japan and Taiwan.
• LOHAS consumers go by many names including: Lohasians, conscious consumers, cultural creatives, the creative class , progressive consumers, and green consumers
• The grocery industry, has employed terms "whole-health marketing" and "health foods"
• The LOHAS industry has an annual event called The LOHAS Forum
• Other LOHAS industries includes, are environmentally responsible stocks / funds
• 61% of Americans have visited a natural foods store in the past year (source:HealthFocus);
• 12 % of Americans shop at natural foods store at least every two weeks (source:HealthFocus);
• 69% of Americans used complementary or alternative medicine (source:Stanford University);
• When price and quality are equal, 76% would switch brands or retailers if a company were associated with a good cause (source: Paul Ray);
• 80% of LOHAS consumers are willing to pay up to 20% more for LOHAS-related products (source:Joesph Marra, director of marketing at Natural Marketing Institute)
• An additional 30 million adults, or 38 percent of the Nomadics are LOHAS leaning in their beliefs and purchasing habits (source:Joesph Marra, director of marketing at Natural Marketing Institute)
• In Japan, four in ten know LOHAS by name here, compared to four in 100 in the United States
• Cultural creatives values include: brand loyalty, influence over others (opinion leaders) , price insensitivity

Besides matching LOHAS investors who are genuinely interested in small eco-friendly, socially responsible and sustainable businesses, the Green Stock Exchange (GREENSX) is fully integrated with our grass roots green social network (like MYSPACE.COM & FACEBOOK.COM), called E=MC² Creative Friends Network.

Our social networking Green Community Platform allows millions of people and organizations to participate in the investment, creation, sales, manufacturing, promotion and distribution of greener products.