MOST of us try to be environmentally aware. We do out bit separating newspapers and cardboard, tins and bottles, plastic and clothes for the dustmen and either take the surplus to our local recycling point or await council collection. But many people do more than recycling their bottles and tins to protect the planet. Stephanie Sturrock is typical of the growing number of people committed to putting their cash where their conscience is. The 37-year-old not only invests and banks ethically, she is also the managing director of the socially- responsible cooperative, Shared Interest. She woke up to the importance of ethical - or social ly-responsible investment as she prefers to call it - while a student. "I became aware of environ-mental issues while I was at university," she explains. "Then I trained as an accountant and I became interested in how both my money and money in general could be used ethically." For the past 10 years, Stephanie has had a current account as well as savings vehicles with the Co-operative Bank. Launched in 1872 as the savings and loans arm of the Co-operative Wholesale Society, in 1991 its research found that 84pc of customers then (and over 90pc now) would like it to have a clear ethical policy, which it duly introduced. It will not lend to any companies involved in the arms trade, or whose conduct violates human rights, and it supports enterprises with positive social and ethical intentions. "Most of my basic financial needs are met by the Co-op Bank," says Stephanie. She also has money invested in the Nationwide Building Society. While the Nationwide is not on the list of ethical financial institutions, it is a mutual, a concept Stephanie supports. This means it is owned by its savers and borrowers and has no external shareholders to satisfy. "The full benefits of the Nationwide's business is returned to its members, which is something I fully support," Stephanie says. She has also invested in an ethical share-based Isa with fund provider Jupiter and is in Shared Interest's socially-responsible group personal pension scheme. Stephanie believes UK consumers are increasingly looking to use their money in a way that benefits both themselves and society. Shared Interest is a good example. A co-operative lending society, it was set-up in 1990 and has more than 8,000 members and a total share capital of around £18m. Its members invest part of their savings in the finance of fair trade with developing countries for the benefit of disadvantaged producers, often women. The minimum investment in the ordinary share account is £100 and the maximum £20,000. But it currently pays a minuscule 0.5pc interest - poor even by today's low savings rates. Stephanie admits investors won't make a killing, but adds: "They get a big social return." Shared Interest also annually offers five-year zero interest bonds of which there are currently over £3m in issue, and uses these to finance microcredit projects. This is a risk capital investment. Interestingly, Stephanie says many of Shared Interests members are elderly. "About a quarter of our members are of retirement age, another quarter are under 45 and the rest are in the 45 to 60 age bracket. "I think older people have more free money available and many aren't worried about the capital return. "They want their money to be put to good use." But while investing in Shared Interest may not do much to boost your finances - even if it does help you sleep better at night - many socially-responsible funds have been performing as well as "main-stream" products, no mean feat in the rollercoaster economic climate we have been experiencing of late. | 
