CHOOSE A FOSSIL-FREE BANK.

Banks lend out the money you place with them. Most major banks are still lending money to coal mines, pipelines, tar sands, and the companies that expand them – in contradiction to the science on what’s needed to meet the Paris Agreement. This means your hard-earned cash could be indirectly funding fossil infrastructure.

If your bank is expanding climate pollution (check your bank’s fossil score here), stop giving them your money.

In the United States, switch to a credit union (a member-based, nonprofit, primarily local financial cooperative that returns income to members in the form of lower fees, as opposed to paying profits to investors) or fossil-free bank.

Let your old bank know why you’re leaving them. Encourage your friends to do the same. (Kim posted her letter on social media and inspired several other friends to follow suit.)

Here’s the letter Kim wrote to leave Bank of America and move to Redwood Credit Union. Feel free to adapt! You can also use this template from Ethical Consumer.

For bank recommendations in over 20 countries, see the Fair Finance Guide. To learn more on the climate impact of banking, see Project Drawdown’s Saving For The Planet: The Climate Power of Personal Banking report.