Free Solo Star and Environmental Activist Teams Up with Ando to Reverse the Effects of Climate Change
World-renowned rock climber Alex Honnold announces a partnership with financial technology innovator Ando to fight climate change through Sustainable Banking. Alex and Ando are committed to allowing everyone the opportunity to be in control of how their money is being used.
Alex Honnold is the first person to “free solo” (to scale a wall without rope, a partner, or any protective gear) Yosemite’s El Capitan, a 3,000-foot sheer rock face (that’s essentially a stack of three Eiffel Towers). This event is so singular in the history of adventure sports that National Geographic described it as, “the greatest feat of pure rock climbing in the history of the sport,” and the New York Times weighed in with it being, “one of the great athletic feats of any kind, ever.” Alex’s achievement was chronicled in the Oscar award-winning documentary Free Solo.
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In addition to his climbing career, Alex has been a life-long environmentalist, traveling the world to gain first-hand experience in projects that make the world both more sustainable and equitable. In an October 8, 2020 piece he wrote for Outside magazine, Honnold discussed the issue of how banking should be a force for environmental good rather than continuing its decades-long practice of bankrolling the polluting fossil fuel industries.
“When you put your money in a bank it doesn’t just sit there—the bank loans up to 90% of its capital to other projects. Since the Paris agreement in 2016, major global banks have increased financing of fossil fuel extraction to the tune of $1.9 trillion dollars. Six of the top ten institutions supporting increased fossil fuel extraction are US based. The simplest way to reduce energy extraction from the arctic, tar sands, and via fracking and coal is to decrease the funding to these dirty technologies. Being deliberate and choosing a sustainable bank is key.”
~Alex Honnold, Outside Magazine
This is why Sustainable Banking leader Ando was such a natural partnership for Alex. Ando was founded on the basic ideas that all customer money will be exclusively invested in green initiatives like renewable energy and sustainable agriculture–efforts to reverse the devastating effects of climate change–and Ando will always be completely transparent about where that money is invested.
Essentially, Ando is the banking alternative Alex was hoping for in his Outside magazine piece, giving control of how a banking customer’s money is used back to the customer. Plus, according to a study conducted by Nordea Group Sustainable Finance, putting your money into Sustainable Banking can have up to 27X the impact of other environmental actions like going vegan, taking shorter showers, or installing solar panels on your roof.
No one is more enthusiastic about the Alex Honnold partnership than Ando CEO J.P. McNeill:
“Alex changed the way we view what we can accomplish as humans. He has challenged boundaries and taken a daring new approach to get to the top of the summit. At Ando, we feel a kindred spirit in how we have approached the banking industry. But what inspired the collaboration is his passion and advocacy for the environment. Alex has dedicated his voice, his personal income, his time and attention to fighting climate change through The Honnold Foundation. We hope that together we can take this mission to new heights and inspire the world around us.”
In 2012, Honnold started The Honnold Foundation with a mission to build a brighter, more equitable world where all people have equal access to opportunity and the ability to live in balance with the environment. It focuses on solar as a proven, environmentally sound solution to global energy poverty, and awards grants to community organizations whose projects are innovative, equity-focused, and have the potential to shift the narrative on what’s possible for energy access worldwide.
In summing up his new relationship with Ando, Alex Honnold offered this simple explanation: “I often say to think of your bank as a person. If they were doing terrible stuff, would you loan them money? Your bank is spending your money when you aren’t, investing it in things that you as an individual wouldn’t personally support— like fossil fuel projects, so you have to find a bank that reflects your values. I’m proud to help drive the mission of Ando forward — it’s a solution I have been seeking for a long time — a banking service that represents and fights for the most important ascent of our lifetime.”
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