Member Spotlight: Amy from Good Green Home Loans

Good Green Home Loans takes personal mortgages and, as the name suggests, makes them good and green, divesting them from fossil fuels and their lenders.

We were lucky enough to speak with Amy, Future Super member and founder of Good Green Home Loans, about the business and her story.

Can you tell us a bit about yourself and what you’re passionate about?

From a young age, I can distinctly remember having an environmental conscience. I remember collecting soft drink cans with my cousins and trading them for pocket money at the local servo, which I’d save up to fund the next adventure. I didn’t really understand why recycling was important until I asked my teacher at school.

Knowing the environmental impact of our rubbish really played on my mind. Back then we didn’t have yellow recycling bins, so I set up a recycling system at home.

I found old containers to separate our household waste and my family started taking our recyclables to the local recycling centre instead of dumping it in landfill.

So protecting the environment has been a passion of mine for as long as I can remember. I do everything I possibly can to tread lightly on the planet, give back as much as I can and be a positive influence on people around me to do the best they can too.

Amy Beattie - Good Green Home Loans

What prompted you to start Good Green Home Loans?

Good Green Home Loans came about when a number of stars aligned in my life. I had been in banking for over 15 years with one of the Big 4 banks.

In my final few uninspiring years as a bank employee, I realised I had a deep desire to have a more positive impact on the world in my professional life.  This feeling was bubbling away for a few years, and I really didn’t know what to do about it. I was even considering going back to school to start over and do something completely new.

One day I arrived at work to be greeted by a very colourful and harmless bunch of environmental activists who were protesting the big banks’ investment in the fossil fuel industry. To cut a long story short, this was when I first learned about the power of divestment.  It was a lightbulb moment for me - just like my home recycling centre.

That day I started to put the wheels in motion to refinance my own home loan and in doing so I immediately became aware of a gap in the mortgage broking market to assist people like me who wanted to change their home loan and bank ethically.

Shortly after, I resigned from the bank and threw myself into an incredible local community of people and businesses on their own journey of using business for good and with their support, friendship and advice, Good Green Home Loans began.

What is it that Good Green Home Loans does?

Good Green Home Loans is a mortgage broking service that offers access to a broad range of banks and home loan products in order to meet the individual needs of each of our clients.

Through discussion with you about your financial and personal circumstances, we take the time to understand what you are trying to achieve. We then match you with a home loan that meets your financial needs and aligns with your personal values and ethics.

We are different because we exclude any banks that invest in the fossil fuel industry. Our target market consists of the incredible people who want to use their purchasing decisions for good, and in doing so, are helping us to build enough momentum to create much-needed change in the banking sector.

What’s something that you wish people knew about their mortgages?

One is that, in my experience, most people are paying more than they should be, which can mean that they are spending hundreds or even thousands of dollars more each year. It costs you nothing except for a bit of time to find out if there are better, more environmentally friendly options out there.

The other is that a fossil fuel free home loan is just as competitive, in most cases more competitive than a loan from a bank that is investing in fossil fuels.  So you have nothing to lose by getting in touch to review your own home loan.

Visit the Good Green Home Loans website for more about the business and the amazing work that they do.