For the past few weeks, I’ve been giving the environmental movement a hard time. Not over the science, nor the motivations behind the green machine, but for lording it over us. For forcing us into their green agenda with laws, regulations, subsidies and restrictions. None of these attempts to change the world give people the freedom of choice, which makes them unethical and misguided, in my view.

The thing is that environmental movements don’t have to be this way. Going green can be a bottom-up order instead of a top-down order, meaning that it reflects the decisions and preferences of each of us as individuals instead of the schemes of a few politicians and lobbyists. And that change is happening in the gold industry right now.

As part of the ongoing Gold Summit which premiered a few weeks ago, my friend Boaz Shoshan is continuing to interview prominent names in the gold industry. And he recently interviewed another close friend, Shae Russell, who is my go-to person for bouncing ideas and thoughts on gold. And she has been since about 2010, when we had the pleasure of being desk neighbours. (She sneezes like a rhinoceros.)

In this snippet of the full video interview, Shae reveals that the gold industry is going green, not just because of government regulations or dictates, but because their customers want them to.

I think this is a signal of things to come in the global economy. A movement towards ethical and low pollution options, driven by consumers, because it’s a good thing to do and therefore profitable for companies to offer.

Find out how it’s happening in the gold industry from Shae:

Of course, it’s not just gold that’s going green. It’s the entire economy. And that’s why Southbank Investment Research is hosting its Beyond Oil 3 summit now. To prepare investors for the green future – what to buy and what to sell as protecting the environment becomes a profit motive.

You can sign up to the free summit here now.

Nick Hubble
Editor, Fortune & Freedom