I’ll be attending and covering the Investor’s Circle Conference this year. My day job at SVT Group involves impact management consulting for social ventures and my writing focuses on the social enterprise space as well. (I recently reviewed a new book by former Investor’s Circle Chairman, Woody Tasch, Slow Money, as well as a book by Investor’s Circle poster child Tom Szaky of TerraCycle.) So I am excited to get a glimpse of this year’s bright ideas and learn from the field’s experts.

I’m particularly looking forward to the afternoon session on “Impact Investing.” I recently wrote about my struggle to find a better bank on JustMeans. I think there is tremendous room for improvement in the way our money is invested, including liquid cash. As such, I recently moved my short term savings from Bank of America and ING to Shorebank and Microplace. My next project will involve moving my longer term investments into companies and vehicles that better reflect my values. So I’m excited to learn more.

The Impact Investing panel offers four experienced speakers:

Amit Bouri works for the Monitor Institute. At last year’s Social Capital Markets Conference, Bouri’s colleague, Katherine Fulton gave a fantastic keynote speech which laid out a framework for growth of the social capital markets. So I look forward to hearing Bouri’s perspective. Since SoCap08, Bouri helped publish a new paper Investing for Social and Environmental Impact: A Design for Catalyzing an Emerging Industry.

Brinda Ganguly works in Program Related Investment (PRI) at the Rockefeller Foundation. I’ve always been impressed and inspired by Rockefeller’s leadership in this arena, so I’m looking forward to learning her outlook. While PRI and other forms of impact investing are growing, I am still shocked by how many foundations and university endowments continue to be invested in traditional asset classes with little social or environmental impact.

Don Shaffer is President and CEO of RSF Social Finance. RSF is another leader in the field and after hearing him speak recently for the first time, I’ve grown to truly admire the work they do. Instead of making investments, RSF gives loans (as well as grants) to sustainable businesses within the areas of Food & Agriculture, Education & the Arts, and Ecological Stewardship. The low interest loans they offer allow businesses greater flexibility and maintained focus on mission and impact.

Peter Sturgatz, the fourth panelist, is co-founder and co-CEO of IceStone. IceStone creates countertops with 100% recycled glass and cement. A B Corporation and Investor Circle alum, IceStone has also received Cradle to Cradle Gold Certification. Like the other panelists, Sturgatz has experience on the investing side, having run a socially minded venture firm for 6 years. The panel will discuss IceStone as a case study in profit-seeking investment that also generates social and environmental impact.

I’m really looking forward to taking part in this meeting of the minds!