Using Green Bonds to Fund New Trees

Paul, Weiss advised pro bono client The Conservation Fund, an environmental nonprofit, in a recent $150 million green bond offering to finance the conservation of working forests in the United States.The taxable green bond, the first issued by a nonprofit organization, has catalyzed the Fund’s conservation model since it closed in September 2019.

A portion of the proceeds have already been used to purchase more than 125,000 acres of forest land across six states. Goldman Sachs, sole underwriter of the offering, noted that “tapping into capital markets can pave the way to catalyze significant growth in conservation finance by diversifying funding and mobilizing more mainstream capital to protect ecosystems throughout the United States.” Since 1985, The Conservation Fund has purchased, maintained and protected more than 8 million acres of forest across all 50 states.