To date most people have separated environmental and social issues into different compartments.  Many investments that we see tend to focus either on one or the other, rarely both.  In fact, when we developed our own impact rating methodology we nearly fell into this trap ourselves.  However, as our understanding of impact (both negative and positive) grows, we are finding that these two areas are, and should be, intertwined.
Renewable energy is a classic case in point.  Most people do not connect the potential for social change that is created by the advent of renewable energy.  In the UK, we have 40% of Europe's total wind energy but only 0.5% of all our electricity requirements are currently generated by wind power.  At the same time in the UK, we have over 4 million homes suffering from fuel poverty; one of whose main causes is low income.  
Organisations like Social Investment Scotland and Energy 4 All are tackling both these problems by helping communities build their own community-owned renewable energy facilities.  These facilities not only reduce our dependency on carbon but, because the community can sell their energy into the grid, it also reaps financial and economic benefits. 
So let's rethink our old definitions and start to really make an impact.