Mission Markets Unveils Mission Markets Earth

(3BLMedia/theCSRfeed) New York, NY - Wednesday, July 7, 2010 - Originally distributed on Wednesday, June 23, 2010 -  Mission Markets, Inc. a private investment exchange and provider of market insight, intelligence and market access to social and environmental capital markets will be demonstrating for the first time Mission Markets Earth, its private exchange for trading environmental credits, at the 3rd Annual Ecosystem Markets Conference in Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina.

Mission Markets Earth was created to meet the need for a comprehensive trading platform for the growing markets in voluntary and compliance-based environmental credits and other conservation financing mechanisms. The platform will provide its members with transaction capabilities, price discovery, and a variety of related information services. Although significant demand is currently being driven by market participants with specific compliance needs, such as developers, municipalities, wastewater treatment facilities, farmers and corporations, the pricing and standardization of tradable credits in these markets will generate a range of voluntary market opportunities and expand the level of financing for ecosystem services. 

Initial trading markets will include:

• Voluntary carbon credits

• Wetland credits

• Endangered species habitat credits

• Water quality (nutrient trading)

• Fishery catch shares

  The full range of tradable credits will ultimately include:

• Renewable Energy Certificates

• Energy Efficiency Certificates

• Biodiversity Offsets

• Natural Resource Damage Restoration

• Water Quantity and Supply Rights

• Transferrable Development Rights

Mr. Van Patten, who has previously built other successful transaction platforms for illiquid securities said, “Creating a comprehensive transactional marketplace for environmental credits is a necessary step towards properly valuing vital resources that are taken for granted until a disaster such as the Gulf Oil Spill reminds us of how much we depend on the earth’s services for our survival, wealth and well being.”

The Chesapeake EcoFinance Company (CEFC) will be listing its water quality credits in the demonstration to show future market members how the system will function for the emerging water quality markets (also called “nutrient trading.”)

CEFC CEO Richard Pritzlaff stated, “Chesapeake EcoFinance Company considers our strategic relationship with Mission Markets to be critical to our success through the efficient and reliable provision of our project information to both investors and CEFC credit buyers. Mission Markets gives us access to a regional and national audience of investors with an interest in using their resources to effect positive social and environmental change.”

Van Patten concluded. “Our goal is to show the effectiveness of market mechanisms on efficiency and the potential positive impact on maintaining natural capital and nature’s goods and services.”

Mission Markets Earth is the second trading platform to be developed by Mission Markets, Inc., which is currently in beta release of its Private Capital Marketplace.

The Private Capital Marketplace is designed for those with an interest in socially and environmentally sustainable business, whether looking to raise money from accredited and institutional investors, identifying pre-qualified sustainable investment opportunities or gaining liquidity for existing investments.

Mission Markets is working with its technology partner and fellow B Corporation Singlebrook Technologies to implement its platforms. Mission Markets is in collaborative discussions with Markit Environmental Registry to integrate their registry services with the trading platform and is collaborating with the Chesapeake Eco-Finance Company to develop tradable water quality credits. Additional partnerships are described on the Mission Markets websites. We anticipate the Mission Markets Earth platform will be ready for active trading during the 3rd quarter of 2010.

For more information contact:
Andrea Alexopoulos
Director of Member Services
andrea@missionmarkets.com
1 (646) 837-­‐6877
Mission Markets, Inc.
333 Hudson Street, 6th floor
New York, NY 10013
www.missionmarkets.com
www.mmearth.com

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