EnergyInCommon

This is a great microlending mechanism. It doesn't have as many of the flaws as Kiva (ie. facilitates lending for bloodsports, no environmental standards). It is small in size and has had trouble growing, unlike Kiva which is now massive. All the loans are for clean energy, and so far, all in Africa. Solar lighting, solar home systems, and clean burning stoves are the main investments you can currently choose from. The money doesn't go to the borrower; EnergyInCommon (EIC) buys the device, and the borrower makes payments back to us. This way, there is no change in business plan, and the money is not diverted to anything other than what the loan was approved for: clean energy. I've moved nearly all my funding from Kiva to EIC over the last 6-8 months and I'm quite happy. If you are concerned about air pollution, poverty, deforestation, or the burning of fossil fuels, this is a top-notch option. The loan periods can be very short, some as short as 30 days (nano loans; but I've only seen a few available so far).

I also think Energy in Common is a good lending platform and the loans are definitely environmentally friendly.

Here is the link to Energy in Common:

http://www.energyincommon.org/