Big banks themselves have been among the worst offenders. Look no further than the Wells Fargo (NYSE:WFC) scandals. Now, even the Big Banks are fleeing these high-risk temptations and desperately searching for places to park their clients' money – places where it will face less risk and have a better chance of outperforming the market.

That's ESG – environmental, social and governance investing, also referred to more loosely as "impact investing" or "sustainable investing".

Two companies, one small and just emerging as a known name across North America, and the other, large and savvy enough to have become the new King of Wall Street, stand out as pioneers who crossed the ESG finish line first: BlackRock (NYSE:BLK) and Canadian startup Facedrive (TSXV.FD).