At the Envision Festival in Uvita, Costa Rica last month, one of the speakers present was Jon Perkins, author of Confessions of an Economic Hit Man. For those who haven’t read the book, Perkins writes about how he worked for years to identify foreign nations which had resources the US economy needed, and then to
You might find some variance in the definition of CSR, but typically corporate social responsibility is about the accountability a company has for its impact on society (people) and the environment. It is necessary because unfortunately, there have historically been some bad actors in the business world. They exploited workers by underpaying them, not providing
Triple bottom line is a term which describes a business that focuses on three main things: people, profits, and the planet. The first use of it was credited to John Elkington, who founded a consulting firm called SustainAbility. Before the term became known, the bottom line in a business was focused mostly on the financial side
Triple bottom line businesses focus on profits, people, and the planet — not just profits as some companies do. They might not be the biggest names in the corporate world, but there are many examples of these forward-thinking organizations. Better World Books Better World Books sells used books and donates a portion of the profits
Toyota Financial Services (TFS) has partnered with Girl Scouts of the USA and pledged $2.1 million to provide financial literacy training for young girls.The program, which aims to empower 26,000 young girls, includes rolling out a new line of Girl Scout badges, providing college scholarships and conducting financial literacy events across the country. Financial Skills
DBL Partners, an investment fund based in the San Francisco and Palo Alto area, recently announced the closure of an impact investing fund worth $400 million. This fund is the largest so far in the impact investing space and will focus on companies in the sustainable energy, products and services, digital media and imaging, healthcare and IT
Starting a new business is kind of like having a new baby. Everyone has questions about your new addition, and they all want to give advice – even when you haven’t asked for it. Whether in the nursery or virtual office, not all advice given to new parents – and new business owners – is good.
Originally published on EdenKeeper.org With a population of about 700 people, the village of Sone in West Timor, Indonesia is famous throughout the region for its production of beautiful, traditional fabrics. Located close to a mountain summit, Sone is completely off the electricity grid. With the hope of learning about the challenges of living in
Patagonia, known for its jackets made entirely from pop bottles and their “Don’t Buy This Jacket” Cyber Monday advertising campaign, has been a leader in corporate social responsibility initiatives. We had previously profiled Patagonia’s supply chain transparency, but let’s take a look now to see how these CSR initiatives are working out. Patagonia’s Mission For those
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has become a significant factor in customer relations, representing an excellent opportunity for small business to significantly engage public support. Redefining success in business, corporations creating value for society often benefit in ways that go well beyond the scope of tangible assets and annual profit. According to the 2013 Social Impact
With funding from Enterprise Rent-A-Car Foundation, the Arbor Day Foundation is once again planting 1 million trees throughout the United States, Canada, and Europe this year. This is the tenth year in a row for Enterprise Rent-A-Car’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) reforestation initiative, marking the tenth anniversary of its 50 Million Tree Pledge. One million
(Originally published on EdenKeeper.org) As part of its Social Innovations Roof Top Services mission to bring energy independence to 20 million people by 2020, SunEdison, Inc. is installing a 100 kilowatt (kW) solar rooftop system on the Ramakrishna Mission Students’ Home in India. Enabling the approximately 700 students to gain energy independence, the new solar
(Originally published on Planetsave.com) Four new 100% electric community shuttle buses have hit the road in the beautiful Silicon Valley city of Mountain View, California. The four electric shuttles are free to the public, thanks to Google, and are equipped with seating for 16 passengers, a wheelchair lift, space for two wheelchairs, Wi-Fi connectivity, and bicycle
On a mission to transform the globe “through ethical relationships with small-scale farmers, and an integral sustainability orientation at every point on the supply chain,” Alter Eco Foods has bitten off a big bite to chew on. But it sure looks delicious. Especially those chocolate truffles. Organic, fair trade truffles! In dark chocolate and dark
Helping to spread the spirit of joy and generosity this holiday season, Hyatt Hotels has awarded 31 nonprofits across the globe with Hyatt Community Grants to further their efforts within their local communities. With these grant awards, Hyatt is celebrating a significant milestone: surpassing $2 million in grant funding since the program’s inception in 2008.
In conjunction with a $250,000 donation to the 21st Century Conservation Service Corp, The North Face launched a nationwide campaign last month inspiring people to explore the big, beautiful outdoors. Roaming the streets of New York City, The North Face “See For Yourself” taxi offered adventure to anyone brave and spontaneous enough to accept it
Mayor Edwin M. Lee joined with business, civic and community leaders on Wednesday, Dec. 03 to launch PPIE100, a yearlong celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Panama-Pacific International Exposition (PPIE). The PPIE was the focus of the 1915 World’s Fair, celebrating the completion of the Panama Canal. San Francisco, which had just emerged from the ashes of
IKEA Group lately announced it will expand its residential solar sales from Britain into the Netherlands and Switzerland before the end of this year. The offer will expand to a further 6 countries within the coming 18 months. “We know that our customers want to save energy and live more sustainably at home,” said Peter Agnefjäll,
Fall is a great time to explore and celebrate the great outdoors. And this week, protecting, preserving, exploring and celebrating public lands just got a little more exciting. Committing $250,000, The North Face has launched a new campaign in partnership with the U.S. Department of the Interior, in support of the 21st Century Conservation Service
In a “Beyond Business as Usual” commitment by Chevrolet, Spelman College will sell certified carbon credits to the automaker, which will net the institution up to $100,000. Launched in 2010, the sale is part of a voluntary carbon reduction initiative undertaken by Chevrolet to prevent up to eight million metric tons of carbon emissions from
Jean Tirole is the 2014 winner of the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel. Tirole, of Toulouse 1 Capitole University in France, has been awarded by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences “for his analysis of market power and regulation.” A Nobel Prize for Sowing Seeds of Corporate Social Responsibility
The world’s oceans are vast, floating dumps for plastic pollution. Without a serious plan for cleaning up the world’s oceans, this situation is dire and becoming worse every day. With a goal of retrieving and recycling 400,000 flip flops a year from the coast of Kenya, one small start-up in Nairobi is making a big
33 percent of Millennials prefer jobs with a socially responsible company, according to Nielsen Media Research. This number is encouraging, and matches a growing number of companies harnessing their products, services and resources to help make the world a better place. A prime example is MetLife, a nearly 150 year-old company that was recently named
“Organisational change expert Professor Lynda Gratton shows that it is now critical that corporations step up to play their role in the world by building inner resilience, actively anchoring themselves in their communities and supply chains, and leveraging their unique capabilities to address complex global challenges.” The full presentation, including Q & A, follows: [via
