As Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) grows, wouldn’t it be great if consumers could have clear indicators of which companies and products were part of this beneficial social movement? There is – B Corp Certification. A concept introduced five years ago, B Corp is “like the Fair Trade label but for a whole company, not just a bag of coffee,” said co-founder Jay Coen Gilbert.
The organization certifies companies once they have met standards of social and environmental performance and have changed their bylaws to take into account the impact of their decisions on the environment, community, and employees. “Increasingly there are businesses that want to create value for all their stakeholders, not just their shareholders,” said Andrew Kassoy, another of B Corp’s founders. “These companies are competing not just to be the best in the world, but best for the world.”
About 650 companies have embraced the status so far, including Patagonia, Etsy, and most recently Ben & Jerry’s, one of the original socially driven companies (now owned by Unilever). Mr. Kassoy called Ben & Jerry’s news a “big deal,” and hoped Unilever’s decision to pursue B Corp certification would “influence other multinationals” to do the same.
David Griswold, the founder of Sustainable Harvest, a Portland-based coffee importer, knew from the beginning that he wanted to start a project to help others. But he also saw challenges to the success of starting a non-profit – not being able to “reach scale.” They needed significant investment from the beginning to accomplish their mission, and they needed money to grow. “It was only when my company grew, and I began to reinvest my earnings in coffee communities abroad, that I saw I could really make a difference.” He said he felt that a for-profit business would work best for his goals.
B Corp certification helps with giving “legitimacy” to for-profit businesses that want to prove their moral sincerity, especially when trying to partner with non-profit foundations to increase their community development. It also helps explain to investors why they operate as they do to secure more capital, and allows consumers to make educated buying choices.
Devin Hibbard, a B Corp supporter and owner of Beads For Life – a non-profit that operates “very much” like a business, says, in the end “it’s all about poverty eradication” through commerce.
– Mary Purcell
Source: The New York Times
Video: You Tube
USAID and the Skye Program
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has been working with the Skye program to help workers in the Caribbean become more employable through training and education.
The Skye program is organized by the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative. The program recently graduated 36 students from the Skye training program. The program teaches the participants important skills and behaviors to make them more employable and helps them find and keep job after completing the program. Many of the participants have been unable to find or keep jobs because they have not finished high school, have been in a juvenile correctional facility, or have had poor behavior in the workplace. Completion of the training program shows employers that the participants are ready to change their lives for the better and be reliable employees.
There are currently about 400 participants enrolled in the program and the effort will continue to help train and educate youth in the region with the goal of creating a better prepared, more efficient pool of workers for the local economy.
– Kevin Sullivan
Source: Stabroek News
Photo: Picasa
Springsteen Joins Academy of Arts and Sciences
The American Academy of Arts and Sciences boasts the membership of some of the most accomplished individuals in the fields of arts, science, academics, writing, and civil, corporate, and philanthropic leadership. “Election to the Academy honors individual accomplishment and calls upon members to serve the public good,” said Academy President Leslie C. Berlowitz. “We look forward to drawing on the knowledge and expertise of these distinguished men and women to advance solutions to the pressing policy challenges of the day.”
In January, Springsteen was named MusiCares, Person of the Year. The nonprofit organization was set up in the ’80s by the same entity that gives out the Grammys — the National Academy of Recording Arts and Science.
The new class will be inducted at an October 12 ceremony at the Academy’s headquarters in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
– Katie Brockman
Source NJ
Instagram to Fight World Hunger
Manos Unidas is a non-profit organization working with the Association of the Catholic Church in Spain. The charity works to promote development in the third world. They focus on working to eradicate the structural causes of hunger, disease, and underdevelopment such as injustice, prejudice, and inequality. Geographically, Manos Unidas works in Africa, Asia, American, and Oceania to assist in development causes there.
The filter can be downloaded from the Apple Store or Google Play store. Once downloaded, anytime a user post a picture of food, they can add the filter #FoodShareFilter. This immediately adds the message, “This picture helps millions of people not to suffer hunger.” It is an easy way to raise awareness in posting photos that would normally be posted.
The #FoodShareFilter is available in both English and Spanish and costs$0.99 in the Apple Store and $1.16 in Google Play. The app was launched late last week and all proceeds from the purchase of the app go directly to the charity. Check it out and download the app to start raising awareness on world hunger!
– Amanda Kloeppel
Source: WkBW Eyewitness News
Photo: Goodnet
Human Rights a Priority for World Bank
When the World Bank does not consider the human rights of a specific country before investing, the organization risks unintentionally hurting the extremely poor in that country. This happens because some development ends up benefiting the wealthy people while the poor suffer. For example, poor farmers may lose their land, and therefore livelihood, in order to build new housing structures that have been sanctioned by the World Bank.
The group advocating for human rights standards in the World Bank includes representatives for the Special Rapporteur (and its sub-groups on extreme poverty and human rights, rights of indigenous peoples, and rights to food) and the Independent Expert on foreign debt and human rights.
As such, the World Bank can expect to hear arguments from this group urging them to consider issues like “disability, gender, labor, land tenure, and the rights of indigenous people” in the meeting. These suggestions will also be open for public comment. The goal of adding human rights criteria to World Bank standards is to ensure that the poor benefit development as well as wealthy people.
The World Bank will update its “safeguard policies,” its social and environmental policies, to make sure that the voices of the poor are not overpowered by the wealthy. This review, which will analyze the activities of the World Bank for the past two years, is a huge opportunity for the organization to begin to reach out to the world’s poorest.
– Mary Penn
Source: India Blooms
Photo: The Foundry
Fight World Hunger With Your Smartphone
Listen up smartphone users! It’s never been easier to fight world hunger.
Taking food shots with your smartphone and sharing them on Instagram or Twitter has become a huge craze. This new app, the first supportive Instagram filter, lets you post those photos and help a good cause to fight world hunger.
The aim for FoodShareFilter, an app created by DDB Spain, is to raise money for an El Salvadoran charity called Manos Unidas. The charity promotes development and preventing hunger in third-world countries.
All you have to do is download the filter from the Apple Store or Google Play, take the picture, and post it using #FoodShareFilter. The income from each app download is donated to the charity.
In addition, every time a user takes a photo of their food and applies #FoodShareFilter, it immediately adds the message “This picture helps millions of people not to suffer hunger,” and shares it on your Instagram page. That way, you raise awareness while posting photos.
Although FoodShareFilter is in Spanish, an English version is also available.
FoodShareFilter was launched late last week. It is available in the Apple Store for $0.99 and in Google Play for $1.16.
– Katie Brockman
Source WKBW
Photo FoodShareFilter
Challenge: Live Below the Line for 5 days
Individuals are challenged to feed themselves for five days on $1.50 per day to stand in solidarity with those around the world who live in extreme poverty. The number of $1.50 was chosen because it is the current equivalent to define those living in extreme poverty as set by the World Bank. And while some argue $1.50 goes farther in developing countries, that number also includes those living in extreme poverty in developed nations such as the US. For those in extreme poverty, $1.50 goes towards more than just-food. It funds housing, health, education, food, transport, and all other household expenses.
Live Below the Line partners with several organizations fighting global poverty on the ground and encourages participants who take the challenge to raise funds for one of those organizations during the 5-day experience. It is an initiative out of the Global Poverty Project which educates and activates citizens to become engaged in the movement to end extreme poverty.
The 2013 challenge runs from April 29th to May 3rd. Individuals are allowed a total of $7.50 to feed themselves for five days. Groups can get together to purchase food for the week, but they must ensure their daily meals still only equal $1.50. To find out more, check out the website Live Below the Line.
– Amanda Kloeppel
Source: Live Below the Line
Leslie Dodson: Her TED Talk on Do Not Misrepresent Africa
Leslie Dodson has reported throughout the world for Reuters, NBC and CNN, among others. She has worked extensively in South America covering politics, economics, and international finance organizations.
In her TED Talk, she talks about how to present stories objectively and fairly to the rest of the world when we get information from Africa and how important that is. At the end of her talk, she stressed, “Africa is not a country, it is a continent with 54 countries”.
– Caiqing Jin(Kelly)
Source:TED Talk
Photo:TED
B Corp Certification for Socially-Responsible Businesses
The organization certifies companies once they have met standards of social and environmental performance and have changed their bylaws to take into account the impact of their decisions on the environment, community, and employees. “Increasingly there are businesses that want to create value for all their stakeholders, not just their shareholders,” said Andrew Kassoy, another of B Corp’s founders. “These companies are competing not just to be the best in the world, but best for the world.”
About 650 companies have embraced the status so far, including Patagonia, Etsy, and most recently Ben & Jerry’s, one of the original socially driven companies (now owned by Unilever). Mr. Kassoy called Ben & Jerry’s news a “big deal,” and hoped Unilever’s decision to pursue B Corp certification would “influence other multinationals” to do the same.
David Griswold, the founder of Sustainable Harvest, a Portland-based coffee importer, knew from the beginning that he wanted to start a project to help others. But he also saw challenges to the success of starting a non-profit – not being able to “reach scale.” They needed significant investment from the beginning to accomplish their mission, and they needed money to grow. “It was only when my company grew, and I began to reinvest my earnings in coffee communities abroad, that I saw I could really make a difference.” He said he felt that a for-profit business would work best for his goals.
B Corp certification helps with giving “legitimacy” to for-profit businesses that want to prove their moral sincerity, especially when trying to partner with non-profit foundations to increase their community development. It also helps explain to investors why they operate as they do to secure more capital, and allows consumers to make educated buying choices.
Devin Hibbard, a B Corp supporter and owner of Beads For Life – a non-profit that operates “very much” like a business, says, in the end “it’s all about poverty eradication” through commerce.
– Mary Purcell
Source: The New York Times
Video: You Tube
How Digitization In Courtrooms Effects Impoverished Nations
Oftentimes the problem that arises from implementing technology in developing nations is that the solutions provided are geared more toward the first world than the third. To many, the digitization of paperwork falls into this category. However, in Mombasa, this is not the case.
USAID funded a digitization project recently to address the recurring problem of missing files in the Mombasa court system. While there is some controversy regarding whether the missing files are in fact misplace or stolen, the new digital system will alleviate that problem. This new system will be operated by clerks who can respond to any questions regarding cases through text message. Computer screens have also been installed in the courtrooms to avoid congestion and allow easier access to court documents for the media and families.
To some, this may seem to be a superficial use of technology in an area where there are more pressing problems. However, the effects of a strong and fair legal system have a ripple effect on nearly every aspect of an effective and productive society. With a more efficient system, residents can finish their courtroom transactions in less time and dedicate more focus to problems occurring within their communities. This new system also guarantees more effective and fair proceedings in the courtrooms of impoverished nations which lowers dissatisfaction within the community.
– Pete Grapentien
Source: The Star
Photo: Washington Post
3 Ways That Slacktivism Promotes Social Change
The cynicism implied in the word slacktivism, which describes a lazy form of activism requiring little commitment of the participant and having almost no effect on policy and social issues, has been pushed to the forefront of public discourse lately. A recent phenomenon, this social-media led, tech-savy means of expressing one’s support for causes such as gay rights or ending modern slavery has been felt through the relatively safe confines of Facebook, Twitter, and university assembly quads. But does the slacktivist form of activism work better than the more traditional methods involving protests, writing congressional leaders, and fundraising? Yes and no, as the following describes three ways that slacktivism promotes social change.
1. It raises awareness – One of the more obvious ways that slacktivism promotes social change is through its exposure to social issues to huge audiences that were once limited by geographic location and means of communication. For those Facebook and Twitter users that have vast amounts of friends and followers, the switching of one’s profile picture to a red equal sign, for example, will no doubt generate questions by others who are curious as to why so many of their friends are changing their profiles on a given day. Through the vehicle of social media, a single individual is able to reach huge numbers of people with simply the click of a mouse and can raise awareness of a social issue almost instantaneously.
2. It allows everyone to participate – Unlike the traditional forms of activism that require a certain amount of interpersonal skills and economic commitments, slacktivism promotes social change by allowing everyone to participate in the movement. The current economic situation non-withstanding; most university students eager to participate have – at best – meager financial resources available to help fund an organization. By limiting the barriers of entry and participation in causes committed to social change, everyone who simply marks their hand with a red x feels that they are helping to fight slavery worldwide.
3. It leads to high-risk activism – Street protests, donor fundraising, and political volunteerism referred to as “high-risk” forms of activism are still instrumental tools of effecting social change. However, for those individuals who have had little to no experience in the traditional forms of activism, slacktivism helps people take the first steps towards larger civic engagement and global awareness. Individuals changing their profile picture on Facebook today may be serving as a board member for multi-national non-profits tomorrow, as slacktivism promotes social change in its ability to allow everyone to get their feet wet as a social media activist. And by combining the huge influence of social media along with good old fashioned congressional letter writing and fundraising, The Borgen Project has positioned itself to utilize the best of both worlds.
– Brian Turner
Source: CNN
Photo: Trendhunter