B the Change Weekly: May 10, 2019
Delivered on Fridays, B the Change Weekly delivers the most important and most relevant stories about people using business as a force for good. The newsletter features a weekly note from the B the Change team alongside insight and context on the stories we share here on Medium. Below is our latest roundup. To receive these insights directly in your inbox, sign up for B the Change Weekly today. Now onto the good stuff:
Opioid addiction. Paid family leave. Pesticide use in parks.
These issues historically have fallen under the public policy umbrella, where elected officials make decisions and government workers make them reality. But in recent years, as public action on hot-button topics slows and stalls, businesses and consumers are taking matters into their own hands.
Through their operations and workdays, Certified B Corporations and their workers use their actions and voices to tackle tough issues and create positive change rather than wait for it to happen.
This week we highlight several B Corps that weave advocacy into their operations and encourage workers to stand up for the change they want to see.
Acting on Their Beliefs
Building social benefit through business is not revolutionary for Certified B Corporations, which embed that value into their operations. But some B Corps step up to bigger social challenges that can create broader change by speaking out and advocating for policy changes.
We found five B Corps that are focusing on corporate activism to create healthier environments and provide for a better future for people and planet — and create strong ties between the companies and their communities.
Some issues are matters of life and death — opioids and pesticides — while others touch more on quality of life. But all are important enough for these B Corps and their workers to take a stand and speak up for a cause they support. Read more on B the Change.
How to Use Tech for Good
When Melissa Jun Rowley, entrepreneur and BBC News correspondent, decided that Hollywood journalism was not the right career for her, she decided to change paths from a career in entertainment to a career in tech, showcasing entrepreneurs and those who did “tech for good.”
On this Ellevate Network kickoff podcast episode, Rowley shares her journey — from almost having to file for bankruptcy to showing how technology can create positive social impact. She also shares her insights on how organizations can incorporate purpose and impact without these efforts becoming a distraction.
This podcast episode kicks off the Inclusive Workplaces Program from B Corp Ellevate Network, a global professional network for women. On B the Change, learn more about this program designed to arm workers with the tools they need to bring lasting, sustainable change to their workplaces.
Environmental and Social Innovation at SB’19
Join B Lab and more than 2,500 sustainability and brand leaders, 300 speakers, and 100 exhibiting brands who see environmental and social innovation as a critical driver to long-term business success at SB’19 Detroit, the world’s largest conference on purpose-led innovation.
During the conference, which convenes June 3 to 6 in Detroit, Michigan, you can hear from fellow B Corps like Danone, Method, Ben & Jerry’s, Eileen Fisher and Happy Family Organics.
Use the code “BLab” to save 20% on registration.
Book of the Week
If you have a specific suggestion, let us know at [email protected] with the subject line “book recommendation.”
An Economy of Well-Being
By Mark Anielski
In the face of political, financial, and environmental upheaval, it can be difficult to slow down and build lives of mindfulness and joy. These things are within reach, but how can we go about creating a new world, using common-sense economics? In An Economy of Well-Being, author Mark Anielski presents a practical guide for building a new economy of well-being to help communities and nations become more flourishing and happier places to live.
Anielski addresses key questions including: How can neighborhoods and cities become flourishing economies of well-being by making the best of abundant community assets? And how can organizations, communities and financial institutions measure, manage and finance assets to achieve high levels of well-being?
B the Change gathers and shares the voices from within the movement of people using business as a force for good and the community of Certified B Corporations. The opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of the nonprofit B Lab.
B Corps in Action: Advocating for Real Change was originally published in B the Change on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
Source: B the Change