B the Change Weekly: November 22, 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 on to the good stuff:
When Certified B Corporations sign on to the Declaration of Interdependence, they promise to consider people and place in their operations — essentially the communities that they and their workers, customers, and business partners call home.
In operating with the future of their communities in mind, B Corps can elevate all around them through more sustainable, equitable practices that give back to the people and places that surround them. From inclusive financial services to regenerative urban farming to Earth-friendly solar energy systems, the businesses we highlight in this B the Change Weekly were established with a focus on more than just the bottom line — they enhance the well-being of those around them.
With this vision for a better future and attention to giving back to others, B Corps lift their operations and those around them, taking their communities to new heights.
The Payoff of Giving Back to Communities
Being a B Corp shapes Clearinghouse CDFI’s everyday operations as a financial service provider in several ways. One recent example: Its internship program that gives high school students the opportunity to build creative and critical thinking skills and plan for their futures.
How Urban Farms Can Grow Stronger Communities
Several types of growth are at the root of Green City Growers, a Massachusetts-based B Corp that provides infrastructure and support for clients who want to grow their own food on-site. With a goal of creating and expanding the B Corp’s positive social and environmental change, founder Jessie Banhazl recently visited urban farms in three European countries as part of an Eisenhower Fellowship.
Shining as a Sustainable Leader
B Corp Namasté Solar operates as an employee-owned cooperative that designs, installs, and maintains solar energy systems for homeowners, commercial property owners, and utility-scale developers. But the B Corp acts beyond its sustainable business framework to create a brighter future by acting to protect the planet and its people.
Stay in the Know
Here’s your chance to catch up on all the good stuff we shared this week:
- Clearinghouse CDFI Sees Payoff of Giving Something Back to Its Communities: B Corp Financial Institution Supports Internship Program as Investment in Next Generation
- Growing Stronger Communities Through Urban Farming: Eisenhower Fellowship Provides Opportunity for B Corp Leader to Visit and Learn from Examples of European Success
- A Better Way to Grow: The Ever-Regenerative, People-Centered Enterprise: B Corp Torani Takes Learning Journey to Pursue Ongoing Growth
- Digital Carbon Footprints, Passion Projects and Purposeful Work: Co-Creator of Impact-Driven SustainableUX Is on a Mission to Make a Difference Through Work in the Digital Space
- 4 Practices to Cultivate Kindness in Business: Create Connections to Build Strategic, Long-Lasting Positive Change
- Transforming Suburbs: The Downshifter’s Guide to a Resilient Future: David Holmgren Continues to Grow the Permaculture Movement
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.
How the B Corp Community Strengthens All Communities was originally published in B the Change on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
