In 1977, during the heyday of the emerging “alternative energy” movement, I attended a solar greenhouse conference where I remember one of our little tribe’s pioneers opined about how much less exciting the solar “revolution” was going to be when it finally went mainstream. “I know what’s going to happen,” architect Steve Baer of Zomeworks […]
Beyond Investing News
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Inside Unilever’s epic experiment in corporate sustainability
Good Business The firm is now locked in an existential pursuit to show that “sustainability” can, literally, deliver the goods Unilever CEO Paul Poleman l Photos by Richard Reyes Environmentally friendly soaps, water-pump installations in sub-Saharan Africa and advertisements without gender stereotypes. And a belief that promoting health and happiness in emerging markets will create millions, or […]
The Magic of Dr. Bronner’s: Top Scoring B Corp Models Clean Business
Kris Lin-Bronner is Strategic Adviser and CSR Manager for Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps, the top-selling brand of natural soaps in North America. She is responsible for overseeing and managing many diverse projects under the umbrella of sustainability and social responsibility. If you only have two minutes, click here for a highlight from the interview. Kris […]
If you saw enough would you recognize it?
This was a bumper sticker I saw at Burning Man in 2007. Over the last decade, it has been for me a source of philosophical inquiry about our consumeristic society, the concept of sufficiency and, dare I say it, the meaning of life. I was reminded of it again during a recent conversation with the […]
846 Companies Honored as Best for the World, Creating Positive Impact for Workers, Environment, Community
BERWYN, Pa., Sep. 12 /CSRwire/ – Today, 846 companies worldwide were recognized for creating extraordinary positive overall social and environmental impact based on an independent, comprehensive assessment administered by the nonprofit B Lab with the release of its annual “Best for the World” list. Honorees are featured on B the Change, the digital Medium publication […]
From ‘Condemn and Disband’ to ‘Invest and Transform’
Good Business How U.S. corporations can put their strategies — and their cash — where their CEOs’ mouths are IBM CEO Virginia Rometty (photo: Zhang Jusheng/Imaginechina) Was the mass resignation of the country’s top CEOs from the Trump Administration a momentary reflex? Or the catalyst for collective and purposeful social leadership from business on the grand challenges of our time? […]
Gregory Landua: This Is Your Brain on “Regeneration”
Gregory Landua, co-author of the pioneering book, Regenerative Enterprise, is the co-founder and CEO of Terra Genesis International. Terra Genesis International (TGI) is a dynamic global team of Permaculture and Regenerative Agriculture and Business practitioners and leaders working to support leading companies to transform their negative impact into regenerative effects. If you only have two […]
An Economy For Everyone: August Good Jobs Recap
In order to build wealth and create opportunities in and across America’s underserved communities, and reverse the troubling trends we’re seeing in our economy, we no longer find it defensible to focus on job creation alone. It’s clear that job creation does not itself equate to lasting economic change. And so, we must shift our […]
Japan Builds ‘Hydrogen Society of the Future’
A Toyota Mirai fuel cell car is ready to take on fuel at an Iwatani hydrogen fueling station. (Photo ©Iwatani Corporation courtesy Government of Japan) By Sunny Lewis TOKYO, Japan, August 31, 2017 (Maximpact.com News) – Hydrogen is already fueling cars and stationary power systems in Japan, North America and Europe. Now Japan is envisioning […]
Office Supplies & Independent Lives
Armando Bernasconi is CEO at Quality Connections, an RSF borrower that helps individuals with disabilities become independent, productive community members via employment, job training, and practical life learning. Interviewed by Enrique Perez | Marketing Manager Enrique: Who or what sparked your passion for addressing employment barriers in the disabled community? Armando: My mom and dad […]
Why Work in Impact Investing?
Impact Investing Job Seekers: How Will Keyholders to Your Next Open Door Remember You? By: Jessica Loman I veered away from an impact investing career for some time because of two false assumptions, False assumption #1: I thought all investing was run by brutal capitalists centered only on the bottom line of making profit at […]
To Fix the Gender Gap, Fix the Digital Divide
It is no secret that women have unequal access to economic opportunities. Here’s what’s new: As digital technologies dramatically reshape our economies, they can either worsen the problem, or help fix it. Think about it: Most job growth will come from STEM fields, yet women make up only 12 percent of engineering students. Much of […]
Reflections of an Alliance intern: Philanthropy, the problem or the solution?
‘What is philanthropy?’ was one of the first questions Alliance editor Charles Keidan asked me when I first arrived at the magazine’s London office for my internship. Amanda Aguilar. We sat in a round, sunny room, and I quickly searched my brain for an answer through the flurry of first day nerves. I hadn’t come […]
Mimicking Nature to Defeat Climate Change
The free Cool Down B’More bus takes potentially overheated Baltimore residents to cooling centers. (Screengrab from video by Mimi Yang) ATLANTA, Georgia, July 20, 2017 (Maximpact.com News) – Five teams of entrepreneurs from around the world have been chosen to participate in the newest cohort of the world’s only business accelerator program dedicated to bringing nature-inspired […]
Your Money and Your Life Workshop
The Money Barrier So often we get into an either/or with money. I can have money or I can do work that reflects my values. I can have fun or I can have money. Look into your life and notice where you may be riding with the brakes on. We have the brakes on when […]
Daniel Goleman: Mindfulness, the Dalai Lama, and How You Can Be a Force for Good
If you only have two minutes, click here for a highlight from the interview. *Help these ideas reach more ears by clicking HERE to rate Next Economy Now on I-Tunes & by sharing on social media* Dr. Daniel Goleman is an internationally known psychologist who lectures frequently to professional groups, business audiences, and on college campuses. […]
$30,000 and a platform: How Jeff Bezos and Amazon can revive small businesses and farmers
Inclusive Economics Keeping the pitchforks at bay Over the last 24 hours, Jeff Bezos has made news for two big things. And they’re related. Yesterday, the Amazon founder, not a publicly known philanthropist, took to Twitter to say: “I’m thinking I want much of my philanthropic activity to be helping people in the here and now — short term — at […]
Where Tourists Step Lightly, Biodiversity Flourishes
MONTREAL, Quebec, Canada, May 23, 2017 (Maximpact.com News) – “We share our planet with millions of species of wild animals and plants. They keep us alive through making fresh air, clean water and healthy soils; they are used every day to make medicine, food and furniture and they support cultural, recreational and tourism pursuits,” says […]
BSR Announces Global Event for Collaboration and Action on Sustainable Business
(3BL Media/Justmeans) – The Paris Climate Agreement and the UN Sustainable Development Goals have provided a clear roadmap for a just and sustainable world. These profound developments are causing positive business disruption, and compelling companies to closely evaluate changing consumer expectations, investor demands, and competitor behavior. To address this moment of global change, BSR has […]
Women & Money
“Everyone has to make up their mind if money is money or money isn’t money and sooner or later they always do decide that money is money.” —Gertrude Stein My Legal Tender project was inspired in part by the Great Recession. Each day, I listened to NPR and almost never heard the female pronoun. All […]
Mathis Wackernagel: Using the Ecological Footprint Metric as a Compass to the Next Economy [Podcast]
Mathis Wackernagel is CEO of Global Footprint Network and co-creator of the Ecological Footprint — a resource accounting tool that measures how much nature we have, how much we use, and who uses what. This data-driven accounting metric works like a bank statement, documenting whether we are living within our ecological budget or consuming nature’s […]
Tom Steyer: Climate Change, Trump, and How to Create Prosperity for All Americans [Podcast]
Tom Steyer is an active citizen, business leader and philanthropist working to ensure that everyone shares the benefits of economic opportunity, education, and a healthy climate. If you only have two minutes, click here for a highlight from the interview. Tom’s dedication to public service is greatly inspired by his wife, Kat, the co-CEO of […]
Millennial philanthropists are breaking tradition, research finds
Millennial philanthropists are unafraid of breaking tradition to achieve social impact according to a new report, sponsored by French bank BNP Paribas. The report, written by the Economist Intelligence Unit, is based on research and in-depth interviews with 15 philanthropy experts and millennial philanthropists around the world. The report revealed that millennials are turning away […]
Regenerative Future Summit
Regenerative Future Summit: New Economy World Leaders Gather in Boulder, Colorado 15 – 17 May 2017 Natural Capitalism Solutions and Alliance for Sustainable Colorado announce the Regenerative Future Summit. Held 15-17 May at the Sustainability, Energy and Environment Complex on the University of Colorado campus in Boulder, it will feature leaders who have created the […]
Dear Diary: New Financial Diaries Research Explains Why Many Americans are So Angry
Would you rather have more money or a more stable financial life? A striking 92 percent of Americans in a recent survey chose stability – a sign of the deep undercurrent of financial insecurity running through the world’s richest country. A new book by Rachel Schneider of the Center for Financial Services Innovation, and Jonathan Morduch of […]
New Systems Series: Volume Six
The sixth volume of papers in our “New Systems: Possibilities and Proposals” series offers visions ranging from a Cooperative Commonwealth and plural forms of Public Ownership to a Joyful Economy and the transition to a Cooperative Economic Democracy, sharing the hopeful message that a next system is closer than we think. In Cooperative Commonwealth & […]
A Child’s Right to Savings
By Sunny Lewis MUMBAI, India, April 14, 2017 (Maximpact.com News) – Gone are the days when the only financial education a child would receive was a piggy bank with a coin or two tucked through the slot and parental instructions to save his or her loose change. Now young people, even street kids, can have […]
Where Are You On the Spectrum? (Of Impact, That Is.) Inspiring Capital Defines the Shades
(3BL Media and Just Means)—Corporate social responsibility. Philanthropic giving. B Corps, employee-owned cooperatives, nonprofits, and all the models in between. The world of sustainability boasts more flavors than Baskin Robbins, more hues than a brilliant rainbow. As Nell Derick Debevoise, the founder and CEO of Inspiring Capital, has coined it, the expressions of sustainability in […]
International Day of Happiness – March 20th
What is the International Day of Happiness? It’s a day to be happy, of course! Since 2013, the United Nations has celebrated the International Day of Happiness as a way to recognize the importance of happiness in the lives of people around the world. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon stated that the world “needs a […]
World Happiness Summit
Inaugural World Happiness Summit Convenes Global Wellbeing Thinkers, Mindfulness Experts and Health Advocates. The World Happiness Summit (WOHASU) The summit agenda features more than 25 of the world’s leading experts on the different aspects that compose happiness and wellbeing. The unique three-day summit to be held in Miami, March 17-19, 2017, provides a perfect set […]
5 Ways to Be a Clean Money Revolutionary in 2017
A SOCAP Guest Post by Joel Solomon My first book, The Clean Money Revolution, is coming out in May. So, you may be asking, what is clean money? Clean Money is money aligned with purpose: money that is about more than self-interest; money that prioritizes the commons; money that makes the world better. Clean money […]
Benevity Nonprofit Community Council Reinforces the Critical Role Companies Play in Achieving Positive Societal Outcomes
Calgary, AB, February 22, 2017 /3BL Media/ — Benevity, Inc., the global leader in online workplace giving, matching, volunteering and grant management solutions, hosted the Benevity Nonprofit Community Council meeting on February 7, 2017 in Palm Springs, to discuss the ever-increasing importance of companies supporting their employees as a vehicle for achieving positive societal outcomes. Among […]
An Economy For Everyone: February Good Jobs Recap
In order to build wealth and create opportunities in and across America’s underserved communities, and reverse the troubling trends we’re seeing in our economy, we no longer find it defensible to focus on job creation alone. It’s clear that job creation does not itself equate to lasting economic change. And so, we must shift our […]
Why Washington’s Anti-Regulation Agenda Will Hurt the Economy
The president and congressional leaders are fixated on demolishing public health, safety and environmental regulations, but these efforts make little practical — or economic — sense. Of particular concern is, first, the president’s “two-for-one” executive order requiring two federal regulations to be deleted for every one issued. The second is efforts by Congress to pass regulatory reform legislation […]
A “Farmer First” Approach to Land Access
Think “local food,” and your mind’s eye produces various images of farmers in vast fields harvesting strawberries as the sun rises. Or you visualize a weekend farmers market offering colorful arrays of fruits and vegetables. These images strike at the idea of a food movement that has grown more diversified and equitable. But barriers persist, […]
Inclusive Development Index: Measuring What Matters
Call it the Norway model. A new economic measure introduced at the World Economic Forum suggests inequality is not a natural byproduct of globalization, but a choice countries make through investments and priorities. The Inclusive Development Index shifts the evidence of a nation’s economic health from gross domestic product to living standards. GDP, a commonly used economic […]
Defend the Sacred: RSF Winter 2017 Newsletter
In this latest RSF Quarterly, we listen deeply to members of our community as they recount stories of struggle and newfound strength. This issue’s Clients in Conversation is international and features Native people’s voices from as far north as Alaska, down to the South African region of Pondoland. Despite being halfway across the world from one […]
USA: 100% Renewables by 2050?
America’s most powerful wind farm – 1.5 gigawatts in size, generating enough electricity for a city of millions – is on the edge of the Mojave Desert at the foot of the Tehachapi Pass, site of one of the earliest and still largest collections of windmills in the world. In total, there are more than […]
10 Reasons to Be Optimistic for a Low-Carbon Future
Sure, many of my friends in the climate change movement can’t wait to forget 2016, the year when an incoming Trump presidency brought new meaning to climate uncertainty. But there is a movement taking hold that is far bigger than the U.S.—I’ve seen it in the last year in Africa, in Europe and the U.S. Here are […]
Investing in Sustainable Cities to Spur Economic Growth
(3BL Media/Justmeans) – In the next 15 years, more than two-thirds of total investment infrastructure will be made in cities. By 2050, about 66 percent of the global population will live in urban regions. Africa alone will have about 800 million more people living in cities than today. The gap between the supply and demand […]
Large Businesses Thank Governor Kasich for Energy Bill Veto
Major Ohio employers today commended Republican Gov. John Kasich for vetoing an energy bill that they say would have increased electricity costs and made Ohio less globally competitive. By vetoing HB554, Ohio’s renewable portfolio standard of 12.5 percent by 2026 goes back into effect on January 1, 2017. Utilities are also required to implement energy […]
Failure of Amendment 1 Sparks Florida Solar Boom
As we reported in our last blog, Amendment 1 – The Florida Solar Energy Subsidies and Personal Solar Use Initiative – failed to achieve the 60% of voter support needed to pass a state constitutional amendment on November 8th. Proponents said the amendment would have given residents the right to choose to install solar systems […]
167 Nations Act to Protect Biodiversity
By Sunny Lewis CANCUN, Mexico, December 20, 2016 (Maximpact.com News) – To safeguard the full spectrum of diverse living creatures, the UN Biodiversity Conference opened December 2 with a call to governments and businesses to integrate biodiversity into their practices. By the time the final gavel struck early Saturday morning, governments from 167 countries had […]
Cooperative Banking in Croatia
The Democracy Collaborative’s Adam Simpson and Sarah McKinley sat down with Goran Jeras, one of the lead developers of ebanka, an ethical bank project launching in Croatia, for a conversation about building the institutions of an ethical and sustainable financial system. Adam Simpson: Goran, thank you for joining us today. You are the cooperative manager […]
What I wish I knew of Impact Investors when I started
“What do impact investors want? Sustainable social impact with financial return” “What are board meetings for? To take policy decisions and ensure organization is on track” How can one disagree with the above answers? Yet, that is what I did! Because, practically there is something more every new entrepreneur should know beyond these text-bookish answers. […]
Top Resources to help you – a new article series
New Article Series “Top Resources” by Invest With Values Invest With Values is launching a new article series Top Resources. The series shares lists of leading resources based on public input. Each list focuses on a specific category (media, organizations, events) across the topics of Local Banking, Community Investing, Sustainable & Responsible Investing, and Impact Investing. What […]
B Corps are changing the way we do business and our world
B Corps are changing the way we do business. Do you know the saying “You must be the change you wish to see in the world”? Well, a growing number of businesses (B Corps) are doing just that. Business as a force for good Businesses have a tremendous impact on our lives, as owners, employees, […]
What’s Next? Parecon, or Participatory Economics
Download the PDF This paper by Michael Albert, published alongside three others, is one of many proposals for a systemic alternative we have published or will be publishing here at the Next System Project. You can read it below, or download the PDF. We have commissioned these papers in order to facilitate an informed […]
COP22: Paris Climate Pact ‘Irreversible’
MARRAKECH, Morocco, November 21, 2016 (Maximpact.com News) – In the early hours of Saturday morning in Marrakech, more than 190 governments agreed to the Marrakech Action Proclamation , which sends a strong message of global unity towards taking effective action to limit climate change. The document proclaims that was issued “to signal a shift towards […]
Well-being Economy: A Scenario for a Post-growth Horizontal Governance System
Download the PDF This paper by Lorenzo Fioramonti, published alongside three others, is one of many proposals for a systemic alternative we have published or will be publishing here at the Next System Project. You can read it below, or download the PDF. We have commissioned these papers in order to facilitate an informed […]