Social Sustainability (People)
In an effort to help educate the public about the various facets of “Social Sustainability” we have written several articles that showcase the various dimensions of sustainability that are tied to ‘people.’ Below the articles are a plethora of resources, other educational materials (videos, handbooks, websites etc.) to help your business on its social sustainability journey.
Sustainable Development Goals
The Sustainable Development Goals (graphics below) address the “social” side of sustainability or the “social” problems at the root of the different sustainable development goals. Click each icon below to learn more about them.
Adopting Social Sustainability Can Help Businesses
Our company president Lisa Geason-Bauer is pleased to announce that she “digitized” an argument for Social Sustainability using a new platform called Goodpoint. This is a very powerful tool—it allows an unlimited number of people to take what someone else wrote and argue it as their own. By leveraging other people's research, articles, videos, Lisa was able to provide fourteen reasons tied to how “Adopting Social Sustainability Can Help Businesses.”
Business As a Force for Good: Unpacking Social Sustainability
In a world where so much is uncertain and the dynamics of the global economy are evolving so rapidly, many businesses today are facing a critical junction regarding their purpose and role in society. This is with good reason, as corporations and business have historically been driven by greed and profitability as demonstrated by the widespread adoption of Milton Friedman’s shareholder theory that states, “a business’s primary commitment was first and foremost fiduciary, to its investors.” In other words, business success has been based solely on achieving financial gain/returns at the cost of society, the Earth, and humanity.
Mudita Magazine
Racial Justice
Below are excellent educational articles & videos that unpack systemic racism, racial justice, public policy and the role of business.
Dear White Boss…
Excellent article, letter written based on research from interviews and surveys with hundreds of mid-to senior-level African-American managers, as well as the authors personal experiences.
How to make sure racial justice is part of climate activism
Naomi Hollard was on her way to a climate summit, passing through one of Michigan’s most polluted zip codes, 48217, in southwest Detroit, when her throat started burning. Her view out of the car window was even more harrowing. Miles of toxic industrial facilities lined the landscape, and oil and gas refineries spewed black clouds into the air — right next to schools, sports fields, and family homes.
GLAD Racial Justice Resources
Resources for action and learning to support the Black Lives Matter movement, the fight for racial justice, and dismantling white supremacy from GLAD, LGBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders.
Empowering the Black Consumer Through Corporate Transparency
B Lab Resources
B Labs, the nonprofit entity that is responsible for the providing the third party audits for Certified B Corporations, has assembled amazing resources, and they have also written several papers and created tool kits to help businesses to address racial justice and social equity. Below you will find links to their website and specific publications, all resources that are free to use.
Midwest BLD 2022 Session One- Leveraging Business Partnerships to Address Climate Change. This panel-style session will present an overview of actions businesses are taking to address climate justice. A focus will be on real world examples of projects or programs designed to respond to the climate emergency.
Featuring: Alita Kelly -- Co-founder, South East Market, Jason MacDuff -- President, Greenpenny Bank, Rochelle Guastella -- Dir., Bus. Dev., Artisan Dental, and Lisa Geason-Bauer -- Founder & President, Evolution Marketing. Click here for more resources on Climate Justice.
Anti-Racism Business Resource: Commit and Act
Certified B Corporation Anti-Racism Resources
A collection of professional resources on guiding teams, providing individual support, and centering equity and justice in company practices.
Educational Webinars from the Midwest BLD (B Corp Leadership Development) Conference 2022:
Showcasing examples of climate action & unpacking ways to center racial equity within an organization
Midwest BLD 2022 Session Two- Centering Racial Equity and Justice within Midwest Cities. In this session, our distinguished panelists highlight the challenges their communities are facing, and then provide real-world examples of actions that they have championed in partnership with local government and nonprofit partners.
Featuring: Becca Hoeft -- CMO, Sunrise Bank, Saidirick Walker -- Program Manager, Green Homeowners United, J.P. Johnson -- Co-founder, Blackrock Consulting, and Sergio Manacero -- General Manager, La Doña Cerveceria.
B Corporations & Certified B Corps
What You Ought to Know About Certified B Corps
An informational article from Cultivating Capital. Read Here.
Sustainable Brands Q&A: As Stakeholders Demand More from Business, B Corps Rise to the Occasion
Sponsored Content by University of Wisconsin Sustainable Management. Read the Article
The Case for Certification: How to Attract and Engage Talent
How to Create an Inclusive Work Culture
Wisconsin Sustainable Business Council 2020 Virtual Conference- Sustainable Futures: Leveraging this Moment in Time
Two sessions unpacking how to create a more robust and inclusive workforce
This session focuses on partnerships and collaborations as a strategy for reaching your objectives. The panelists will discuss workforce development strategies for diversity, equity, and inclusion goals, upskilling to match your talent needs, and creating spaces that connect employees and facilitate innovation and collaboration.
This session is a continuation of the Leveraging Partnerships for a More Robust and Inclusive Workforce sessions, offering a broader and more interactive conversation about talent development and employee engagement. This session features experts working at the intersection of sustainability, HR, community engagement who are leaders implementing innovative solutions to address Wisconsin-based workforce issues and challenges.
Resources for Systemic Economic Change
Midwest BLD 2022 Opening Keynote with Dr. Ellonda L. Williams, Director of Justice, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (JEDI) at B Lab.
How Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (JEDI) and Love Can Build an Honest, People-Centered Economy
Check out this article by B Lab US & Canada’s Director of Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Dr. Ellonda Williams.
A B Corp Roadmap For Systemic Economic Change
Stakeholder Economy Resources
Midwest BLD - Regional B Corps Unpacking the Magic behind B Corp Governance & B Corp Values in Action
Midwest BLD 2022 Session Three - Unpacking the "Magic" Behind B Corp Governance. This session will showcase examples of actions that each business has taken to create good stakeholder governance structures within their organization with a focus on actions tied to workers–including employee engagement, health, volunteerism, and recruitment.
Featuring: Jon Bishop -- CEO/Founder, Envest Microfinance, Kate Jakubas -- Founder & COO, Meliora, Ben Dueweke -- Dir. of Community Partnerships, Walker-Miller Energy, Tim Frick -- President & Founder, Mightybytes
Midwest BLD 2022 Closing Keynote- A Fireside Chat with August facilitated by B Local Chair Lisa Geason-Bauer
August M. Ball is the CEO/Founder at Cream City Conservation, August discusses environmental and community-based organizations that help to address diversity and land stewardship needs through the cultivation of inclusive culture and creation of equitable green career pipelines.
International Women’s Day 2021 Wisconsin Virtual Event- "Women in Sustainability Leadership Series"
A 3-day program to empower, educate, and prepare all attendees to address various challenges and barriers they may face in their workplace tied to the implementation of social sustainability strategies and actions.
Day 1 Programming: “Social Sustainability: Unpacking the Intersectionality of Sexism- Tips, Tools & Opportunity to Build a More Inclusive Workforce”. Featured speakers: Founder & CEO of Build Business, Michelle Turner; CEO of Talent Growth Partners, Maria Nicholas-Groves; Vice President of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at CUNA Mutual Group, Angela Russell.
Day 2 Programming: “Empowerment of Women in Sustainability: Tools to Build a Gender Equitable Workplace”. Featured speakers: Director, Real Estate, Legal Department at Advocate Aurora Health, Maggie Beckley and Founder of Gender IDEAL, Flory WIlson.
Future of Sustainability Profession Interdisciplinary Professionals working in Multidisciplinary Settings
In 2022 we focused on being effective female leaders and #changemakers in the green building and sustainability professions. Our goal for the 2022 event was to educate and empower attendees about multidisciplinary work, interdisciplinary thinking, and how to apply both to the adoption of holistic sustainability strategies/ United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in our work.
Please watch the video and learn from our exceptional speakers
Nicole DeNamur, Founder ofSustainable Strategies
Nicole DeNamur is an attorney, WELL AP and Faculty, Fitwel Ambassador, EcoDistricts AP and LEED Green Associate. She helps companies identify and manage the risks of sustainable innovation so they can do great work without the surprises. Before launching her consulting company - Sustainable Strategies - Nicole practiced construction and insurance coverage law in the Seattle area for more than a decade. She leverages this experience to help her clients achieve robust sustainability goals.
Nicole's work focuses on creating collaborative spaces and uniting diverse groups to mitigate climate change through the built environment. She also specializes in issues related to the intersection of buildings with human health and wellness. Her strength lies in her ability to view sustainability issues through a legal and risk management lens. In addition to her consulting work, Nicole is also an award-winning contributing author and has developed and taught graduate courses at the University of Washington and Boston Architectural College.
Caesaré Assadhas dedicated their life’s work to stewarding Mother Earth, nourishing people, and building a more just food system. Growing up in a rural agricultural community in Oklahoma, a lifelong artist, Caesaré came of age as a laborer cooking in restaurant kitchens across the US. Their journey towards personal and collective healing has included work as a youth advocate, nutrition educator at community-based nonprofits, and corporate consultant to global food enterprises.
During their 20+ years of food system experience, Caesaré has developed innovative culinary, nutrition, and wellness initiatives focused on holistic health and building community wealth. In their former role as CEO, Caesaré brought both professional and lived experience to Food System 6, directing new resources to entrepreneurs innovating on the front lines of communities most impacted by climate change and the industrial food system.
U.S. Green Building Council member companies (Kraus-Anderson, HOK, and Evolution Marketing) share how they are working to elevate diverse voices.
Article by Robert Livingston providing a five-step plan for how to promote racial equity in the workplace.
Mental Health Resources
Harvard Business Review Articles- Mental Health
Harvard Business Review article on how to be a leader in addressing mental health and inviting others to open up.
BIPOC Mental Health
Many companies have pledged to better support their BIPOC employees, particularly when it comes to mental health. To do this well, they must offer services that meet the unique mental health needs of those employees and a one-size-fits-all mental health program doesn’t work, especially since people of color are less likely to seek treatment or get culturally appropriate care. To make sure your company’s mental health care benefits address those barriers, the authors recommend evaluating your program on six attributes: access (how quickly and easily can an employee get an appointment), cultural responsiveness, provider diversity, effectiveness, flexibility, and specialty coverage.
Sunshine Behavioral Health
“Racism is a public health crisis,” according to a May 2020 statement from the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). This means that racism — whether unintentional, unconsciously, or concealed — has affected Black Americans’ access to equal and “culturally competent” health care. Click here to visit the Free Guide that discusses Racism and Discrimination on the Mental Health of our Black Communities, the Guide also contains a lot of low cost or no cost resources
A Guide to Freedom
Click here for mental health resources for Black Men.
Wealth Gap Resources
Financial Literacy in the Black Community
Annuity.org - a free financial web resource accredited by the Better Business Bureau, has put together a great microsite of articles discussing financial literacy, how to close the wealth gap, and who can help you.
Employee Engagement
30x30 Nature Challenge
Cool Choices Game
Cool Choices uses a fun game-based platform to inspire individuals to adopt sustainable practices and share/celebrate those practices with peers, creating a culture where sustainability is the new normal.