By this point, you’ve seen the report. You have witnessed in bold that humanity is on a code red. How are you feeling? Many of us are experiencing a range of emotions from anger, fear, sadness and after a very difficult pandemic year that is only ramping up, numbness.
The underdog emotion is hope. Report Author and Climate Scientist at the University of Chile, Maisa Rojas Corradi believes that there is still hope. Time to turn the worst effects from happening around, but it will not be easy. As she states, “unless there are immediate, rapid and large-scale reductions of all greenhouse gases, limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees celsius will be beyond reach.” Greenhouse gases are responsible for the widespread destruction from an increase in frequency and power of natural disasters and much more.
How can we accomplish this seemingly overwhelming task? We make significant changes. We rally, we don’t give up. We don’t look for life on other planets and purchase a ticket to the moon, which is tantamount to throwing hands up in the air screaming, “we’re doomed, time to look elsewhere.” Show the earth that we love, some love.
If you haven’t been conscious of the effects of climate change prior to this current report, it’s time to act now. Heed the words of experts. Take these steps to reduce your carbon footprint.
Yes, fossil fuels and deforestation are the main culprits, which may seem far removed from day to day life, but there is always more we can do as individuals. In a similar way that our investments drive change, so do our purchases.
Certified B Corporations are businesses that meet the highest standards of verified social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability to balance profit and purpose.
Supporting a certified B Corporation is an excellent way to show companies that consumers care about the entire supply chain from start to finish. Increasing the demand in these vetted businesses is one way we can use our collective voice to say we are no longer interested in purchasing cheaply made, non eco- friendly processes with criminal labor conditions.
B Corps are accelerating a global culture shift to redefine success in business and build a more inclusive and sustainable economy.
In 2006, three friends created an organization dedicated to making it easier for mission-driven companies to protect and improve their positive impact over time. The first 82 B Corps were certified in 2007.
B Corp is taking an active stand against the systematic racism, injustice and overall mistreatment of people of color. Their website includes a list of resources for companies and leaders to ensure their work environments are inclusive.
The Inclusive Economy Challenge was created to support B Corp leaders in realizing important equity, diversity, and inclusion goals. Since the challenge started three years ago, B Corp leaders focused on the implementation of practices such as supplier diversity, gender pay equity, and hiring chronically unemployed populations, recognizing there is much work to be done.
B Lab recognizes the top-performing B Corps creating the greatest impact through their businesses in seven “Best for the World” categories – Overall, Workers, Environment, Customers, Community, Governance, and Changemakers. When making purchases (and be sure to consume less, waste less, and recycle more) look for these certified options.
Best For The World: Overall Honorees represent the top 10% of Certified B Corps across all impact areas, leading the way and showing others what’s possible, and how to make it happen. Using business as a force for good, these companies are living proof of the power of balancing purpose with profits!
