Business as an agent of change

For the past year we at D2E have been researching companies and organizations that we feel add value to the consumer's life, and make sense for our environment and society. Betty and I felt strongly that all businesses should be considering these factors – the end user (value of the product or service), the environment, society and of course profit. I should say profit with a capital P, because it is such and important factor. Profit can mean the money gained so that one can send her kids to college. Profit can be the money gained so that the Non-profit can help more people or animals. If nobody profits, where are we?

I am not an economist or an academic. I am a mere small business owner that has earned my MBA in the trenches. But I have learned the value of business. Business can be an agent of change. We business owners can help society progress in a positive way. We create jobs and we help stimulate the economy. Take Lush as an example (shameless plug - but their stuff is so great). This company offers great bath products to the consumer. Why are they great? 1. They are fun, so they deliver joy to the one using it. 2. They smell good. 3. They will clean your body. 4. They do not conduct any animal testing. 5. They do not contain any toxins. They are made with fresh organic fruit & veggies. 6. No sweat shops. 7. They minimized packaging... This company considered many factors when they were developing their products. They did not ignore the fact that in the end, the product has to work. It has to deliver value to the end user. If a product is merely environmentally friendly it will not live long.

And we can't ignore corporate responsibility. I attended the Boston Business Journal Philanthropy Summit this year and their panel sponsored by State Street on how businesses can help end youth violence in Boston (Urban Violence is a Business Problem). Our society has some serious issues to deal with - and it takes a village to raise a child. Or, perhaps, it takes a conscience corporate community to raise a city.

As for D2E - we decided early on that we wanted to make a difference. How can we use our skills to create something that is useful for the end-user and good for the planet and community? Well, we made a few decisions early on.

1. We created a Board of Advisors that could help us do the right thing. They know a lot more than we do about the environment, so we knew we would need their help in order to avoid green washing.
2. Inspired by Van Jones, we decided that we had to have en event for the youth of Boston. We need to reach out to the kids and let them know why these issues are important and show them the opportunities that are here for the taking. So on Sunday, March 30 at noon we will host a YOUTH FORUM. We will have a panel of professionals from different sectors of the sustainable economy talk about how they got to where they are, and why it is important to pursue a career in this emerging sustainable economy. Why should we care?
3. We decided to focus on design and innovation. Our hope is that in the future one will not gain any marketing points with the green label. So we want D2E to showcase good design and innovation that just happens to consider the planet. On Saturday we will host a symposium on SUSTAINABLE DESIGN. The panelists are a diverse group and they will talk about how design, science and policy all come into play and can help create a more sustainable future.

We at D2E want this event to be beneficial to the consumer. We want to help consumers find products and services that enable them to live their day-to-day lives with style and comfort, while shrinking their footprint. We want to inform and entertain.

So that is my thought for the day, and I hope that you all attend our show and feel we have added value to your life.