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Ethiopia’s famine, which vaulted the country into global headlines 30 years ago, has left much of the world with stubborn images of a dry, desolate and inhospitable country in which to live.

While that is very true of the Danakil Depression, and the country east of its capitol, Addis Ababa, is remarkably arid, the truth is that much of the country is green and lush. It is because of this rich land that as one of the planet’s oldest societies, Ethiopia has made many contributions, culturally and economically, to the world. One notable example of Ethiopia’s impact on our global economy and culture is coffee. Arabica coffee beans trace their origins to Ethiopia, and now coffee is the country’s largest foreign export.

But coffee, farms and livelihoods throughout the region may suffer from climate change's long-term effects. According to a report issued by Columbia University’s Earth Institute, Ethiopia, along with its neighbors on the Horn of Africa, Djibouti and Somalia, have become drier the past 100 years, and these trends may lead to even less precipitation in the foreseeable future. Less rain, paired with warmer temperatures, could spark increasing tensions in a corner of the world that has already seen its share of conflict.

Somaliland, which has functioned as a separate state since cutting off ties with Somalia in the early 1990s, is relatively stable but receives little international aid since it is not internationally recognized as an official nation; Djibouti already has its struggles due to having few natural resources while a high percentage of its population lives in poverty; and although Ethiopia’s poverty rate has fallen significantly since 2000, tensions with Eritrea still result in conflicts along their disputed border. Add the lawlessness in the strategically important Gulf of Aden, and climate change could wreak havoc throughout a region that has been on the steady yet slow road to social healing and economic recovery.

It is in the Gulf of Aden where Earth Institute researchers conducted research and arrived at their conclusion that climate change could result in a long-term decline in rainfall within the region. The team of scientists extracted sediment from the gulf’s pirate-ridden waters and analyzed the core to determine past changes in aridity and temperatures. Cross-referencing information they could glean from this sediment with climate data dating back to the 20th century, researchers have posited that the weather will continue to become drier and warmer in Ethiopia, Djibouti, Somaliland and Somalia.

This assessment contrasts sharply with what had been largely accepted by the scientific community: that climate change, by adding even more moisture to the earth’s atmosphere, would actually create more precipitation and create a wetter climate, therefore potentially benefiting this region both environmentally and economically.

Africa’s past history also nudged the Earth’s Institute researchers to ascertain that the Horn of Africa is a on course towards a drier climate. Additional analysis of Gulf of Aden sediment, according to a 2013 study, suggests that the desertification of the Sahara 5,000 years ago occurred relatively quickly, in 100 to 200 years — not gradually, as was the assumption of most researchers who have studied Africa’s climatic patterns.

These conclusions add to what many experts are already saying about climate change: the gradual but steady warming of the earth will have a far more devastating impact in poorer countries. Such forecasts are why a self-described alliance of vulnerable nations, or the V-20, held an inaugural meeting yesterday in Lima, Peru, to discuss how they will cope with the brunt of social upheaval and economic losses. Ethiopia, incidentally, was one of the first nations to disclose its climate plan in the buildup to the COP21 talks next month in Paris.

The Horn of Africa is already home to what many describe as the world’s first “failed state.” While Somalia’s neighbors have made a valiant effort in ensuring that they would not suffer the same fate, these nations are now likely to face even more challenges in the years ahead as they strive to lift more of their citizens out of poverty.

Image credit: Leon Kaye

Two years ago, it seemed like an unbeatable company with an environmental track record that could only grow stronger. But as Volkswagen Group of America CEO Michael Horn took the oath before Congress yesterday, it became clear that those days were probably over. Volkswagen's global enterprise is now fighting to stay in business.

Wednesday, two high-ranking senators announced that they would initiate an investigation to determine if Volkswagen intentionally deceived the Internal Revenue Service out of more than $50 million in tax credits.

Senate Finance Committee Chair Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) and ranking member Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) say they are responding to news that consumers who purchased certain VW models received as much as $1,300 in tax breaks between 2009 and 2010, racking up a tally of more than $50 million in breaks for 2009 and 2010 models (tax breaks continued following those years, but were less after 2010). According to Hatch and Wyden, 60,000 such vehicles were sold in the U.S. during that period.

Thursday morning, Congress began the lengthy process of trying to determine how defeat devices had become routine mechanisms in some of VW's higher-priced diesel models, who had made the decision to include them, and why.

Two of the more interesting pieces of information shared by Horn was that it was "a couple of engineers" who were independently responsible for the world-wide deception, and that the device was installed allegedly in response to emission standards being tightened. It isn't clear how two engineers would have been able to implement such changes, particularly in light of the fact that VW, by its own admission, maintains fairly stringent oversight of its technology and its production processes. The automaker's Chattanooga, Tennessee, plant has gone to lengths to demonstrate that such oversight is a company-wide concern.

But it's also not clear why two engineers would feel that they should act arbitrarily to fool emissions tests that were put in place to address global warming concerns, particularly given the company's established environmental focus. At what point do such national environmental mandates become acted upon by design engineers?

There likely will be many more questions to be answered in coming weeks as VW attempts to address the investigations that have been launched across the globe. Yesterday, German prosecutors raided the company's headquarters in the hopes of learning the origin and use of the defeat device. The raid is further bad news for VW shares, which continue to drop.

Recovering from those losses will likely be challenging for VW. It's facing mounting costs and still has not come up with a clear answer as to how it will address the emissions problems of the some 11 million affected vehicles worldwide. According to Horn, it's a task that will likely take a few years to fix.

That isn't sitting well with some members of Congress, who suggested that VW should consider buying back all of the affected vehicles -- at their original sales prices. It's unlikely that the automaker will do that, but it is offering $2,000 to "returning Volkswagen owners" who are willing to stay loyal to the brand and purchase a new vehicle. It will be interesting to see how that turns out.

Image credit: Bruno Kussler Marques

It is said that California often leads the U.S. on policy, whether it is on tax rollbacks, car insurance reform and now, clean energy.

Gov. Jerry Brown already signed legislation during his first term that mandated California generate 33 percent of its energy from renewables by 2020. Following his landslide re-election, the septuagenarian governor has been on fire, from pushing the state to find new ways to conserve water to setting new climate change goals for California.

When Brown was one of the youngest governors in state history during the 1970s, his advocacy of solar power was considered so far out of the mainstream that his affinity for renewables contributed to his nickname, “Governor Moonbeam.” Now California’s oldest governor ever, his promotion of clean energy barely turns heads. Therefore, few took any notice when he signed Senate Bill 350, which aims to boost energy efficiency and renewables even further in the Golden State.

Signed during a ceremony this week at the Griffith Park Observatory in Los Angeles, the law mandates that California produce 50 percent of its electricity from renewables such as solar and wind power by 2030. The law also requires a doubling of energy efficiency in buildings statewide by the same year. The bill was authored by Senate President pro Tempore Kevin de Leon of Los Angeles.

As the COP21 talks in Paris draw even closer, S.B. 350 is an example of how local and regional governments can make a difference, even if next month’s climate conference will be held by national and international leaders.

Not all of California’s action on renewables and climate change is based on legislation, however. For example, last month the state’s Air Resources Board reenacted its controversial Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS), which will require a 10 percent reduction in the carbon intensity of transport fuels by 2020.

Long supported by environmentalists but despised by energy companies, that regulation is in part behind why S.B. 350 was not passed in its original form. Earlier drafts of the legislation included language that would have required the state to slash its total petroleum use by 50 percent by 2030. Some state lawmakers and energy lobbyists raised objections to that provision, so the bill’s authors removed that segment from the final bill.

Although many environmental organizations praised the bill’s passage, the removal of the petroleum consumption section has proven to be a sore point. The Natural Resources Defense Council, for example, called the California legislature’s refusal to confront the oil industry’s “fearmongering [sic]” as “deplorable,” but lauded the legislation’s goals despite what the organization described as the energy companies’ “smokescreen.”

Gov. Brown’s political opponents attacked what they described as the future consequences of this legislation. Senate Republican Leader Jean Fuller of Bakersfield, claiming that S.B. 350 would lead to higher utility bills and job losses for California’s families, said in a written statement: “Senate Republicans share the goal of clean air and reduced emissions in California. But we have to get there in a way that is still affordable for California families and small businesses.”

Considering the state’s political tilt and Brown’s determination to press on with his agenda as he will most likely retire from public life after leaving office in 2019, it is clear that while he may not leave office popular, his second governorship will be far more consequential than many had imagined after his 2010 election.

Image credit: Kit Conn via Wikimedia Commons

What do Twitter sensation @MarnieTheDog, actor Leonardo DiCaprio and President Barack Obama have in common? If you thought climate change, you’re right. A viral social media campaign, #ClimateChangeIsReal, launched on Earth Day this year and discussed at a SXSW Eco workshop this week, taps into people’s fascination with celebrity culture and memes to raise awareness about climate change and make climate action mainstream.

Organized by Here Now, a project of social cause agency Purpose, the #ClimateChangeIsReal initiative reached about 235 million tweets within two weeks of its launch in April, and continues to see about 500 new posts on Twitter each week.

Pop culture icons as diverse as Brad Pitt, Richard Branson and Paul McCartney – and corporations such as Nike, Ikea and Unilever – have joined the climate conversation using the viral hashtag. Everyday people are tweeting as a way to do their part, too.

The initiative builds a new framework for climate change storytelling. Rather than share doom and gloom statistics, #ClimateChangeIsReal leverages humor (we are talking about memes here, after all). And rather than being publicly led by a single organization, more than 200 nonprofit organizations, 75 artists, 50 corporate partners, and a slew of celebrities and individuals have been empowered with messaging and tools to lead the social dialogue and become digital influencers.

The result has been a dynamic global exchange that has taken a life of its own. Beyond memes, people are getting creative and using the hashtag to make a point. Even more, the social campaign has driven more conversation than media or public relations could achieve combined.

According to presenters at SXSW Eco this week, the secret-sauce of the campaign’s success is combining a culturally relevant, trending topic with a climate change concept, such as Obama’s three-point game and climate change or #TheDress and climate change.

Above all, authenticity is key. And laughter.

Image credits: 1) Courtesy of #ClimateChangeIsReal; 2) @BarackObama via Twitter

What’s so great about wilderness anyway? Does it even exist anymore? What does being “wild” even mean? Is nature just about ecosystem services, or is there an intrinsic value to the natural world beyond our interference, untrammeled by human activity?

There is no place on the globe untouched by the work of humanity, even where it is not the intent. From the highest mountain peak under a blanket of stars, a satellite will streak across the sky, carrying with it the incessant chatter of human civilization.

Evidence suggests a mindset of "taming” wilderness -- that the natural world is somehow ours -- has brought a kind of identity crisis for humanity in the 21st century. What does it mean to be human in an increasingly anthropomorphized world? How can modern civilization find its place in the scheme of things? Or to put it another way, how can the natural world find its place in the Anthropocene -- the “Age of Man?"

In his new book "Satellites in the High Country: Searching for the Wild in the Age of Man," author and environmental journalist Jason Mark explores the wilderness and questions what the very concepts of nature and wild mean for us today.

I had the opportunity to read an advance copy of Mark's book (which is now available) and chat with him about the state of the human-wild connection in the modern world. Building on the groundwork of Thoreau, Muir, Leopold and many others, Mark invites us on the ongoing journey of finding wilderness in the modern world.

Separation anxiety

Our attempt at bending the natural world to our will leads to separation, from the land and from ourselves. Evidence of this separation is found not only by the damage done within the biosphere, but also to ourselves, the human psyche. In our cleverness of survival from the primal reality of the wild, we've left behind a healthy relationship with nature.

For Mark, it is not an argument of a return to a “paleo state.” Even if we wanted to (or could) transform society into some paleo postmodern paradise, it would be impractical and as unsustainable as the current industrialized, connected and commodified world in which we live. Most of us would starve to death. There is no "going back."

But this, Mark contends, is why we need the wild now more than ever. “Wild” is a complex mental construct crossing generations, borders and beliefs. But it is also very real. "Satellites in the High Country" explores both. Mark describes in vivid detail the landscape of deserts, mountains, open plains and Arctic tundra, and the landscape of the conflicted human story of nature -- our halting efforts of preservation on the one hand with the ceaseless paving over of it on the other.

Mark journeys through wilderness that most of his readers will never see, and in doing so demonstrates why in just knowing there is wild, somewhere, we can remain grounded in our existence on the planet.

"So, even if you never go into wilderness," says Mark, "it's important psychologically to just know that it's there ... There's just this hunger that we have for someplace that's away."

Doing business in the Anthropocene

How does “enlightened capitalism” define the value of nature beyond ecosystem services?  How do we reign in our desire to consume beyond need or well-being, not from force or coercion, but by cooperation? Mark doesn’t pretend to have the answers, but he eloquently brainstorms possibilities.

Referring to John De Graaf's work on alternative economic models outlined in the book "What's the Economy For Anyway?," Mark suggests metrics beyond simple GDP can help shift our view of perpetual economic growth in a world encroaching on its limits.

"Theoretically the economy should serve human progress, human well-being and human happiness," Mark says. "I think it's imperative that we move beyond GDP and pioneer new ways of measuring progress and well-being. When we get there, we'll begin to see a more scientific way of seeing that more stuff does not equal more happiness."

Refuge of the wild

Certainly in today’s world, it often looks as if we are sawing off the very limb of the tree of life upon which we precariously perch. Only by reconsidering our relationship to the world outside, through our personal choices, our civic cooperation and the businesses and economies we create, can we mend the wound we inflict upon ourselves and the planet.

"I'm cautiously optimistic," Mark says. "There's no question that the challenges facing us are immense, because of global population, because of consumption, and because of these cascading and mutually reinforcing environmental crises. That's worrisome. Let's not kid ourselves, we're in a tight place. That said, I am hopeful that people can continue the deep-seated and innate love of wild places."

If Mark romanticizes the refuge found in the wild, he makes no apologies for it. "Satellites in the High Country" is an evocative meditation on reconnecting our bond to the natural world, and why it is so important.

"Whether it is the deep wilderness or nearby nature close to home," say Mark, "that emotional connection will in the end spur a critical mass of people to demand a new way of meeting our basic needs and our appetites."

But Mark's is more than a romantic vision. It is also a pragmatic understanding that, to save ourselves, we'll need to reconcile our fractured relationship to the wild in the Age of Man.

Image credits: 1) Filckr/Rachel Kramer 2) Island Press

A job in retail has become the only option for many workers who are either in a career transition or did not, or could not, pursue education post-high school. For those who completed their associate’s or bachelor’s degree, the post-2008 financial crisis fallout diverted many college grads onto the retail sector management track.

Previously such voids had long been filled by factories, but many of them have closed or only employ people who have specialized skills. Unfortunately, for many employees, retail does not pay as well as manufacturing, and decent benefits such as health care and sick pay are often lacking.

So, while many of us fret over what retailers such as H&M are doing, or not doing, within their supply chains, there is also plenty of nefarious behavior within the retail industry that should cause concern here at home. The world’s largest retailer, Walmart, has been called out for its share of labor abuses and shady employment practices, while other chains have been quick to throw their employees under the bus when tough times hit. Other retailers have gone against the grain, and have reaped the results: Container Store and Costco come to mind, where decent wages and respect pay dividends.

Which is why, for a retailer focused on the under-30 crowd, a demographic that is often quick to hold businesses accountable for their actions, Urban Outfitters' shenanigans highlight what is often wrong with retail. A recent episode has created a public relations nightmare for its parent company, URBN — as in, having its actions publicized and relentlessly mocked by the likes of Gawker. But for many retail workers, a “call for volunteers” is far more serious and hits too close to home.

Earlier this week, an email went out to employees at URBN’s corporate headquarters in Philadelphia. The email, with the subject line, “A Call for URBN Volunteers!,” asked employees to help out at a new warehouse in rural Lancaster County, about a 90-minute drive from Philly. Employees were told that not only would they help fulfill orders, but that it would also be a great “team building activity.” Free transportation was provided, and employees were given the options of at least one Saturday in October to help out for a six-hour shift. The online registration form, along with the email, ended up leaking to the public — though at press time volunteers were no longer able to sign up.

Now, it’s important to remember that this email supposedly went to only salaried employees. Hourly workers apparently were not invited to volunteer their time to help their company during one of the busiest months of the year. And perhaps it should not be too surprising that a company that owns a brand called Free People is asking for volunteers. But what this email shows is a creative way to bully employees into giving up their weekends, not to mention that URBN employed an obnoxious tactic when the fact is that plenty of people would be willing to work on Saturdays — just not for free.

URBN’s email was not a call to “volunteer” in community service to build a house, work in a food bank or collect clothes for those in need. And of course, when many employees feel insecure about their jobs, or are pining for a promotion, they will feel compelled to respond to such a call. Such a call for volunteers, in fact, is an insult to anyone who has given up his or her free time for a real cause.

Needless to say, this perky email was passed around the Internet, which led the company to send out a statement saying the company received a “tremendous response,” and that the “dedication and commitment of URBN employees are second to none.” Hourly employees also responded, according to the company, but were “declined” in order to ensure compliance with labor laws. “Their response to this request is a testament to their solidarity and continued success,” was the closing to this statement, an ironic choice of words in case anyone remembers what happened in early 1980s Poland.

Naturally, this call-to-action received plenty of snark on Gawker in the comments section. If URBN’s stunt accomplished anything, it will serve as a human resources management case study of why it is not only important to use a dictionary when asking employees to work extra hours, but to consult a thesaurus as well, so that better word choices are made.

Image credit: Urban Outfitters

By Cecile Blilious

As we move further into the 21st century, the global community faces an array of difficult challenges. Over one billion people are struggling with water scarcity, a problem particularly salient in California due to the ongoing drought. Alternatively, in places like Africa, the fight against dangerous diseases such as Ebola has captured the world’s attention. In order to overcome the challenges that face us all, we all must accept the responsibility to act. We each have a role to play — every individual, every city, every country and every business.

The question then becomes, how can we all contribute to overcoming these challenges? As individuals we are best positioned to act as independent, helpful agents; cities are best positioned to create effective local solutions; and national governments are best positioned to enact guiding legislation and provide assistance. Technology startups and businesses meanwhile, are particularly well suited to use innovation to create effective solutions to global challenges.

To date, tech start-ups have shown flashes of enormous potential. Green-technology startups have made it possible to recycle previously unsalvageable material, and biotech companies are revolutionizing medicine for first and third world ailments. While these accomplishments have made a notable effect, much more can be done to foster an environment wherein tech startups dedicate themselves to creating socially minded solutions.

Through proper investment strategies and corporate practices, tech companies can be encouraged to actualize their potential and foster social improvements that resolve global challenges, as I will outline below:

Invest in social returns as well as financial returns

Impact investing strategies have turned the focus to the social benefits of investments, without losing any emphasis on financial success. Impact investment firms assess returns in both profitability and measurable, global impact. This relatively new form of investing has grown quickly. In 2014, $60 billion was invested with impact, a 30% increase from 2013, and annual investment into impact funds is expected to increase more than six fold within the next ten years —with projections indicating that it will surpass $400 billion per year by the end of the decade. Moreover, impact investments are targeting and achieving market-rate returns at an 80% clip.

Merge the mission

A challenge often encountered by startups is a singular focus on finances, causing them to lose focus of the overall big picture, including improving a company’s product and social mission. From the outset, a company’s business model should be focused on achieving all of its missions, from making a profit, going public, perfecting a product or maximizing social impact. This model should be consistently assessed throughout an organization’s lifetime. If a company makes changes to become financially stronger, constant check-ups should be taken to ensure that none of its social goals are abandoned, and vice versa.  

The need for merged goals applies to investors the same way it does for corporate leaders. When investors understand that social returns and financial returns are equally vital within a company’s activities, they allow the company to maintain focus on its social agenda. The success of companies that strive toward these merged goals has contributed to the continued growth of impact investing. For tech startups in particular, social benefits and financial profits easily come hand-in-hand, and they have drawn attention from Impact Investors.

Effective social assessment

In order to most effectively quantify and measure social returns, companies need to use the resources available to them, including B-Corp certification, which should be pursued as early as possible. While maintaining B-Corp certification, other impact measurement tools, such as Sinzer, can provide valid measures of social impact. Additionally, internal monetization standards and tools should be created to complement these external resources, whether through data tracking or effective polling of a target population. By using a combination of these tools, leadership and investors can gain an accurate picture of a company’s ability to gain social “returns” together with financial returns. Measurement tools set a standard for a company and are critical in providing company leadership with a more in-depth understanding of their performance. This allows them to make necessary changes, and verifiably demonstrate success.

Conclusion

Technology startups and businesses are positioned at the intersection of ingenuity and aggressive growth strategies. The world cannot afford to overlook the technologies that these companies are creating. While impact investing has had a strong beginning, we need more investors to adopt this model to maximize the social impact generated by technology startups.

While many entrepreneurs create technologies of minimal social impact, others do great good. When socially minded businesses and investors execute the proper strategies, they can spread an impact that benefits us all.

Image credit: Flickr/Rodrigo Soldon

Cecile Blilious is the co-founder and managing partner of Impact First Investments, an Israeli impact investment firm. Cecile has extensive experience managing foundations focused on creating social good and has served as CEO or in leadership positions at a number of Israeli high-tech companies. 

By Julie Fahnestock

Ryan Honeyman didn’t necessarily intend to be the B Corp expert. If you told the Ryan Honeyman of 2008 with his master's in criminal justice that in five years he would quit his job, write a book, and be named the 2014 B Corp MVP, he might have asked, “‘B’ Corp? Why not an ‘A’ Corp?”

To be an expert is to be just a few steps ahead. The Ryan Honeyman of 2015 knows B Corp consulting is about asking questions and finding ways to create meaningful, long-term value. Not long into his career as a B Corp consultant, many requests from sustainability-minded professionals came his way asking for advice on networking with B Corps, turning the B Impact Assessment into a business model and feeding a family while doing so. Ryan realized that to dramatically expand the B Corp movement, there was an opportunity to create a training and mentorship network for aspiring B Corp consultants.

Together with Conscious Brands, an awesome, Canadian-based, sustainability consulting firm, he launched a webinar series called “Secrets of B Corp Consulting,” aimed at equipping participants with tools, framing and expertise in this burgeoning field.

As of now, two cohorts have completed six class hours and several, albeit always optional, homework assignments. Ryan and his colleagues at Conscious Brands think that the trainees are ready to hit the ground running and help companies make more meaningful impact. Here are five insider tips from the Secrets of B Corp Consulting, which I compiled as a member of the September 2015 cohort:

1. B Corp certifications are only 50 percent of the business opportunity

Christian Greico, president of Optimus One & Secrets of B Corp Consulting Alumni

Ryan said that when he first started Honeyman Consulting, he made the mistake of chasing B Corp certifications, neglecting to develop long-term, client relationships. The more meaningful approach, he has learned, is to create deeper value for clients through other activities such as PR, carbon counting projects and half-day, employee engagement training. This is also true for other B Corp consulting companies. For Conscious Brands, B Corp certification makes up roughly one-third of their revenue stream.

2. Get going when you’re 80 percent ready.

Nadine Martel, sustainability consultant, Bronson Consulting Group & Secrets of B Corp Consulting Alumna

As management consultant Alan Weiss puts it, “When you are 80 percent done, then move forward. The final 20 percent is dysfunctional.”  When Ryan first started his consulting business in 2011, he knew he needed to find a way to provide long-term value for his clients quickly and effectively. He didn’t have time to refine his expertise and then start consulting. Ryan says that the goal is to trust your gut, constantly tweak and iterate on new approaches, and admit when you don’t have the answer.

3. You don’t need to be an expert in sustainability to help businesses improve impact

Yours Truly, Julie Fahnestock, founder of B Storytelling & Secrets of B Corp Consulting Alumna

Ryan says that “B Lab calls itself a lab because they aren’t pretending to have all of the answers.” In fact, one of the most interesting things for me during this course was that Ryan said he had only mentioned GRI and LEED once and never used them. He says that the value that the B Impact Assessment provides is that you don’t need a long, deep history of sustainable knowledge to help businesses improve their social and environmental performance.

4. Use the B Impact Assessment to get a baseline

Christian Greico, president of Optimus One & Secrets of B Corp Consulting Alumni

“Regardless of how the client proceeds,” says Greico, “the B Corp model is such a strong framework.” Whether or not the client decides to pursue or finalize B Corp certification, the assessment outlines the great impact they are making and where they have room to improve. Ryan says that you should walk your clients through the Quick Start Guide in The B Corp Handbook and set a goal to get a baseline via the B Impact Assessment in 90 minutes or less.

5. Contextualize the value of the B Corp model.

Nadine Martel, sustainability consultant, Bronson Consulting Group & Secrets of B Corp Consulting Alumna

“It’s important to find what resonates with each business. It could be attracting and retaining top talent, or it could be demonstrating leadership in sustainability or ensuring the values and mission are embedded and protected in the business’ legal structure,” says Martel. “Each message will depend on the type of business, its current situation and who you are speaking with. When consulting with businesses, it makes sense to select two or three points explaining the benefits of B Corp that will resonate with the business to whom you are pitching.”

For more secrets, check out the October/November webinar series the Secrets of B Corp Consulting. Read more about it on Just Means.

Julie Fahnestock is the Founder and Sustainability Storyteller at B Storytelling, a content development company specifically designed to help popularize the good happening through business. They do this by helping Benefit Corporations and other social enterprises identify, build and leverage their brands. Julie has an MBA in Managing for Sustainability from Marlboro Graduate School and she lives in West Palm Beach, Florida.

A new study reveals that almost two-thirds of investors don’t know whether the activities of industries or companies they are investing in are ethical or not.

According to the survey by Triodos Bank, 63% of investors don’t know whether the activities of the companies or industries they are investing in are ethical, meaning that many are potentially funding practices which go against their personal views. The findings also show that only a quarter (25%) of people say they know if their investments are ethical.

The survey also shows that the vast majority (85%) of investors would act if they felt their investments conflicted with their personal ethical preferences. As part of the research, Triodos Bank asked respondents to highlight practices which would stop them investing financially in a particular company, fund or pension.

The top five are human trafficking (70%), forced/child labour (67%), pornography (49%), animal testing (45%) and arms/munitions (41%).

The research also showed an appetite for ethical investment, with 71% of investors saying they want more of their pensions and investments in environmental and social sectors. Almost half (46%) of investors would like more of their pension or investment products to be invested in renewable energy while 43% would like to invest in healthcare and 37% in sustainable businesses.

Huw Davies, head of personal banking at Triodos Bank, comments: “A big part of the problem is the lack of transparency in financial products – it should be much easier for the average investor to find out which companies and activities their money is financing so they can make informed decisions."

Sweden’s Prime Minister Stefan Löfven recently declared at the U.N. General Assembly that his nation of 10 million people would become “one of the first fossil-free welfare states in the world.”

His announcement comes at a time when 146 nations have made promises to reduce their carbon emissions with the COP21 talks in Paris starting next month. Löfven and his government have made a bold statement that has prompted many commentators to ask: How on earth this could this happen, if ever?

The reality is that the Nordic countries already have a strong track record when it comes to action on climate change and clean-energy generation. Denmark, for example, hit a point over the summer when it produced 140 percent of its energy needs from wind power, some of which it ended up exporting to its neighbors. Oil-rich Norway produces about 99 percent of its electricity from hydropower and has one of the highest rates of electric vehicle ownership on the planet. And, blessed by copious amounts of geothermal sources, Iceland meets about 85 percent of its energy needs from renewables.

So, how can Sweden take the lead on the renewable front, especially when considering the fact that it has a sophisticated economy, which includes automobile manufacturing?

The reality is that Scandinavia’s largest country has already made headway toward this goal. Currently almost 80 percent of Sweden’s electricity comes from non-fossil fuel sources. The challenge, however, is that a large portion of this power comes from nuclear.

After decades of promising to decommission its nuclear power plants, the country’s government decided it would allow new plants to replace shuttered ones in 2010. Mothballing 10 to 13 nuclear power plants will throw a wrench in Sweden’s plans, as not everyone, notably the country’s power-sharing Green Party,  sees this form of power as “clean” despite the fact it discharges zero emissions into the earth’s atmosphere.

That nuclear sticking point aside, Sweden’s government claims it is on an ambitious course to wean itself from fossil fuels. In 2016, the country’s energy and environment ministries will spend about 4.5 billion crowns (US$545 million) on projects including solar-cell research and electric-vehicle technologies. Smart-grid and other energy-efficient technologies will also see a boost in research dollars.

Curiously, Sweden is not just investing money within its borders — some of those funds will be spent on sustainable development projects abroad in poorer countries. In that sense, Sweden is taking leadership and is nudging richer companies to do the same.

“Developed countries have a special responsibility to transit quickly to clean energy systems,” said Isabella Lövin, Sweden’s minister of international development cooperation, “and at the same time to support developing countries to leap-frog directly to renewables.”

Sweden has not set a timetable on when exactly a 100 percent renewable society will become reality. According to Bloomberg, the focus is a rapid reduction in emissions by 2020, with the country’s capitol, Stockholm, possibly going fossil fuel-free by 2050. But the significance of Sweden’s announcement is that it behooves the world’s richer nations to put their money where their mouths are.

“Increased climate funding to developing countries and climate action within the framework of development assistance are fundamental to Sweden’s and the EU’s credibility in the climate negotiations,” said the Swedish government in a recent press statement.

In this case, the how of Sweden’s energy policy will be more important that the what. By taking actions that go beyond issuing a proclamation, the land of blue and gold could play a pivotal role in helping the world go green.

Image credits: Leon Kaye