US Businesses Not Walking their Talk - Time To Get Real

Picture this ---
You: Project Manager
Where: A major international development non-profit
Organizational values: Solidarity, social justice, sustainability.

However...

- No recycling in the building.
- No work-life balance strategy for the employees.
- No criteria for choosing suppliers or investment funds.

This situation, and I am sure you know what I am talking about, can be found in the non-profit world, as well as in businesses who developed a so-called Corporate Social Responsibility Department/Policy/Initiative. According to a survey published this week by the Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship, while "60% of surveyed executives say corporate citizenship is part of their business strategy to a large or very great extent" only "39% report it is part of their business planning process, and only 25% have an individual or team responsible for citizenship issues." How lovely.

The full survey can be found at www.bcccc.net or at www.hitachifoundation.org.

You can also comment the results here, at the Social Innovation Hunter, or at the Center's blog at http://www.corporatecitizen07.com.

Wrap your groceries in style

Rosie, a.k.a. Rosiane Machabee, is a Montreal designer and artist, concerned about environmental issues. She creates and paints ecological grocery bags, all unique, hand-made and fair trade. Her style is fresh, naive: your mom, sister, and girlfriend will appreciate how thoughtful you are.

Believe me: you will definitely score some brownie points.

Petite Rosie
www.petiterosie.com
www.directionvert.com/rosie.htm

SOCIALLY RESPONSIBLE CHRISTMAS - GIVE JUSTICE!

Some choose to boycott it, some choose to simply ignore it. Others will go for some organic/fair trade somethin' somethin' or to spend the night at a shelter. During Christmas season, most of us simply spend hundreds of dollars on gifts that are most likely to end up in the closet, or on a paper bag underneath the bed.


ChangingThePresent.com offers a new and innovative alternative: to allow your dear ones to contribute in a cause which is meaningful to them. For instance, for $50 gift, you can: feed a Brazilian child for a month; offer an American artist a one-hour session with a coach; buy a goat to a woman in Ethiopia who can then start her own business; or provide a literacy-kit for an elderly person to tutor a K-4 child.

ChangingThePresent.org
www.changingthepresent.org