In the current economic climate, businesses face an unprecedented array of challenges and opportunities. From climate change and social inequities to the rapid pace of technological innovation, companies that can adapt and evolve are those that will thrive
Kris Lin-Bronner: The Magic of Dr. Bronner's (Rebroadcast)
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Kris Lin-Bronner is Strategic Adviser and CSR Manager for Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps, the top-selling brand of natural soaps in North America. She is responsible for overseeing and managing many diverse projects under the umbrella of sustainability and social responsibility.
Kris advises the Special Operations Team and affiliated Fair Trade projects on financial and operational matters, provides integrated risk assessments on new business ventures, and works to institutionalize Dr. Bronner’s sustainability efforts across multiple levels of the company, from operations to governance. Prior to joining Dr. Bronner’s, she worked in the non-profit sector for programs serving recently resettled refugee and immigrant youths in San Diego.
Kris earned an undergraduate degree from Harvard University and a graduate degree in International Economic Development from UCSD. She is a former hospice volunteer, as well as a design enthusiast, and she enjoys adventure travel. She was born in 1974 in Taiwan and currently lives in Encinitas, California with her husband David and their daughter Maya.
Some highlights from Kevin’s interview with Kris include:
How Dr. Bronner’s models what’s possible for companies in addressing climate change
The rippling impact of Dr. Bronner’s leading edge strategy around mitigating climate change impacts by engaging with the land use practices in their supply stream
Dr. Bronner’s goal to get enough people to care to create the critical mass to shift away from the extractive economic model to a more regenerative model and how they pursue that goal
The success of the Fair Pay Today program where Dr. Bronner’s and a consortium of businesses advocated for fair living wages for workers and their ongoing efforts to address income inequality
Dr. Bronner’s excitement about Project Drawdown and how to use it as a tool to assess what role Dr. Bronner’s can play within their scope of influence
As a top scoring B Corp, Kris shares how Dr. Bronner’s attracts new talent
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LIFT Economy Newsletter
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Next Economy MBA
This episode is brought to you by the Next Economy MBA.
What would a business education look like if it was completely redesigned for the benefit of all life? This is why the team at LIFT Economy created the Next Economy MBA (https://lifteconomy.com/mba).
The Next Economy MBA is a nine month online course for folks who want to learn key business fundamentals (e.g., vision, culture, strategy, and operations) from an equitable, inclusive, and regenerative perspective.
Join the growing network of 350+ alumni who have been exposed to new solutions, learned essential business skills, and joined a lifelong peer group that is catalyzing a global shift towards an economy that works for all life.
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Show Notes + Other Links
For detailed show notes and interviews with past guests, please visit https://lifteconomy.com/podcast.
If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts/iTunes? It really helps expose these ideas to new listeners: https://bit.ly/nexteconomynow
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Music by Chris Zabriskie: https://chriszabriskie.com/
Rick Ridgeway: Why Patagonia is Moving from Sustainability to Regeneration (Rebroadcast)
"When you dig down into any social justice issue, more often than not, the causes have some root in environmental degradation." - Rick Ridgeway
In this episode of Next Economy Now, Ryan Honeyman, a Partner at LIFT Economy, interviews Rick Ridgeway, VP of Environmental Initiatives at Patagonia.
Rick Ridgeway is one of the originals at Patagonia. He was rock climbing buddies with Yvon Chouinard before Patagonia was founded in 1973.
In this episode, we discuss Rick’s background as a photographer and filmmaker, his time on Patagonia's board of directors, and why Rick got his first “real job” only 12 years ago. We also dive into Patagonia’s famous mission statement to “Build the best product, cause no unnecessary harm, and use business to inspire and implement solutions to the environmental crisis.”
As you’ll hear, Rick is especially interested in moving away from “causing no unnecessary harm” (or sustainability) to “doing good” (which is regenerative). Rick and I discuss how things like soil health, regenerative agriculture, rotational grazing, and clothing that benefits the climate are increasingly on Patagonia’s radar.
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Interview Highlights:
In this interview, Ryan and Rick discuss a number of topics, including:
Why Patagonia doesn’t mention solving social or community issues in its mission statement
What happened when Patagonia discovered forced labor in its Tier 2 and Tier 3 suppliers last year
Why the Sustainable Apparel Coalition is the largest trade association in apparel and footwear in the world
Whether he is optimistic or pessimistic about the future
Patagonia’s new initiatives in carbon sequestration
Why you should know Fred Kirschenmann (from the Aldo Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture), the Carbon Underground, and Kiss the Ground
And much more
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LIFT Economy Newsletter
Join 7000+ subscribers and get our free 60 point business design checklist—plus monthly tips, advice, and resources to help you build the Next Economy: https://lifteconomy.com/newsletter
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Next Economy MBA
This episode is brought to you by the Next Economy MBA.
What would a business education look like if it was completely redesigned for the benefit of all life? This is why the team at LIFT Economy created the Next Economy MBA (https://lifteconomy.com/mba).
The Next Economy MBA is a nine month online course for folks who want to learn key business fundamentals (e.g., vision, culture, strategy, and operations) from an equitable, inclusive, and regenerative perspective.
Join the growing network of 250+ alumni who have been exposed to new solutions, learned essential business skills, and joined a lifelong peer group that is catalyzing a global shift towards an economy that works for all life.
Learn more at https://lifteconomy.com/mba.
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Show Notes + Other Links
For detailed show notes and interviews with past guests, please visit https://lifteconomy.com/podcast
If you enjoy the podcast, please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts by visiting: https://bit.ly/nexteconomynow
Twitter: https://twitter.com/LIFTEconomy
Instagram: https://instagram.com/lifteconomy/
Facebook: https://facebook.com/LIFTEconomy/
YouTube: https://youtube.com/c/Lifteconomy
Music by Chris Zabriskie: https://chriszabriskie.com/
Paul Polman: B Corps, Climate Change, and the Future of Capitalism
Next Economy Now highlights the leaders who are taking a regenerative, bio-regional, equitable, transparent, and whole-systems approach to using business as a force for good.
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Paul Polman was Chief Executive Officer of Unilever from 2009-2019. Under his leadership Unilever set out an ambitious vision to decouple its growth from overall environmental footprint and increase its positive social impact.
Paul actively seeks cooperation with other companies to implement sustainable business strategies and drive systemic change. He is Chairman of the International Chamber of Commerce, Chair of the B Team and Vice-Chair of the UN Global Compact. Paul previously served as Chairman of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development.
Paul has been closely involved in global discussions on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and action to tackle climate change. In 2016, Paul was asked by the UN Secretary-General to be a member of the SDG Advocacy Group, tasked with promoting action on the 2030 Agenda.
Some highlights from Ryan Honeyman’s Conversation with Paul Polman include:
How Paul first got interested in sustainability
Why Paul chose not to report quarterly returns, and instead only report annual returns to his shareholders
How he reconciles the need for growth on a finite planet
The growth of the B Corp movement
What he thinks about expanding ownership to workers, suppliers, and community members
Paul’s thoughts on permaculture and regenerative agriculture
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LIFT Economy is an impact consulting firm whose mission is to create, model, and share a locally self-reliant economy that works for the benefit of all life.
Ryan Honeyman is a Partner at LIFT Economy and author of The B Corp Handbook: How to Use Business as a Force for Good (Berrett-Koehler Publishers). You can follow Ryan on Twitter @honeymanconsult or email him ryan@lifteconomy.com.
Tiffany Jana: Erasing Institutional Bias
Next Economy Now highlights the leaders who are taking a regenerative, bio-regional, equitable, transparent, and whole-systems approach to using business as a force for good.
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Dr. Jana is the founder and CEO of TMI Portfolio, a collection of socially responsible and interconnected companies working to advance more culturally inclusive and equitable workforces. An award-winning diversity practitioner and international public speaker, Dr. Jana has been featured in publications including Psychology Today, the Huffington Post, Fast Company, MarketWatch, and Forbes. They were also named an Inc.com Top 100 Leadership Speaker in 2018.
Some highlights from Ryan Honeyman’s Conversation with Tiffany Jana include:
How Dr. Jana got into the work she is doing today
Why the first step to erasing institutional bias is understanding the problem
The different types of biases Dr. Jana explains in her book, including occupational, racial, gender, hiring, customer, and retribution bias
Dr. Jana’s new tech product, Loom, which uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to help companies identify and address bias in their workplaces
Whether Dr. Jana is optimistic or pessimistic about racial justice in a time of Trump
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LIFT Economy is an impact consulting firm whose mission is to create, model, and share a locally self-reliant economy that works for the benefit of all life.
Ryan Honeyman is a Partner at LIFT Economy and author of The B Corp Handbook: How to Use Business as a Force for Good (Berrett-Koehler Publishers). You can follow Ryan on Twitter @honeymanconsult or email him ryan@lifteconomy.com.
Laurie Lane-Zucker: Expanding the Impact Ecosystem
Next Economy Now highlights the leaders who are taking a regenerative, bio-regional, equitable, transparent, and whole-systems approach to using business as a force for good.
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Laurie Lane-Zucker is Founder and CEO of Impact Entrepreneur, LLC, a for-benefit enterprise that includes the Impact Entrepreneur Center for Social and Environmental Innovation; the Impact Entrepreneur Network, a 19,600 member global network of entrepreneurs, investors and scholars; and a consulting company that works with blended value companies, impact investors and academic institutions.
For nearly 30 years, Laurie has been a “pioneer” (Forbes) and recognized leader in sustainability, social enterprise and impact investing. Laurie was the founding Executive Director of the international environmental organization, Orion, as well as the founder of a global sustainability think-tank, Triad Institute, and a "Founding” B Corporation, Hotfrog, which was the first company to complete a private equity transaction on an impact investing exchange.
Laurie is the bestselling and award-winning publisher and editor of books and magazines on sustainability and social impact, and the author of numerous articles on entrepreneurship and impact investing. He is a member of the Advisory Board for the University of Vermont's Sustainable Innovation MBA program. He did his undergraduate studies at Middlebury College and the University of Edinburgh, and his graduate work at Columbia University and the Bread Loaf School of English.
Here are some highlights from Ryan Honeyman’s conversation with Laurie Lane-Zucker:
Laurie’s background and how he first got interested in social entrepreneurship
His varied interests in the impact ecosystem, including: media, environment, arts, social justice, place-based education, intellectual and journalistic freedom, entrepreneurship, social ventures, impact investing, and wisdom.
How he met the founders of B Lab and certified his company as a founding B Corporation
Why Laurie is focusing on funding, accelerating, and expanding the impact ecosystem
His recent report with Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors entitled “Philanthropy Transforming Finance: Building an Impact Economy.”
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LIFT Economy is an impact consulting firm whose mission is to create, model, and share a locally self-reliant economy that works for the benefit of all life.
Ryan Honeyman is a Partner at LIFT Economy and author of The B Corp Handbook: How to Use Business as a Force for Good (Berrett-Koehler Publishers). You can follow Ryan on Twitter @honeymanconsult or email him ryan@lifteconomy.com.
Gretchen Grani: Guayaki's Authentic Invitation to Come to Life
Next Economy Now highlights the leaders who are taking a regenerative, bio-regional, equitable, transparent, and whole-systems approach to using business as a force for good.
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Regeneration & Sustainability Cebadora at Guayaki, Gretchen Grani has directed corporate sustainability and philanthropy for 2 natural products companies. Prior experience includes managing an environmental conservation nonprofit and serving on numerous nonprofit boards, environmental consulting, writing about ecopsychology, and volunteering at a St. Helena winery for 15 years. Gretchen is an advocate for personal regeneration and regenerative business as a solution to reversing climate change and solving the world’s biggest social and environmental problems.
Resources:
https://www.climatecollaborative.com/
https://mamuse.bandcamp.com/track/we-shall-be-known-featuring-thrive-choir
LIFT Economy is an impact consulting firm whose mission is to create, model, and share a locally self-reliant economy that works for the benefit of all life.
Jay Coen Gilbert: B Corps & Fixing the Source Code Error in the DNA of Business
Next Economy Now highlights the leaders who are taking a regenerative, bio-regional, equitable, transparent, and whole-systems approach to using business as a force for good.
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Despite having no game, Jay Coen Gilbert co-founded and sold AND 1, a $250M basketball footwear and apparel company based outside Philadelphia. He led AND 1's product and marketing for 13 years and was AND 1's Chief Executive Officer during its period of most rapid growth. He is also cofounder of B Lab, a nonprofit organization that serves a global movement of people using business as a force for good. Its vision is that one day all companies compete not only to be the best in the world, but the best for the world, and as a result society will enjoy a more shared and durable prosperity. Jay is co-chairman of Investors' Circle, an organization dedicated to the acceleration of patient capital markets for a sustainable future. Since 1992, Investors' Circle's core activity has been the Investors' Circle Network, a national network of angel investors, venture capital funds, foundations, and others that has facilitated the flow of over 111 million into 182 companies and venture funds addressing social and environmental challenges. Jay is a Henry Crown Fellow of the Aspen Institute and a Board member of the Philadelphia chapters of KIPP, a national public charter middle school. He is also a Board member of City Year, a leading Americorps youth service program, and Monteverde Friends, U.S. Jay grew up in New York City before heading west to Stanford University, graduating with a degree in East Asian Studies in 1989. Prior to AND 1, Jay worked for McKinsey & Co and several organizations in NYC's public and non-profit sectors.
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Neelam Sharma: The Black Panther Party, Food Justice, and Self-Reliant Communities
Next Economy Now highlights the leaders who are taking a regenerative, bio-regional, equitable, transparent, and whole-systems approach to using business as a force for good.
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Our guest today is Neelam Sharma, Executive Director of Community Services Unlimited (or CSU), which is a non-profit organization based in South Los Angeles, CA.
CSU was founded in the 1970’s by the Southern California Chapter of the Black Panther Party. CSU’s mission is to foster the creation of communities actively working to address the inequalities and systemic barriers that make sustainable communities and self-reliant life-styles unattainable.
In Ryan Honeyman's interview with Neelam, they discuss a variety of topics, including:
Neelam’s upbringing in India and in London
Her early involvement with activism and her work cofounding a chapter of the Black Panther Party in London in the 1980s
Her visit to CSU in the mid 1990s and eventual move to Southern California
CSU’s latest project launching the Village Market Place, a social enterprise that was designed to complement their education and training programs, and meet the growing demand for good (affordable, beyond organic, culturally appropriate, exploitation free) food in South Los Angeles.
For folks who are interested in learning more, please visit www.csuinc.org to check out the amazing work CSU is doing in South Los Angeles. You can also follow CSU on Twitter, @CSUINCLA.
LIFT Economy is an impact consulting firm whose mission is to create, model, and share a locally self-reliant economy that works for the benefit of all life.
Ryan Honeyman is a Partner at LIFT Economy and author of The B Corp Handbook: How to Use Business as a Force for Good (Berrett-Koehler Publishers). You can follow Ryan on Twitter @honeymanconsult or email him ryan@lifteconomy.com.
Aaron Fairchild: Rooting Into Perennial Impact Under One Green Canopy
Next Economy Now highlights the leaders who are taking a regenerative, bio-regional, equitable, transparent, and whole-systems approach to using business as a force for good.
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Aaron Fairchild serves as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer at Green Canopy Homes. With over 25 years in real estate construction, development and lending, Aaron has a deep understanding of residential & commercial finance, residential construction, and energy efficiency. A third generation lender, entrepreneur, and a graduate of the University of Washington’ Executive MBA program, Aaron is an experienced fund manager, developer, and thought leader in corporate culture and mindfulness development. Aaron is a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer from Gabon, Africa where he built schools and homes for teachers. A two-term board member of Washington Environmental Council, he currently serves on the boards at Master Builders Association and Enhabit.
Resources:
This guy launched a thriving real estate business at the peak of the housing crisis
McKinsey Article & Report: Reinventing construction through a productivity revolution
Videos/Audio:
Aaron Fairchild of Green Canopy Homes: Builders & Innovators Summit 2017, Goldman Sachs
PGS Alumnus Spotlight: Sam Lai, Co-founder of Green Canopy Homes
Next Economy Now Podcast: Bettina von Hagen: Blending Capital & Worldviews That See the Forest for the Trees
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LIFT Economy is an impact consulting firm whose mission is to create, model, and share a locally self-reliant economy that works for the benefit of all life.
Ryan Honeyman is a Partner at LIFT Economy and author of The B Corp Handbook: How to Use Business as a Force for Good (Berrett-Koehler Publishers). You can follow Ryan on Twitter @honeymanconsult or email him ryan@lifteconomy.com.
Keba Konte: Red Bay’s #BlackCoffee
Next Economy Now highlights the leaders who are taking a regenerative, bio-regional, equitable, transparent, and whole-systems approach to using business as a force for good.
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Now rooted in Oakland, CA, Keba Armand Konte was born and raised in San Francisco. He is an artist, food entrepreneur and man of the community. His artwork has been published widely and exhibited in museums and galleries internationally. He is the co-founder of Guerilla Cafe, the founder of Chasing Lions Cafe and the Founder/Roaster for Red Bay Coffee – an investee of LIFT Economy’s Force For Good Fund. In his spare time he enjoys aquaponic gardening, judo and making vegan waffles for his family.
Some highlights from Ryan’s interview with Keba include:
Keba illustrates his colorful journey from the heyday of Haight-Ashbury in SF to his first career choice as a photographer – notable works from the 90’s independent hip hop scene: Boots Riley & The Coup, E-40, Master P, Too Short, 2-Pac, etc, with spreads in magazines like Rolling Stone, The Source, etc – transitioning in the early 2000’s to a career as a critically-acclaimed visual artist with unique documentary-style pieces & installation, conceptual, and interactive art (see Resources below to see Keba’s photography & art) which ultimately led Keba to co-found Guerilla Cafe as a hub for culture, art, and coffee vibes.
Keba shares how he’s always been very intentional about the political implications of where he spent his money, a values-driven skillset that transferred to business decisions which enabled him to support black/POC entrepreneurs & provide livelihoods to youth
Keba’s coffee enterprising began with Guerilla Cafe – which held the first wholesale coffee shop account for Blue Bottle Coffee. Building from that success, Keba founded Chasing Lions Cafe and by structuring it to work so he would not work in the business so that he could work on the the business, he carved out the space he needed to cultivate the craft of roasting in his “Coffee Dojo,” finally launching Red Bay Coffee in 2014
How the often normalized systemic racism of Starbucks culture recently captured on video has brought attention to the merit, meaning, and unique value proposition of the Red Bay Coffee model, resulting in a rapid increase in demand for Red Bay Coffee shops nationwide at a time when Red Bay is already ramping up for expansion (stay tuned for new locations in LA & Philly)
Resources:
Can specialty coffee be about more than fastidious white hipsters?
Oakland’s Red Bay Coffee Expands Production, Teaches Farmers to Roast
Keba Konte to Debut '888 Pieces of We' Photo Exhibit at Oakland Art Gallery
Keba Konte Discography Photographer Profile (62 Albums, 1993-2014)
Forget Wealth And Neighborhood. The Racial Income Gap Persists
The roots of fashion and spirituality in Senegal’s Islamic brotherhood, the Baye Fall
Videos/Audio:
African American owned coffee shop looks to become next Starbucks with a different philosophy
Design Talk | Growing Local: Designing Sustainable Food Businesses
Aniyia Williams & Keba Konte: Keba Konte: Coffee with Soul & Aniyia Williams & Keba Konte: Q&A
Urban Organic Episode 1 - OAK: Aquaponic gardening with Bryant Terry, Keba Konte and Eric Maundu
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LIFT Economy is an impact consulting firm whose mission is to create, model, and share a locally self-reliant economy that works for the benefit of all life.
Ryan Honeyman is a Partner at LIFT Economy and author of The B Corp Handbook: How to Use Business as a Force for Good (Berrett-Koehler Publishers). You can follow Ryan on Twitter @honeymanconsult or email him ryan@lifteconomy.com.
Nikishka Iyengar: Bolstering Entrepreneurial Ecosystems with Equitable Real Estate Development
Next Economy Now highlights the leaders who are taking a regenerative, bio-regional, equitable, transparent, and whole-systems approach to using business as a force for good.
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Nikishka Iyengar is a entrepreneur and strategist building the next economy. Using a whole systems approach to address social and environmental challenges, Nikishka is Founder and CEO of The Guild – a social enterprise developing co-living spaces to empower changemakers and build resilient communities. An investee of LIFT Economy’s Force For Good Fund, The Guild explores what community-led real estate development could look like, and has raised impact investment dollars to grow its model. Nikishka is also the owner of Whole Systems Collective, an impact consulting collective helping companies innovate towards systems change. Previously, while earning her dual degree in Finance & Economics at University of Texas at Austin, Nikishka conducted research on the socioeconomic impact of the e-waste trade in China and India, and on the social impact of microfinance with the Nobel Peace Prize-winning Grameen Bank in Bangladesh. Originally from Mumbai, India before moving to Singapore and eventually to the US, Nikishka has been recognized by GreenBiz as a "30 under 30" emerging leader in sustainability.
Some highlights from Ryan’s interview with Nikishka include:
How witnessing stark economic disparity in India, Singapore, & the United States has informed Nikishka’s journey in economics, finance, and social impact
As Nikishka helped start the sustainability & social impact consulting initiative at Deloitte, she often observed “predatory delay” (see terminology section below) and a spectrum of sincerity in the field with some being lulled into complacency thinking that addressing the issue at all was enough, while others demonstrated steadfast commitment to pushing for real systems change in the world of impact
How the shifting immigration landscape has shaped Nikishka’s experience and identity
How Nikishka’s introduction to cooperative living & decision making in college inspired her ideas to create spaces to support the local social entrepreneur ecosystem through The Guild
A reframe on the degree to which communities front tremendous risk with new real estate developments and how developments might be approached more equitably
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LIFT Economy is an impact consulting firm whose mission is to create, model, and share a locally self-reliant economy that works for the benefit of all life.
Ryan Honeyman is a Partner at LIFT Economy and author of The B Corp Handbook: How to Use Business as a Force for Good (Berrett-Koehler Publishers). You can follow Ryan on Twitter @honeymanconsult or email him ryan@lifteconomy.com.
Bettina von Hagen: Blending Capital & Worldviews That See the Forest for the Trees
Next Economy Now highlights the leaders who are taking a regenerative, bio-regional, equitable, transparent, and whole-systems approach to using business as a force for good.
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Bettina helped launch Ecotrust Forests and joined Ecotrust Forest Management (EFM) as CEO in 2008. Bettina has spent the past 15 years working to promote economic viability, social equity, and environmental health in the Pacific Northwest with a particular focus on forestry. A former commercial banker, Bettina has over 20 years of experience in banking, impact investing, and fund management. She also has significant expertise in emerging markets in ecosystem services, particularly the forest carbon market, where she is involved in developing markets and protocols for high-quality forest carbon projects at the state, regional, and federal levels. Previously, Bettina was Vice President at Ecotrust for forestry programs and for the Natural Capital Fund, a $20M fund which invests in key businesses and initiatives in the conservation economy. Prior to joining Ecotrust in 1993, she was a vice president and commercial lender at First Interstate Bank of Oregon and has been a Member of Environmental Advisory Board of Wells Fargo & Company since March 2006. She currently serves on the board of Forest Trends. Bettina has an MBA from the University of Chicago and a BA from the University of the Pacific.
Some highlights from Erin’s interview with Bettina include:
The origin story of Ecotrust & Ecotrust Forest Management and the blended capital approaches to addressing complex ecological challenges
How unlike early U.S. conservation approaches that divorced people from the land, Ecotrust brings an approach that integrates conservation w/ community needs in ways that advances conservation while advancing livelihoods (ie: 100% of the landscape matters & 100% of people matter)
Ecotrust’s creation of a for-profit bank that targeted enterprises enhancing ecological and social outcomes – a bank that grew into and was acquired by Beneficial State Bank, carrying the same original intention
Ecotrust describes their worldview & style of forestry as the 5 R’s – Rotation, retention, reserves, resilience, relationships – suggesting practices that foster regional forest systems which yield greater value and health, rather than narrowly managing for a single commodity like timber
Ecotrust’s deep involvement & relationship w/ tribal communities from elevating indigenous worldviews to repatriating ancestral lands and other natural resources
Resources:
New Report Shows That Impact Funds Outperform Competition in Timberland Investments
Project Drawdown Solution #5: Tropical Forests
Project Drawdown Solution #12: Temperate Forests
Project Drawdown Solution #15: Afforestation
Project Drawdown Solution #38: Forest Protection
Videos/Audio:
Nature's internet: how trees talk to each other in a healthy forest | Suzanne Simard | TEDxSeattle
Kat Taylor: Can a Bank be an Agent of Radical Social and Environmental Change?
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LIFT Economy is an impact consulting firm whose mission is to create, model, and share a locally self-reliant economy that works for the benefit of all life.
Erin Axelrod is a Partner at LIFT Economy, helping to accelerate the spread of climate-beneficial businesses, specializing in businesses that address critical soil and water regeneration. She is an avid ecologist, grassroots organizer and regularly forages for wild food in her home in rural Sonoma County. You can follow Erin on Twitter @erinaxelrod or email her erin@lifteconomy.com.
Kevin Bayuk: Our Journey to an Economy that Works for the Benefit of All Life
Next Economy Now highlights the leaders who are taking a regenerative, bio-regional, equitable, transparent, and whole-systems approach to using business as a force for good.
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Our dearly beloved co-founding member of the LIFT Team, Kevin Bayuk's has his roots in entrepreneurship, having spent nearly a decade starting and growing technology companies, and activating projects and organizations that regenerate healthy ecosystems and socially just and joyful environments. After immersing himself in all aspects of starting and growing companies, Kevin focused his attention on learning about and teaching eco-systemic design. Nowadays Kevin merges his experience in business with his experience in permaculture to help businesses care for people while enhancing the earth.
Kevin also serves as the Senior Financial Fellow at Project Drawdown developing the business case to address climate change through existing practices and technologies. He frequently teaches classes, workshops, does public speaking, facilitates meetings, plans events and provides one on one mentoring as a founding partner of the Urban Permaculture Institute San Francisco. Kevin has helped design and start food security gardens and public learning experiences intent on reminding people that we, too, are nature.
Kevin has raised millions of dollars to capitalize business operations, led teams of more than 30 employees, and can speak well to the benefits and pitfalls of raising capital and the many paths of growing a business. He loves spreadsheets and loves to dig into operating models. One investor of Kevin’s last technology company said, “Kevin oozes strategy.”
Some highlights from Ryan’s interview with Kevin include:
Kevin recounts his process of shifting away from a worldview overwhelmed by proliferation of problems/suffering to one where he recognized countless opportunities to solve problems and inspire a movement of solutions
How the genesis of Kevin’s interest in business & economy as powerful lever for social change grew from observations that much suffering is rooted in our system of economy that informs our cultural norms and identities
A leisurely stroll through LIFT’s long term vision, from LIFT 1.0 to LIFT 5.0 and how the LIFT Team balances cynicism and optimism on the path to realizing our vision
Some resources from which the LIFT Team derives inspiration
Resources:
Videos:
Books
Tom Sawyer & Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
Reinventing Organizations by Frederic Laloux
Ecotopia & Ecotopia Emerging by Ernest Callenbach
Terminology:
Progressive Utilization Theory (“PROUT”)
People:
Organizations
LIFT Economy is an impact consulting firm whose mission is to create, model, and share a locally self-reliant economy that works for the benefit of all life.
Ryan Honeyman is a Partner at LIFT Economy and author of The B Corp Handbook: How to Use Business as a Force for Good (Berrett-Koehler Publishers). You can follow Ryan on Twitter @honeymanconsult or email him ryan@lifteconomy.com.
Ahmed Rahim: Steeped in the Spirit of Hospitality at Numi Tea
Next Economy Now highlights the leaders who are taking a regenerative, bio-regional, equitable, transparent, and whole-systems approach to using business as a force for good.
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Ahmed Rahim is Founder of Numi Inc. and serving as CEO and Chief Alchemist. Before starting Numi in 1999 with his sister, Reem, Ahmed lived & worked in Europe for ten years. In the early part of the 1990's, Ahmed lived in Paris working as a professional photographer focusing on architecture and fashion, with works published in international trade and fashion journals including Elle, Prague Post, and Velvet. He spent nearly two years photographing the Middle East in places such as Iraq and Morocco. Ahmed eventually returned to Europe, this time ending up in the German Alps, continuing his photography in the music scene there where he performed as well. After a year Ahmed relocated to Prague, spending the next six and a half years there in filmmaking and photography. Towards the end of his stay in Prague, Ahmed was asked to help create and design teahouses. He then became a partner in a teahouse helping to expand and grow the business, and developed a deep love and interest in teas culminating in the creation of Numi's unique blends. Numi pioneered the introduction of teas such as Rooibos (red tea), Lemon Myrtle, Honeybush, Dry Desert Lime and others that were popular in Europe, but completely unknown in the United States. Ahmed is fluent in English, Arabic, French, German and Czech. He studied BA in Psychology and Theatre, from New York University, and has studied Film at various universities in Prague and in Paris.
Some highlights from Kevin’s interview with Ahmed include:
The story of how Numi differentiated itself from a seemingly saturated market by offering the purity of real ingredients and replicating success from other bioregions, introducing teas that had experienced success in European markets
Ahmed describes Numi’s core operating principles and how they result in beneficial social and ecological impact that scales as the company grows
Numi’s foundation and their work creating Waldorf-inspired schools in Oakland, supporting local nonprofits, and advancing clean water and other beneficial impacts internationally
Ahmed’s coalition building that brings together leaders in the sustainable food world to collaborate and create a larger beneficial impact
Resources:
Videos:
The Story of One Treasure, Found in the Basement (Part 1): Ahmed Rahim, CEO of Numi Tea
Ahmed Rahim, Co-founder & CEO of Numi Tea brews success, at launch of ImpactMap
Ahmed Rahim : Numi Organic Tea + Oakland Digital : Inspiration Awards
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LIFT Economy is an impact consulting firm whose mission is to create, model, and share a locally self-reliant economy that works for the benefit of all life.
Kevin Bayuk works at the intersection of ecology and economy where permaculture design meets next economy organizations intent on meeting human needs while enhancing the conditions conducive to all life. He is a co-founder and partner with LIFT Economy, the Senior Financial Fellow at Project Drawdown and a founding partner of the Urban Permaculture Institute. You can follow Kevin on Twitter @kevinbayuk or email him kevin@lifteconomy.com.
Kris Lin-Bronner: The Magic of Dr. Bronner's
Next Economy Now highlights the leaders who are taking a regenerative, bio-regional, equitable, transparent, and whole-systems approach to using business as a force for good.
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Kris Lin-Bronner is Strategic Adviser and CSR Manager for Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps, the top-selling brand of natural soaps in North America. She is responsible for overseeing and managing many diverse projects under the umbrella of sustainability and social responsibility.
Kris advises the Special Operations Team and affiliated Fair Trade projects on financial and operational matters, provides integrated risk assessments on new business ventures, and works to institutionalize Dr. Bronner’s sustainability efforts across multiple levels of the company, from operations to governance. Prior to joining Dr. Bronner’s, she worked in the non-profit sector for programs serving recently resettled refugee and immigrant youths in San Diego.
Kris earned an undergraduate degree from Harvard University and a graduate degree in International Economic Development from UCSD. She is a former hospice volunteer, as well as a design enthusiast, and she enjoys adventure travel. She was born in 1974 in Taiwan and currently lives in Encinitas, California with her husband David and their daughter Maya.
Some highlights from Kevin’s interview with Kris include:
How Dr. Bronner’s models what’s possible for companies in addressing climate change
The rippling impact of Dr. Bronner’s leading edge strategy around mitigating climate change impacts by engaging with the land use practices in their supply stream
Dr. Bronner’s goal to get enough people to care to create the critical mass to shift away from the extractive economic model to a more regenerative model and how they pursue that goal
The success of the Fair Pay Today program where Dr. Bronner’s and a consortium of businesses advocated for fair living wages for workers and their ongoing efforts to address income inequality
Dr. Bronner’s excitement about Project Drawdown and how to use it as a tool to assess what role Dr. Bronner’s can play within their scope of influence
As a top scoring B Corp, Kris shares how Dr. Bronner’s attracts new talent
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You can listen/subscribe to Next Economy Now on iTunes, Overcast, Stitcher, or your favorite podcasting platform.
Help these ideas reach more ears by clicking HERE to rate Next Economy Now on iTunes & by sharing on social media.
Kevin Bayuk works at the intersection of ecology and economy where permaculture design meets next economy organizations intent on meeting human needs while enhancing the conditions conducive to all life. He is a co-founder and partner with LIFT Economy, the Senior Financial Fellow at Project Drawdown and a founding partner of the Urban Permaculture Institute. LIFT Economy is an impact consulting firm whose mission is to create, model, and share a locally self-reliant economy that works for the benefit of all life. You can follow Kevin on Twitter @kevinbayuk or email him kevin@lifteconomy.com.
Tyler Gage: Using the Lessons of the Amazon to Live Your Mission in Business and Life
Next Economy Now highlights the leaders who are taking a regenerative, bio-regional, equitable, transparent, and whole-systems approach to using business as a force for good.
SUBSCRIBE & RATE us on iTunes, Spotify, Pandora, YouTube, or anywhere you find podcasts!
Tyler Gage is an entrepreneur, author and speaker who uses wisdom from the Amazon and startup success to bring innovation and inspiration to growing organizations.
Tyler has spent the last 12 years studying with indigenous elders in the Amazon rainforest, venturing far from his suburban roots at the age of 20. After graduating from Brown University, Tyler turned down a Fulbright grant to start RUNA, a social enterprise that makes energizing beverages with guayusa (pronounced gwhy-you-suh), a rare Amazonian leaf, and improves livelihoods for 3,000 indigenous farming families in Ecuador. With over 70 employees and 15,000 stores selling RUNA beverages in the US and Canada, RUNA has grown to be one of the 500 Fastest Growing Companies in the US according to Inc Magazine.
Tyler was named a Forbes “30 Under 30 Entrepreneur” and winner of both the Big Apple Entrepreneur of the Year Award and the Specialty Food Association's Citizen Leader of the Year Award. ABC Nightline, National Geographic and Richard Branson's book Screw Business as Usual have all featured Tyler for his unique and powerful approach to building businesses and creating social good.
Tyler also serves on the Board of Directors of DavidsTea (NASDAQ: DTEA) and on the Advisory Council for Entrepreneurship at Brown University. In addition to advising and investing in other startups, Tyler is a cofounding partner and strategic advisor to NAKU, a pioneering indigenous healing center in the Ecuadorian Amazon.
Tyler lives in Bellingham, Washington with his wife Michelle and enjoys boxing, yoga, riding his unicycle and studying ethnobotany.
Some highlights from Shawn’s interview with Tyler include:
Tyler’s liberal arts approach to business and use of the culture around guayusa to inform RUNA’s business model
The strategic reasons behind the tandem for-profit and nonprofit approach that enables RUNA to not perpetuate harmful dynamics of past business (ie: United Fruit Company)
Tyler discusses his new book – Fully Alive: Using the Lessons of the Amazon to Live Your Mission in Business and Life
The power and importance of embedding the organization's beneficial impact in the structural DNA and core operations of the business rather than tacking programs onto the business
How inspired Tyler feels about organizations like Tanka Bar and Kara Solar (see Resources section below)
Resources:
ORGANIZATIONS:
Tanka Bar – (WEFUNDER: INVEST IN NATIVE AMERICAN NATURAL FOODS)
Kara Solar – (Video)
BOOKS:
Fully Alive: Using the Lessons of the Amazon to Live Your Mission in Business and Life
Jump Start Your Business Brain: The Scientific Way to Make More Money (“Dramatic Difference”)
You can listen/subscribe to Next Economy Now on iTunes, Overcast, Stitcher, or your favorite podcasting platform.
Help these ideas reach more ears by clicking HERE to rate Next Economy Now on iTunes & by sharing on social media.
Shawn Berry is a Partner at LIFT Economy, where he works as an organizational strategist inspired to harness the power of business to create resilient local economies as patterns to be documented, open sourced, scaled globally and adapted regionally. LIFT Economy is an impact consulting firm whose mission is to create, model, and share a locally self-reliant economy that works for the benefit of all life. You can follow Shawn on Twitter @sd_berry or email him shawn@lifteconomy.com.
Matthew Monahan: Technology in Service to Justice Through Enlightened Enterprise
Next Economy Now highlights the leaders who are taking a regenerative, bio-regional, equitable, transparent, and whole-systems approach to using business as a force for good.
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“Lead with values and make sure you are doing business with people you really trust and enjoy working with and the rest will find its way.” - Matthew Monahan
In this episode of Next Economy Now, Kevin Bayuk, a Partner at LIFT Economy, interviews Matthew Monahan, co-founder and CEO of the 150 person technology company and certified B Corp, Inflection. Matthew is humble and successful entrepreneur, a thoughtful and compassionate human being and a leading steward of the emerging ethic of service and giving through enterprise and through appropriate application of technology.
You will hear how Matthew and his brother, co-founder of Inflection, have expressed their generosity in the way they have integrated a for profit and nonprofit model. The Namaste Foundation, which they started when they sold a portion of Inflection, owns 10% of Inflection and the company also voluntarily dedicates a portion of revenue and employee time to diverse expressions of service in the community.
Inflection is extending its core technology to begin to support new possibilities in restorative justice. Matthew also shares his enthusiasm for New Zealand as a prime launch pad for innovating on practices to address the core problems of our time, like climate change and social inequities.
In the interview you will hear Matthew share about some the groups and organizations that the Namaste Foundation is supporting such as Enspiral and Mindful Schools which are developing scalable models for transforming how we live, how we organize and how we communicate to create that a more beautiful world we know is possible. Matthew also shares some insights on corporate culture, technology, the pressures imposed by capitalization.
In addition to listening on B the Change Media, you can listen/subscribe to Next Economy Now on iTunes, Overcast, Stitcher, or your favorite podcasting platform.
Kevin Bayuk works at the intersection of ecology and economy where permaculture design meets next economy organizations intent on meeting human needs while enhancing the conditions conducive to all life. He is a co-founder and partner with LIFT Economy, the Senior Financial Fellow at Project Drawdown and a founding partner of the Urban Permaculture Institute. LIFT Economy is an impact consulting firm whose mission is to create, model, and share a locally self-reliant economy that works for the benefit of all life. You can follow Kevin on Twitter @kevinbayuk or email him kevin@lifteconomy.com.
John Abrams: Behind the Scenes at the World’s Top Scoring B Corp
Next Economy Now highlights the leaders who are taking a regenerative, bio-regional, equitable, transparent, and whole-systems approach to using business as a force for good.
SUBSCRIBE & RATE us on iTunes, Spotify, Pandora, YouTube, or anywhere you find podcasts!
In this episode of Next Economy Now, Shawn Berry, a Partner at LIFT Economy, interviews John Abrams, founder and CEO of the South Mountain Co, a Design Build construction firm operating for over 4 decades on Martha’s vineyard. They are a worker owned cooperative and boast the highest B Corp certification score in the world! His book Companies We Keep, is a seminal work for the growing movement of worker coop buyouts.
In this interview we discuss:
John’s background coming from the back to the land movement in the 60’s
The political climate following the recent election
Climate change and the need for solutions
Triple bottom line peer business support network
Their strong family centric culture
ROI on the best employee benefits package in the world including home ownership and renewable energy
Their limits on building big
Commitment to affordable housing & place
How they survived the great recession and their plan for the next one
Building a company culture that makes it safe to fail
Trust in people is paramount
What the company looks like after he is gone
In addition to listening on B the Change Media, you can listen/subscribe to Next Economy Now on iTunes, Overcast, Stitcher, or your favorite podcasting platform.
Shawn Berry is a Partner at LIFT Economy, where he works as an organizational strategist inspired to harness the power of business to create resilient local economies as patterns to be documented, open sourced, scaled globally and adapted regionally.
LIFT Economy is an impact consulting firm whose mission is to create, model, and share a locally self-reliant economy that works for the benefit of all life. You can follow Shawn on Twitter @sd_berry or email him shawn@lifteconomy.com.
Kristin Hull: Realizing The Next Economy with Your Investment Portfolio
Next Economy Now highlights the leaders who are taking a regenerative, bio-regional, equitable, transparent, and whole-systems approach to using business as a force for good.
SUBSCRIBE & RATE us on iTunes, Spotify, Pandora, YouTube, or anywhere you find podcasts!
In this episode of Next Economy Now, Ryan Honeyman, a Partner at LIFT Economy, interviews
Kristin Hull, Partner & Portfolio Manager at Green Alpha Advisors and President & Co-founder at Nia Global Solutions. Kristin’s background is in impact investing having founded the Nia Community Investments in 2010. The Nia Community Fund is focused on consciously investing for social justice and environmental sustainability in Oakland. Prior to Nia Community, Kristin served as President and Chair of the Board of the Hull Family Foundation from 2007 to 2011, where she oversaw all of the investment efforts and transitioned the endowment from a traditional investment portfolio to one of the country’s first 100% mission impact invested portfolios. Kristin is also a co-founder of Impact Hub Oakland and is devoted to promoting inclusion and diversity in leadership, and to re-envisioning capitalism.
In this interview we discuss:
Redefining finance by engaging from a foundation of intention and purpose
Barriers preventing people from investing in their local communities
Building investment portfolios around publicly traded companies leveraging best-in-class solutions as a vehicle to realize the next economy
Considerations in measuring impact both quantitatively as well as qualitatively
Balancing impact with financial returns
The need for financial literacy education and aligning our money with our values
In addition to listening on B the Change Media, you can listen/subscribe to Next Economy Now on iTunes, Overcast, Stitcher, or your favorite podcasting platform.
Ryan Honeyman is a Partner at LIFT Economy and author of The B Corp Handbook: How to Use Business as a Force for Good (Berrett-Koehler Publishers). LIFT Economy is an impact consulting firm whose mission is to create, model, and share a locally self-reliant economy that works for the benefit of all life. You can follow Ryan on Twitter @honeymanconsult or email him ryan@lifteconomy.com.