Let’s face it, whether you’ve stayed in Detroit your whole life, or you’re from the burbs and are just now discovering the meaning of urban existence, there’s excitement in the air. It’s always been here – I believe it’s the spirit of the city – and it has always been driving change. But for a …
Opinion – What Does a Just Wage Have to Do With Pursuing Happiness? Read More »
Image: Photo by Alex Brisbey. There are some incredible companies in Detroit that embody Triple Bottom Line (3BL) business practices. The three businesses below use found or donated materials to create one-of-a-kind products; the result is lower demand for new materials, which in-turn reduces the business’s impact on the environment. Perhaps even more important, these …
Are America’s most powerful corporations starting to embrace Triple Bottom Line concepts? Well, maybe. They are taking a step in the right direction at least. The Business Roundtable recently published a new definition of the purpose of a corporation, and it includes more than padding the pockets of shareholders. The Business Roundtable is made up …
Providing Long-Term Value – Business Roundtable Signs New “Purpose of a Corporation” Read More »
We Americans are an interesting lot: for all of the great qualities of our “anything is possible” culture, there are some that defy imagination. The reaction to the most recent United States Business Roundtable (USBR) statement is a case in point. As we read in this month’s lead story, the USBR statement is certainly a …
Op-Ed by Mike Shesterkin, Executive Director, SMSBF We live in an age of income and wealth disparity. A recent Pew Research study indicates, “The highest-earning fifth of U.S. families earned 59.1% of all income, the richest fifth held 88.9% of all wealth.” Other measures indicate equally disturbing trends. What is it about this system that …
Opinion – A Hedge Against Wealth Disparity: Employee Owned Businesses Read More »
In our recent article, we looked at the importance of developing a thriving local economy. The Center for Community-Based Enterprise (C2BE), a non-profit based in the heart of Detroit, supports local business through the expansion of worker-owned businesses. This June, C2BE joined us as a presenter at our Triple Bottom Line Forum at Wayne State …
In the wake of the recent economic downturn, corporations and organizations began to reveal some of their internal practices, speak about what they were doing, where they were going, and why. What grew out of an effort to regain the trust of consumers, is now embraced by successful organizations of all sizes. This transparency in …
Transparency in Business – A step toward a more sustainable practice Read More »
Sustainability is the foundation of the Southeast Michigan Sustainable Business Forum’s vision and we hope to help local businesses incorporate it into their work by using a Triple Bottom Line framework. A Triple Bottom Line framework is a process by which nonprofits, companies, organizations, and/or business manage their financial, social and environmental risks, obligations and …
Thinking of the economy as circular instead of linear is key to implementing sustainability into your business practices. In a circular economy, we keep resources in use for as long as possible, getting the maximum value from them whilst in use, then recover and regenerate products and materials at the end of its life. Meanwhile …
Our recent Triple Bottom Line (3BL) Forum, titled “The Power to Change Things,” highlighted many avenues our community can pursue to change the very nature of the businesses we own, work for, and aspire to be. One such theme that arose from several presentations discussed the rise of the emerging local economy here in the …
An Emerging Local Economy – what does that mean for cities like Detroit? Read More »
