A Responsible Way

Ten Great Ways to be Socially Responsible - Part Two

 "O beautiful for spacious skies, for amber waves of grain.  For purple mountain majesties above the fruited plain!  America!  America!  God shed his grace on thee.  And crown thy good with brotherhood, from sea to shining sea."  -  Katharine Lee Bates, 1895

When I think of environmental responsibility, this song comes to mind.  I try not to focus on the doom and gloom of global warming, or taxes on driving.  Instead, I focus on the wonders of this planet and organic beauty of nature.  My hope is that future generations will enjoy as many breath-taking parks, vistas, water falls, sea creatures, monuments, mountains and trees that I have experienced. 

For me, I learned of the importance of preserving our environment from camping each summer with my family.  We would pack up the VW van and take our 6-person tent across the country to destinations unknown.  Of course, I'm sure the emissions of the VW van wouldn't pass muster today but it was always an adventure!

Teaching tomorrow's future about nature is important.  Preserving our national parks and saving our lands should be both an honor and an obligation.  There are terrific resources to teach kids about the environment and dangers that exist from misuse.  From the National Park Service to the Discovery Channel to Kids for Saving Earth, resources abound for inspiring new generations to protect our natural wonders.  The Boy and Girl Scouts of America are fantastic organizations to instill the basics as well.

Feel like doing more to help the environment?  How about participating in a local Adopt-a-Highway or Beach volunteer program.  If you are really inspired, you can participate in a Campaign Earth challenge!  Likewise, you can join the millions of people who are members of Care2, an online education and advocacy site for people wanting to make a difference. 

"O beautiful for patriot dream that sees beyond the years.  Thine alabaster cities gleam undimmed by human tears!  America!  America!  God shed his grace on thee.  Till nobler men keep once again thy whiter jubilee!"

Ten Great Ways to be Socially Responsible - Part One

There are thousands of ways to make a difference.  As we approach the holiday season, people tend to become more charitable - of their time, resources and financial commitments. For the next ten weeks, I'll call attention to some of the fundamentals that you and your family can do to make a positive impact on society.  From protecting our natural environment to volunteering to performing acts of citizenry, it's amazing how much can be accomplished by doing a little good every day!

Let's start with volunteering.  People from all walks of life volunteer for many reasons.  At the end of the day, people simply want to help others and fulfill a societal need.  There's a terrific sense of accomplishment when you volunteer and it makes you feel good. 

One of the reasons people don't volunteer is because they don't know where to start.  There are several terrific Web sites to help you select volunteer opportunities that are important to you.  The first is Volunteer Match.  This is an easy-to-use site to help you find opportunities in your local community.  From greeting others to improving parks to disaster relief assistance, Volunteer Match is a great way to help you discover opportunities to serve.

Another terrific Web resource is Serve.gov.  This federal site is a great online resource to not only find volunteer opportunities, but create one of your own.  Have you ever wanted to start a community garden but needed help from others?  You can post community projects online and find volunteers to take action.

DoSomething is another great Web site, especially for teens and young adults.  From volunteering to taking action and advocacy, this site will give you plenty of ideas for engagement offline.

In addition to volunteer Web sites, you can visit non-profit organizations in need of volunteers.  The Boys & Girls Clubs of America, Kaboom! and the American Red Cross are some of my favorites. 

It's terrific to be a volunteer.  Helping just a little goes a long way.  I hope you will check back each week to discover how you can make a difference in your life and in the lives of others. 

Mickey Mouse is Going Green

 
The Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship and Reputation Institute have announced the 2009 CSR Index of the Top 50 companies with best practices in the areas of corporate citizenship, governance and workplace practices.  The Walt Disney Company was announced as the #1 CSR Index winner.

Disney recently released its 2008 CSR report and has pledged to reduce its emissions and waste by 50% and electricity use by 10% in its theme parks.  In addition, they have aggressive plans to continue to improve their CSR practices over the next five years.

 

The Top 10 companies in the CSR Index include:

-  The Walt Disney Co.

-  Microsoft

-  Honda of America

-  Johnson & Johnson

-  PepsiCo

-  General Mills

-  Kraft Foods

-  Campbell Soup Company

-  FedEX

Congratulations to all of the companies in the Top 50 list who are doing their part to implement strong governance practices, improve working conditions, provide for the environment and support the needs of communities! 

Small Contributions = Significant Impact

Paul forwarded a video that features Captain Chesley Sullenberger from yesterday's Washington Post.  For those not familiar with Captain "Sully" he is the pilot who heroically landed US Airways flight 1549 last January on the Hudson River saving the lives of 155 people on board.  Captain Sullenberger has a new book out, "Highest Duty: My Search for What Really Matters." 

In the video, Captain Sully speaks about leadership being a choice and that you have to choose to make a difference every day.  He believes that making small contributions over many years adds up to making a significant difference in a lifetime.  It's the daily lessons learned from non-heroic people that inspires him to be an effective leader. 

Through your leadership, how will you make a difference?

Why We Love SNL

Saturday Night Live made its debut on October 11, 1975.  I used to watch it in its early days while babysitting in New Jersey and have recently rediscovered the program. 

Characters and story lines including Mr. Bill, Gumby, Wayne's World, and Mary Katherine Gallagher are as precious today as they were back then.  Who can forget Dana Carvey as President George Bush and Tina Fey as Sarah Palin?  From political satire to cultural misgivings, you can't help but love SNL!

Prepare to laugh yourself silly...

 

 

Limeades for Learning Inspires Others to Help Students Learn

SONIC Drive-In has launched a new cause grant-making campaign called Limeades for Learning which provides grants to public school teachers.  This September, SONIC will donate more than half a million dollars to fund classroom materials and experiences needed to inspire learning.

Each year, teachers spend an average $1,200 of their own money to effectively teach their students.  SONIC wants to help.  They've partnered with DonorsChoose.org, a leading national non-profit Web site to fulfill teacher projects requested by teachers.  Projects range from soccer balls needed for gym class to ESL materials to help children read to computers needed for science lab.  Imagine if you had to pay for your own materials at work such as pens, paper clips, print paper, etc.  That's a huge expense!

One of the unique benefits of DonorsChoose.org is that every day people become citizen philanthropists by donating to their favorite teacher's project.  Limeades for Learning is similar in that it empowers SONIC customers to take part and direct which teacher projects receive funding.   Thus far, SONIC has generously donated over $200,000 to more than 500 teacher projects. The program has two weeks to go and there's still time to participate!

Order any drink at SONIC.  Peel the sticker from your cup to discover your unique vote code.  Go to www.LimeadesForLearning.com to search and vote for your favorite teacher project and feel good knowing you've made a difference.  Wanna do more?  Tell others about the program or your favorite teacher project and encourage them to take part.  Wanna do even more?  Donate $5 to your favorite teacher project and help kids learn.

Cause Branding Continues to Grow

Since 2007, SELF Magazine has conducted research on cause marketing and the business of doing "good."  SELF recently concluded its GOOD v1.5 study which confirms that cause marketing continues to be a relevant business strategy to reach and engage consumers.  That's good news for marketers practicing or about to begin cause initiatives!

One of the primary findings from the study is that cause consistency is critical to long-term success.  If a company commits to a specific cause or issue long-term, they will experience greater brand equity and loyalty among consumers.  Makes sense.  Consumers are savvy enough to know if a company enters into a cause partnership because it's a short-term gain for the company and not an altruistic endeavor. 

Another key finding is that women strongly relate causes they support to themselves personally.  Empowering women to make a difference goes a long way toward establishing a meaningful, long-term relationship with them. 

If you're a marketer looking to make a meaningful connection with women, cause branding is a proven business strategy to engage and maintain customer loyalty.  In today's economy, consumers are looking to corporations and brands to help them help others.  Corporations can make a difference.  To quote SELF:  "More than ever, it's good business to be good."

Movies that Make You Feel Good

I'm addicted to "feel good" movies including Disney's The Rookie based on the real life story of Jim Morris.  Every time movies such as The Rookie, Hoosiers, Invincible, and The Natural are on TV, I feel compelled to watch them.  Perhaps it's the sense of nostalgia that draws me - hopes and aspiration fulfilled, building community spirit, love between father and son, perseverance, etc.  I hope Hollywood continues to make feel good movies. 

When times in our country are sometimes bleak, movies such as this give us a renewed sense of spirit.  They also remind us to find our passion and do all we can to fulfill the dreams that are uniquely our own.  What's your passion?  Pass it on.

NAYA Goes Green

 Plastic water bottles have been an eco-controversy for sometime.  Many believe we should reduce our intake of bottled water to reduce landfill waste.  Others believe reliance on water bottles reduces construction for safe municipal water systems - after all, why bother to spend government funding on a new water system when companies have products to fill the need?

Bottled water is a big business.  It's estimated that bottled water sales are $50 to $100 billion each year and sales have increased an average of 7 percent each year.  That's a lot of water!

Last month, NAYA introduced a new water bottle that's made with 50% recycled plastic.  It's the only Canadian brand of bottled water to guarantee this percentage of recycled materials in its polyethylene-terephthalate (PET) plastic bottles.  According to a recent release, reducing the environmental footprint has been a key brand strategy for NAYA.

I admit, I drink a lot of water from bottles.  I also enjoy regular tap water - especially in NYC - it's cold and refreshing and loaded with fluoride.  The trouble is, it's not convenient when I'm on the go. 

It's good to know that there's a brand out there that's trying to do the right thing by incorporating recycled plastics in their bottles.  Kudos to NAYA for making a difference.

Claire McCaskill Sums It Up

There are stories circulating about a line item in the Defense budget for Gulfstream 550 jets for Members of Congress.  According to Glenn Thrush at Politico, the House Appropriations Committee put money in for three jets to be used for congressional delegation trips.  The Air Force has only requested one.  That's a cost of $200 million of taxpayer money to be spent on Congress to fly private jets.

Senator Claire McCaskill (D-MO) has vowed to kill the line item in the Defense bill.  That is good.  In today's economic climate, many Americans take issue with needless spending on the Hill.  Senator McCaskill is quoted as saying, "While American families are tightening their belts there is no way we should be buying extra executive jets.  No wonder so many people think we don't get it."  She sums it up well.

I applaud Senator McCaskill's concern over the executive jets in the Defense budget.  She's being fiscally responsible and I hope she convinces her colleagues to do the same.