I’ve been on the Board of Trustees of the Business Ethics Alliance for a few years now, and I’ve always enjoyed the programs and conversations that the BEA hosts. They’ve recently taken the conversations online and launched a blog. Dr. Beverly Kracher, the BEA’s fearless leader, asked me to write a piece that pertained to one of Omaha’s five core business values, Community Responsibility, and how it compares to that of other cities. I’ve cross-posted the piece below, but I encourage you to visit the BEA’s blog and connect with them on social media. They’re doing great work and worth your time, attention and involvement.

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I’m an Omaha transplant and have come to love this city over the past 12 years I’ve lived here. One reason for my #Omalove is the city’s strong sense of community responsibility that permeates all its residents. It’s infectious.

To be clear, I’m not an expert on this topic. What I know and offer herein has been learned through several experiences and conversations over my career. And while I’ve been fortunate to interact with many of Omaha’s seasoned business leaders, I can’t say that we’ve had the opportunity to have a meaningful conversation about Omaha’s ethic of community responsibility.

Furthermore, contrasting and comparing Omaha’s ethic of community responsibility to that of other cities is a bit of a challenge given that my entire professional career has primarily been spent in Omaha. I just simply don’t have the breadth of experiences to draw meaningful conclusions on my own.

To beef up my knowledge, I did what any true Gen X-er would do: I crowd-sourced my research. Yup, I’m talking about Facebook. A few days ago, I posted a couple questions, and the response was great. Several people offered some extremely enlightening perspectives on the topic at hand. Here’s what I learned:

Our Strength Has Been Our Cash

When it comes to financial contributions, Omaha is one of the most generous places in the country. As noted by the Omaha Community Foundation, Omaha ranks fourth nationally in per capita giving. Further evidence of our generosity, the Chronicle of Philanthropy compared charities’ donation figures from 2007 to 2010 and found a 177.9% increase in the Omaha Community Foundation’s numbers, second only to the Entertainment Industry Foundation, Hollywood’s leading charity. Foiled by George Clooney!

Anecdotal feedback backs up the statistics. At least a few folks in the nonprofit world noted that they exceed their national peers in their ability to obtain support from Omaha businesses. Those organizations that have the financial wherewithal to support organizations do so, and they do so in droves.

The Tide is Turning Toward Organizational Engagement

Many agreed and acknowledged that Omaha’s philanthropic strength has been financial, but several also noted that a shift is occurring towards more organizational engagement. One person wrote, “Empowered citizens, primarily younger, seem to be more apt at application of organizational strength in addition to money.”

I don’t think that older generations have not been involved personally or engaged their organizations. They have. I do, however, see many of my peers focusing organizational attention towards positive community impact. In my unscientific opinion, the reasons are twofold: 1) our younger, smaller businesses simply don’t have the financial resources, so they give their talents rather than their treasure, and 2) my generation seems to prefer a “hands-on” approach.

We May or May Not Be Strategic in Our Efforts

Perspectives seemed to be mixed when it came to whether or not Omaha businesses are really strategic about their involvement and philanthropy (includes time, talent and treasure). On one hand, a respected friend and nonprofit leader who has traveled the country noted that, “true philanthropy exists here – not just charity – where people are engaged in systems change versus just throwing money at particular issues.”

On the other hand, others indicated our generosity is often not directed toward the most important and pressing issues Omaha faces. The quote that really hit home for me: “In general we are very good at helping people, but we have a very hard time considering root causes and systemic failures…so we are very giving and responsive, but not so good at actually solving things.”

I suspect the truth lies somewhere in the middle and can vary greatly based on several different variables. Either way, it was telling that people had such disparate opinions.

Somewhat relatedly, another respected friend suggested that it might be worthwhile to reconsider a suggestion Malcolm Gladwell made at the YP Summit a few years ago: agree as a community on just a few common issues or root causes and collectively focus on those rather than soothing the symptoms. Made me wonder what those few root issues would be in Omaha.

Omaha Values and Supports Efforts to Improve the Community

My wife Emily and I are honorary co-chairs (along with Michael and Laura Alley) for the Inclusive Communities Humanitarian Dinner this year. As we’ve reached out into our network to solicit support for the dinner, one thing has been abundantly clear in the response: even those that decline to sponsor the event express sincere gratitude for our efforts. They often repeatedly thank us for our work in the community and wish us nothing but the best. This response really opened my eyes to the value that businesses place on community involvement.

The more time I spend here and the more business leaders I interact with, it becomes clearer and clearer that community responsibility is one of our strongest ethics. The vast majority of people are absolutely dedicated to making Omaha a great place to live, work and play, and they often expend a great amount of resources to do what they can to move Omaha forward. It’s contagious, and I’m glad I caught it.

Onward and upward.

We held our annual retreat a week ago. It was a great opportunity to collectively extract ourselves from the standard day-to-day fare and give some thought to who we are and where we’re going. We started the day by reaffirming our vision, mission and values. In doing so, we came to two conclusions: first, we don’t revisit them often enough, and second, they are pretty well done.

In particular, our core values seemed to perfectly depict who we are, how we approach our work, and why we do what we do. As such, we thought it makes some sense to do a bit better job getting them in front of our collaborators and partners. They’ll eventually have a more prominent place on our website, but until that happens, here they are:

Passion
We believe we have the power to transform business as usual and make our world ‘green by default’.

Integrity
We’re not going to greenwash, and we won’t let our clients either.  Seriously, it’s not an option.

Balance
We recognize the interdependence of the world’s economic, ecological and social systems and believe every decision made should reflect consideration of all three systems.

Collaboration
We believe we’re not in this alone and rely on our friends, clients, business partners and colleagues to help us create a resilient future.

Innovation
We believe it’s no coincidence that the edge of ecosystems is exceptionally innovative, creative, resilient and dynamic.  We’re not going over the edge, but we’ll hang out there for a spell; it’s a great place to be.

Continuous Improvement
We have a thirst for learning and are always searching for ways to do our work better.

Onward and upward.

It’s time for us to stop dancing around the issue of whether or not humans are causing climate change. The overwhelming evidence unequivocally shows that climate change is real and is primarily human-caused. This is no longer up for debate. It’s time to move on to solutions and, dare I say, adaptation.

Internally we’ve been talking about when and how we discuss climate change with our clients, partners and collaborators. We have always been very careful when bringing it up because we fear doing so will immediately alienate the “disbelievers.” I think it’s time we start talking about it. First, a little background on why I’m a little fired up about it. Over the weekend I watched a film and read several articles that put me in a bit of a tizzy.

Chasing Ice
First, on Friday night a few Verdisians and I took in the film Chasing Ice. It’s a documentary following photographer James Balog’s quest to document the rapid decline in glacial ice. As he put it in the film, glacial retreat is the canary in the coal mine when it comes to climate change. The film did a wonderful job of showing the eye-opening loss of glacial ice while being absolutely beautiful thanks to Balog’s stunning photography.

Chasing Ice really reached a crescendo for me when a few of Balog’s colleagues witnessed the largest calving event ever recorded on tape. Glacial ice roughly the size of Manhattan broke away from the main Ilulissat Glacier for 75 minutes, a portion of which was shown in the film and can be viewed in the clip above. It was absolutely jaw-dropping to see. If you haven’t seen the film yet, it’s worth seeing in the theatre (now playing at Film Streams!).

National Climate Assessment & More
When I awoke Saturday morning, there were three articles on the back page of the Omaha World Herald all covering climate change; two of which summarized findings from the National Climate Assessment (NCA) draft report. The first article focused on what’s been happening in the Great Plains and highlighted the crazy weather we experienced in 2011 as a perfect case-in-point for what we should expect going forward (of particular note: $12 billion in damages due to the extreme weather).

The second article summarized national trends and specifically mentioned the NCA’s finding that ”warming of the planet is changing daily American life“. The report, which is a mere 1,100+ pages, cuts right to the chase and identifies the kinds of changes we should expect, region-by-region, and warns of the disruptions our society will likely experience as temperatures rise. While it’s not as epic as Waterworld predicts, the prognostications are a little scary.

The third article donning the back page of my Herald originally ran in the New York Times on January 10. Its focus was 2012′s worldwide weather and it noted that extreme weather is now the norm. Several extreme and highly abnormal weather events from all over the globe were cited. As was illuminated in the Times article, extreme weather is not uncommon, but the sheer number of extreme events that occurred in 2012 is what’s abnormal.

Where Do We Go From Here
Fortunately, many businesses are responding, which is becoming clearer every time a major consulting firm produces a sustainability-focused report. One indicator: more than 80% of the Global 500 responded to the Climate Disclosure Project’s 2011 request for carbon disclosure (PwC: Do Investors care about sustainability?). Additional good news is that those companies that are actually taking meaningful steps are often out-performing their competitors (MIT Sloan Management Review: Sustainability: The ‘Embracers’ Seize Advantage). 

Despite the clear evidence that 1) we are facing widespread institutional risk to all of our known systems due to climate change, and 2) implementing meaningful sustainable change is good for the bottom line, we still find that adoption of sustainable principles can still be a tough sell. Why? IBM’s recent report suggests that executive involvement and support is critical to success. We couldn’t agree more. Without the leader on board, it’s not worth doing, which is sad but true. Leaderless sustainability initiatives often struggle and face insurmountable challenges when attempting to make progress.

I think there’s more at play, though. The term climate change has become so politically polarized that some leaders will stop listening if it’s even mentioned, which means that when it comes time for them to understand the risks they face and the benefits they’re missing, they’ve already tuned out. It’s for this reason that we rarely talked about climate change in the past, choosing instead to focus on the more tangible benefits of sustainability initiatives: saving money, happier employees, healthier work environments, and more loyal customers.

It’s no longer enough. It’s time for us to start talking about the risks that organizations face as well. It’s not going to be easy, but if we’re going to do our job and do it well, they must be knowledgeable of and prepared to respond to the challenges that climate change is going to bring. These aren’t scare tactics; it’s reality. And if we aren’t prepared and helping our clients prepare, we aren’t doing our job.

Onward and upward.

Dear soon-to-be or recent college graduate:

We just went through the hiring process and are happy to report that we found someone we’re pretty stoked to add to the team (more later). In trudging through the process, however, I found myself making mental notes to share with my daughter when she enters the workforce in 20 years. Because that’s so far off, I thought I would share a few tips with you.

Don’t be a Debby Downer.
Times are tough for you. They are. And I’m sorry about that. But talking extensively about how difficult it is right now is not becoming. I’m not going to hire you because I feel sorry for you. I’m going to hire you because you’re resilient during these trying times. The number one reason for why we’re going to hire you is NOT because I want to help you move out of your parent’s house. As much as I would like to assist in that endeavor, it’s not compelling enough.

Clean up your writing. 
We don’t expect you to wax eloquent about the virtues of sustainability in the modern world, but we do expect full sentences, correct spelling and coherence. It was disturbing how many applications had errors. Nothing gets you into the “no” pile faster than poor writing. If you’re wondering why this is important, this  recent Harvard Business Review blog is worth a read.

Dress the part.
Not all sustainability consultants wear Birkenstocks to work. In fact, most don’t. So when you come in for an interview, dress up a little. One of our litmus tests is whether or not we would be comfortable sending a new hire to a client meeting. If you don’t present yourself professionally in an interview, it’s difficult for us to envision you in front of a client. Oh, and another thing while I’m on the topic of clothing: take your jacket (e.g., windbreakers and winter coats) off in an interview. Unless you’re expecting a fire drill. Then leave it on.

No GPA = bad GPA
I have always assumed that if you don’t include your GPA on a resume, it’s not very good. Include it. Unless it’s really bad.

If you’re a dude, pick up your game.
Our top four candidates were all women. Check that, they were all very impressive women. Let’s just put it this way: I’m glad I’m not competing against them for work. Gentlemen, you had better pick it up if you hope to compete.

Send a thank you note after an interview.
Yes, an actual thank you note. One which requires a stamp. While it may seem pretty old-school, its personal touch can’t be rivaled by an email. And if you’re not even sending a follow-up email after an interview: shame.

The fact is, we interviewed two candidates that had significant and legitimate experience for a job that we billed as entry-level. You are competing not only against your fellow soon-to-be or recent graduates, but against really sharp people with 5–10 years of experience. That’s not easy, but it’s also not insurmountable. You can and will overcome only so long as you are razor-focused in your approach and unequivocally show that you’re highly capable. And most importantly, that you understand what an Oxford comma is and can state why you do or do not use it.

Onward and upward.

It’s 30 degrees and snowing this morning yet I biked into Verdis HQ. As I leap-frogged the #11 down Leavenworth Street on the way in this morning, I found myself thinking about why I was on two wheels and how it related to some of our transportation demand management work with our clients.

The Moody family was down to one car today so I no longer had the option to comfortably hop into my car and drive in. About 8:00 last night, I started mulling options: I checked in with Patrick and Chris, both of which live nearby, to see if carpooling was an option (it was). I confirmed the bus schedule (still running…as always), and took a look at the weather to see if it was going to be amenable to biking (cold and snowy).

Research in hand, I gave myself until 7:30am this morning to decide. At 7:25am I turned down a carpool ride and left the house (on the Linus) planning to hop on the #11. As I climbed the hill towards the bus stop I found myself enjoying the time spent on the bike and decided to press on and just bike all the way in.

The Trusty Linus

The reason I was on two wheels was, in part, because I didn’t have the choice to drive alone in my car; I was pushed out. On the other hand, I was being pulled onto my bike; that is, I wanted to ride. The feeling of having the cold, snowy air whipping my face felt the same as it did when I was eleven years old flying down a snow-packed hill on a sled. It was fun and exhilarating, and a little dangerous yet perfectly comfortable.

Progressive companies that are motivated to have their employees (and maybe even their clients…gasp!) mobilize in non-traditional ways have the same two-pronged bevy of alternatives. That is they can push their folks out of their cars AND pull them into other options.

Pushing Them Out
Providing disincentives to driving alone is a touchy subject. Ninety six percent of Omahans commute to/from work alone in their cars so it’s quite the challenge when companies start enacting policies or programs that actively dissuade people from doing so. The most popular and easiest-to-implement method is increasing the amount of money people pay to park their car. But it’s effective. It hits them where it hurts the most – in the pocketbook – and it will move the needle. When pushing people out of their cars, however, it’s vital to give them other options…to pull them in.

Pulling Them In
Actively enticing employees to carpool, or hop on the bus or bike is a much more enjoyable endeavor with many opportunities for creative programs and policies. There are many options to consider, so we always recommend an extremely simple approach…ask employees what they do and don’t want. A straightforward survey will reveal current commuting patterns, barriers to new alternatives, and how likely and willing people will be to participate in new programs.

As part of that survey, it’s important to offer possible programs that you might actually consider implementing should you find adequate interest. In other words, don’t mention a subsidized bus pass program unless you’re prepared to actually institute the program. But the survey should get to the bottom of what people might get excited about. Are they more likely to be bikers than bussers? Do they know where and when busses run? Have they ever considered carpooling? Is their biggest fear being “stuck” at work because they missed the bus or their carpool ride home? Do they even own bikes?

Once you know more about what people do and don’t want, it’s number-crunching time. Model out possible changes in your company commuting patterns so as to determine if you can avoid constructing a new surface-parking lot, for example. Once you have a sense for what might work, consider a pilot. There’s not always a need to walk through the halls dropping bus passes on every desk. Start simple, learn a few things, and then expand.

Transitioning from a workforce that predominantly drives alone to one that is migrating towards more sustainable alternatives is not easy. People are creatures of habit, and they’ll always take the path of least resistance unless you intervene in some way. But that intervention needs to both push them out of their cars and pull them towards other options. Work it from both angles and you’ll have far more success…and happier employees as well.

Onward and upward.

I’m gonna be right up front with you: this is gonna be a little sappy. It’s the day before Thanksgiving, my daughter just turned two, the weather is amazing, one of my favorite bands is playing in town Saturday night, and my wife still loves me. I just can’t help but be all isn’t-life-great right now. Life IS good, and I’m thankful.

Part of being thankful is giving back. The whole pay-it-forward thing. If you’ve been tracking along with our blog since Valentine’s Day 2012 (isn’t everyone!?), you’ll recall that we have a little program we call LOVErdis. It’s our way of giving back to the community through charitable giving and sweat equity. In that February blog, I mentioned all the great nonprofits that we had supported in 2011 and through February 2012. It’s time to update the list for March through November.

• Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium – Yes, Nebraska’s premier state attraction is a nonprofit and relies, in part, on giving.
• Nature Conservancy – Nature is powerful and people aren’t in it enough. Nature Conservancy protects it and educates about it.
• Legal Aid of Nebraska – Promoting justice, dignity, hope and self-sufficiency through quality civil legal aid for those who have nowhere else to turn.
• Keep Omaha Beautiful – We love Omaha, especially when its green, clean and beautiful.
• Fontenelle Forest/Neale Woods – Two of the most beautiful places in the Omaha area. I absolutely love spending time there.
• Emerging Terrain – Trugs, ElevATE, Stored Potential, Shifting Thresholds, and Harvest Dinner: easily some of the coolest projects in Omaha…ever.
• Project Interfaith – Share. Learn. Believe. Project Interfaith is gaining international attention for their great work.
• Filmstreams – One of the best film-as-an-art-form venues in the country. If only I could get there more often. Miss you, Ruth Sokolof Theatre.
• Community Bike Project – Learn to maintain and ride your bike…and so much more.

The view of downtown Omaha from Neale Woods.

We will soon be discussing which twelve organizations we’ll be supporting in 2013. It’s a very democratic process, and I’m looking forward to hearing the team’s thoughts on which Omaha organizations they would like LOVErdis to give a little love. If you want to plug any organizations, feel free. We can be influenced.

LOVErdis would not be possible without the charitable checkbook account we have through the Omaha Community Foundation. My lovely wife and I hosted a little event at inCOMMON last week during which we politely and tactfully urged our friends (after a few cocktails) to open their own account. If you’re giving back to the community, the charitable checkbook is THE way to do it.

According to CNNMoney, I have one of America’s best new jobs. Couldn’t agree more. But there are three things that make it great. First, the clients we work with. Here at Verdis HQ we often talk about whether or not people “get it” and generally refuse to work with those that don’t. Fortunately we are amazingly lucky to work with organizations that “get it”. Take a look at our (slightly outdated…my bad) case studies; they’re all great organizations that we get excited to work with everyday.

Secondly, my job is great because of the people that are Team Verdis. I’ve never worked with a group of such intensely passionate, razor-sharp, down-to-earth, likeable, and hard working people in my life. I can’t imagine Verdis without any of them. For that, I am very thankful.

Finally, my job is da bomb because I get to spend every day working on one of humanity’s greatest challenges: climate change. And by “challenge”, I really mean “opportunity”. While not every day is perfect, and we found ourselves shaking our heads often leading up to the November election, we are making progress. It gives me the warm fuzzies to think about it.

Sappy enough for ya? I think I’ll celebrate all of this thankfulness by absolutely gorging myself tomorrow. Mashed potatoes, here I come.

Onward and upward!

We are hiring again, and according to CNNMoney, being a sustainability consultant is one of the best new jobs in America (I totally agree, by the way). We aren’t putting an arbitrary deadline on receiving applications, but with that said, if you’re interested, don’t delay. Once we find that special someone, we’re going to hire them. Here’s a link to the posting pdf, which is also included below.

Verdis Group, LLC is seeking qualified individuals for a part-time, entry-level position. Ideal candidates will be adept at managing multiple responsibilities simultaneously, have wizard-like data analysis and writing skills, and have a passion for sustainability. The position is designed for a current college student or recent college graduate. Anticipated hours per week are 15–20.

SUMMARY
The skills and abilities necessary to sufficiently perform the duties are varied and require the individual to be adept at many tasks. The position requires flexibility, attention to detail, and enthusiasm for the work.  Generally speaking, the successful candidate will provide support in a variety of ways to Verdis Group senior staff and principals.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS
The successful candidate may perform the following tasks:

1. Data Analysis: Conducting a variety of different numerical and theoretical analyses at the direction of senior staff. Collecting, managing, tracking, and summarizing data is an important component of the job.
2. Writing: Preparing communications that are intended for a variety of different audiences, including both internal and external parties. Contributes technical writing to client reports. Other report editing and formatting as deemed necessary.
3. Strategy: Involvement in organizational discussions intended to identify strategies that help clients be more sustainable.
4. Miscellaneous Project Work: Providing assistance as needed on client projects, to include but not limited to: research, report writing, data collection, meeting facilitation, taking minutes, disseminating information, preparing presentations, brainstorming recommendations, and general project management.
5. Administrative Duties: General administrative duties may include scheduling meetings, purchasing office supplies and equipment, data collection and entry, maintaining adequate electronic and hard copy filing systems, running errands, preparing correspondence, editing and formatting documents and presentations, arranging travel, and other duties as assigned.
6. Continuous Learning: Staying on top of industry news in order to serve the clients with the most up to date practices.
7. General Management: Assisting senior staff with miscellaneous duties including but not limited to marketing efforts, financial analysis, and business logistics.
8. Other duties as assigned.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES:

1. Thorough and accurate in all duties and responsibilities. Attention to detail is a key component of the position.
2. Ability to think critically, problem solve, and trouble-shoot issues.
3. Excellent planning and organizational skills and an ability to prioritize and manage multiple duties and tasks simultaneously.
4. Ability to collect, organize, input and analyze data in an extremely accurate and efficient manner.
5. Knowledge of sustainable best practices as they pertain to businesses, organizations and communities.
6. Skilled in using Microsoft Excel, Word, PowerPoint and Apple software. Experience with Adobe’s Creative Suite would be great.
7. Communication skills both written and oral.
8. Skilled in demonstrating cooperation and professionalism.
9. Ability to work well with minimal supervision in a team-oriented environment.
10. Ability to effectively work and interact with various cultures and ethnicities.
11. Mad ninja skills.

SCHEDULE
The current expectation is for 15–20 hours per week for the foreseeable future. Hours may fluctuate, particularly upward, if Verdis obtains additional business AND the successful candidate has excess capacity in their schedule.

COMPENSATION
Compensation is $10–13/hour commensurate with experience.

SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS
All individuals interested in being considered for this position should submit the following information:

1. A letter of interest not to exceed one page
2. Resume
3. List of three references, at least one of which must be from a previous relevant employer
4. Any availability limitations (e.g. other employment or classes that may conflict with availability to complete the duties of the job)

Interested parties should send the requested information to Craig Moody via email at craig@verdisgroup.com.

CONTACT INFORMATION
Craig Moody, Principal
Verdis Group, LLC
1516 Cuming Street
Omaha, NE 68102

The Business Ethics Alliance hosted another discussion in its Mind Candy series on Tuesday. The topic: business and politics and how they mix. As a member of the Business Ethics Alliance Board of Trustees, I was really happy that such a potentially toxic topic was being explored. It’s not only timely, it’s one that can be tough to talk about without hurting feelings. The polarization that exists today, especially at the federal level, clearly trickles down into many political conversations. Oh, how I pine for a good, healthy conversation, which occurred on Tuesday.

Personally, I’m politically engaged and my views have strengthened over the last few years; the latter largely a function of digging deeper into the issues and actually talking with our elected officials. I love talking politics and am working with a few teams of people on select local issues. Team Verdis has infrequent informal political discussions, but we’ve never really explored the ins and outs of one another’s views in a meaningful way. I think we largely agree on most issues, but not all. And only on one occasion have we put the Verdis name out there in support of a cause.

Tuesday’s Business Ethics Alliance discussion provided a great opportunity for the panel and the audience to explore two central topics: 1) to what extent it’s appropriate for businesses to allow (or encourage) political discussions to occur in the workforce, and 2) whether it’s appropriate for businesses to publicly advocate for candidates or policies. The former was deeply explored; we only skimmed the surface of the latter.

A couple of key takeaways and learnings for how businesses should handle internal conversations:

• Do what’s best for your business and its culture. In some cases, political discussions can build stronger teams, inspire people to work harder, and actually produce more effective employees. In others it’s totally toxic and causes nothing but problems. There’s not a single right way that everyone should handle it.
• Leaders must be careful not to push their views on employees, either purposefully or unintentionally. Doing so can alienate those that disagree, especially if  you’re not creating a culture that fosters and allows these conversations to occur productively. It’s a delicate balance, and I was impressed with how Rex Fisher handles it at HDR.
• Generally speaking, society is not very good about handling conflict, and political discussions are no different. Don’t expect everything to be peachy.
• For employees, some of the best advice I heard was to give them the latitude to have discussions and share their views while making it clear that there are consequences if they cross the line. Most adults have a good sense for where that line is and when they’ve crossed it. Or at least I hope they do.
• No electioneering. Right on, Hal Daub.

While I found myself nodding my head to much of what everyone was saying, there are a few questions that popped into my head that remained unanswered. In pretty much every case, these questions arose because we didn’t get to explore whether businesses should take political positions and be politically active. I really wish we could have talked about it further. It’s where everything gets pretty dicey, in my opinion. I can handle how we navigate political discussions at work, but I could really have used some insight from the panelists or other attendees on whether or not we should be putting the Verdis name on anything.

Just to offer an example, Verdis formally supported the Equal Employment Ordinance that passed City Council in March 2012. We felt that discriminating against someone just because they are GLBT is wrong. By adding our name to the list of supporters, which was 100+ organizations long and included a few local large corporations, we took a risk. A business owner that disagrees with our views may have looked at that and decided not to call us. Or they may not return a call when I’m hoping to make a pitch. Was it in our best interest as a business to formally support the EEO? In our minds, the answer was yes because we viewed it as a simple issue of fairness.

This leads me to what I think was an unspoken and incorrect assumption from the morning: I think everyone in the audience was operating under the premise that the primary motivation for a business and its leadership is to increase profits. A motivation that likely drives what positions a business will hold when it pertains to regulations that could potentially hinder their ability to be more profitable (e.g., banking regulations. And a motivation that would prevent said business from taking a position on a social issue that they might believe in but doesn’t necessarily directly impact their business (e.g., gay rights).

I don’t think that’s unilaterally true anymore. There are so many business leaders on both sides of the aisle that are willing to sacrifice a little from the bottom line in order to build a better community. This wasn’t discussed, but it could have made for an interesting dialogue.

Social entrepreneurs are often creating businesses out of a desire to solve a social problem, not because they see a chance to build their own wealth. In some cases, the two go hand-in-hand, which is beautiful. I think Verdis falls into this category primarily because our motivation from day one was to have a big impact on protecting the planet. Fortunately for us there’s a very strong business case for sustainability, and when we talk to potential clients, we focus on the business case, not on specific environmental issues like climate change.

You won’t find the term ‘climate change’ in any of our marketing materials for a very specific reason: it’s a polarizing, politically-charged issue. Indirectly we know that if we are able to help an organization take great green leaps, they’re going to minimize their environmental footprint while making more money. That’s what motivates us. So when it comes to deciding whether or not we get publicly in front of a proposed law aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions, we tend to be quiet because we feel like we can do more good by helping businesses make change at their own pace. It’s a bit of a struggle, for me in particular, but for now it’s the right balance. We’ll see where we are in five years.

Onward and upward.