What’s Good This Week
SEA’s weekly round-up of good news in our community, our industry and our world.
There is no shortage of disheartening news in our world, so we decided to take time each week to take a break and focus on “What’s Good.”
Each week, we’ll share five empowering stories on social entrepreneurs, breaking news in the social enterprise sector and exciting opportunities for social impact. Join us as we celebrate the changemakers in our world!
1. Westin Hotel is up-cycling bedding into pajamas for children in need
Westin Hotels & Resorts recently announced the launch of Project Rise: ThreadForward, a sustainability initiative to collect, process, and repurpose hotel bed linens into pajamas. Westin will donate a portion of the proceeds from each pajama sale to Delivering Good, a nonprofit organization that supports Westin’s efforts to give every child the opportunity to sleep well. For children in low income households, their circumstances often result in poor sleep patterns and sleep anxieties. Research suggests that pajamas, as a part of a bedtime routine, are one way to improve quality of sleep and instill long-term sleep habits. With Delivering Good, and their network of community partners, Westin will begin donating the first 1,500 pajamas next month to children in need around the world.
Westin saw an opportunity to not only create an innovative, industry-first upcycling program, but also empower sleep in an entirely new way.
As of Monday, April 16th, customers can support efforts to give every child the opportunity to sleep well by purchasing Westin’s pajamas online.
2. CBS-Backed Startup Creates Ads that Donate to Charities When Clicked
Social enterprise start-up Givewith is disrupting the advertising industry. Their product makes it easier for companies to donate to nonprofits by automatically triggering a donation every time a consumer clicks or views a digital ad. By working with companies to select nonprofit recipients that align with their brand, Givewith’s product makes the case for social responsibility in business. The theory is that associating a brand’s advertisement with a donation to a nonprofit may resonate more with consumers, thereby increasing their engagement and brand loyalty. This is a great example of a for-profit company offering a transformative product designed specifically for social impact.
3. Mass. Legislature Poised To Allow Expungement Of Some Juvenile Criminal Records
When convicted of crimes, juveniles often face lifelong consequences that impact their job, housing and education opportunities. A provision in Massachusetts’ proposed criminal justice reform bill, provides an opportunity for juvenile’s records to be expunged after a period of time. This is good news for many students enrolled in UTEC, a Lowell-based social enterprise that focuses on youth empowerment, workforce development and alternative education.
If this bill would pass, I would be free, and these doors would open for me right now.
Many of these students were impacted by violence and gang activity before enrolling in UTEC’s program, and face the possibility of paying lifelong consequences for past offenses on their records. The proposed bill, currently in the Mass. House of Representatives, has the potential to break down the barriers for youth with past criminal records and extend opportunity for social and economic success in life.
4. Nest to offer 1M free or low-cost thermostats for Earth Day
Despite experts saying energy costs should not exceed 6 percent, 1 in 5 families spends at least 20 percent of their income on energy. That is one reason why Nest Labs, owned by Google’s parent company, is launching Power Project on Earth Day this weekend. Power Project is Nest’s initiative designed to increase awareness about energy efficiency and consumption, and provide more access to energy efficiency. By working with energy companies, housing agencies, and nonprofit organizations, Nest is committed to install one million energy and money-saving thermostats in homes that need them most over the next five years. Additionally, Nest is donating 10% of proceeds from sales of Nest Thermostats to organizations such as Habitat for Humanity.
5. Coca-Cola’s Ekocenter empowers disadvantaged communities through social enterprise
At the one-year anniversary meeting of the Chicagoland Food and Beverage Network, Derk Hendriksen, the VP and General Manager of Coca-Cola’s Ekocenter Project, discussed the value of large food and beverage companies collaborating to better the communities we live and work in. Coca-Cola’s Ekocenter project, a social enterprise initiative to empower communities and enable local economic growth, does just that. Powered by solar energy and run by a local woman entrepreneur, Ekocenter brings basic necessities — like food, water and other items — to millions of people in some of the most remote and distressed areas of the world. The social enterprise operates mainly in Southeast Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. Ekocenter relies on partnerships across the public and private sector to ensure continued sustainable operation that makes a significant social impact.
Have a good social impact news update? Email us at info@socialenterprisealliance.com and you might be featured next week!
