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Farmer's Markets Season!
Pregnancy and Pesticides
Soul Purl 77 Art Opening
Allie came to Design for Social Impact as a senior at Villanova University with a concentration in communication and business. Her focus is in public relations for public interest organizations. Inspired by a class in global poverty and a trip to Central America, Allie came to Design for Social Impact for a place where she could "perfectly mesh communication services and socially conscious causes." 
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The Business of Social Impact (continued)
Like many other progressives, I've often been critical and skeptical of business - seeing how it can be used to exploit human and natural resources in the interest of unbridled profits. But there's a huge difference between big and small business in our country. Some recent experiences have helped me embrace our place as a business and see the positive ways that it can impact society. This year I was honored by the Governor's Office as one of the Best 50 Women in Business in Pennsylvania. Last month, I traveled to Harrisburg to accept my award and join my peers - not quite knowing what to expect. What I found were women just like me, who had a passion for what they do and a drive to do it. Such a diversity of women making an impact! There was a parking lot owner and a dairy farmer. There were accountants, cookie makers, corporate executives and the manager of a steel factory. All of them joined by three key characteristics: they were dedicated to building their businesses; they had overcome personal challenge; and they were extremely focused on making an impact among their staff and in their community. It was inspiring to meet those other women and I am proud to be in their company. Within a week, I found myself at the Sustainable Business Network of Philadelphia's annual conference. And just last week, I went to Vermont to join 600 others at the Business Alliance for Local Living Economies annual conference. These groups are made up of folks who are running businesses and committed to a "triple bottom line" - People, Planet, Profits. Among these people, the topics were more similar to what I'm used to in progressive circles. We heard discussions of local, independent businesses surviving in the face of big box store invasion. We talked about the state of our environment; the treatment of workers worldwide; and the inevitable need to move beyond our dependence on fossil fuels to run our society. For my own education, I attended workshops on financial responsibility and ownership models that create an equitable and sustainable project - employee-owned, collectives, and other exciting options. It was exciting to experience these two worlds of business. In the end, I don't think they are that different from each other. I have a feeling that small business has always been at the heart of social impact. We provide a personable place to work, paychecks and benefits and lots of room for individuality. We're committed to community and must find ways to bridge differences in the interest of working together. It must be balanced or it doesn't work. We must be innovative and progressive, or our businesses will stagnate and won't survive - or grow. In that context, I see that we've actively decided to be a small business at Design for Social Impact - and that is a good thing. As a business, we can build a stable organization that isn't competing for funding dollars that other public interest groups need to survive. We can provide an expert craft that we focus on - refine to the point of great efficiency to keep costs even. We aren't limited in our ability to work with advocacy groups or good people running for office. So, like other businesses around us, we'll keep striving to keep costs lower, work with great passion and put an emphasis on people first. Now, if we could only come up with something in between .org and .com... Like area codes, "dot designations" have become less of an indicator of place or type of organization. Anybody can pick any dot designation to tell their story. Perhaps we need to open the field and have more free and creative expressions of the values behind organizations: .hope? .voice? .flowers? Or perhaps, we should consider doing away with the labels altogether... Any ideas? Let me know: ennis@dfsi.org Return to Top |
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A Source for Our Voices (continued)
In many ways, today's innovations in web technology are coming from the grassroots. Programmer's and developers, disenfranchised by big money's control of free cyber space, took deliberate steps to put the emerging technologies back into the hands of users... aka citizens. The open-source movement, freely shared, updated and redistributed software, has taken root here and helped spread innovation that was previously the sole domain of big-money corporations. In this emerging spirit of online citizenship and the prevailing assault on democratic rights, the 2004 presidential elections provided fertile ground for political underdogs and agitated voters to seize the moment for action. Lead by the overwhelming stamina and dedication of the Howard Dean campaign, politicians officially realized the potential of organized online voters and their willing wallets. The web has now become the arena for political activity, followed closely by the rise of online PAC activity. Blogs, Instant Messaging, and the proliferation of community - think MySpace and Friendster - have given rise to a new sensibility of an individual with a voice. Voices devoid of physicality now have as much impact as protestor placards, giving democracy a truly 21st century jumpstart. Thanks to these open-minded technologists and inspired political organizers, non-profit organizations are finding a powerful voice online to compete with corporate dominance for public attention. Customers and visitors are now understood as constituents and citizens. Voices have the platform to be heard by those that are listening. The shifting environment of the web reminds us that technology is not an end, it is an effective tool that we can use in many ways to achieve our far reaching goals. Your message must be strong, but it must also be effective. Technology can enhance your message but cannot be your message. We're excited by the power of the web and excited to help you find your voice online. Inspiring the quieted to tell their stories has always been the driving force behind our work and we continue to do so. Return to Top |
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Energy Efficient House (continued)
Inspired by a similar foldable house produced by a plastics company, ECA decided to create a non-traditional informational piece that highlights the easy ways to go green. The 3-dimensional, foldable house guides people through simple cost-effective products and processes to turn any home into an efficient, money saving, green home. ECA and DfSI collaborated on the project, bringing together energy experts, illustrators, designers and production experts to create the most compelling piece while also saving money and reducing paper consumption. The playfulness of a foldable house invites kids to share with their parents, who in turn learn about energy-saving alternatives to traditional home products. Learn more about the Energy Efficient home here. Return to Top |