Triple Pundit almost always brings a smile to my face, and for that reason is one of my favorite blogs by far. The group blog highlights the three "p's" of sustainable business -- people, planet, and profits -- and highlights a steady stream of optimism-inducing stories about both creative startups and long-established corporations doing well by doing good.
Tonight's read inspired an extra-big smile: the story of Virgance, "a venture-funded startup that calls itself a platform supporting Activism 2.0" What this means, in essence, is that Virgance is integrating social media tools and a save the world mentality into some really creative business opportunities. Jujst a year old, the company has already launched two interesting social power ventures:
- 1 Block Off the Grid (1BOG) brings neighbors together to purchase and install solar panels collectively, negotiating hefty discounts and keeping a share of the savings
- SunRun, another solar purchasing program, installs solar panels but retains ownership and lets homeowners pay a reduced rate for power
Several Facebook-centered initiatives are in the works as well, including one to help companies distribute social responsibility funds by encouraging Facebook members to choose the recipients.
My clear favorite, though, is Carrotmob, which actually predated and inspired the formation of Virgance. Triple Pundit calls it an "anti-boycott," and the idea is to convince people to shop at a certain store if that store agrees to invest some of the proceeds to improve energy efficiency.
Powered by Facebook and other social media outreach efforts, the first Carrotmob in San Francisco brought hundreds of people to a small market in the Mission neighborhood, and brought the market almost $10,000 in purchases which yielded almost $2,000 in green upgrades.
But the more important result, as Triple Pundit notes, "was the buzz this Carrotmob generated. Consumers are drawn to the notion that they can influence a business to become more sustainable, and not by boycotting it but by patronizing it--essentially giving it the funds to make sustainability improvements."
Along with San Francisco, Carrotmobs are now active in New York, Chicago, Kansas City, London, Helsinki, Bristol, England, and more.
I'm usually skeptical when people talk about "shopping for change," but Carrotmob brings a lot more to the table. And it sounds really fun!
What do you think?
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