Wednesday evening’s keynote session opened with remarks from David McConville, President of the Buckminster Fuller Institute, co-founder of The Elumenati, and Creative Director of Worldviews Network. In his presentation, McConville stated that through various mediums (television, science fiction novels, etc) we have created this false notion that settling another planet is easily attainable. However, at this moment, as far as we know, Earth is truly the only inhabitable planet in our solar system. He warned that we are tipping our precious habitat towards the unknown. We have no back-up plan or new place to start over; this is it. Bringing his remarks to a close, McConville stated the universe we plan for is ultimately the universe we are going to get.

David Suzuki, garbed in a poppy red button down, took the stage in the Grand Ballroom to a standing ovation to deliver his keynote address. Suzuki, a world-renowned and award winning scientist, environmentalist, broadcaster, and co-founder of the David Suzuki Foundation, spoke from his experience and his passion. His opening remarks addressed the constant change happening all around us. On a recent trip to Boston, he saw solar panels on buildings in the city. He noted that Portland has transformed into a city of bike commuters who have ditched their gas guzzling vehicles for a human powered alternative. Change is beginning taking place, but there is still much to do.

Tying to the theme of Resilience and Regeneration, “The Earth is resilient”, Suzuki stated. “It’s survived ice ages, natural disasters, seen the rise and fall of oceans; and yet it’s still continues to thrive”. Despite it’s resilience, we are still tasked with taking care of it. The way we treat the world reflects the way we see it. Suzuki posed the question, “do you view soil as a living system of organisms or just a pile of dirt?”, drawing the point that the way we treat the world reflects the way we see it.

Suzuki went on to state that we’ve turned our earth into a global economy to source and exploit all raw materials and then dump our toxic waste in precious habitats. We are disrupting our planetary cycles of water, nitrogen, the atmosphere and so on. Our planet still faces wicked issues: the Keystone Pipeline, dams, arctic drilling, not to mention countless others. We must come together and fight and come to terms on a similar platform if we are to accomplish anything for the good of our planet.

Suzuki delivered a somber, but honest message we can’t ignore. By the time he concluded his keynote, the room was still, with each individual hanging on every word. He charged the audience with a strong and timely call to action stating that the only thing we can control and change is us, but instructing us to figure out how to alter that perspective. This fight will not be easily won, but we must work to change the way we view the world in order to change our trajectory that’s currently set for an irreversible course.

a. Fun
b. Something for everyone
c. Local finance
d. A new economy
e. All of the above!

Community Sourced Capital, an idea born in the Entrepreneurship program at BGI, is putting it all together: food, fun, local business, finance, and community. We’ve designed a way for small businesses to source capital directly from their own communities. It could be called community development finance, and it’s all about giving people the opportunity to develop the communities they want to live in!

With Community Sourced Capital people share their money with businesses they care about. They do it with a Square. A Square represents $50 a person shares with a business. Many Squares put together create a zero interest loan for a business that gets paid back to “Squareholders” over time. So $50 in, $50 out. Simple and fair.

We need a new paradigm for the economy and it can’t be based on old ideas around growth and GDP. We live in a very different world from the one that existed when classical economics and Gross Domestic Product were cooked up. Our current financial system relies on growth and I don’t say, “relies” lightly. Our current economic system cannot survive without continuous growth. And that makes me think, “Uh oh.” As Gar Alperovitz aptly titled his new book, What Then Must We Do?

What is an economic system that works in a “full world“. What can we design that will regenerate our ecosystem resources and recover our connection with each other? Designing such a thing (actually many things working together) doesn’t seem like an easy task, and maybe it feels a little frightening. So what to do? I suggest we get together. We collaborate, think, and act in community. We work and play with the idea that what matters is Community Development.

I believe that Community Development isn’t just for “other” people anymore. The new economy, the emerging economy, the developing economy, is all about community. From co-ops, to the sharing economy and p2p (peer to peer), to crowdsourcing, we are in the midst of a community development revolution. We’re on our way to a new economy and it’s going to be good–good fun, good food, good finance, and great community!

about the author

Rachel Maxwell is Co-founder of Community Sourced Capital. A member of cohort 9, she took a deep dive into sustainable finance before graduating from BGI in 2012. Prior to Community Sourced Capital, she was Deputy Director of REIL, a network of leaders sharing information and shaping international policy around clean energy and climate change. Rachel works to move capital flows toward real value. You can contact her at rachel@communitysourcedcapital.com and follow her @rachelmrmaxwell

For me, community has nearly always had a spatial or geo-reference at a gut level. Neighbors, be they residents, businesses, churches, or government – community has always inferred my neighborhood. I grew up with the notion that loyalty to your neighborhood, and neighbors, was the only acceptable way to behave. Spoiling the nest just doesn’t come naturally to me.

Similarly, I grew up with the notion of development as something positive, akin to growth, and that growth can be painful, but it’s nearly always good. Improving yourself, your home, your school, your workplace, your neighborhood, your city, your state, your nation, your world – who wouldn’t want that? It wasn’t until adulthood, and bumping up against others that had radically different concepts of growth that I questioned myself, my own limited experience base, and my own intellectual ghetto.

It has taken me half my life to expand, and deepen the notion of what community is all about. I am still loyal to my neighborhood, but there are so many other kinds of communities defined by something other than proximity. And I’ve also learned much more about development. My own pursuit of agriculture first opened my eyes as I discovered what development really meant in villages of sub-Saharan Africa. Or the first time I flew over South Korea and gasped at the landscape, where the re-order of neighborhood from that of clustered rural agricultural villages to vertical urban cities adjacent to rows of plastic hoop houses seemed to be happening in real time. The Saemaul Undong Movement is one to study.

Community development means far more to me now than it used to. With so many dimensions, so many choices, so many possible outcomes – and so much at stake – I don’t assume as much as I used to. Communities are intentional, as is their development. They invite, and need, our participation.

about the author

John Gardener, Ph.D. has been an entrepreneur, an agricultural researcher, a passionate champion of sustainability, a teacher, a leader of community economic development and a senior academic administrator. He is the Provost and Dean of the Bainbridge Graduate Institute. 

With shared agreement on preeminent principles, attendees descended upon Boulder, Colorado, Slow Money’s new home, to continue the conversation, among them 13 BGI students, one faculty member, and numerous alumni. A sunny first day begin with a welcome by Slow Money founder Woody Tasch and a compelling conclusion by Carlo Petrini, founder of Slow Food. Highlights flew through the twitterverse, captured at #slowmoney

• Amanda Thomas ‏@emeraldedible
  @SlowMoney founder, Woody Tasch: let’s move #capital, near our neighbors, in places we understand, small business enterprise #slowmoney

• Slow Food USA ‏@SlowFoodUSA
  RT@emeraldedible:”We live in a society where we spend more on losing weight than to eat. We’ve lost common sense”#CarloPetrini @ #slowmoney

Esteemed BGI Change Agents in Resident (CAIR) were in attendance, inspiring ongoing connections and dialogue about important systems change starting with our food system:

• Marjorie Kelly ‏@marjorie_kelly
  @TellusInstitute: Facing urgency – pinwheel, one arm moving big change, another creating #generative alternatives #slowmoney

• Bryan Welch @ranchocapp, @MotherEarthNews: With capability comes responsibility #slowmoney

• Joel Solomon ‏@joelsolomon
  The #SlowMoney impressive 25 generative values laden entrepreneurs who did 5 minute pitches on stage. Courage + Love pic.twitter.com/TXwa8MRzYy

An important premise of Slow Money’s work has been to change the ecosystem of investing: “It starts with the soil. Entrepreneurs are the seeds. Investors are the water.” This was evidenced in the rapid fire entrepreneur showcase, which featured one BGI current student’s business Adaptive Symbiotic Technologies. Awards were given to two outstanding participants:

• @Revision_Intl On fire with #cooperative #grocery, #generative #change making, fantastic! #slowmoney entrepreneur showcase #inspire #neweconomy

• @HaydenFlourMill, the people voted, bravo! #slowmoney

Current student Diane Freaney caught up with Emma from Hayden Flour Mills, who’s honoring was celebrated soon after. Another Slow Money startup success story added to the week’s experience: Credibles, crowd-funding for small, sustainable food-related businesses, was a great platform for conference goers to support and enjoy local restaurants.

• Arno Hesse @ahesse, @ediblecredits: Where our food comes from – they eat before we do. Pay it forward! Feed the system that feeds you #slowmoney

Speakers spanned a spectrum of investors, practitioners and thought leaders from NGOs such as FarmAid and SlowFoodUSA and many others doing good work across sectors:

• Daniela Ibarra-Howell, @SavoryInstitute: Everything ties back to carbon: water, food, etc. Let’s put carbon back where it belongs #slowmoney

• judy wicks @jwicks333, @bealocalist: 1st step of #neweconomy, choose a place, take responsibility & create a place you want to live & work #slowmoney

• Mary Berry, The Berry Center: We are in a cultural, agricultural & environmental free fall #slowmoney

• Mary Berry, The Berry Center: Educate our youth for #homecoming rather than #upwardmobility #slowmoney

• @marjorie_kelly, @TellusInstitute: What kind of economy is suited for living inside a living being? #slowmoney

The depth, curiosity and intent of the participants and organizers was palpable. This created a courageous environment of vibrant possibility for the future of food and finance.

• Amanda Thomas ‏@emeraldedible
  A listening recap: A deep hunger for healing & restoration and a deep gratitude that we can see it beginning to happen here #slowmoney #hope

Current BGI student Beth Robinette summarized the concluding sentiment with these poignant words in the closing circle, spurring us on to continue with hope and clarity:

“I’m struck by the urgency of this work.
I hope you all feel energized and inspired by what you have learned these last two days.
Lets continue to conversation with everyone we come across.
But let’s not stake our success on swaying others or converting them to our cause.
Let us build the new system and attract others to our cause with our success.
We do not have time to ring out hands and fret because people call us dreamers.
We are dreamers.
Nay-Sayers be damned.
Politicians be damned.
Extractive corporations and abusive economic systems be damned.
Let us actualize our dreams with urgency and prove to those who would doubt us, or who cling to a dying system, that they are the ones who are asleep.”

About the Author

Amanda Thomas will graduate with an MBA in Sustainable Systems and Certificate in Sustainable Food and Agricultural Systems from the Bainbridge Graduate Institute in June 2013. She seeks to change the culture of nourishment through inspiring connection and catalyzing collaboration.

The people that surround our businesses are essential to our success — whether they come in the door to purchase our goods or are living downstream from our factory. Too often in “business as usual”, people are left out of the equation. At BGI and OSR, people are considered central to businesses and organizations not only as customers but as partners, friends, stakeholders, and community members.

As we work to create sustainable businesses, we are also working to create sustainable, healthy communities. We hope you’ll join us in celebrating community in our work during the month of May where our focus will be on the theme of Community Development.

We’ll have a BGI community celebration on May 9th with our first-ever Un-Gala to honor Libba and Gifford Pinchot and 10 years of creating leaders of sustainability. We hope you’ll join us! Regardless, we would love to hear your appreciation for their dedication to BGI.

As well, throughout the month, we’ll be blogging, sharing, and starting conversations on Community Development. Below you’ll find more information on the events happening this month and how you can participate on social media and the blog:

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Google+
• LinkedIn

MAY EVENTS

May 9 | Un-Gala | BGI Pioneer Square

We’re celebrating 10 years of BGI and honoring Gifford and Libba Pinchot. We’re also unveiling our plan for the next ten years, be among the first to hear our vision of an inspired future.

>> JOIN BGI FOR OUR FIRST EVER UN-GALA, A BENEFIT FOR BGI.

May 17 | Building a Sustainable Economy (BASE): Sustainable Building Lecture | Bainbridge Island Library, Bainbridge Island

Join us to discuss sustainable water with prize-winning journalist and author Jamie Workman and explore how to unite people across the spectrum to solve the three paradoxes of water: value, efficiency, and monopoly to unlock the true value of water.

>> More information and register now!

May 22 | Net Impact BGI: Entrepreneurship | BGI Pioneer Square

Net Impact BGI is pleased to present the latest installment in our series of community events, this time focused on Entrepreneurship and Start-Ups. More information to come.

>> Register now!

May 28 | Young Professionals with Pride | BGI Pioneer Square

BGI is thrilled to host the May Young Professionals with Pride (YPP) by the Greater Seattle Business Association (GSBA).

>> More information and register now!

May Change Agents in Residence (CAIR)

As part of the integrated MBA curriculum, CAIR gives current students and the BGI community the opportunity to talk to industry leaders. These pioneers advance sustainable business practices, research social and ecological sustainability, and lead organizations for social and economic advocacy.

This May, BGI is honored to host the following Change Agents:

Jessica McGlyn

Jessica McGlyn is the Director of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) U.S., Inc., based in Washington D.C. She promotes WBCSD projects, publications and work programs to the US offices of WBCSD members as well as to American-based thought-leaders, NGOs, academia and the business community. Jessica also helps build, manage and leverage relationships with other U. S. organizations that have an interest in sustainability to amplify WBCSD’s impact.

Before joining WBCSD, Jessica was a lobbyist for the World Wildlife Fund where she advocated the US government on a variety of global conservation, climate, trade and development issues. At WWF, she also led an initiative to integrate conservation with development policy and partnered with leading Development NGOs to advocate for modernized U.S. foreign assistance. Prior to that she worked at the Global Forest & Trade Network, helping companies green their wood and paper supply chains.

Jessica started her career in the forest products sector, working for over a decade for International Paper in a variety of environmental and operational positions. She holds a Masters in Science from Yale and a BS in Biology and BA in History from Messiah College.

JAMIE WORKMAN

Jamie Workman graduated cum laude in history from Yale and Oxford in 1990. As a prize-winning investigative journalist in Washington, DC, Workman was recruited as special assistant to U.S. Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt, where Workman pioneered river restoration through national dam removals. Moving overseas as senior advisor to the World Commission on Dams under Nelson Mandela, Workman advised corporations, governments and international NGOs on natural resource policy, valuation, mitigation and adaptation. He has published dozens of articles and several books on how to unlock the true value of water, including the award-winning dramatic non-fiction narrative, “Heart of Dryness: How the Last Bushmen Can Help Us Endure the Coming Age of Permanent Drought”.

His work unites people across the spectrum to resolve The Three Paradoxes of Water:

1. The paradox of value. Water is priceless in use, and yet remains worthless in exchange. This flaw at the heart of his Wealth of Nations confounded even Adam Smith.

2. The paradox of efficiency. The more efficiently we consume it – drip irrigation, timed sprinklers, low-flush toilets, high-pressure nozzles – the more water we collectively use.

3. The paradox of monopoly. Saving water eats into utilities’ revenue, forcing cities to reward waste, punish conservation, and undercut performance and customer relations.

I am excited to share a brief glimpse of my extremely enlightening and motivating conversation with Gina.

1) Can you tell me a little bit about what brought you to BGI?

“I know one of the MBA Hybrid students, Brooke Van Roekel. Brooke told me about her experience here and I have a great deal of respect for her. She asked me if I would ever consider being a Change Agent in Residence. After a little research and speaking with her further, I was definitely ready to be a part of the BGI experience. This is also my first time out on Bainbridge Island, so it’s all together been a completely new and wonderful experience.”

2) What was your first impression of BGI?

“My first impression was peace and serenity. My second impression has been the warm and welcoming sense of everyone here. The students and faculty have made me feel appreciated and valued for being here at BGI. The beauty of Bainbridge and the surrounding environment has been so outstanding. It’s been a great exchange too. I’ve received ideas and challenges, which have made me take a deeper look into my own belief system and my own behavior. It’s been a healthy new experience.”

3) What drives you in your current job/position? What inspires you on a daily basis?

 “There are a few things: I read something every morning called “The Daily Word”. Whatever that word or message is, I focus on that for the day. I try to make sure I am creating a safe space for diverse thoughts and ideas to come forward so when they do I consider them. I also have a three-word phrase that someone told me years ago, “Don’t postpone joy”. Joy comes in many different forms. It might be a spontaneous phone call or seeing a friend who I know will make me smile or laugh, I stop them for a chat. Also, if I have a big dream or thought I try not to put it off and get it in my plans.”

4) What goals and aspirations do you have professionally? Personally?

“One of my dreams is to start a small, private foundation that asks people what they need and then simply give it to them. No hoops to jump through, no copious amounts of paperwork; just trust. My main personal goal is to spend as much time with my mom as possible.”

5) If you had the option, what one thing would you bring if you were stranded on a desert island?

“I would honestly take bananas. I love bananas. I’ve probably eaten a banana every day for my entire life. If I couldn’t take bananas, I’d take my music. More specifically I’d bring along my iPod, which has everything from podcasts, to jazz, to spoken word, to Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye.” 

about the author

Meagan Andrews is currently enrolled as a Sustainable Energy Solutions Certificate Student. She also works as the Written Media Intern at the BGI offices in Seattle. Meagan wants to find an intersection of her creative background, social justice, and sustainability. Outside of BGI, she is involved with the local Seattle music scene working to expand opportunities for musicians. She hopes to transition to the Hybrid MBA program in the Fall of 2013.

On the morning of September 11, 2001, Gifford Pinchot III was in Hartford, Conn. participating in a clean energy brainstorming session with influential leaders and educators. He was scheduled to attend a meeting at the World Trade Center the following day.

One hour in to the session, the towers fell. Gifford never made it to that meeting and as a result BGI was born.

The brainstorming group — which included Janine Benyus, author of Biomimicry; Joel Makower, founder of GreenBiz.com; Anita Burke, then sustainability executive at Shell International; and Amory Lovins, co-founder of the Rocky Mountain Institute — was suddenly stranded in a hotel for five days.

They stayed up talking late into the night and the conversation kept coming back to Gifford and his wife Libba’s dream of creating a school of sustainable business. In those five days, they laid the bricks that would become the founding mission of the Bainbridge Graduate Institute: to create a world of harmony where our planet and its people are no longer at odds.

In early 2002, Libba, Gifford, and Sherman Severin founded BGI, the first business school to offer an MBA in Sustainable Business. Jill Bamburg joined them in the summer of 2002 as the Founding Dean and fourth founder.

For more than a decade, BGI has been a leader in the movement against the old world model of business education. By integrating social justice and environmental sustainability into their curriculum, BGI is reforming the values of our future.

On May 9, we will host an Un-Gala to celebrate Gifford and Libba Pinchot and their commitment to creating a school, a community, and an inspiring group of change agents to lead the future of sustainability. Their warmth, genuine concern, and humor permeate the culture of the school. When you become a member of the BGI community, you also become an extended member of the Pinchot Family.

It’s time to pause at this 10-year landmark and appreciate Gifford and Libba for all of their hard work and dedication to creating a place for sustainability leaders to learn and develop.

In true BGI fashion, we’re giving thanks in the form of an appreciation. Please share your appreciations in any or all of the following ways:

• Post to the Commons if you are a BGI student or alumni
• Tweet with the hashtag #bgiungala
• Comment on the Facebook post
• Comment on this blog post
• Email news@bgi.edu

Please join us at the Un-Gala or share an appreciation to show the love and admiration we all have for Gifford and Libba, and the amazing community they’ve fostered.

about the author

Drew Jones is a second year MBA candidate at Bainbridge Graduate Institute and serves as an intern for BGI’s Advancement Team. He also serves as Co-Chair of BGI’s Diversity and Social Justice Committee, and as Co-Mascot. He currently lives in Everett, WA and is passionate about diversity, inclusion, and creating strong, adaptive, and resilient organizations. He is very excited to graduate in June!

I grew up in Cambridge, Massachusetts, one of the more progressive cities in the US, and attended Cambridge Rindge and Latin School, one of the most ethnically diverse and prestigious public high schools in the country. Cambridge children are raised with a certain… je ne sais quoi… sense of entitlement and presence in the world. We walked through Harvard Yard to get to our high school every day, we prided ourselves on our cultured worldview, we were proud to be from Cambridge. I expected my high school to be in the news for the successes of its graduates. I never expected this.

I did not know either of the two boys involved in the tragedy in Boston this past week, though I know many people who knew them and many who knew their victims. There is a common theme amongst the conversations I’ve had with family and friends from home– no one can understand how this happened, or why. This didn’t happen in some sterile suburban neighborhood of economically-depressed middle America. This didn’t happen in a gun-happy conservative state. My worldview has been shaped by a belief that if we can just create strong, local living economies, we will foster happy, healthy citizens who care about each other and do not commit random, senseless acts of violence. Perhaps this seems like a giant stretch, and yet it has been a primary catalyst for my leaping into grad school– an underlying belief that business can change the world for good. And yet, this tragedy happened in a progressive, educated, diverse city with a strong local business culture.

On Friday, as my parents were stuck in their house on mandatory city-wide lockdown, I attempted to  begin my finance and quant homework, and struggled with the banality of it all. Who cared if my team could get the Garden Place case study balance sheet to actually balance? What did it matter which amazing project idea my food team finally chose to work on? For an entire day, I lived in a combination of anxiety and disbelief, unable to shut down the many tabs tracking updates Boston news stations, Twitter, and Facebook.

Here’s one thing that I do know: Bainbridge Graduate Institute is not only about changing business for good. BGI is also about changing communities for good. Though the value of BGI as an institution lies, in some capacity, in the career successes of its graduates, it is truly most revolutionary in the deep sense of community it fosters. Whether it is helping a fellow student recoup the losses from a stolen U-Haul or the simple act of holding space in morning circle, BGI’s community is authentic and transformational. Though this past week’s events broke my heart, I know that I will find solace and renewal amongst my peers and mentors at the upcoming intensive. My hope and dream is that BGI students will bring this profound experience of community outward– for this, I know, can truly change the world for good.

about the author

At BGI’s April Intensive, we were introduced to the world of B Corps, and B Lab, the nonprofit that certifies and supports B Corps, by the co-founder of B-Lab, and our Change Agent In Residence, Jay Coen Gilbert. Prior to co-founding B-Lab, Jay helped found a basketball apparel company called AND 1. He and his partners grew the company and sold it for $240 million. Jay, in my opinion, may qualify for the “Most Interesting Man in the World”. He has traveled the world, is a board member of KIPP Philadelphia, a dad, a husband, and a business superhero. I, like many at the Intensive, was blown away by how accessible he made himself. He was willing to listen and converse with us about our business ideas, and find ways to help either make the idea better, or connect us to people he knew could assist in bringing the idea to fruition. It was the first time I, personally, saw a Change Agent In Residence actually do something like that.

During the Fireside Chat, Jay said many interesting and thought provoking things, but the key lesson that stuck in my head was from a story he shared about his time at AND 1, when he and his partners were faced with growing the business or selling it. Growing it would mean some of the co-founders would not carry on into the future of the company, and in that lay the potential to destroy friendships that originated from childhood. Selling AND 1 would mean the business would carry on and they could remain friends. They chose the latter. He said the friendships were more important than the business, and I really respect that. If faced with the same circumstance, I don’t think many people would do the same.

At his Saturday afternoon presentation, he gave more information about what a B-Corp is, how to become one, and why they’re important. He spoke of how his team has been working with states across the country to change legislation to offer B-Corps a legal entity. They have been successful in 12 states, and will soon extend into Delaware. He mentioned the importance of passing B-Corp legislation in Delaware since over 60% of Fortune 500 companies incorporate there. This is mostly due to the face that corporate statutes developed in Delaware are modern and up to date. Delaware essentially sets the standard for the rest of the nation and helped pave the way for many states to model their statutes after that of Delaware’s. So, it is easy to see why passing B-Corp legislation in Delaware would be so significant.  This could be a game changer for all stakeholders in the business world.

There were many great takeaways from his presentation. One that comes to mind is that “entrepreneurs are the agents of change.” To me that means we, as entrepreneurs, have a huge responsibility to use our influence to better the world we live in, and create businesses that make a positive impact. Jay ended his presentation with the most impactful statement: “B-Corps are part of a movement to redefine a successful business [where] companies compete not to be the best in the world, but to be the best for the world.” I know I am not alone in feeling that the time shared with Jay at the April intensive was not only valuable, but life changing. Our world needs more revolutionaries/Change Agents like Jay Coen Gilbert, a man who is “Changing Business For Good.”

about the author

Snow Montemayor is a Cohort 11 candidate for BGI’s MBA in Sustainable Systems from San Antonio, Texas. He believes in making a positive impact on his community, and his biggest hope and dream is to use his sustainable business degree to solve local social and environmental issues. Snow looks to do this with hard work, good humor, and a lot of fun.

Starting a company from scratch is extremely difficult.  All-consuming.  Bordering on, if not full-on crazy.

Nonetheless, new companies get started all the time, a few dozen of which by BGI graduates. In the ten-year history of the school, the 500+ graduates have started over 40 companies. With many of these companies founded by teams of graduates, around 20% of BGI alumni are entrepreneurs.

Many of these people have been highlighted in this blog before. Heidi Pomeroy of Maven Meals, creating nutritious, flavorful meals for the busy people of Seattle. Kevin Maas of Farm Power, turning cow manure into electricity. More recently, Carrie Ferrence and Jacqueline Gjurgevich of Stockbox Neighborhood Grocery, bringing real food to neighborhoods unserved by grocery stores.

What these and the other 40 startups have in common is, being BGI-graduates, a triple bottom line (TBL) approach to business: A goal to improve the world. An impact. A mission. While at the same time growing a fiscally sustainable businesses, a.k.a. profitable.

Another thing in common for these pioneering TBL companies has been the challenges involved in creating new businesses with an impact, in a business environment that too often does not appreciate the importance of anything beyond the fiscal bottom line.

In 2012 I created Fledge, the “conscious company” incubator, in order to help make starting startups easier, to bring like-minded TBL entrepreneurs together, and to provide ongoing support for these entrepreneurs. This year I have added Kick, the “inclusive” incubator. 

Across the past nine months, Fledge has helped quite a few BGI startups including: Community Sourced Capital (Rachel Maxwell & Casey Dilloway), TayaSola (Alma Lorraine Bone Constable), BURN Manufacturing (Laura Raymond), UbrLocal (Kamal Patel and Elizabeth Smith), and Kodeza (Rowan Oloman and Chantel Bunkers).

The last two of these teams are just finishing their 10 weeks of incubation, and will be sharing their visions next week, Thursday, April 25^th, 6pm, on the main stage at HUB Seattle. If you are in town, please come by to meet and support these entrepreneurs, these fellow BGIers who aim, like those that came before them, to do good in the world by creating good businesses.  Visit http://fledge.co/demo-day for tickets.

about the author

Michael “Luni” Libes is a 20+ year serial entrepreneur, founder/co-founder of five companies, now spending his time helping entrepreneurs start startups.  He is founder and Managing Director of Fledge, the “conscious company” incubator, and Kick, the “inclusive” incubator.  Luni is Entrepreneur in Residence and Entrepreneurship Instructor at the Bainbridge Graduate Institute, and an Entrepreneur in Residence Emeritus at the University of Washington’s Center for Commercialization.  Luni is author of The Next Step: Guiding you from idea to startup and The Next Step: A guide to pitching your idea. To learn more about Luni visit: http://about.me/luni