Awakening Social Responsibility: A Call to Action
By Rossella Derickson and Krista Henley (Happy About Books, 2007)
To my readers in other countries: I recognize that I have couched my review in the context of US politics, because the current situation is a lot of my motivation for choosing this book at this time. But I also note that more and more countries are facing climate-hostile, anti-safety net, anti-human rights governments and many economies are tumbling. So perhaps you might find this review useful after all.
It seems very relevant to revisit this book. I just checked and it’s still listed on the publisher’s website, HappyAbout.info (NOT .com). It was published in 2007, during a deep recession and the Republican, anti-environmentalist, anti-safety net, anti-human rights presidency of George W. Bush.
Less than two months into another Republican presidency, the new administration has already begun to destroy the wildly successful (though inflationary) economy and the many environmental protection laws passed since the 1960s. The strength of that economy was due in no small measure to Biden’s support of the green energy transition, of small manufacturers and the sales and distribution businesses that support them, and of the social safety net.
All of that is going away fast, as the new administration follows through on its many proposals to green business, torpedo the economy, and even the very structure of the federal government. The incoming administration is undermining pretty much every planet-centered or people-centered program and agency they inherited. Instead, they’ve focused on persecuting immigrants, people of color, LGBTQ folks, women, and especially anyone they perceive as a political enemy…turning our most private records over to a chainsaw-wielding technocrat who (like his patron) is directly benefitting financially from many of his illegal moves…turning off research websites that we taxpayers paid for…tax cuts for the super-wealthy funded by service cuts against the poor and middle class…undermining the parts of government that defend and protect people and planet while unleashing its power to be vindictive… It’s going to be an ugly and painful four years and a lot of innocent people will be hurt by these plans. Businesses will lose their workforces, families will be torn apart, and ordinary people with little savings will be devastated as the new tariffs make almost everything scarcer and more expensive.
And this time, the president is a convicted felon and civilly guilty sexual predator driven by his own lust for power, his own greed, and his own desire for retribution, and caught in an astounding 30,573 lies in his earlier term (and many thousands since). Fortunately, this time the grassroots resistance is already organized (though not as publicly visible as in the past) and the business community is actively taking steps to minimize the economic damage—including steps to protect and expand the environmental gains of the past 60 years or so. And fortunately, we have sites like http://archive.org and https://restoredcdc.org/www.cdc.gov/ to preserve the legacy of the good work done by previous governments/
Which brings us to the book. The question that led me to choose this anthology for review is how did the green and climate movements not just survive a recession and an unfriendly government but become so much stronger? Using the same business frame I’ve been bringing to this newsletter for 21+ years, the many authors and interviewees of Awakening Social Responsibility have a clear answer for us: Make the business case for doing the right thing!
When a business realizes that it can reduce costs and raise revenues by such actions as:
- lowering carbon footprint
- using fewer resources
- increasing efficiencies
- switching to green building techniques, materials, power supplies, and waste management
It will protect those investments and even expand them.
The 34 chapters of the main text are divided into 10 introductory chapters in Parts I and II that lay out the framework, 8 case studies from the corporate world, 15 nonprofit narratives, and a concluding chapter on the role of HR departments. Most chapters are quite short; several of the 23 case studies are only two or three pages. Each lists people to contact for more information, though many of the contacts may have changed.
Some insights from the framework chapters:
- “Approach CSR Corporate Social Responsibility] from a strategic, income-producing orientation.” (Alis Valencia, p. 24)
- “To live peacefully together on this planet, we need to be in new relationships especially with those far distant from us.” (Meg Wheatley, quoted by Dinesh Chandra, pp. 27-28)
- To transform mechanistic corporations into organic living systems, we must empower individuals and think globally. (Dinesh Chandra, p. 33)
- Implement CSR not because of public pressure but to achieve better management and better outcomes. Consider hiring a Chief Responsibility Officer. (Kirk Hanson, p. 3)
- Find ways to reuse everything. Borrow the four-part Natural Step framework developed by Karl-Henrick Robert and adopted in Sweden: 1) Stop basing the economy on extraction and concentration of natural 2) or human-made resources; 3) stop impoverishing nature through displacement, overharvesting, etc.; 4) ensure that everyone can meet their basic needs. (Marvin Brown, pp. 42-43)
- Use and analyze results from the assessment tool on pages 45-59 (Azure Kraxberger) and the questions on pages 66-68. (Pravir Malik)
From the corporate case studies:
- Look to the value of CSR and not just the values. Be strategic and innovative as you develop programs that create social and environmental good that meets stakeholder demands. Your CSR initiatives have to be much deeper than just marketing or just philanthropy. (Christine Arena, p. 72)
- Walk your talk: The Gap revoked 200 of 464 contracts with Chinese manufacturers because they were keeping two sets of books (Dan Henkle, p. 81); the law firm Cooley Godward Kronish used its massive pro bono program to attract young, idealistic lawyers (Maureen Alger and Ashley Kanigher, p. 93); Adobe donated to 136 community organizations and offered employees 23 volunteer activities in just one year. (Michelle Mann, p. 102)
- Turn community benefits into profitable products and services, as Advanced Transit Dynamics did, selling aerodynamic enhancers for truck trailers that would save companies $3000 per trailer even before factoring in today’s higher fuel prices (Andrew Forrest Smith, p. 150).
And from the nonprofit world:
- Get granular by helping not just the company you consult to but individual employees who want to better themselves (e.g., reduce weight, stop smoking) or immigrants needing help integrating and finding work. (Act Now, pp. 107-109; Upwardly Global pp. 115-117)
- Harness technology to achieve outcomes that wouldn’t otherwise work. (Bring Light matching tech-savvy young donors with charities, pp. 131-132; Human Connexus using microfinance technology for charity donations to individuals in need, pp. 133-134; iReuse finding takers for massive waste streams)
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