SOCIAL VENTURE NETWORK ANNOUNCES TWELVE FINALISTS FOR THE 2008 SVN INNOVATION AWARDS
Finalists are Socially Conscious Entrepreneurs in Food Production, Economic Opportunities and Career Development for Lower Wage Earners in the U.S. and Developing Countries, Eco-Fashion, Alternative Fuels, Temporary Employment and Forest Conservation
By Kim McMartin
SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. (Sept. 3, 2008)—Social Venture Network (SVN), the country’s leading network of socially responsible entrepreneurs, investors and nonprofit leaders, today revealed the 12 Finalists for its 2nd Annual Innovation Awards program. The initiative supports the "next generation" of socially responsible business and nonprofit leaders by providing them access to the people and resources to help develop their ideas into successful enterprises.
"SVN received a strong group of applications this year and are thrilled by the response to the program," said Deborah Nelson, Executive Director of Social Venture Network. "We're honored that we have the opportunity to support the work of these 12 truly incredible and pioneering organizations. Narrowing the finalist field down to six winners will be a challenging task."
The finalists will go through another round of judging and then the judges, all leaders in the social venture field, will select six Innovation Award winners later this month. The Innovation Award winners will receive a one-year membership to SVN as well as registration and special recognition at the invitation-only SVN Fall 2008 Conference from October 23-26 at the Estancia La Jolla outside of San Diego, California. The winners will be honored in a special ceremony hosted by Ed Begley, Jr. on October 24th, and will have the opportunity to share their work with an audience of successful socially responsible business leaders, investors and nonprofit leaders. The winners will be promoted for one year on the SVN Website and in media outlets and be partnered with select SVN mentors, who will give advice to the winners and make helpful introductions throughout 2009.
This year's finalists include:
- CleanFish, based in San Francisco, California, is working to lead the global market to sustainable seafood production. CleanFish works with artisan fishing communities around the world to help bring their sustainably harvested fish to a global marketplace, providing economic opportunities to these fishermen while raising consumer demand for sustainable sources of fish. Core CleanFish services include a product communications program that differentiates sustainable and non-sustainable seafood products through presentations of those products at restaurants and retailers across the United States.
- In 2006, Numi Tea, a maker of organic tea based in Oakland, California, began an initiative to create a new Fair Trade Standard. Numi began working with Scientific Certification Systems (SCS) to create a new standard called Fair Labor Practices and Community Benefits. It is the first standard for production and handling of agricultural products addressing key environmental, social and quality issues to be approved by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI).
- Revolution Foods, based in Alameda, California, believes that all students, particularly those in underserved communities with little access to healthy food, should have healthy, fresh meals on a daily basis at school. They offer a daily meal service in schools throughout California, featuring meals that have no high fructose corn syrup or trans fats and contain only the highest-quality organic ingredients that meet Whole Foods Market's stringent quality standards, which include rbST-free dairy products, antibiotic- and hormone-free meats, fresh fruits and vegetables.
- Partners for the Common Good (PCG, based in Washington, DC, was founded to create the first wholesale loan participation network to serve the needs of low-income communities. By providing access to capital to borrowers often shut out of the economic mainstream, they create business opportunities for low-income people and communities. PCG’s borrowers build and renovate affordable housing, revitalize neighborhoods, build healthy communities and facilitate entrepreneurship.
- Ecoist, based in Miami, Florida, manufactures and markets high quality fashion and home accessories made from recycled and sustainable materials. In 2004, Ecoist entered the market with a line of stylish handbags made from recycled candy wrappers. Ecoist has since expanded its product line to include fashion and home accessories made from other recycled materials including: soda labels, magazines, newspapers, pull tabs, billboards, rice bags, inner tubes, bicycle chains, vinyl records, glass, as well as a variety of organic materials.
- Tri-State Biodiesel LLC (TSB) is pioneering a new approach to biodiesel production. Headquartered in New York City, TSB focuses on removing used oils from the urban waste-stream (primarily from restaurants) and recycling them into clean-burning biodiesel fuel. The TSB model is a sustainable, vertically integrated, locally sourced, low-transportation, waste to energy, urban approach to biodiesel production. The company’s model drastically cuts the carbon footprint of biodiesel production through local sourcing and sales and by exclusively using waste cooking oil for biodiesel production.
- MicroCredit Enterprises, founded in 2005 and based in Davis, California, is a pioneering private sector program that leverages private capital to provide small business loans to poor entrepreneurs in developing countries. The primary focus of MicroCredit Enterprises is sustainable economic development for families living in extreme poverty ($1 per day or less). MicroCredit Enterprises gives special consideration to microfinance programs that increase the number of poor clients served. It also operates comprehensive social service programs, such as women’s empowerment, health education and business training.
- Laborfair.com, based in San Francisco, connects busy women and men in need of home services with quality reliable service-providers in their area who list on Laborfair.com. The service-providers have prior professional references, ratings and community reviews that are posted on the site. As a transparent marketplace for labor services, hourly prices are set in a competitive market. Members of the temporary labor pool benefit from mobile, cost-effective advertising and the ability to build a personal brand on the Web, thus increasing their economic opportunities and helping improve their hourly wage.
- In the United States, buildings account for a greater percentage of carbon emissions than transportation and consume the most energy of any sector. Based in Oakland, California, Michelle Kaufmann Designs' mission is to make sustainably designed homes accessible and affordable, thus making it easier for more people to live green. To achieve the goal, they mass produce thoughtfully designed homes using prefabricated modular building technology. Each home incorporates five EcoPrinciples: smart design, eco materials, energy efficiency, water conservation, and healthy environment.
- Planting Empowerment (PE), based in Washington, DC, empowers local communities in the developing world to maximize their economic returns from natural resource endowments while changing the unsustainable practices of the forestry industry. To reduce the incentive to exploit old forest growth for income, PE leases the landowners’ principal asset—unused portions of their titled land—to plant tropical hardwoods and sell the timber produced. PE shares a percentage of the proceeds from all the forthcoming timber and carbon credit sales with its partner farmers and their communities. The PE model gives peasant farmers a steady income from lease payments while allowing them to stay on their land, instead of continuing the slash and burn cycle.
- Root Capital, based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is a nonprofit social investment fund that provides $25,000-$750,000 loans to rural enterprises providing meaningful employment and social services to disadvantaged groups. Because most grassroots businesses lack the technical expertise to manage capital from commercial institutions, Root Capital also developed a financial training program to strengthen participants' abilities to manage rapid business growth driven by the increasing demand for their sustainable natural products.
- Springboard Forward, based in Belmont, California, is on a mission to change the landscape for low-wage workers in America. Unlike traditional solutions to breaking the cycle of poverty, Springboard Forward’s business-based approach combines powerful career development for workers with a value proposition to businesses that compels businesses to invest in the lower-wage workforce. The model advances workers’ careers while addressing chronic business challenges of low retention, poor employee performance and unsatisfactory customer service. This approach creates real incentives for business to play a critical role in changing the landscape for the working poor.
SVN is a peer-to-peer member network of nearly 500 CEO's, investors, and nonprofit leaders who are running the country’s most cutting-edge socially responsible businesses and nonprofits. Since 1987, SVN has inspired a community of leading business and social entrepreneurs by nurturing the growth and prevalence of initiatives such as socially responsible investing, sustainable economies, fair trade and organic/eco living. SVN champions this effort through member-led initiatives, sharing of tools and best practices, the SVN Book Series and bi-annual conferences that strengthen and empower its members to work together on behalf of this shared vision.
About Social Venture Network
Founded in 1987 by Josh Mailman and Wayne Silby, Social Venture Network (SVN) is a nonprofit network committed to building a just economy and sustainable planet. SVN believes in a triple bottom line for business, one that values healthy communities and the human spirit as well as high returns. SVN members are part of an expanding global network of pioneering entrepreneurs who share this vision and are helping to transform the way the world does business.
Notable SVN members include Ben Cohen of Ben & Jerry's, Gary Hirshberg of Stonyfield Farm, Van Jones of Green for All/Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, Eileen Fisher of Eileen Fisher Inc., Julius Walls, Jr. of Greyston Bakery, Amy Domini of Domini Social Investments, Tom Szaky of TerraCycle, and Gary Erickson of Clif Bar Inc. These entrepreneurs have prioritized both social concerns and profitability to create successful businesses.
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Haberman & Associates
kim@habermaninc.com
612-372-6464
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