How a Tiny California Town Underscored the Power of the Triple Bottom Line for Me
Photo by Amy Parkhurst
“I dwell in possibility."
-Emily Dickinson
After just returning from an unforgettable trip to Northern California, I must say I have renewed and unabashed enthusiasm for the Triple Bottom Line movement. And it all started with our journey and quest for oysters and a stop at Hog Island Oyster Company.
It's what opened my eyes as we walked into this little gem of an oyster shack. For sure my mouth watered at the sight of the Sweetwaters and French Hog oysters that I saw in front of me. But what really got my attention initially was the humble cloth banner that hung on the company’s weathered barn-like building
Proudly displayed just above my head was an emblem of love that simply read:
B Corp: People Using Business as a Force for Good
In this little coastal hamlet of Marshall, California on Tomales Bay in West Marin County with a population of 50, I got the validation I needed.
Make that bullet-proof validation.
That if a certified B Corps can happen here, they can happen anywhere.
That if a business wants to serve its community and planet for the greater good while still making a profit, there's no limit to where the Triple Bottom Line and benefit corporations can be located.
From tiny hamlets on the Left Coast to metropolitan centers in New England. From rural communities in Ohio to urban cities in Texas.
From our friends who actualized the triple bottom line at LeftCoast Raw in central Oregon to Purple Rain Adventure Skirts in southern Oregon.
It doesn’t matter where your business is. It doesn’t matter what your product is.
As long as you are ready, willing and able to make a difference while making a profit, the certification of being a B Corp or benefit corporation can clearly differentiate you as a business not doing business as usual.
All of which means that if being a purpose-driven business is your organization's goal, the world is your, well, oyster.
—>Learn more about the 6 simple steps to becoming a certified Oregon Benefit Company or benefit corporation.
~benefitcorporationsforgood.com~