PeaceWorks: Promoting Profitable Trade and Middle East Peace

Another NFPO worth examining is PeaceWorks, founded in 1994 by Daniel Lubetzky. Like Equal Exchange (see below), PeaceWorks is also featured in the November 2004 edition of Fast Company magazine (http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/88/socialcapital.html). Take a look at their "Mission & Impact Statement" at http://www.peaceworks.com/aboutUs/missionImpact.html. There are some bloggers out there who dismiss the notion that trade among Arabs and Israel's will have any impact on lasting peace in the region. I suppose that it is fair to question whether the practices employed by PeaceWorks will change thousands of years of animosity. Then again, why not? Moreover, the private sector often can make things happen where government policies cannot. Certainly the vision and the principles on which PeaceWorks has been built deserve our attention. A related initiative started by Mr. Lubetzky is OneVoice: Silent No Longer (http://www.silentnolonger.com), which is based on the premise that there is a "silent majority" of moderates on both sides of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict whose desire for peace has been hijacked by extremists on both sides.

Making Money and Preserving the Land: Montosa Ranch Estates

Anthony Anella (www.anella.com) is an award-winning architect and one of the most accomplished, principle-driven architects I know. Working with a rancher in Magdalena, New Mexico, Tony and his associates developed Montosa Ranch Estates. This development, located 2 hours south of Albuquerque, applies the principles of "sieve mapping" (a method by which the architect uses the natural contours of the land to determine where to build and where to leave the land in its natural state) on land preserved through a conservation easement. The result? A development that allows the land owner the ability to derive meaningful economic value from his property (through the development of luxury homes) while at the same time preserving the natural beauty of the land in perpetuity through the conservation easement. This is the type of NFPO idea that results in a win-win-win (a win for the land owner because he is able to realize economic value from his land; a win for the consumer because the homeowner has the certainty of being surrounded by land that will forever remain protected from further development; and a win for the rest of us because a beautiful piece of land will be preserved from over-development due to the conservation easement). To learn more about the Montosa Ranch, visit www.montosaranch.com. Tony has also co-authored a book describing his work on the Montosa Ranch project. The book, entitled "Saving the Ranch", may be previewed at www.anella.com or by clicking on this link: http://www.islandpress.org/books/detail.html?SKU=1-55963-473-1 (be sure to click on the "photo gallery"). Additional information on conservation easements may be found at www.conservationdesign.net.

Prisoners of Our Thoughts : Viktor Frankl's Principles at Work

Dr. Alex Pattakos has written a terrific book about finding meaning in the world of work. The book provides insights into how to apply Dr. Victor Frankl's logotherapy principles to your life and work. It's well worth reading. To learn more, use the following links: Amazon.com: Books: Prisoners of Our Thoughts : Viktor Frankl's Principles at Work or Barnes&Noble.com - Prisoners of Our Thoughts: Viktor Frankl's Principles at Work.

Net Impact Conference

For those of you interested in the topics discussed in this blog, you may want to attend the 12th Annual Net Impact Conference, being held in New York City November 11-14, 2004. Hosted by the Columbia Business School, the conference, entitled "Business Leaders Building a Better World," will feature the following keynote speakers: Orin Smith, CEO of Starbucks Coffee Company (http://www.starbucks.com/aboutus/csr.asp); Julius Walls, Jr., CEO, Greyston Bakery (http://www.greystonbakery.com) and Vice President, Enterprise and Jobs Development at Greyston Foundation (http://www.greyston.org) ; Gary Erickson, CEO of Clif Bar (http://www.clifbar.com); Jeffrey Hollender, CEO of Seventh Generation and author of "What Matters Most" (http://www.seventhgeneration.com); and Thomas M. Chappell, CEO and Co-Founder of Tom's of Maine (http://www.tomsofmaine.com) and President of The Saltwater Institute (http://www.saltwater.org).

For more information or to register for the conference, check out Net Impact's web site at http://www.net-impact.org.

"Not For Profit Only"

Here are a few additional articles that describe the types of companies that are becoming increasingly important to our national economy. These companies are described using many labels, including "socially responsible." The one I like is "NFPO," which stands for "Not For Profit Only." That's a more accurate description of the types of companies that this blog focuses on. These companies live by the principle that being "for profit" and being "socially responsible" need not be, and indeed, ought not to be, incompatible. These are the types of companies that consumers are demanding and which therefore are going to become a larger and larger percentage of the U.S. GDP.

What is so powerful is the ability of these companies to incorporate socially responsible business practices, not just because these practices reprsent "the right thing to do," but because the nature of the practices themselves drive a more successful (and profitable) enterprise by developing a better product or service (for a solid example of this principle, check out the Fast Company article below that features a company called Equal Exchange).

None of this is to suggest that building and maintaining such a company is easy. In addition to the many challenges that all entrepreneurs face, a socially responsible company has the added difficulty of staying "true" to its mission, even as it grows (take a look at the Inc. magazine article on Seventh Generation.) That's where I can help. If you are a principal in such a company and are struggling with how to position your company for solid growth while maintaining your mission and vision, I'm the guy to contact. I'd love to speak with you.

Fast Company - Trade Secrets

Inc.com - Seventh Generation

Inc.com | Can Business Still Save The World?