Is social responsibility the same as social justice? Can one act in a socially responsible fashion without working towards social justice (consciously or otherwise)? And if these two are not interchangeable or inextricably linked, how does one effect the other?
It would certainly seem that the latter cannot exist without the former, and that the former can be highly correlated with the latter.
Word has come out that Wal-Mart will be asking electronics suppliers to keep track of the environmental impact of their products. Manufacturers will fill out sustainability scorecards that the mega-retailer will distribute to customers, starting in 2008.
The city of San Francisco is on the verge of banning use of the plastic grocery bags that have been a marvel (for their carrying capacity) and a plague for 30 years. The ban, supported by six of 11 supervisors and the mayor, was the subject of a three-hour hearing last Thursday.
Now this is the kind of competition we at Fast Company like to see. Tony vs. Arnold. The UK vs. the U.S. The challenge: Who can be tougher on carbon emissions?
As you might recall, California Governor, March FC coverboy, and Fast 50 winner Arnold Schwarzenegger took the early lead with the California Global Warming Solutions Act, which went into effect this year. It's the first law to require companies to reduce carbon emissions (dangerous greenhouse gases) by 25 percent by 2020. Snap!
This Thurday marks the launch of Caredays, a monthlong service-stravaganza facilitated by the Center for Companies that Care. Caredays is an annual, national initiative to engage individuals and employers in activities that foster great work environments—and to collaboratively address a challenging social issue.
Earlier this morning, I blogged on Afro-Netizen about how the Congressional Black Caucus' advocacy arm, the CBC Institute, is in discussions to co-host two presidential debates with a major cable news channel that many believe displays a strongly anti-Black bias.
Last night, Ben and Jerry, the founders of the ice cream company, were on the Colbert Report. Besides promoting their new flavor "Stephen Colbert's AmeriCone Dream," they took a moment to get serious. Ben Cohen held up a cloth disk (which turned out to be a kind of Frisbee). It had a pie chart that displayed that half of the federal budget goes to the Pentagon, leaving little else for social causes. He then implored people to go to TrueMajority.org to learn more.
Today while passively watching CNN, I saw a faux PSA-style commercial for the Community Financial Services Association of America asking consumers to be careful not to abuse their member payday loan establishments' loan services. No, seriously!