Sustainable Development Goals and B1G1
A good business measures its success by the value it gives and the impact it makes. At HarrisonStevens, we base our understanding of success on the concept of a triple bottom line where impact is categorised as social, environmental or financial. We like to summarise this as “Our three Ps; People, Planet, Profit”.
We believe in a world in which businesses dream big, solve problems and create stories that inspire others to make a difference to their consumers, their communities and our planet. As landscape architects, we have the skills needed to make meaningful impacts on some of the most important global challenges of our age. A good business measures its success by the value it gives and the impact it makes. At HarrisonStevens, we base our understanding of success on the concept of a triple bottom line where impact is categorised as social, environmental or financial. We like to summarise this as “Our three Ps; People, Planet, Profit”.
In 2019, we teamed up with the innovative global giving business B1G1, whose model ‘Buy One Give One’, created in 2007, is defined by the idea that all businesses can change lives every day ‘just by doing what you do’. This has seen us make a conscious shift in approaching each of our commissions as less a transaction and more of an interaction or relationship.
A good business, or a ‘Business for Good’ knows that without responsive and scalable income, its goals cannot be realised in a meaningful way. Equally, without creative, collaborative and fulfilling relationships, we have a greatly reduced capacity to achieve our goals. Our objective is to seek out like-minded partners who are empowered to achieve their goals and create positive impacts together. By collaborating with us on your project, you enable us to transform our mission ‘to make a positive contribution’ into meaningful action with lasting impact. There is plenty of work for everyone: as we choose to encourage one another, we grow and thrive together and empower others to do the same.
Sustainable Development Goals – B1G1
We first encountered the Buy One Give One (B1G1) model in an inspiring presentation by Masami Sato, founder of the innovative global giving business B1G1.
It has since become an important part of our practise and we hope our experience with B1G1 will inspire others to give it a try.
Each month we make a donation to B1G1, choosing a cause that corresponds to one of the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals, from quality education to clean water and sanitation.
Every quarter, the team choses one Sustainable Development Goal to focus on. The level of our impacts are determined by the following means:
- Invoicing payments: whether paid early, on time or late within the quarter
- The number of Projects won per quarter
- Team members’ birthdays within the quarter
- An elevation to a higher Vitality Membership Goal, going from Silver to Gold for example. Our health insurance and policy provider has benefit status bands which can be achieved through exercise and healthy living points.
Since adopting the B1G1 model, our team has voted to support a wide range of projects, from the provision of an outdoor learning space in Kenya, training in sustainable agriculture for a farmer in Indonesia, and more recently, the provision of clean water to schools in Kenya by harvesting rainwater.
- One focused Sustainable Development Goal is chosen every quarter and is chosen by the team.
By embedding the ethos of ‘Buy One Give One’ in our work at HarrisonStevens, we have enabled our business to become a true force for good. We encourage others to join us in taking a step towards a more sustainable future for all.
