Bleg

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Posted by David Roberts at 9:43 AM on 23 Feb 2006

Does anyone know, off the top of their head, of a company that's making money by working with poor people to improve their environmental and economic conditions?

(Random question, I know.)

(Definition of "bleg" here.)

For story: Bleg
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Orgs

David - I know a whole lot of organizations that work with the disempowered and as a result create value. ;) More imporatnt than money any day. Kip

by EcoReason at 10:57 AM on 23 Feb 2006

making money

David - not-for-profits generally take in money, supporting employees. ONe example is

solarcookers.org

Every chance I get i plug these guys. What they do is SO amazingly grand. -Conor

by Conor at 11:07 AM on 23 Feb 2006

But

I specifically need an example of a private business or corporation making money by doing green things related in some way to poverty. Does such a thing even exist?

grist.org

by David Roberts at 11:21 AM on 23 Feb 2006

Fair Trade, Shade Grown Coffee

Fair trade, shade grown coffee is a great example of people fighting poverty through green business. It provides a product to people who are willing to share the burden of reducing poverty. If businesses weren't profiting, they wouldn't continue to sell the product.

That is an international example. Are you looking for a more American example?

by iheartwetlands at 2:38 PM on 23 Feb 2006

Seventh Generation

Check with the folks at Seventh Generation, Jeff Hollender has done a lot of work over the years on socially repsonsible investing. I bet he would know.

Kip

by EcoReason at 2:47 PM on 23 Feb 2006
[ Parent ]

Poverty and the Speculation in the Environment

Yes I know and so do you, but you are not aware that you do.

The company that is exploiting the poor is the government and they do it by not changing the laws related to land ownership. This means that much valuable land is deliberately held out of use for speculation. These land owners exploit the public investment of the surroundings and wait for the land price to rise.

This action alredy causes high land prices on the rest that is being used, and the resulting high production costs result in relatively low demand for consumer goods. When the land is sold, the money (which should belong to the public anyway, after all the value of the land was not created by the land owner) should be used for tax relief, but instead all production based goods and labour that is needed are taxed.

This second channel also diverts money from being properly used for purchases that will enable entrepreneurs to more easily supply goods and to provide employment. The result is unemployment and poverty.

If the value of the land were taxed instead of the people producing the goods, there would be better use made of the land and the corruption of land speculation (through banks, city planners, lawyers and local politicians) would stop. Poverty is caused, it is not a natural phenomena.

When new countries start to be pioneered there is no poverty because no land is being speculated in, but ask an old pioneer whose land is now in the centre of town what he wants for it and it will exceed what he first paid a thousand fold.

Aim: to satisfy my unlimited desires with the least effort. David Chester

by Macrocompassion at 12:07 PM on 25 Feb 2006

ADVERTISING POLICY

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