A TIMELY NEED
MAKING SUSTAINABILITY EQUITABLE
West Michigan Sustainable Businss Forum aspires to be the region’s leader in corporate social responsibility education, resources and networking. We are working to promote and support social responsibility as a part of organizational sustainability plans, to create and maintain relevant benchmarks for corporate social responsibility in West Michigan, and to target professionals not actively involved in environmental issues for engagement in social responsibility and equity discussions.
Currently, a substantial portion of the forum’s social responsibility efforts are designed to make the industry and practice of sustainability more inclusive, seeking ways to leverage sustainable business to improve racial and economic outcomes.
Our Focus
Promote the need for corporate investment in social responsibility and social equity
Equitable Sustainability
HOW WE’RE ADAPTING
The West Michigan Equitable Sustainability Project is a corporate social responsibility and social equity strategic planning process that will build capacity and cultural competency for WMSBF, develop necessary relationships, define programmatic opportunities, and publish a study that will detail the issue for our stakeholders and give it the visibility and meaningful talking points necessary to make this a larger call to action among them.
Among other investments, the project seeks ways to make the industry and practice of sustainability more inclusive, and to leverage sustainable business on behalf of underserved communities.
Already, the WMSBF Board of Directors, staff and other stakeholders have completed a diversity, inclusion and equity training module and developed a new equity policy and position statement that will inform all forum programs moving forward.
In addition, WMSBF intends to invest heavily in efforts to encourage its member organizations to adopt social responsibility and equity as part of sustainability plans, and to develop event programming of interest to social responsibility influencers that are not actively involved in enviromental issues. We are working to make the industry and practice of sustainability more inclusive and seek ways to leverage sustainable business to improve racial and economic outcomes.