Socially Responsible Social Networks
As you can imagine – the list is quite small! Many sites and services – especially social networking sites are now waking up to the idea if not just being social – but socially aware too! We hit the ‘green’ peak a couple of years back but now with the global economy (predicted my many including me) on the downturn – making vast fortunes from millions of web users and giving nothing back but the ability to ‘connect’ just doesn’t seem good enough.
Accordingly – with social networks – there is a shift towards looking not just at social networking in and end to itself – but to start looking at global needs and causes and how they can do something actually useful other than ‘twitter’ on about – well – nothing. Below are some websites we found that seem to be geared towards helping the poor, needy, down and out and those people in societies at home and abroad that can’t help themselves.
Featured Socially Responsible Network
www.budiz.com – the Social Network with a Social Conscience™
What they say: Budiz is a social network with a social conscience and connects you with people who are interested in what your into – find old and new friends, school friends, classmates, activity partners, singles, information, business networking, socially aware organisations, videos and advice on just about anything you can think of. Budiz puts the ‘social’ back into social networks! Unlike any other social network – Budiz DOES NOT keep or sell your data and profits go to charity!
Socially Aware & Socially Responsible Social Networks
www.tree-nation.com
Tree-Nation is an ecological project with a focused objective: To plant 8 million trees in Niger, Africa to fight desertification! Large-scale plantation of trees will increase the land’s productivity and re-generate the soil. Tree-nation is an online community in which you can buy your own tree and become the guardian of a real and happy tree that we will plant in our park in Niger. Our objective is two-fold: Primarily environmental, but also closely linked to the humanitarian aid that it will provide in the long term. The project will benefit local populations in terms of welfare, education and farming practices. And that’s not all… The benefits of preventing desertification extend beyond trees to other kinds of plant and animal life. Any opportunity to re-introduce and/or help prevent any endangered species will therefore become an integral part of our mission.
www.sociallyresponsibleinvesting.org
What they say: Socially Responsible Investing
Each day we have a choice on whether our actions reflect our conscience. But it’s all too easy to divorce our values from our wallets. How can we ‘walk our talk’ when it comes to our short and long-term investments? The origins of what has become known as Socially Responsible Investing (SRI) dates back to biblical times when Judaic law laid down directives to invest ethically. Today, SRI is primarily defined as portfolio decisions motivated by a company’s performance in several broad areas, including:
- Environmental Impact
- Tobacco & Alcohol Production
- Weapons Contracting
- International Operations & Human Rights
In addition to negative and positive screening, the true power of SRI is found in its shareholder activism — a powerful, effective tool that affects corporate policies throughout the world. And while the popularity of SRI has been phenomenal — with socially screened portfolios growing from $165 Billion in 1995 to over $3 Trillion in 2006 — most studies suggest that SRI-screened portfolios have about the same risk-adjusted returns as their unscreened counterparts**. Socially Responsible Investing not only earns competitive returns, but also helps to build a sustainable future and enhance our quality of life through shareholder activism. www.awardlist.co.uk – csr awards list
Awards are granted to up to five companies or individuals that have demonstrated excellence in integrating social responsibility in multiple aspects of their businesses. The contestants are judged in six categories of equal weight, with the highest total scores being the winners. The categories are: Community Involvement, Education, Health, Employee Empowerment, Environment, and Sourcing. The criteria have been adapted from guidelines established by the Social Venture Network in a document titled, “Standards of Corporate Social Responsibility,” which is available at the SVN website, https://www.svn.org/initiatives/standards.html or you can download the document Here.
The Top 10, Socially Responsible Brands off the Internet
(independent poll – looking at the list this must be a joke right?!)
- Ben & Jerry’s
- Wal-Mart
- Coca-Cola –
- Newman’s Own
- Target
- Yoplait
- Whole Foods Market
- Burt’s Bees
- Starbucks
- Kashi
Find a Socially responsible social network at christianadvice.net
