This March, The Local Crowd Monadnock invites you to celebrate Choose Indie Sustainable Month.
We’re teaming up with the American Independent Business Alliance and partners throughout North America to spotlight businesses that benefit our local economy, environment, and community -- triple-bottom-line businesses such as B Corps, cooperatives, and other enterprises.
Locally owned businesses, especially ones working towards a more environmentally sustainable and socially just economy, help us keep “the green” in our communities. Independent and locally owned businesses in the Monadnock Region strengthen our local economy, culture, and overall well-being as they re-circulate more money in our community than chain stores and online giants.
We want to hear from you: How are your favorite locally owned businesses keeping the green in our community? Email us at jen@thelocalcrowd.com. We’ll also lift up inspiration beyond the Monadnock Region and identify businesses and organizations working hard to support sustainable locally owned businesses in their communities.
One example is People First Economy, based in Grand Rapids, MI. Their Good For Michigan connects and celebrates businesses statewide, highlighting their positive impacts on their employees, community, and environment. The program also offers these businesses resources to boost their sustainable and social good.
“We leverage our network of statewide and national partners to provide businesses with globally recognized benchmarking tools,” said Alice Jasper, Good For Michigan Program Director. “These tools are used by thousands of companies worldwide and have been proven to help business leaders attract talent, build customer loyalty, and increase revenue growth. Good For Michigan works to train, facilitate, support, and educate businesses in our region to build a stronger People First Economy.”
A new organization we’re keeping an eye on, Purchasing with Purpose, works to create local economies that put people and planet first. They’re building a collective of social enterprises, cooperatives, nonprofits, fair trade enterprises, green businesses, benefit corporations, local independent businesses, and all initiatives that meet their five verification standards.
“It can be difficult to buy from businesses that put people and the planet first in the U.S. because the movement has emerged bottom-up, and different terminology is used in different networks, regions, and sectors. There can also be real issues with social washing and greenwashing,” said Rebecca Dray, executive director of Purchasing with Purpose. “By working together, we are able to increase the visibility of the broader movement and open opportunities that no single network or organization could open on its own.”
We’ll also highlight the Green Business Network at Green America, the country's first and most diverse network of socially and environmentally responsible businesses. Learn more about how businesses are coming together through the Green Business Network to boost their positive social and environmental impacts at American Independent Business Alliance’s next Local Leaders Roundtable on Thursday, March 13, at 1 pm.
Learn how the Green Business Network can help businesses and organizations positively impact their bottom line, community, and the planet. This event is free and online.
Register today!
Closer to home, New Hampshire Businesses for Social Responsibility brings together businesses in our state who strive to “do well and do good.” Members from the Monadnock Region include Badger, Electronic Imaging Materials, Filtrine Manufacturing Company, and more.
Cooperatives, companies owned by their members, follow seven guiding principles, including democratic member control and concern for the community. These businesses exist to serve their members instead of far-away stockholders.
Monadnock Food Co-op, a grocery store in downtown Keene owned by over 4,900 community members, uses a cooperative business model. Everyone can shop at Monadnock Food Co-op. However, members receive additional benefits such as quarterly discounts, patronage refunds, and vote on who serves on the board of directors.
Monadnock Food Co-op conducts an impact assessment annually, measuring its fossil fuel use, waste reduction efforts, community contributions, and more. We’ll share details from their latest assessment throughout March. Here is one update: “Recently, the store has been focusing on increasing the amount of organic waste we divert from landfills to be composted,” said sustainability coordinator Jane Clerkin. “This has led to the overflow of our compost dumpster, which is definitely better than having it go into the trash. As a solution, we have partnered with Elm City Compost to assist Casella Waste Systems in managing our organic waste.”
The Co-op’s roof hosts our region’s first locally owned community-supported solar project. The project is locally controlled, whereas most community solar projects are owned and managed by developers or utilities. The Monadnock Sustainability Hub developed the New Hampshire Community Supported Solar Guide from this project to help others replicate this project and bring more renewable energy to our region.
New in 2024, the Co-op installed two Electric Vehicle DC fast chargers and two level 2 electric vehicle chargers outside its building. Monadnock Food Co-op received a grant through the Volkswagen settlement funds to cover 80% of the project's costs. The remaining 20% was raised through The Local Crowd Monadnock and other fundraising efforts.
A certification process called B Corp helps a company “measure what matters” and better balance its purpose and profits. B Lab, the nonprofit that leads this movement, currently lists 9,328 certified businesses from 96 countries. B Corps based in our region include Badger in Gilsum and Frisky Cow Gelato in Keene.
“B Corp Certification is holistic, not exclusively focused on a single social or environmental issue,” reads B Lab’s website. “And the process to achieve and maintain certification is rigorous and requires engaging teams and departments across your company. Recertification confirms these standards continue to be met on an ongoing basis.”
Any business can fill out the B Impact Assessment online and see how they rank. For a business to become a Certified B Corp, it must earn at least 80 points in the B Impact Assessment and pay a certification fee. The certified company receives a full report with recommendations from B Lab on how to boosts its positive impacts.
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One well-known B Corp in our region, Badger in Gilsum, makes healing balms, lip balms, sunscreens, and other personal care products.
“At Badger, we’ve always held true to what we call our North Star -- our vision for a healthier world,” says our Co-CEO, Rebecca Hamilton. “In the beginning, at a time when most businesses were making decisions based on the bottom line, Badger was making decisions based on strong mission-driven principles and ethos. In our mission statement, we say that money is a fuel, not a goal—meaning that our true reason for being in business is to enact our mission-based work and help create the healthier world we imagine. This commitment to doing the right thing for people and the planet continues to shape the way Badger does business today.”
Badger has committed to net zero carbon emissions by 2030 and installed a rooftop solar array in 2020. They strive to choose ingredients from suppliers that practice regenerative agriculture. The company works hard to reduce plastic packaging, as well.
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A new B Corp in our region, Frisky Cow Gelato in Keene, makes its decadent desserts from New Hampshire milk. Owner, Linda Rubin, has committed her businesses to sourcing at least half of all its supplies and ingredients locally and donating 2% of its annual revenue to nonprofits building our local food system and boosting food security.
“Why gelato? Back in 1983, I visited Florence, Italy and fell in love with gelato! The creamy texture and rich flavors totally won me over,” shared Linda. “Ten years later, I moved to New Hampshire and started working at Stonewall Farm, a nonprofit education center and dairy farm in Keene. I spent almost nine years working at Stonewall Farm, educating people about where their food comes from and the importance of local agriculture. I dreamed about making a value-added dairy product someday.”
The Local Crowd Monadnock - Keene, NH
