Doing Our Best For The World

Have you ever done work that really mattered, that made a difference? Felt great, right? How about the opposite? Yeah …

I’ve always gravitated to work that makes a positive difference. A lot of people seem to feel this pull. I believe we’re wired to want to use our gifts in a way that brings benefit to the world and its people.

So, I’m thrilled to announce that Spotlight Solar was named in the 2017 Best for the World list for B Corporations, recognized for being in the top 10% for environmental impact.

From the get-go, Spotlight was conceived to be beneficial. We aspire to create positive impact—to increase the adoption of solar energy, to create dignifying work and to benefit our community. The primary way we go about this is to make beautiful solar structures that go in highly visible places. Making solar energy technology visible (and great-looking) raises awareness and acceptance of solar—leading to more people and companies choosing it. Social scientists call this the Neighbor Effect. And we love how our clients use our products to amplify their advocacy for clean energy.

This positive intent is why we became a Certified B Corporation (B = Benefit), applying a rigorous set of standards developed by B Lab and embodied by a growing community of 2,000 like-minded companies. The B Corp standards keep the bar high for how we treat our employees, shareholders, suppliers, community and our interdependent world. B Corps like Spotlight are trying to be good stewards of their resources, to use business as a force for good.

I’m writing this as I travel to the annual B Corp Champions Retreat. My intent is to learn from colleagues at the likes of Patagonia, Seventh Generation and Ben & Jerry’s to discover ways to increase the benefit that Spotlight Solar brings to the world. Your ideas are always welcome!