Camarillo, Calif., April 24, 2015—A Ventura-based outdoor clothing company honored this month by President Barack Obama will share the stage Thursday with a Camarillo startup skin care company run by a CSU Channel Islands (CI) graduate.
That’s because both outdoor apparel giant Patagonia and Camarillo sole proprietorship Wholly Hemp have business models that promote social good. Both are designated as Benefit Corporations, or “B Corps,” a relatively new legal designation used to describe businesses that also have a positive social impact.
Representatives from Patagonia, Wholly Hemp and five other local, national and international businesses with a social mission will speak at “Be The Change” on Thursday, April 30 from 4 to 6:30 p.m. in Malibu Hall 100 on the CI campus.
Sponsored by the CI International Relations Club and the California Institute for Social Business, “Be The Change” is offering CI students a chance to hear about businesses that not only turn a profit, but do good for society, their employees, or all of the above.
On April 16, President Obama honored Patagonia CEO Rose Marcario and CEOs from 11 other family-friendly companies at a “Champion for Change” ceremony held in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington, D.C.
Patagonia offers new mothers and fathers two months of paid family leave and child care, among other perks.
At “Be The Change,” Patagonia Environmental Analyst Elissa Loughman will discuss the company’s social programs, such the “1% For the Planet” products, which donate a percentage of sales to environmental programs.
“Be The Change” was engineered by CI Professor of Political Science Andrea Grove, Ph.D. and the president of CI’s International Relations Club, Stephanie Garcia, 23.
Garcia will graduate May 16 with a degree in political science and a minor in social business.
“We’re talking about water and sanitation and women’s rights,” Garcia said. “The overarching message here is using business as a force for good. We want to show students that people should expect more from business than we do and become conscious consumers.”
Grove, who served as the faculty advisor for “Be the Change,” is also head of CI’s California Institute for Social Business, the only institute in the U.S. dedicated solely to teaching, research and development of social businesses, which are businesses aimed at making the world a better place as well as making a profit.
The CI Institute for Social Business is the first of its kind in the U.S. to offer a minor and certificate in social business.
“We really want students to understand there are ways they can change the world,” Grove said. “They can make a difference just through their purchases.”
Also speaking at the seminar will be CI 2014 graduate and founder of Wholly Hemp Robert Lestak, 22, whose business creates skin care products out of hemp.
“I’ve been entrepreneurial my whole life,” said Lestak, who has a degree in political science with a minor is social business. “Back in middle school, I imported sunglasses from China and sold them on campus. The school told me to stop selling on campus, so I went out to the sidewalk and sold them there.”
Lestak founded Wholly Hemp in 2010, and says his business has grown every year, this year breaking $100,000 in sales.
Wholly Hemp, which had a booth at CI’s Earth Day Extravaganza April 21, uses 25 percent of its profits for microloans for women in Third World countries such as Uganda, Zambia, Tanzania and Malawi.
The loans average $50 to $300. Once the women pay the loans back, the money is used to create more loans in the African community. One such loan for just $10 allowed a woman to buy books and supplies for what later became a full-fledged primary school.
“Be The Change” is aimed at students, but open to the public. Light refreshments will be served.
To register, click on: http://go.csuci.edu/bepartofthechange.
# # #
About California State University Channel Islands
CSU Channel Islands(CI) is the only four-year, public university in Ventura County and is known for its interdisciplinary, multicultural and international perspectives, and its emphasis on experiential and service learning. CI’s strong academic programs focus on business, sciences, liberal studies, teaching credentials, and innovative master’s degrees. Students benefit from individual attention, up-to-date technology, and classroom instruction augmented by outstanding faculty research. CI has been designated by the U.S. Department of Education as a Hispanic-Serving Institution and is committed to serving students of all backgrounds from the region and beyond. Connect with and learn more by visiting CI's Social Media.