SBN is updating and expanding the Beginners Guide to Sustainable Business to best reflect the present-day social, economic, and environmental needs of businesses across our region.
Nearly one decade ago, the Sustainable Business Network of Greater Philadelphia (SBN) partnered with the Philadelphia Department of Commerce and the Office of Sustainability to create the Beginner’s Guide to Sustainable Business, a practical resource that helps local businesses improve their social and environmental impacts. A lot has changed since the guide’s publication, and SBN is updating and expanding this invaluable tool to reflect the present-day social, economic, and environmental needs of businesses across our region. Our vision is a robust, accessible, and equity-centered resource that is built in collaboration with SBN’s key stakeholders – especially our values-driven business community. We deeply value your input and seek to engage stakeholders every step of the way, empowering our community to shape the future of sustainable business in the Greater Philadelphia Region.
SBN has already begun to make our vision for our new guide a reality. Through our preliminary work on this project, we’ve been transparent and open about our process, ensuring that every step is clear and understandable. We’ve:
- Developed and executed three successful strategies for community engagement to meet stakeholders where they are and ensure meaningful engagement.
- Engaged 27 stakeholders, including representatives of government agencies, SBN member businesses, and community partners.
- Produced four informational resources as part of our new guide in partnership with the following SBN stakeholders: Energy Efficiency Alliance, Untapped Communications, Unit of Impact, and Honeycomb Credit.
As we continue to develop our new guide, SBN endeavors to meaningfully engage our business community and other stakeholders to ensure the final product best reflects the topics and tools that local, independent businesses care about most. We encourage our business members, invested government leaders, and community partners to collaborate with us, engage with our content, and follow along with us on this journey. The new guide will be a game-changer for our local businesses, and we’re excited to share this journey with you.
SBN is proud to share our most recently developed resources, which were produced in collaboration with our member businesses and community partners. These resources cover a range of topics our local business community cares about, including nontraditional commercial financing, energy efficiency for businesses, cultivating and marketing your business impact story, and measuring business impact. Check out our resources below.
In the coming months, SBN will produce more guides relevant for your business. New content will be shared regularly on our website – sbnphiladelphia.org. For entities and individuals looking to get involved in the development of our new guide, please take a moment to complete our survey to provide valuable feedback and share how you’d like to work with us on this important resource. For questions and more information about this project, contact theresa@sbnphiladelphia.org.
Please take our survey to share your feedback and get involved: https://forms.gle/DBvA4aT1iWmCSwvL9.