Inflatable Homes, Solar-Powered Coral Reefs and Faith Leaders Unite

Dear Friends!

‘Just a few years ago, espousing a “purpose” or getting involved in socially good initiatives were seen as a merely corporate social responsibility (CSR) spiel rather than as real efforts that could bolster financial performance.?

Now, purpose-driven consumers, who choose products and brands based on how well they align to their values, represent the largest segment (44%) of consumers,’ says in a recent study by IBM Institute for Business Value.?

By now, the data that supports the thesis that “Purpose” (the catch-all term for “business as a force for good”) is good for business is overwhelmingly clear. As a helpful guide, we’ve listed all the most salient and current data points in this article, and we’ve also collated the various studies, surveys, and reports in one online folder.

And as usual, here’s the fresh batch of inspiring, innovative and impactful stories below.?

Have a great week!

Be good, be kind, and look after each other,

Af and Bobby

TOP STORIES THIS WEEK

The First Faith And Philanthropy Summit: The Galileo Foundation launched its inaugural ‘Faith and Philanthropy’ Summit hosted at the Vatican during October 14th - 15th, which brought together 145 leading philanthropists from five different faiths, as well as respected leaders like Jeff Bezos and Cyrill Gutsch from Parley for the Oceans, who pledged to join forces across faith lines in order to solve some of the world’s most pressing challenges.

Banning Short-Haul Flights: Did you know that earlier this year the French government has become the first large economy to ban short-haul flights where a train or bus alternative of two and a half hours or less exists. The ban is an attempt to reduce the country’s carbon emissions arising from plane travel and will potentially eliminate 12% of French domestic flights.

A Biotech Startup Raises the Bar for Clean Beauty: Evolved By Nature has released its first skincare product using Activated Silk. The biotech startup believes it can use molecules from discarded silkworm cocoons to replace synthetic chemicals, from petroleum jelly to liquid plastic acrylates, in skincare products, boosting product performance in the process.?

Coral Reefs’ Solar-Powered Growth: Zapped with solar electrical currents, struggling reefs can self-repair with incredible speed — and even grow where none have existed before. ReefWatch Marine Conservation has developed nine artificial reefs near Andaman Islands’ natural coral formations.?

Inflatable Homes: Your future home could be inflated in 15 minutes and filled with concrete. A New York startup called Automatic Construction has developed an ingenious technique that lets its workers blow up a house and pump concrete inside its walls.

Mood-Altering Menus: In Manilla, Philippines you will find a newly reopened Van Gogh Is Bipolar restaurant that serves mood-altering food and adjusts it to the guest’s mood.The restaurateur Jetro Rafael, who has a bi-polar disorder himself, uses ingredients that are rich in mood-healing nutrients to activate specific neurotransmitters in the brain to boost a sense of calmness and happiness.

Book of the Week: Ari Wallach’s Longhpath is paradigm-shifting manifesto for transforming our thinking from reactionary short-termism to the long-term, widening our scope beyond today, tomorrow, and to even five hundred years from now to reclaim meaning in our lives.

“I am not free while any woman is unfree, even when her shackles are very different from my own.”

-? Audre Lorde