Issue #11: Activism's call of duty.

Kindred is honored to have activist and content creator Ken E. Nwadike Jr., as a participant at Kindred 2020 (May 11–14, San Diego Convention Center).

One of the reasons activists do what they do is to draw attention. Ken E. Nwadike Jr., the founder of the Free Hugs Project, has gone viral for his de-escalation work at protests, political rallies, and public events across the country. But there are few opportunities for exposure as impactful as 60 seconds during the Super Bowl broadcast. Fresh off a featured appearance in Budweiser’s Super Bowl commercial, Ken sat down with Kindred’s Co-Founder and CEO Ian Schafer to discuss how brands and activists can work together to drive social change.

Emphasizing that common ground is more likely to spur dialogue, progress and brand support, he acknowledges some of the differences and nuances of “modern activism” in an era dominated by social media.

Ian: As an activist who’s currently doing the work, why did you choose this ad campaign to join? What was the alignment with this particular brand that made it feel authentic to you?

Ken: I don’t even drink beer, so you can imagine when I found out the brand was Budweiser initially I was a little taken aback. As an activist, I’m always concerned about authenticity because people will quickly call you out if your brand starts to lose its authenticity, they’ll pretty much consider you to be a sellout. So it was very important to me that the message would be in alignment with what I do. They promised to send a team to my house to show me the commercial before it airs. That eased some of my concerns about the integrity and authenticity of the brand getting my message right.

Do you actively seek out these brand partnerships or are these partnerships that come to you?

I wouldn’t even know how to start reaching brands...READ THE REST OF OUR INTERVIEW HERE.

What's Good:

The pivot to plastic. Uh-oh. Just when you thought the news was good about banks divesting from fossil fuels, the oil companies are pivoting to plastic. Another example of the Shirky Principle: Institutions will tend to preserve the problems they are the solution for.

Amazon employees take a stand. Amazon's own employees have publicly chided their employer for attempting to silence their voices internally and externally. One of the most heated issues they are addressing is the company's impact on the environment -- even as a signatory of the original Climate Pledge.

The end of CSR? Ethos Giving's Emily Kane Miller penned a thought-provoking piece on the future of CSR, what it means for everyone in social responsibility roles at companies, and for the companies themselves. "The time is nigh. Whatever you want to call it – CSR, ESG, or social impact – leaders who build this muscle into the fabric of their organizations for real – replete with c-suite leadership, board representation, management systems, and audits – will create better companies as a result, and these businesses will make our world better. Those who don’t will do so at their organization’s peril."

The brand with the 3 stripes and a 10 year plan. Adidas has a plan to end plastic waste in a decade. Can it deliver? Adidas also filled a Miami football field with recycled material just in time for the Super Bowl.

State Street turns up the heat on ESG standards. The company that gave us "Fearless Girl", but also fell short on their own gender equality metrics, is stepping up on ESG standards. Their $3.1 trillion investment arm is planning to start voting against the boards of big companies that lag behind on environmental, social and governance standards.

There's a big business opportunity in fixing clothing donations. What is it? In 2017 alone, there were 11.15 million tons of discarded clothing in U.S. landfills. What's happening to all the clothes we donate? Who's part of the problem? Who's part of the solution? And just like with any problem, where's the money in solving it?

The Guardian swears off oil money. Is the fossil fuel industry becoming such a pariah that even newspapers won't take their money? It's starting to look that way; just ask The Guardian, who said they will no longer take advertising dollars from big oil.

Can the Super Bowl go zero-waste? Super Bowl LIV tried to go zero-waste. This year’s game, like last year’s and the year before, aims to divert trash away from a landfill. Different organizations define zero waste differently, from completely eliminating waste to keeping all waste out of landfills through recycling, composting, and source reduction. This year's Super Bowl, looked to adopt these strategies and burn excess trash for energy, a concept called "zero waste to landfill."

We still need to focus on women and tech. Today, while women make up 59% of the total workforce, their number is only 30% across major tech companies. Geetika Tandon, Principal at Booz Allen Hamilton gives a three-pronged approach on how to address this problem in 2020.

Barbie is still re-inventing herself. Mattel is continuing to try to appeal to more consumers, this time by making dolls with a prosthetic limb, no hair and vitiligo. The process is a painstaking one -- as it should be; getting this right is more than just making products that kids can see themselves in -- it should be about including them in the process so they get it right.

How will purposeful business evolve in 2020? Purpose-driven business leader Carol Cone solicited predictions for the evolution of purpose-led business 2020. Did they get it right?

Congress asks YouTube to skip the climate misinformation. Congress thinks YouTube should be doing more to combat climate misinformation. Kathy Castor, the chairwoman of the U.S. House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis wrote a letter to YouTube/Google, urging it to take action and requesting a response about how it intends to do by Feb. 7.

Meet the billionaire climate heroes. These are the people among the first group of billionaires who made their fortunes by trying to stop climate change.

Jim Cramer to fossil fuel stocks: "drop dead". OK, he didn't say that exactly, but that's really what he means.

Did the NFL erase Colin Kaepernick from the Super Bowl? He was the last QB to take the 49ers to the Super Bowl, but you wouldn't know it by watching the run up to the big game.

And that's a wrap. A new edition of Kindred's Good for Business drops every Monday (usually). If you enjoy this, please share it with your colleagues and friends. It's easy and fun to do!

Don't miss your chance to attend or sponsor Kindred 2020 (San Diego, May 11-14, 2020) — THE event for sustainable, purpose-led business transformation. Now, every ticket purchase gives you an option to give a portion of the price to the charity of your choice.