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ON OUR MINDS
Brought to you this week by Rebecca Krisel, McPherson Strategies account executive and mom to a very furry cat named Huxley.
The good samaritan
As wildfires take hold of California, our hearts go out to all those who have been displaced from their homes. In response to the growing need for temporary shelter, Airbnb activated its Open Homes program, which allows people to offer free, temporary housing to disaster victims impacted by the California fires. Through Airbnb, homeowners in Northern and Southern California can list their homes for $0 on the site without booking fees. This is not the first time Airbnb has activated this program – we have seen the company do this in response to other natural disasters in addition to providing temporary housing to refugees around the world since 2017. We love seeing companies share their platforms as tools for customers to give back to their communities.
On deck to save the world
As part of my doctoral degree, I teach American government to college freshmen and I am continuously amazed by my students' dedication to making our world a more equitable, sustainable, and just place. The recent Gen Z Purpose study by Porter Novelli/Cone confirms my faith in my students’ generation. Members of Gen Z believe positivity is the way forward and are near-unanimous in their belief that we need to come together to make progress. 86% say events such as the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting have increased their interest in issues affecting them and 87% percent are inspired when their peers like Emma González take stands on issues. Gen Z is also a generation that believes in authentic CSR – in fact, 90% believe companies must act to address social and environmental issues and 75% will do research to see if a company is being honest when it takes a stand on issues.
We need action, not prizes
Speaking of impressive young leaders, Greta Thunberg has inspired us all once again. Last week, she turned down a $52,000 Environmental Award, saying “the climate movement does not need any more prizes. What we need is for our rulers and politicians to listen to the research.” Touché! Beyond being a brilliant PR move, Greta has a point. Unless our elected leaders recognize that they have the power to make policies that could dramatically shift how we consume non-renewable resources, we will never reach our goal of limiting the rising global temperature to well below 2 degrees Celsius. While corporate sustainability is undeniably important, political action is essential.
ON OUR RADAR
Read:
Cheer:
- Just in time for Veterans Day, Chobani is launching a food incubator that will specifically work with veterans making everything from BBQ sauce to sorbet.
- Lyft is partnering with national and local organizations including the National Down Syndrome Society and United Way to offer free rides to job interviews.
- In its latest iOS update, Apple introduced 398 new emojis including a comprehensive collection of non-binary people icons.
- United committed an investment of $40 million to accelerate the development of sustainable aviation fuels and other decarbonization technologies.
Listen:
Watch:
- In his most recent TED Talk, Eli Pariser suggests thinking like urban planners to better design social media platforms and create trustworthy online communities.
Laugh:
Subscribe:
- "Left, Right, & Center" is a podcast that showcases a balanced take on political news and brings together prominent political analysts from across the spectrum to engage in civilized debates about current events.
Go:
- This weekend, the Brooklyn Museum is hosting the Reproductive Rights Film Festival, presenting feature films that investigate and explore the various facets of the fight for reproductive rights. Opening night is tonight at 7pm followed by a panel, and there will be films playing all day tomorrow with a panel at 2:45 (moderated by Dahlia Lithwick). Use code BKMRR for free tickets. Thank you to Cindi Leive for sharing the information and ticket code.
Apply:
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