Camarillo, Calif., May 7, 2012 – CSU Channel Islands (CI) will host a symposium examining how businesses can help solve environmental and community problems on Thursday, May 31, from 7:30 a.m. to noon in Malibu Hall.
The event, “Emerging Business Models for Social and Environmental Sustainability,” is a joint presentation of the California Institute for Social Business (CISB) at CI and CAUSE (Coastal Alliance United for a Sustainable Economy) Triple Bottom Line Business Network. The two organizations are working together to educate the business community about the benefits of social business – often described as “enlightened capitalism” – which emphasizes the importance of social and environmental sustainability in achieving profit and financial goals.
The symposium will highlight groundbreaking examples of social business and offer new and existing businesses insight into how they can use the power of business to alleviate problems in our community and environment. Participants will have the opportunity to learn about cutting-edge social business models and engage with panelists and other participants. Speakers from Patagonia, B Corporation, Grameen Caldas, Montecito Bank and Trust, Women’s Economic Ventures, CAUSE TBL Network, and the CISB will be featured.
Participants may register online at http://causenow.org/. Registration before May 15 is $30 and includes parking and continental breakfast. After May 15, the cost is $40. Sponsors include CI’s MVS School of Business & Economics, David M. Angress, B&B Premium Ins. Solutions, Inc., the City of Ventura, EDC-VC, Hacia Salud Health Insurance Co-Op, Reiter Affiliated Co., USA Staffing, and Women’s Economic Ventures.
CI launched the CISB in 2010 to help promote social business as a way of alleviating social ills such as poverty, environmental degradation, gaps in health care and education. Developed in collaboration with Nobel Prize-winning Professor Muhammad Yunus, the CISB addresses the need for students to participate in local and global experiences and learn new methods to address serious social problems.
“We're working to get local business owners to realize that their businesses are unsustainable if they don't exist in ways that renew human and environmental resources,” said CISB Faculty Director Dr. Andrea Grove. “At CISB, we want to bring sustainability to the creation of social good. This symposium will educate students and the broader community about tools with which to do so.”
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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.