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Highlights
Goals & Measures
More Information
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Economy Innovations
Boston Metro Innovations
  | | Helping the community invest in fresh fish | |
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| | Innovation | | Applying the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) Model to Fisheries | | | Description | | The Cape Ann Fresh Catch Community Supported Fishery (CSF) program, based in Gloucester, MA, is the first instance of the Community Supported Agriculture model being applied to a fishery. It represents a new shift toward collaboration of shore side residents and the local fishing community. CSF members give the fishing community financial support in advance of the season; in turn, the fishermen provide a weekly share of seafood during the harvesting season to shareholders. A CSF reconnects people to the ocean that sustains them and builds a rewarding relationship between local fishermen and shareholders. According to Cape Ann Fresh Catch Community, the model is beneficial to ecosystems, the safety of fishermen, and the quality of the product that shareholders receive. |
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| | Shifting to local business | |
 | | | Contact Information | 10% Shift and SBN
The Longfellow Clubs
524 Boston Post Road
Wayland, MA 01778
www.10percentshift.org |
| | Innovation | | A regional focus on local and independent business prompts a national trend | | | Description | | The 10% Shift is a New England-wide grassroots movement of citizens, businesses, government agencies, and nonprofits that make support for local business into a tangible and replicable goal across the country. The movement works to shift 10% or more of annual budgets from non-local businesses to locally owned and independent businesses. This change will keep a larger share of dollars in the New England region, stimulate the local multiplier, create thousands of new jobs, and spur a fundamental transformation of the New England economy. In Spring 2009, Executive Director Joe Grafton set across the country to share the success of the 10% campaign to communities far and wide, calling the journey, "Shift Across America". |
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| | Building sustainable business networks | |
| | Innovation | | Channeling business networking to achieve sustainability | | | Description | | The Sustainable Business Network uses a variety of innovative tools to bring together business leaders in pursuit of environment sustainability. Boston's Sustainable Business Leader Program provides technical assistance for companies and monthly roundtable discussions and educational programs promote new ideas and best practices. In coordination with Boston city government, the annual "Green Awards" have been successful and are inspiring other municipalities to follow Boston's lead. The Boston Sustainable Business Leader Program was created through a partnership between the Sustainable Business Network of Greater Boston (SBN) and the Boston Redevelopment Authority's Green Tech Initiative. |
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| | Greening the Tourism Industry | |
| | Innovation | | A growing green tourism industry is helping to both spark new interest in a heritage-oriented destination and encourage the hospitality industry to green its operations. | | | Description | Supported by tourist industry leaders in Greater Boston, Boston Green Tourism, is helping to attract and please visitors who seek connections with nature and demand environmentally friendly hospitality services. A multifaceted program, Boston Green Tourism does everything from helping tourist industry businesses green their operations, to promoting Boston as a pre-eminent destination for eco-tourists. Taking advantage of Boston's beautiful natural landscape and abundant access to nature, Boston Green Tourism is making the city a leader for others to emulate. - Boston has 18 green certified hotels and many others that are near certification
- Boston features 3 green-certified convention centers
- Boston has 5,518 acres of open space including 3,251 acres of parks, playgrounds, squares and outdoor malls, 1,374 acres of “urban wilds,” and 62 acres of community gardens
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National/International Innovations
| | Supporting green-collar jobs | |
| | Innovation | | Oakland launches a sustainable economic employment model | | | Description | The Green-Collar Jobs Campaign, supported by the Ella Baker Center, is building California's movement for a green-collar economy that truly provides opportunity for all while also building sustainable communities. The campaign advocates for the creation of "green-collar" jobs in low-income, diverse communities in industries such as renewable energy, water and energy efficiency, green building, habitat restoration, and sustainable agriculture. Almost all jobs are quality, career-track, skilled and hands-on. - In Oakland, the first cycle of the program is currently training 40 young adults and will place graduates in full time jobs with solar firms and green construction contractors.
- Nationally, the campaign played a central role winning the "pathways out of poverty" provision in the federal Green Jobs Act of 2007, which authorizes $125 million annually for green job training (and which inspired $500 million in related green job training funds in the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act).
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| | Improving decision-making through prediction | |
 | | | Contact Information | | 312-376-8129
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| | Innovation | | Facilitating creation of corporate prediction markets | | | Description | | The Chicago-based Inkling Markets company leverages the growing power of prediction markets to enable companies to forecast anything they would like, such as likelihood of a certain event, or the likely sales data for a new product. Inkling cites their prediction market platform as a key tool for companies to capture the collective intelligence of a diverse group of people to gain insight about what may happen in the future. CEO Adam Siegel cites key benefits for companies that use prediction markets asrisk mitigation, involving more people in decision-making, and adding a human element to decisions. Already big media companies use Inkling to predict future book sales; software companies use Inkling to predict likely customer service issues; and a top US bank uses Inkling to predict customer participation in its new programs. |
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| | Innovation | | Universalizing american stakeholder accounts | | | Description | | The New America Foundation, along with the Center for Social Development at Washington University, advocates for a modest trust fund to be setup for every American baby at birth, and established as a basic right, like education and adequate nutrition. By opening a savings account for every American newborn, the government would give all citizens a foothold in the financial system. In the most commonly promoted version of the plan, the government would contribute an initial deposit at birth, with low-income families receiving a supplement. The family could add to the fund, which would accrue interest tax-free. At 18, the accountholder could begin to withdraw money for higher education, homeownership, and eventually, retirement. |
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| .jpg) | | | Contact Information | Lending Club
440 North Wolfe Road
Sunnyvale, CA 94085
Main: (408) 524-1540
Fax: (408) 524-1527
www.lendingclub.com |
| | Innovation | | A peer-to-peer lending network connects investors and borrowers | | | Description | | Lending Club utilizes the social networking capabilities that have emerged with online technology to enhance economic opportunity and enterprise. Borrowers with good credit can get personal loans from $1,000 to $25,000 at interest rates that are often significantly better than rates from conventional sources. For lenders, money invested goes immediately to Lending Club's approved borrower members. Most lender members spread their investment across tens or hundreds of qualified borrowers. The Club is SEC-registered and was chosen as one of the Harvard Business Review's Top 20 Breakthrough Ideas of 2009. |
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| | Indexing Sustainable Investment | |
| | Innovation | | Measuring the financial performance of companies dedicated to sustainability. | | | Description | | The Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes (DJSI) are the first global indices to specifically track the financial performance of the leading sustainability-driven companies around the world. The objective of the index is "to offer a consistent, flexible, and investable index for global sustainability portfolios," providing investors with an "independent benchmark based on economic, environmental, and social criteria." The index helps both investors and asset managers improve their ability to navigate the increasingly complex interests of stakeholders and shareholders. As the push for companies to improve their social and environmental practices has increased in recent years, the successful performance of the sustainability indexes highlights the efforts and successes of "triple bottom line" companies seeking to meet social and environmental as well as financial targets. |
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| | Networking local businesses with local consumers | |
| | Innovation | | Using social networking to create a national consumer community in support of independent business | | | Description | | The 3/50 project brings together consumers who seek to support their local business communities by calling upon those consumers to frequent three local brick and mortar businesses they don’t want to see disappear, and to spend $50 per month doing it. Started in March 2009, the 3/50 project has already accumulated lengthy lists of both participating businesses and supporters throughout the nation, and connected communities of supporters and the businesses themselves through Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter. According to founder, Cinda Baxter, for every $100 spent in locally owned businesses, $68 returns to the local community, much more than purchases in chains or online. The project also provides free trademarked flyers, logos, and graphics for independent retailers to use to promote their businesses. |
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