Concord, New Hampshire – New Hampshire Businesses for Social Responsibility (NHBSR) celebrated the leading efforts of the state’s most environmentally and socially conscious businesses at the NH Sustainability Awards, held on March 8, 2023 at Southern New Hampshire University. The event marked the organization’s 23rd anniversary and honored the driving force of NHBSR’s impact over the past two decades—the incredible network of businesses and nonprofits dedicated to positive change.
The 2023 Sustainability Award Winners were recognized for leading collaborative efforts in supporting strong communities; building workplaces that respect and value employees and their families; and making decisions informed by their impact on the world around us. The Sustainability Awards also recognize and highlight student leaders within the educational system with Changemaker Awards. Responses to NHBSR’s Measure What Matters 101 annual survey highlight these sustainability efforts and serve as a basis for these awards.
“We strive to share ideas and opportunities that encourage and enable learning, expand thinking, inspire innovation and collaborative action. We hope that shining a spotlight on the efforts of tonight’s finalists and winners will help to elevate the opportunities for you.” says Michelle Veasey, Executive Director of NHBSR.
2023 Sustainability Award Finalists Include: 36creative, 900 Degrees Neapolitan Pizzeria, Bona Fide Eco + Refill Shop, Coca-Cola Beverages, Northeast Delta Dental Northeast Goodwill Northern New England, Hanover, Image 4, MAYO Designs, Inc., NH Community Loan Fund, Pete and Gerry’s Organics, Placework, Red River, Seacoast Science Center, Stout Heart, The Terra Firma Company, LLC, Unitil, Velcro Companies, and Worthen Industries.
2023 Measure What Matters Award Winners:
Cornerstone Innovator Award: NHBSR is grateful to recognize Fiona Wilson, the Deputy Chief Sustainability Officer at the University of NH. Fiona has worked tirelessly to build strong partnerships between businesses dedicated to advancing sustainability practices and sustainability engagement students. During her career at UNH, she elevated the Corporate Sustainability Leadership certificate and designed and built the B Impact Clinic-a program that continues to develop leaders prepared to support businesses in their B Corp certification journey. She leads an incredible team that inspires students to take on valuable fellowship projects that address critical business and local needs like climate action, and continually inspires more profound sustainable efforts that engage students and benefit the economy.
Community: Coca-Cola Beverages Northeast champions their core values of enriching local communities through advocacy, partnerships and creating shared value. They empower local teams to determine the most effective way to create an impact for the underserved, underrepresented, and disadvantaged within their communities.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion: NH Community Loan Fund is making strides in their Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion efforts because everyone is engaged in their mission to empower people with their work. Their efforts provide funding and loans to residents and entrepreneurs who have faced racism and discrimination, paving the way for disenfranchised people to participate in our communities and economy fully.
Environment: MAYO Web & Marketing Services is committed to going beyond internal efforts to create positive environmental impact by supporting their communities and their clients. They have given thousands of hours to reducing climate impact and addressing environmental degradation with large-scale events, influencing action at the local level and participating on municipal committees driving change.
Climate and Energy: Worthen Industries is dedicated to reducing its carbon footprint through energy efficiency projects and the installation of renewable energy at all of their plants in New England and beyond. Their carbon reduction efforts are not limited to energy, extending to the incorporation of recycled or bio-based content in their products.
Governance: Goodwill Northern New England engages in sustainability efforts with representatives from leadership and staff, fully supporting an understanding of the needs of employees and clients. They strive to support their stakeholders, with the goal of bringing 10,000 people in their three-state area into stability by 2027.
Workplace: Red River dug deep to ensure an equitable pay environment existed for all. They implemented a pay equity analysis looking at all organizational levels to evaluate any potential discrepancies in pay by gender, race, or other non-employment-related factors and made adjustments to align with positions and geographic locations. They engage their employees in all aspects of their mission and goals, creating an environment where teamwork is deeply valued.
Systemic Leadership: The Systemic Leadership Award defines a business that understands its role as part of a larger system and works to build relationships that help develop that whole system. Hypertherm Associates continues to take on big sustainability challenges head on and excels in achieving their goals while also sharing best practices with the broader business network. They demonstrate leadership in all aspects of NHBSR’s Measure What Matters 101 survey, approaching sustainability with a systems-thinking lens.
Student Change Agent Award Winners: NHBSR understands that young people are the heart of their future. That’s why they partner with the University of New Hampshire, Granite State College, Southern NH University, Franklin Pierce University and Saint Anselm College. Through this partnership, they have found that students are deeply engaged in sustainability, creating impact on campus and off with their passion and dreams. Congratulations to this year’s winners: Salvatore (Sal) Ferragine of Southern NH University, Megan Jioie of Southern NH University, and Matthew Oriente, a senior at the University of New Hampshire.
NHBSR recognizes that New Hampshire will truly thrive when we engage the power of business and our people to build a sustainable and prosperous state for all. “It is with deep gratitude and appreciation that NHBSR spotlights the efforts of these luminaries. Seeing the impact of their efforts over the years has been inspiring, but seeing the progress, just since we started measuring impact, has been incredible. Their efforts have made our state and region stronger because of the support they give to their communities and their people.” says Michelle Veasey, Executive Director of NHBSR.
ABOUT NHBSR
New Hampshire Businesses for Social Responsibility is a member-based, non-profit organization that convenes, inspires and supports businesses and community stakeholders to build a more sustainable and prosperous state for all. More information on NHBSR and upcoming events, resources and membership can be found at nhbsr.org.
Special thanks to presenting sponsor Citronics and event sponsors Mascoma Bank, Stonyfield Organic, Revision Energy, Liberty Utilities, Sunrise Labs, NHPR, John Benford Photography, Digital Prospectors, Image 4, Southern New Hampshire University, New Hampshire Business Review, and W.S. Badger.
Please contact NHBSR Executive Director Michelle Veasey at 603-377-8817 or email michelle@nhbsr.org if you have any questions or would like more information.
Photos. Photo Credits: John Benford Photography, NHBSR event attendees enjoy networking and connecting on sustainability best practices.
