New Hampshire Businesses for Social Responsibility’s Sustainability Slam Spotlights Inspirational Stories of Impact

New Hampshire Businesses for Social Responsibility’s Sustainability Slam Spotlights Inspirational Stories of Impact

Sometimes, all it takes is just one story to inspire others into action. At New Hampshire Businesses for Social Responsibility’s Sustainability Slam, businesses and nonprofits of all sizes take to the stage to share their uplifting stories of impact. Attendees come away with new ideas and connections for making a positive difference within their own organizations, while presenters face-off in real time to be recognized for the ingenuity of their stories, the scale of their impact, and the creativeness of their 90-second presentations. Comedy routines, dances, raps, songs, and skits get more entertaining and elaborate each year! Between laughing out loud and being wowed at the edges of their seats, audience members vote for the night’s winners and, throughout the event, get opportunities to connect and network with each other.

“Since its inception,” says Lisa Landry of Gravity Group, “NHBSR’s Sustainability Slam has provided an engaging, inspiring, and entertaining forum to showcase the achievements of New Hampshire’s business community in the area of sustainability. In sharing their stories, these businesses provide inspiration and ideas for all NH business leaders and reinforce that we can all do ‘Just One Thing’ to make our communities more sustainable and resilient.”

This year’s Sustainability Slam will be held at LaBelle Winery’s newest location in Derry, New Hampshire and will feature delicious local food and drinks from the award-winning winery. Anyone interested in sharing experiences on how organizations can make a positive impact on their workplace, community, or the environment is welcome to attend and submit their own story at nhbsr.org/jot for a chance to present on stage.

Previous Sustainability Slam Winners Prove that it Only Takes Just One Thing to Make a Difference:

36creative (small company, 2020 community category winner)

36creative is a brand marketing and creative strategy agency in Salem, NH. The agency

helped create and launch The Thank You Tour, a collaborative effort with several other

US businesses to deliver food supplies to frontline workers during the height of the

pandemic. Over two weeks, The Thank You Tour delivered nearly 17,000 products to 26

locations across New England.

Cirtronics (large company, 2020 community category winner)

Contract manufacturer Cirtronics initiated a perpetual clothing donation bin, which collected over 800 lbs. of clothing in just 3 months. The clothing was donated to SHARE via Ecosmith Recyclers, a family owned company that helps keep household textiles, shoes, and clothes out of the landfill and instead distributes them to those in need or recycles the textiles.

Jack’s Pizza (small company, 2020 workplace category winner)

Jack’s leverages the power of small business and community partnerships to benefit its workers, with an employee support program that tackles mental health, college prep, equitable leadership, financial literacy, and other skills. Beyond programming, Jack's strives to support its community in the day-to-day. When the pandemic hit and aggression towards workers was at an all-time high, Jack’s provided a phone app to enable workers to speak out about their experiences. The pizzeria also provided a free school lunch menu when their local school lunch program went down.

Mascoma Bank (large company, 2020 workplace category winner)

Mascoma Bank formed CoAlign to create educational and open discussions on diversity, equity, and inclusion. CoAlign’s virtual educational forum presented topics each month on various DEI issues to help promote more inclusive and respectful work environments throughout the regionwide bank.

MegaFood (large company, 2020 environment category winner)

Vitamin and supplement producer MegaFood developed a global standard for measuring soil health and carbon in the soil. By establishing new processes and standards within the industry, MegaFood is helping to further regenerative agriculture knowledge and practices.

NEMO Equipment (small company, 2018 environment category winner)

NEMO is an outdoor equipment designer and manufacturer in Dover, NH. Their employee-led Drawdown Book Club raised awareness and set goals for more eco-conscious behaviors in the office. Employees not only learned about the everyday changes they could make to improve their impact on the environment, but were challenged and expected to do so.

Placework (small company, 2020 environment category winner)

Architecture firm Placework formally committed to The 2030 Challenge, a national initiative to make all new buildings carbon neutral by 2030.  They design buildings to use low-or-no-carbon materials and to operate on renewable energy while also educating clients and communities about the importance of achieving this goal. 

Squam Lakes Natural Science Center (small organization, 2020 nonprofit category winner)

Squam Lakes Natural Science Center used Science Pub Socials as a way to engage their local community in global issues, with topics ranging from Making Change at the Political Level to Solar Shares to Trends in Tick Populations and more. Science Pubs continued virtually throughout 2020 and 2021 with high participation and many enlightening discussions about climate change in the local community.

Throwback Brewery (small company, 2017 environment category winner)

Throwback Brewery in North Hampton is dedicated to crafting farm fresh food and beer from local ingredients, while promoting sustainable practices on their on-site 12 acre farm. Throwback sports a solar array on its roof, grows food for their restaurant and brewery, and reuses and conserves water in its brewery operations, among other eco-friendly strategies.

Waypoint (large organization, 2020 nonprofit category winner)

Waypoint is an independent nonprofit community service provider. Their SleepOut invited community participants to spend a night out in the cold to raise awareness and funds in support of the critical needs of homeless youth and adults. The money raised is supporting the expansion of homeless youth and young adult services in Concord, Manchester, and Rochester with the goal of preventing and ending youth and young adult homelessness in NH.

Mark your calendars for November 4, 2021 at LaBelle Winery in Derry, New Hampshire to join the state’s foremost sustainability leaders in a night full of celebration and inspiration! Share your Just One Thing story now at nhbsr.org/jot for a chance to present your JOT story up on stage.

ABOUT NEW HAMPSHIRE BUSINESSES FOR SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

New Hampshire Businesses for Social Responsibility is a member-based, nonprofit 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.