Page 180 - Appreciative Leadership

The Courage of Inspiration 153

Mexico gets prenatal care; a co-op in Indonesia receives a
price premium and gains new market access after achieving
Fair Trade and organic certifi cation; and alternative energy
projects across the United States get infusions of capital. 17

Thanks to the inspirational organization created by Bob Stiller

and his highly inclusive team, everyone involved with Green

Mountain Coffee—from growers to drinkers—supports the well-
being of the whole planet.
Making it possible for people to organize to a life-affi rming purpose
most often requires the redesign of processes and systems. Th is takes

courage to see the realities of the world and creativity to design processes
to transcend them. Social entrepreneurs around the world are doing
just this. For example, Nobel Peace Prize winner Professor Muhammad
Yunus redesigned the structure of banking, making it possible for people
to get loans without collateral through the Grameen Bank. 18
Similarly, Albina Ruiz founded Ciudad Saludable because govern-

ment-run garbage collection in Peru had not been effective, and illegal
dumping was causing environmental deterioration and groundwater
contamination. Ruiz set out to break that cycle. In addition to taking
care of the garbage problem, her microenterprise model has provided
self-employment opportunities to local residents in neighborhoods
where unemployment rates have been high. The businesses have oft en

been run by women who go door to door collecting garbage and fees,
and educating people about respecting and protecting their environ-
ment. Some women have even built profi table businesses by creating
products like organic fertilizer out of the trash they have collected. 19

The list of businesses and social profit organizations designed to

transcend the realities of today’s world, provide access to food, clothing,
and shelter, and create well-being across the planet is growing daily. To
learn more about how appreciative leaders around the world are orga-

nizing for a life-affirming purpose, we recommend the Business as an

Agent of World Benefi t (BAWB) initiative at Case Western Reserve
20
University. How might you redesign your business, community, agency,
or processes to become an agent of world benefi t?