Water, thoughts & dialogue.: CSR for the Bluer Good

"Are we moving fast enough towards a sustainable society?"

Inspired by the Art of Hosting Water Dialogues workshop I recently attended, I was compelled to harvest the outcomes from our CSR for the Bluer Good (April 30) Waterlution Toronto Hub gathering at Patagonia- through this visual blog.

Although we scratched at the surface of CSR and Water, some groups delved more deeply into systems-thinking. Covering the topic comprehensively in 2 hrs is a challenge, but together we opened up the space to start the idea-sharing and conversation exchange between industry, non-profit, academics and the interested public ...

Highlight of common ideas that surfaced:

A need for democratic principles in private sector, more transparency, and cooperation from top to bottom both within companies and between government, industry and public.
A need for a political climate conducive for environmental priorities and a push for greater regulation.
Liability on banks as largest funders to require CSR standards from private loan-seekers- a deep level of accountability.
More effective stakeholder engagement.
Triple bottom line- GPI (Genuine Progress Indicators)
Green wash or are we moving a little more beyond that? Yet the economical factors are still a priority.
How do we make CSR part of our company’s mandate and not just a marketing tool?
Water Disclosure Project is a positive step/ initiative for connecting water to CSR.
B-Corp certification provides a way for companies to incorporate CSR into every facet of their operation. here is a link: http://www.bcorporation.net/

Enjoy the visual gallery!

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The 3 images below are the on-site harvesting from our awesome Visual Facilitator Patricia Kambitsch

1) Who are we as stakeholders?

2) What has been done well so far?

3) What do we want more of?

Moving CSR to a deeper level of accountability... An improved political climate...

Below are outcomes from participants' group discussions:

An interesting representation of "Map yourself as a stakeholder" activity.

...horizontal axis is about the level of Professional engagement... vertical axis measures the level at which water factors in our consciousness at the Personal level. Shout out to the group who designed this!

Visual representations of a collective agenda for action that can be taken from our stakeholder stance to make the connection stronger between CSR and water...

We are the $ holders- we can vote with our $, we can choose where to invest it... investing in Water Police isn't a shabby idea!

Education at the centre of change, supplemented by other necessary measures: better buying practices, better policies, better reporting on activities of corporations, more sustainable farming practices, involvement of religious institutions in the discussion, involvement of art...