As a founding B Corps, climate change has been on our mind since our founding and much longer. I have a very vivid memory of driving home after a day of climbing in the Quincy Quarries through Natick Ma (I grew up in the next town over Wellesley) in the park in the town square there were several protesters sitting on benches with their signs. It was a quick moment as my dad and I drove by, yet the lasting impression all these decades later is the cool kids care about the environment. Fortunately, my current commitment to the environment is based on a much deeper understanding of the crisis we are facing than just the cool kids do it, yet we all have humble beginnings. Now the Coherence Collaborative is not a big polluter and yet I believe it is vital we all do what can do personally, in our business, and in the public policy we support.
One of the few places I get annoyed and challenged with being B Corp certified is in the measurements. As a solopreneur having to promote myself, do the work, and then account for it, sometimes I feel I am being eaten alive by details that sometimes don’t play to my strengths. My expertise is in innovative approaches to strategy and leadership and not mundane details. I totally recognize the value in measuring for larger companies, my significant impacts come through the work I do with clients.
I was open and in fact, incredibly excited when I was first contacted by Niki Saenz with Aclymate. She reached out to me because we were both attendees at the American Sustainable Business Network conference in San Diego in December.
Aclymate is a software development company that is a B2B company helping clients first measure and ultimately mitigate their carbon outputs. Now let’s be real being a solopreneur The Coherence Collaborative is not a big user of carbon. Here at where I live at Dog & Catmandu, 100% of our power is from renewable energy. During the pandemic, I can make a tank of gas last a month or in some instances even much longer. Aclymate’s approach is genius in two ways. They automate, in my case by synching my online QuickBooks account which means all I have to do is simply click on relevant transactions to confirm them. And relax, Niki helped me with the synching and my entire account set up. Sure, I imagine larger companies maybe be somewhat more involved, yet I think it will remain entirely manageable and valuable. Once the app has determined your carbon output for a period of time say a month, a year it provides you an easy peasy way to purchase offsets. They have done all the research for you. It is all there in the app, the background info so you pick based on geographic interests, if the project is certified, type of projects, costs, etc.
You measure your carbon output by employee say a salesperson who travels a lot. By project.
And best of all it will add two points to your B Corps certification score.
Check out https://aclymate.com for yourself and reach out and ask for Niki at niki@aclymate.com she will give a guided personal tour. Have I yet mentioned this is all FREE, can’t beat that?
Now let’s get serious about the crisis humanity is facing, that is the real reason you should explore this opportunity to do your part. Sadly, the clock is ticking perilously close to midnight.
So now in a few hundred words, I will try to describe a philosophical understanding of how the universe works that I have been working at understanding for over twenty years. When I first began attending Social Venture Network conferences now the American Sustainable Business Network (name change due to exciting mergers) I at times felt overwhelmed by the number of significant challenges that humanity faced. Yet I was convinced that there was one string if properly pulled would positively affect all these challenges.
Therefore, I put such complete faith in human consciousness or brain coherence.
It is often said the best way to change the world is to start with ourselves. The best to improve yourself that simultaneously affects our collective is brain coherence. While not a complete list brain coherence improves our health including mental health, reduces stress efforts on us, makes us more resilient, more creative. As our brain coherence grows so does our understanding of the oneness of the universe. Humanity is a collective as is the environment. As goes the environment so goes humanity, we are inseparable. It is frightening with all emergency lights blinking red and the doomsday clock at one minute left to midnight. I too despair on some days. On most days though I believe in the potential for humanity to embrace, expand, and be energized by our growing brain coherence.
Remember the formula, when we, meditate=wisdom=coherence=flow=right action.
When humanity starts making wisdom-based decisions, we can dim the emergency light and start moving the clock back from doomsday. I asked just about everyone I know wishes for more wisdom in our society, in our businesses, and in our individual lives. You can be that bright light, even if you don’t feel it today.
I was blessed 42 years when I started my meditation practice. I had no expectations. I was told to do it twice a day for 20 minutes each time. It became a habit. Now I can’t imagine a day without it. Some folks complain that they don’t have time. I simply can’t imagine not doing it. I have meditated on subways, airplanes, frequently in cars both while riding as well as parked. I start my day knowing I will meditate twice.
Just like being at a concert or a stadium sporting event, there is tremendous energy created with collective focus, the same is true with brain coherence. The more of us that engage on that path the better everyone feels (especially us as individuals). That collective energy will keep growing to everyone’s benefit. Recently I was reading an article written by a musician. Virtually everyone if you play the right music will feel better. Well, music is vibration, vibrations are energy. The essential nature of the universe is energy. Let’s operate in harmony with our essential nature.
That is why you might want to give serious consideration to measuring your business’s carbon output. 
As you begin taking the right action others will follow. This is a reason to be hopeful.
Everyone on this planet does something economic to survive. From headhunters in New Guinea to tech works in Silicon Valley to factory works in China. We all participate in the global economy in some way. My question to you is, is your economic opportunity sustainable to both the environment and society? Even better are you being regenerative of the harm caused by those who came before you?
Don’t let all of this overwhelm you. You have a simple two-point to-do list based on reading this post. First, email Niki and begin exploring working with Aclymate. Second, read my other blog posts that describe the 10 activities that when done as a practice lead to brain coherence. You will begin to feel better almost immediately, and you will have the peace of mind of what you are doing will improve society and save humanity. It is not too late to get started today, your business will thank you.