Launched in 2008, North Bridge Magazine is a twice-yearly publication tailored to Acton, Carlisle, Concord, Lincoln, Sudbury & Wayland residents and edited to enrich the experience of living in six of Massachusetts' most desirable communities.
Issue link: http://northbridgemagazine.epubxp.com/i/118939
business Aquasifs selling in Syanja district; Fixing of filter disk in the filter holder million people a year and costs Africa alone as much as $40 billion This type of collaboration is largely responsible for getting annually in lost work days. And there are strategic givers that col- Village Forward to where it is today. People from a variety of laborate with other funders and across sectors to broaden their backgrounds and expertise have donated their time and talent to impact, looking to build efficient and sustainable organizations and transform Village Forward from an idea to a prototype, and now a ecosystems rather than exclusively funding short-term projects. successful social enterprise. This includes a potter in Nepal; a ���Social entrepreneurship is becoming less about organizational pediatrician with expertise in water-borne disease; a financial form and more about impact,��� Moon suggests. ���Its real purpose is advisor to individuals and small businesses; resident and inter- finding new ways to effectively and efficiently address societal national Rotary Clubs; and local organizations such as TD Bank problems.��� Sudbury, Russell���s Garden Center, and Babson College. And then Cheryl Yaffee Kiser, who heads the Lewis Institute for Social there is Elliott himself, a serial entrepreneur, author, and President Innovation at Babson College, contends that the key to finding new of Sudbury-based UVTech Systems, whose patented green tech- ways of looking at societal problems is a mindset, a way of acting nology efficiently cleans the surface of silicon wafers, who has our way into a new way of thinking. Toward this end, Babson inspired others in the semiconductor industry to become engaged. employs The UnCommon TableTM methodology, a process though ���All of these people have expanded our thinking, supported us which the community ���cultivates relationships and curates interac- during pivotal times, or introduced us to valuable new networks,��� tions between the usual and unusual suspects��� to address a particu- Elliot says. Social entrepreneurship is certainly in vogue, but does it have lar social dilemma. ���New technologies, policies, and game-changing ideas come staying power? Kiser, Moon, and Elliot believe so. ���There is no from these experiences because social innovation is really resource shortage of issues facing society that require creative approaches to driven, rather than goal driven,��� Kiser observes. ���Convening multi- solve,��� Kiser replies. ���Many of these issues directly impact businesses, ple audiences in a collaborative environment where they are able especially in a highly interconnected world.��� Moreover, many of to draw on their abundance of strengths and unique experiences these challenges are too complex to be adequately addressed by brings new perspectives to bear on a situation; it works every time.��� any one entity or sector. And then there is the ability to make a 34 ��� north bridge magazine ��� SPRING/SUMMER 2013