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Social entrepreneurship
Using business to help solve problems
With the rise of companies like TOMS and Warby Parker, who give back with every product sold, social entrepreneurship is seeing its own renaissance. Companies across various industries are using innovative thinking to create businesses and products that not only create profits, but solve problems as well.
Take a look at some local and international businesses that are using their products and skills to make a difference.
SAME Cafe
SAME Cafe, located just east of downtown Denver, has taken a unique approach to serving up food to its customers. As the first nonprofit restaurant in Denver, SAME Cafe has adopted a pay-what-you-can format. If you can pay more for your meal, you’re encouraged to. If you’re running short on cash, you pay what works for you. If you’ve got no money at all, you can volunteer your time to get your meal for free. SAME Cafe is using this innovative business model to reach more people and to bring together a tight-knit community.
Let Em Have It Salon
Denver’s Let Em Have It Salon is focused on much more than just making sure you look good. Using their business as a force for good, Let Em Have It works to reduce waste, donates to local charities and aligns itself with ethical, like-minded companies. They’re not doing this work alone, but through donations and involvement from
their customers.
Purple Door Coffee
Purple Door Coffee is a Denver-based coffee roaster dedicated to changing the lives of homeless teens and young adults. With a core belief that every person has an intrinsic worth, Purple Door is helping its employees leave homelessness permanently. If you’re looking for a socially conscious coffeeshop, Purple Door is the place to go.
Better World Books
The idea behind Better World Books is simple. When a book is purchased through their website, a book is donated to someone in need. As of September 2016, Better World Books has donated 21 million books to countries around the world. Aside from donations, funds from every sale at Better World Books benefits various literacy-focused nonprofits – including the Anythink Foundation. If you’re looking to donate your gently used books, you’ll find a Better World Books book-drop at Anythink Brighton, Anythink Huron Street and Anythink Wright Farms.
GoldieBlox
Seeing a need to empower more young females to enter the STEAM fields, GoldieBlox has created the world’s first female engineer character. From creating toys, to developing apps that inspire, GoldieBlox is instilling confidence in young girls across the world. Do you have a young aspiring engineer in your life? Send them to goldieblox.com to foster those aspirations.
Send your questions or feedback to ithink@anythinklibraries.org or post in the comments below.