Social impact is a broad term thrown around by businesses, professionals, and individuals – but what does it actually mean? According to an article by Build Abroad, social impact is the effect organizations, people, and individuals have on their surrounding community; whether intentional, unintentional, positive, or negative. Overall, the term describes the positive impact businesses or individuals have on local or global communities towards solving a particular issue.
Social impact shows up throughout our society in a number of ways. Many for-profit businesses engage in social impact as their version of “doing good” and “helping their community.” They may advertise these efforts in a corporate newsletter or publicity outlets.
In many nonprofits or Specific Benefit Corporations (like KinoSol), social change and impact is the primary mission of the company. Whether it’s education, health, poverty, or others – these nonprofits focus on a particular issue they want to affect.
So how does KinoSol create social impact?
KinoSol’s goal is to reduce food waste and poverty in developing countries. We began working toward this goal with our solar-powered food dehydrators. These dehydrators give small-holder farmers the ability to preserve foods from their harvest, improve nutrition throughout the year, and create additional income through the sale of dried goods. On top of our work with dehydrators, KinoSol takes short-term study abroad trips to Uganda with local colleges and universities. The issue of global food waste can not be tackled alone. By sharing our knowledge and experiences around the issue of food waste, we hope to raise up the next generation of social entrepreneurs who are ready to create positive social change both locally and globally.
So what now?
Despite the trend of focusing on organizations, social impact means everyone has an impact – both negative and positive. So we can choose the type of impact we want to have.
Small everyday choices like shopping at local, socially-responsible stores or replacing single-use items with sustainable alternatives are easy ways to create a positive social impact. Volunteering your time or money to a business can also make a positive social impact. It’s just one more way you can make a difference.
You do not need to be a superhero to make an impact. You only need to have an understanding of the issues in our community, and a drive to change them. If you would like to join KinoSol’s work in reducing food waste, contact us today!
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