Vermont Business Magazine Jerry Greenfield and Ben Cohen headlined the announcement today that Green Mountain Power is now the first utility in the world to become a Certified B Corp. B Corps are companies that believe business can be a force for good and are certified by the nonprofit B Lab to meet rigorous standards of social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency. Greenfield and Cohen were among the first to advocate that social responsibility could benefit the bottom line when they founded Ben & Jerry's Homemade, Inc in 1978.
"As your business supports your community, the community will support your business," Cohen said.
Greenfield was effusive. "What a glorious day. Glorious day! (Cohen: Halleluiah!). To be at Green Mountain Power."
And if Greenfield and Cohen sounded like they were evangelists at a tent revival and many in the crowd were the responding faithful, then they kind of are. An electric utility was exactly the kind of established corporation that Ben & Jerry's scolded and lampooned when the two were still running their ice cream business. Now Ben & Jerry's has become a B Corp, even as it's a wholly owned subsidiary of Unilever, and Vermont's largest utility has joined it.
Jay Coen Gilbert, a co-founder of B Lab, joined Cohen, Greenfield and other Vermont B Corp companies, as Green Mountain Power accepted the certification at a celebration held at its Colchester, Vermont, headquarters.
Coen, Powell, Cohen and Greenfield inside GMP's Colchester ehadquarters. Photos by VBM.
"This is a tremendous honor and reinforces our deep commitment to put customers first, and create positive change in the community and environment through our work as Vermont's Energy Company of the Future. We are thrilled to be counted among so many great companies across Vermont and around the world," said Mary Powell, GMP President and CEO. "At GMP, we know that energy can improve lives and transform communities. Energy can spur socio-economic change for residents, helping people save money and move toward more renewable and local sources."
When GMP first started this process six years ago, Powell recalled saying, "We need to become the Ben & Jerry's of the utility world."
There are 1165 B Corporations in 37 countries, including now 21 in Vermont. Cohen and Greenfield pioneered the business model "do good by doing good."
"We are especially pleased that an important legacy of Ben & Jerry's was that the company made the case for a new way of doing business, including a concern for the community and the planet in day-to-day business decisions," said Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield. "That approach is now enshrined in B Corp status. Congratulations to Green Mountain Power for becoming the very first utility company in the world to take this step. We hope their commitment and their business success will inspire others."
To get a B Corp certification, GMP had to demonstrate its record of accomplishment and ongoing commitment in four areas: environment, employees, community and governance.
"We're thrilled to welcome Green Mountain Power as the first electric utility provider to earn B Corp certification. Clean, affordable energy is crucial to creating a shared and durable prosperity," said Jay Coen Gilbert, a co-founder of B Lab, the nonprofit behind the B Corp movement. "We are proud to count Green Mountain Power among the leading Vermont B Corps that are creating stronger communities, higher quality jobs, and a healthy environment."
GMP -- Vermont's energy company of the future, as Powell put it -- is leading a transformation that she said is delivering cutting edge energy products and services to help Vermonters save money by using less energy. This year GMP lowered rates for customers.
"GMP deserves credit for raising the standard of excellence for utility and corporate social responsibility and regard for its customers with its acceptance of the challenges embedded to achieve and to maintain B Corporation status," said Richard Sedano, director of US programs for the Regulatory Assistance Project. "Utilities are vital sources of innovation -- this step by GMP, added to others they have taken, indicates a commitment to maximizing its potential to deliver value to Vermont in new ways."
The 21 Certified B Corps in Vermont are: Vermont Creamery, Business Culture Consultants, Image Outfitters, Cabot Creamery Co-Op, Merritt & Merritt & Moulton, Morris Consulting, Rhino Foods, Advance Humanity, Coffee Enterprises, Ben & Jerry's, Forward Philanthropy, Gardners Supply, King Arthur Flour Company, Sustain, SunCommon, New Chapter, Chroma, Clean Ethics, Seventh Generation, Clean Yield and Green Mountain Power.
GMP serves approximately 265,000 residential and business customers in Vermont.
COLCHESTER, VT--(Marketwired - December 01, 2014) - Green Mountain Power. To learn more about GMP and B Corp's certification go to:
http://www.greenmountainpower.
or
http://www.bcorporation.net/