Champions of Change

Champions of Change Blog

  • The Synergy of Core Values and a Robust Bottom Line

    Posted by Karen Trilevsky on April 12, 2012 at 12:03 PM EDT

    Karen Trilevsky is being recognized as a Champion of Change for her work demonstrating that corporate environmental leadership makes sense, both for business and for American communities.

    I am an entrepreneur, who happens to run a successful bakery. It is a great honor to be recognized as a Champion of Change for Corporate Sustainability, especially given the current business and economic climate in our country. With this recognition, it’s my hope that more business leaders embrace the synergy and benefits of leading your business from a set of core values and more consumers demand values-driven products and services. 

    Like most start ups, I began my baking business with very few bankable resources: vision, passion and copious amounts of sweat equity. The baking day began at 3 p.m. in a shared kitchen and ended at 2 a.m. when the dilapidated pickup truck was loaded and deliveries began. By 10 a.m. the last delivery was made, new orders taken, supplies ordered and I was able to grab a few hours of sleep in the restaurant’s stock room. We grew slowly. Yet, by 1995 we were providing fresh baked natural pastries to more than 600 accounts seven days a week. Today we are a proud team of 240 people, baking in a state-of-the-art facility and making our products available nationwide at more than 12,000 locations.

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  • Greener Workplaces: "A Win-Win for All"

    Posted by Jim Clark on April 12, 2012 at 11:57 AM EDT

    Jim Clark is being recognized as a Champion of Change for his work demonstrating that corporate environmental leadership makes sense, both for business and for American communities.

    I started working in manufacturing directly out of high school. I believe manufacturing is the backbone of our economy. Our country needs manufacturing to be strong. That’s why, as president of IUE-CWA, the Industrial Division of the Communications Workers of America, I have made it my mission to bring innovative and progressive programs to our shop floors – programs that make our plants more competitive and more efficient.

    IUE-CWA has been involved in green jobs work for about five years. Our focus is not only on green products but on greening the process. As part of that goal last year we entered into a groundbreaking partnership with the Environmental Defense Fund.  It is the first time EDF has partnered with a trade union. We launched a pilot program to train front line workers to conduct energy efficiency treasure hunts. They analyze energy use in the building and the production process, identify waste and come up with solutions.

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  • Good Environmental Management Makes Good Business Sense

    Posted by Wayne Balta on April 12, 2012 at 11:39 AM EDT

    Wayne Balta is being recognized as a Champion of Change for his work demonstrating that corporate environmental leadership makes sense, both for business and for American communities.

    The popularity of environmental sustainability has exploded in recent years. It is implanted in the minds of leaders no matter what aspect of business, government or society they serve. But to be realistic, it hasn’t always been this way. The broad popularity of environmental sustainability has been cyclical since the first Earth Day back in 1970. If the sustainability of our planet is indeed a future imperative, a relevant question for any organization is, how do you sustain sustainability over the long term?

    At IBM, environmental leadership has been practiced regardless of its popularity or the company’s financial performance at any given point in time. Environmental sustainability is managed as a strategic imperative.  We work to anticipate opportunities and prevent problems. Underlying this commitment is a conviction that good environmental management makes good business sense.

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  • The Joy of Sustainability

    Posted by David Bolt on April 12, 2012 at 11:35 AM EDT

    David Bolt is being recognized as a Champion of Change for his work demonstrating that corporate environmental leadership makes sense, both for business and for American communities.

    I have dedicated my life to eliminating waste. Whether it was trying to reduce the number of steps to cut the lawn as a child, reduce the time it took a computer program to run as a software developer, or today, trying to get more done with less energy.

    If you knew me in late 2003 you would say I was the epitome of the American Dream. I was born into a wonderful middle class family, worked hard in school and in my career, made enough money by my mid 40’s to potentially retire and take life easy. While I was blessed to have the gift of time and money, the future was still quite uncertain for my 14 year old son and my 8 year old daughter.  

    On the positive side there has been tremendous technological progress. Just look at things like cell phones, cable and satellite television, the internet and computers. Despite this tremendous technological progress, I was and still am very concerned about the future that my children are inheriting. The technological and material success does not seem to have brought joy and happiness to many people.

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  • Becoming the Best Possibility for Change

    Posted by Chu Huang on April 5, 2012 at 12:50 PM EDT

    We are very humbled that the Chinese Immigrant Student Leadership (ChISL) program is being honored as a “Champion of Change” by the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. ChISL is in its pilot year and is a partnership program between Charlestown High School in Boston, MA and the Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center, a non-profit community-based organization. The “My Voice – Their Stories” video features ChISL youth that shared their experiences transitioning to life in the United States.

    In fact, the idea for ChISL first started with the observation that there were very few opportunities for immigrant youth to have a voice of their own and share such experiences. The Chinese immigrant youth in ChISL are all enrolled in the Sheltered English Instruction (SEI) program at Charlestown and everyday they work hard at school to learn and master (academic) English, while struggling equally hard outside of school to navigate a completely new country and adapt to a new culture. All too often, they have little to no opportunities to challenge themselves beyond such daily struggles to develop their inner leadership skills or to think about how they can be part of creating positive social change. ChISL brings these future youth leaders together and gives the youth a safe space to not only talk about these struggles, but to consider how they can contribute to the community and advocate on behalf of others facing the same sort of struggles.

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  • Finding Purpose in Obedience: Seeking to Do My Part

    Posted by Harry Leong on April 5, 2012 at 12:42 PM EDT

    Out of thousands of worthy individuals who serve others I am truly humbled to be recognized as a White House Champion of Change. I have benefited greatly as a participant who received much in terms of mentorship, training and counsel. I continue to receive much inspiration and encouragement even today as I seek to serve others.

    The Suns originated as a neighborhood sports organization which competed with similar AAPI organizations across the United States and Canada. The Suns' athletic programs have taught the fundamentals of sports, while instilling applicable life values. I was a youth who grew up in the program. Since I began leading the Philadelphia Suns, I have maintained its athletic pursuits and expanded the program to encompass other areas, such as: intentional mentorship, cultural education and service to the community. Much of what we focus on is the development of character qualities that make a difference in any community. Since its founding, the Suns have empowered youth to participate in civic engagement by hosting, serving and supporting area events, such as the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service and our bi-annual community cleanup. Also, each year we award college scholarships to deserving members of our community.

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