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I Vote Every Day

By Julian Gill


Last November, after collecting an ‘I Voted’ sticker on my way out of the voting booth, rather than paste it on my shirt, I chose to stick it on my credit card. Now, whenever I pull out my credit card, I’m unmistakably reminded that I vote with where and what I purchase.

That idea and effort – of striving to align my support for businesses and products that align with my values – is one that I’m continually learning to live. Working with CoPeace, a Certified B Corporation, gives me the added motivation to  better understand what it means to Vote Every Day.

Regular readers may recall the February edition of this blog in which CoPeace financial analyst Jacob Miller shared a primer about impact investing and B Corps. Check it out as a reminder for why we, at CoPeace, are so excited to be part of the B Corp community. One of the tenets held by B Corp businesses and supporters alike is to approach each day as if “Every day is Election Day.” Find businesses that serve your needs and routines by taking the B Lab’s 1 Minute Quiz. It can be a worthwhile and rewarding experience to know that you’re using your dollars to back businesses that you want to ‘win’ in humanity’s collective justice and sustainability journey.

With the surge of recent widespread public acknowledgement that Black lives matter, it’s inspiring to come across numerous other tools that are helping consumers be more intentional with their spending. Some websites, like intentionalist.com and http://www.donegood.co/, offer filters for choices like community ownership, product category, or location. Other resources offer curated lists or apps created to help diners find Black-owned restaurants in their city.

There are resources out there to help align values with business and help make your vote count every day.

Julian Gill formerly worked with CoPeace in business development. As a forward-thinking holding company, CoPeace is building a portfolio of carefully selected for-profit companies with measurable social and environmental impact. To learn more about impact investing, check out CoPeace’s Intro to Impact Investing.