The South Carolina Small Business Chamber of Commerce launched its “South Carolina Businesses Acting on Rising Seas” (SCBARS) in May of 2013
in partnership with the American Sustainable Business Council and the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy. The success of our SCBARS project
caught the attention of Michael Green.
Michael was leading an effort in Boston to educate the small business community in his city about climate change. In 2014 the “Boston Businesses
Acting on Rising Seas” (Boston BARS) was launched.
Michael’s success with this effort eventually turned into “Massachusetts Businesses Acting on Rising Seas” as an annual project of CABA: Climate Action Business Association with Michael as its Executive Director.
CABA ran its BARS2016 campaign this past summer. Below you can read about another successful effort.
Congratulations to Michael and CABA for their great work.
————————————————————————
CABA: Climate Action Business Association Summer 2016 Final Report
Rising Tides: Elevating the Local Business Community
If you have tuned in during one of the hottest-ever-recorded summers in Boston, you have probably heard of our BARS2016 campaign. CABA worked hard this summer to educate the local business community about sea level rise and extreme weather. The 10-week campaign distributed information about climate adaptation and strategies to increase climate preparedness within the business community.
BARS enabled us to build meaningful relationships with local businesses across coastal Massachusetts. We were amazed to meet and talk to so many socially aware, responsible businesses. One of the more outstanding businesses was the Boston Brewin Coffee, who is “keeping the money in the family” by sourcing local ingredients, paying their employees a living wage, and regularly donating to community causes.
Throughout the summer, the BARS team conducted a survey to determine how much time and effort small business owners spend on protecting their businesses from rising sea levels. The survey included questions about emergency planning, sustainability initiatives, and community engagement.
Our survey uncovered several areas for improvement in regional climate preparedness, including emergency plan creation and communication trainings that could be made available through local chambers of commerce. Our final report summarizes the BARS experience, and provides high-quality data for individual and institutional stakeholders who desire to take action on climate crisis in their communities.
Access the full BARS2016 report here for FREE!