Net Impact Seattle :: Professional Chapter

Book: Prosperity without Growth: Economics for a Finite Planet
When: Thursday, June 7, 2012 at 7:00 PM
Cost: Free to Net Impact members; Limit of 8 attendees
RSVP: Email Jeremie
Location: Fremont. Address will be provided when you RSVP.
Details: Dinner will be potluck style, with a Mexican theme. Please bring a fitting appetizer/side/dessert dish, or drinks.

Is more economic growth the solution? Will it deliver prosperity and well being for a global population projected to reach nine billion? In this explosive book, Tim Jackson, a top sustainability adviser to the UK government, makes a compelling case against continued economic growth in developed nations.
No one denies that development is essential for poorer nations. But, in the advanced economies, there is mounting evidence that ever-increasing consumption adds little to human happiness and may even impede it. More urgently, it is now clear that the ecosystems that sustain our economies are collapsing under the impacts of rising consumption. Unless we can radically lower the environmental impact of economic activity – and there is no evidence to suggest that we can – we will have to devise a path to prosperity that does not rely on continued growth.

Book: The Blue Sweater: Bridging the Gap between Rich and Poor in an Interconnected World
When: Wednesday, July 25, 2012 at 7:00 PM
Cost: Free to Net Impact members; Limit of 8 attendees
RSVP: Email Lisa
Location: TBD.  Address will be provided when you RSVP.

The Blue Sweater is the inspiring personal memoir of a woman who has spent her life on a quest to understand global poverty and to find powerful new ways of tackling it. From her first stumbling efforts as a young idealist venturing forth in Africa to the creation of the trailblazing organization she runs today, Jacqueline Novogratz brings us a series of insightful stories and unforgettable characters — from women dancing in a Nairobi slum, to unwed mothers starting a bakery, to courageous survivors of the Rwandan genocide, to entrepreneurs building services for the poor against impossible odds.
She shows, in both hilarious and heartbreaking ways, how traditional charity often fails, but how a new form of philanthropic investing called “patient capital” can help make people self-sufficient and change millions of lives. More than just an autobiography or a how-to guide to tackling poverty, this book challenges us to grant dignity to the poor and to rethink our engagement with the world.

Book: Prosperity without Growth: Economics for a Finite Planet
When: Thursday, June 7, 2012 at 7:00 PM
Cost: Free to Net Impact members; Limit of 8 attendees
RSVP: Email Jeremie
Location: Fremont. Address will be provided when you RSVP.
Details: Dinner will be potluck style, with a Mexican theme. Please bring a fitting appetizer/side/dessert dish, or drinks.

Is more economic growth the solution? Will it deliver prosperity and well being for a global population projected to reach nine billion? In this explosive book, Tim Jackson, a top sustainability adviser to the UK government, makes a compelling case against continued economic growth in developed nations.

No one denies that development is essential for poorer nations. But, in the advanced economies, there is mounting evidence that ever-increasing consumption adds little to human happiness and may even impede it. More urgently, it is now clear that the ecosystems that sustain our economies are collapsing under the impacts of rising consumption. Unless we can radically lower the environmental impact of economic activity – and there is no evidence to suggest that we can – we will have to devise a path to prosperity that does not rely on continued growth.

NetImpactBookClub@gmail.com

1. What made you decide to join Net Impact? When did you become a member?

I joined Net Impact due to the group’s focus on timely and relevant issues on sustainability, ability to bring wonderful people together to discuss these issues, and create fun in everything along the way. I have been involved with the group for about a year and a half.

2. What book is currently on your bedside table?

Whatever the current Net Impact book club book is, of course!

3. What are your career goals? What you love most about your job?

My goal is to be an implementer and overseer of development projects related to micro-enterprise and public health in underserved rural communities in the world. In my current job, I love that I am learning all about project implementation and complexities related to operating in a donor-funded environment.

4. What is your favorite aspect of Net Impact’s mission - sustainability, corporate responsibility or social entrepreneurship?

Sustainability.

5. What is your favorite place or activity to do in Seattle?

I have never lived in a place with so much water, so I love to kayak, am learning sailing, and want to get out to the coast to surf. I love the Enchantments and Rainier, and ‘in’ Seattle Golden Gardens.

And, please join us in welcoming Lisa as our new member Book Club lead! Lisa will be leading the book club details going forward, helping to ensure a variety of books and locations, and supporting the members who host book club discussions. To learn more, check out our book clubs event page.

Get a jump-start by reading Prosperity without Growth by Tim Jackson. Look for date and location information in the April newsletter.

Please note the date has changed from March 6 back to the original date, March 7, 2012.

March 7, Reading Portfolios of the Poor

Book: Portfolios of the Poor. How the World’s Poor Live on $2 a Day by Daryl Collins
When: Wednesday, March 7 at 6:30 PM
Cost: Free to Net Impact members; Limit of 8 attendees
RSVP: Email Charlene
Location: Capitol Hill. Address will be provided when you RSVP.
Details: Dinner is provided. Please let Charlene know if you have any dietary restrictions.

This book tackles the fundamental question of how the poor make ends meet.250 families in India, Bangladesh and South Africa were interviewed and followed over a year in relation to their financial lives. The results have had a profound impact on the design of poverty alleviation programs and should also be valuable for companies trying to have a positive influence when interacting with the poor in their business.

From Amazon.com:
Nearly forty percent of humanity lives on an average of two dollars a day or less. If you’ve never had to survive on an income so small, it is hard to imagine. How would you put food on the table, afford a home, and educate your children? How would you handle emergencies and old age? Every day, more than a billion people around the world must answer these questions. Portfolios of the Poor is the first book to systematically explain how the poor find solutions to their everyday financial problems.

The authors conducted year-long interviews with impoverished villagers and slum dwellers in Bangladesh, India, and South Africa–records that track penny by penny how specific households manage their money. The stories of these families are often surprising and inspiring. Most poor households do not live hand to mouth, spending what they earn in a desperate bid to keep afloat. Instead, they employ financial tools, many linked to informal networks and family ties. They push money into savings for reserves, squeeze money out of creditors whenever possible, run sophisticated savings clubs, and use microfinancing wherever available. Their experiences reveal new methods to fight poverty and ways to envision the next generation of banks for the “bottom billion.”

Indispensable for those in development studies, economics, and microfinance, Portfolios of the Poor will appeal to anyone interested in knowing more about poverty and what can be done about it.

If you’d like more details on the book, visit the website.