Lifestyle

Making a Real Difference: How Your Business Can Create a Greater Impact on Society

Published

3 years ago

July 5, 2022

– Choosing compostable paper bags over plastic packaging in your store.
– Offering fresh leftovers to the less-privileged living close to your eatery.
– Free haircuts every weekend for neighborhood kids whose parents can’t afford salon fees.
– Scaling your brand by cutting down on some less critical divisions in favor of affordability.
– Hiring well-vetted ex-convicts in your establishment.

The list goes on and on.

Beyond a pure profit-driven era and in an ideal world, the social impact of a business is just as critical to its overall success as the economic impact. Your business should be held to the moral responsibility of contributing to positive efforts, on any scale, against social injustice and other challenges faced by its host community. Contrary to the general misconception, social impact isn’t just about philanthropy.

“Social impact is tangibly improving the health and wellbeing of other people in society,” says Durell Coleman, an American entrepreneur, social impact consultant, multi-niched engineer, and Stanford lecturer. “The challenge in the definition is that a lot of things can appear to mimic this impact. However, the parameters for measurements are questions such as – who are the people who have some of the biggest health and wellbeing challenges? Are we making things easier for them? Are we creating things that are improving outcomes for them? As a social impact strategist, I think of who’s not being designed for and who’s not being served. Who’s left out of the systems that we currently have? This is how improvements are effected.”

Coleman is the founder and CEO of DC Design, a leading Black-owned social impact consulting firm and strategy development brand headquartered in San Francisco. With many years of experience working with nonprofits, foundations, and governments, Coleman has developed countless long-lasting community-centered strategies for directly impacting lives where it actually matters. He shares some thoughts on how social impact can be incorporated into everyday businesses on any feasible scale.

Social impact as part of your core business plan

One year. Five years. Twenty years.

It doesn’t exactly matter how long your business has existed. At any point in your growth trajectory, quality change can be envisioned. Cost-effective or non-cost strategies can be developed to scale your business up to an establishment making positive and genuinely helpful impacts on society. You’d have to identify what area of community or society you’d like to touch directly. For example, do you want to include more affordable options in your product list to tend to lower-income families, or would you like to include a free delivery option to nearby neighborhoods?

“Start with the people you want to serve,” Coleman says. “Not simply thinking about what’s needed to create change, but talking to them directly about what their experiences have been like in confronting the problem you hope to solve. If you want to affect homelessness, talk to the homeless. If you want to affect Black wealth inequality, talk to low-income Black people. If your work is about reducing mass incarceration, talk to those who are or have been incarcerated. They understand where the system failed them, where they could have chosen differently, and what your priorities should be.”

A combination of these insights is then applied to come up with solid approaches and viable strategies for creating directly visible impact. The result is the elevation of these social challenges as these ideas are solidified into long-term sustainable solutions.

Inclusivity against all forms of inequality

Escapism and denial about the social injustices thriving in the world, especially in the United States, would only hurt society in the long run.

“Inequality affects people across every demographic, spanning through parameters such as race where Black and brown people are undeniably affected by ongoing social injustice,” says Coleman, who runs Design the Future, a flagship program teaching high school kids to design products and apps for people with disabilities. “Other factors are gender, where women still battle career biases and representation; income levels, where lower income earners are often confined to lower quality schools, healthcare, and services; rap sheets as ex-convicts re-enter society with little hope for survival; and post-employment care, where war veterans are left to fend for themselves with inadequate assistance from the government.”

A business or brand seeking to make a real social impact must embrace the obligations of equality of inclusion in its range of services.

Tech firms can hire just as many males as females, cosmetics brands can include more dark skin tones in their product array to serve people of every color, fashion brands can supply plus-sized clothing at the same prices as other sizes, clinics can offer free therapy to war veterans, real estate agents can offer lower service percentages to the less-privileged, and more businesses can give formerly incarcerated people a chance.

Be kind to your labor force

A business can make all the social impact in the world but it would all be for nothing if the employees or hired labor, the actual driving force of the enterprise, are unhappy and uncared for. Social impact starts from the immediate environment and broadens out toward larger society.

In conclusion, Coleman describes his personal approach to employee wellness.

“Henry Ford had it right. He paid his people enough so that they could hopefully buy the cars that they were producing, and it all worked out,” he says. “I run a for-profit social impact business. I have to be efficient and I have to make enough money to support my people, my employees. I try to bring in the best employees possible. I try to give them health care. I want to make sure that they have everything that they need to thrive in their own lives.”

Lifestyle

Commercial and Industrial Lighting Solutions: A Bright Future with LEDLightExpert

Published

2 days ago

March 20, 2025

Michelle Langton

Today, conserving the planet’s dwindling resources is more critical than ever, but many commercial buildings still waste approximately 30% of the energy they consume. Fortunately, the emergence of LED lighting equips these businesses with a powerful way to improve operations while reducing overhead costs.

“Our mission is to provide sustainable lighting solutions that reduce energy consumption and lower the carbon footprint of commercial and industrial operations,” says Dara Greaney, CEO of LEDLightExpert.com. “LED lighting is a huge leap forward in technology. It offers outstanding benefits both for businesses and for the planet.”

Why LED lighting is the sustainable choice for commercial and industrial applications

Traditional lighting solutions like incandescent and halogen lamps convert much of the energy they consume into heat, making them hot to the touch. In contrast, LEDs generate minimal heat and use most of their energy to produce light, making them far more efficient and reducing a building’s cooling load.

Thanks to their efficiency, LEDs use approximately 75% less energy than their incandescent counterparts. For large commercial and industrial spaces requiring extensive lighting, energy efficiency translates into substantial cost savings. The energy bills of facilities operating on a 24/7 schedule, such as warehouses and manufacturing plants, stand to benefit the most.

A positive review from an LEDLightExpert customer states, “The 52-500, 100-watt LED flood lights we ordered were heavy-duty, sealed for exterior use, and had 50% more lumens than the 100-watt lights they replaced.”

LEDs also boast an impressive lifespan. Because LED bulbs last up to 25 times longer than traditional incandescent bulbs, customers can expect fewer replacements and lower maintenance costs.

Whereas traditional lighting options might need to be replaced every few months or years, LED lights last for decades with minimal maintenance. This longevity is crucial in industrial environments where accessing light fixtures can be challenging and costly.

In a recent review, another satisfied LEDLightExpert customer reports, “We have used these 150w LEDs to retrofit 62 400w metal halide lights in our church parking lot. I just ordered the last [five] needed to complete this project. The original LED lights have been in for over a year with not one issue. Great product […] great customer service!”

LED bulbs are an all-around boon for the environment. By consuming less energy, they lower greenhouse gas emissions and contribute to a smaller carbon footprint. Their long lifespan also reduces waste and the overall impact on landfills.

Finally, unlike fluorescent lighting, which contains hazardous substances like mercury, LEDs are non-toxic and do not require special disposal procedures. This makes them a safer and more eco-friendly option for businesses looking to enhance their sustainability practices.

LED lighting offers improved lighting quality

It turns out that LED bulbs benefit people as well as the planet. Advanced LED features such as dimming capabilities, smart controls, and motion sensors allow businesses to tailor lighting systems to a range of needs and conditions.

Additionally, the wide range of cool and warm lighting options available from LED bulbs enables businesses to optimize comfort with the most natural lighting possible. Studies confirm that well-lit workplaces lead to increased productivity, health, and job satisfaction for employees.

“The brightness, clarity, and consistency of LED lights ensure safer and more productive work environments,” Greaney notes. “At LEDLightExpert, we are dedicated to lighting solutions that enhance visibility and make the workplace a more enjoyable place to be.”

LEDLightExpert: Leading the way in commercial and industrial lighting

LEDLightExpert has made a name for itself in the realm of commercial and industrial lighting, and its commitment to quality and innovation is evident in its comprehensive product offerings. The brand’s high bay LED lights deliver bright and consistent lighting even in rooms with high ceilings and expansive spaces, making them ideal choices for warehouses, manufacturing facilities, and gymnasiums, providing powerful and efficient illumination. The high bay lights ensure every corner of the facility is well-lit, enhancing both safety and productivity.

For these unique applications, LEDLightExpert offers several options. First, named for their characteristic circular shape, UFO Style High Bay lights provide broad and efficient illumination. Designed for maximum efficiency and minimal maintenance, their innovative design ensures an even distribution of light across expansive areas such as factories and storage facilities.

Next, featuring long LED tubes, Linear Style High Bay lights are known for their energy efficiency and high lumen output. They are perfect for spaces with ceiling heights ranging from 15 to 30 feet.

Finally, for spaces that need 360-degree lighting, LED Corn Bulbs from LEDLightExpert present an ideal solution. These bulbs, shaped like an ear of corn with multiple LED chips installed on all sides, are excellent replacements for traditional metal halides, high-pressure sodium lamps, and CFL bulbs. They offer a cost-effective path to upgrade lighting systems by enabling businesses to retrofit current fixtures to LED without considerable infrastructure changes.

Safety and security are a top concern in industrial and outdoor commercial settings. LEDLightExpert offers commercial LED floodlights that illuminate vast areas such as parking lots, building façades, and construction sites with bright and consistent lighting that enhances visibility and deters potential security threats. Their durable design withstands harsh weather conditions while providing maximum visibility.

For outdoor perimeters, LEDLightExpert’s Industrial LED Wall Packs are another excellent lighting option. These fixtures provide powerful lighting that enhances security and aesthetics at the same time.

LEDLightExpert’s street and parking lot lights are well-suited for municipal and commercial applications, ensuring well-lit paths and parking areas. Their design focuses on both performance and energy savings, improving public safety with reliable, bright lighting.

“Our lineup of LED products meets the wide range of needs expressed by our commercial and industrial clients,” explains Greaney. “From high-wattage flood lights to customizable lighting solutions, we are constantly innovating to bring the latest LED technology to our customers. With LED, the benefits are clear, the products outstanding, and the future undeniably bright.”