Green Friday spotlight: Meet these conscious businesses doing good work!
Tomorrow is Green Friday and while your inbox and social feeds might be flooded with some of the best deals of the year, we want to shine a light on the eco-conscious businesses who organize in their workplaces to support Indigenous legal challenges and environmental justice — all year long.
Green Friday started as a “no buy” day asking consumers to reflect on their shopping habits and to make better purchases by supporting small or local brands and businesses that do good. In recent years, Green Friday has also transformed into a movement of small, sustainable, ethical businesses donating a portion of their profits from the day to organizations helping fight climate change and make a difference.
So, if you have to make a purchase this Green Friday here are a few businesses you can support during this sale season. An added bonus: by supporting them, you’re also supporting RAVEN!
Coffee
Wanting to start your day off with a cup of coffee or need a little pick me up? Check out one of these coffee shops:
Hide and Seek Coffee is a family run business with one simple goal, to make great coffee and serve it in a fun and friendly environment. They are one of RAVEN’s valued business donors that give every month! If you are in Victoria, check them out.
Ground Up Cafe and Catering was started by two best friends and their partners on Gabriola Island, the unceded territory of the Snuneymuxw First Nation, in 2019. Their business is focused on sourcing locally, waste reduction, and creating a community hub where all are welcome. They have strong relationships with local farms and producers which provide quality ingredients, and a healthy and inclusive working environment for their staff, both which help to strengthen Gabriola’s local economy and Island community.
Retail
Looking to grab a gift for someone, treat a furry friend, or find a new read? One of these shops will have something for everyone.
Massy Books is an Indigenous woman-owned and operated bookstore, art gallery and community space on the traditional, ancestral, unceded, and occupied territory of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and sel̓íl̓witulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations. Massy Books was the first bookstore in BC designated as a Living Wage Employer, and has been voted Best Bookstore and Best Employer in Vancouver (Georgia Straight, 2023). They are also Rick Hansen Certified and BC Green Business Certified, and have raised and donated over $100,000 to local charities and organizations, and given Massy Arts Society — a non-profit and community hub dedicated to supporting the practices of Indigenous and over-excluded artists — approx. $100,000 over the last two years to operate. When you shop at Massy, you support our staff, the community and the local economy!
Encircled is a Canadian-made workleisure clothing brand based in Toronto, Ontario. They are a Certified B Corporation and create versatile, timeless designs with incredibly comfortable, and sustainable fabrics. They design with intention and partner with carefully chosen local makers who are equally committed to their high standards. They believe beautiful clothes can’t come from veiled processes, so transparency and ethical choices are woven into every thread of their supply chain. Shop Encircled online here.
Owl & Bear Studio founder, Alena, is a conservation illustrator, wildlife scientist, photographer, and science communicator currently living and learning in beautiful coastal British Columbia, within the unceded territories of the Lkwungen-speaking peoples and the Songhees, Esquimalt and WSÁNEĆ Nations. Alena’s passion for the complex interconnectivity that exists within all aspects of our shared world draws links through art and research to sustainability and Indigenous justice. Shop Owl & Bear Studio online here.
Discover Dogs, located in Vancouver, BC is a passionate dog store that specializes in local, low ingredient and low impact products. They strive to provide a supportive environment for dogs and their people and also focus on the comfort and accessibility of marginalized communities. Discover Dogs believes that giving back to the community is a function of any successful company and encourages other business owners to make giving a regular part of the balance sheet.
Luna Collective, located in Victoria, BC (lək̓ʷəŋən, Lekwungen Territories) showcases a curated collection of handmade and vintage goods that evoke feeling and are made with good intentions. They work with over 100 independent artists and small businesses, meaning that there is something for everyone! Since moving into a larger space in 2021, they have more capacity to continue to support small and growing artists and businesses.
Prose is customized hair and skin care, made-to-order for each and every individual. All of their products are made with the highest quality natural ingredients. Their social impact initiatives center community, creating more education, and amplification of marginalized voices. As a certified B Corporation, a Public Benefit Corporation and Climate Neutral, they’re proving that good business is always sustainable. With Prose, there’s nothing sacrificed to create their products—not trees, materials, wages, or performance. Each year, Prose donates to nonprofits, charities and community partners empowering underrepresented groups and fighting for environmental justice.
Patagonia Vancouver has been a dedicated supporter of RAVEN, hosting fundraising events and providing space for us to engage with the public. Their commitment extends beyond, actively fostering community connections and raising awareness. We appreciate Patagonia Vancouver’s ongoing support, a vital partnership in our shared mission for positive social and environmental impact.
Modo Yoga North Vancouver has been a steadfast supporter of our cause, actively contributing to our efforts through a series of impactful yoga fundraising classes since our Pull Together campaign. Their commitment to our mission goes beyond the yoga studio, as they create a space for community engagement and shared values.
Galaxy Motors’ commitment to the community has extended beyond delivering high-caliber new and used vehicles. They believe in actively contributing to the community’s well-being. Notably, this year, they dedicated the month of June to fundraising in support of National Indigenous History Month. This initiative reflects their belief in social responsibility and the importance of recognizing and celebrating the rich cultural heritage of Indigenous peoples.
Food
End your day off with some good food amongst friends and finish it off with something sweet.
Dachi is a small restaurant bar tucked in a corner of Hastings-Sunrise pouring natural wines, funky ciders, tasty sake, craft beer, and cocktails too. Their food changes daily highlighting seasonal treats, in mostly smaller sizes meant for sharing, because it’s nice to try lots of flavours. Dachi works with local, organic, family-owned farms and producers who they love!
When Earnest Ice Cream launched in Vancouver in 2012, their goal was to create ice cream that expresses their passion for flavour and creativity while running a business that embodies their values. As a small business, they know they have a responsibility to reduce their own carbon footprint and to advocate for bigger systems change. They continue to ask themselves tough questions about growth, to improve offerings of plant-based flavours, and to participate in coalitions and partnerships that amplify calls for meaningful climate action.
1% for the Planet
Some businesses supporting RAVEN do so through their membership in 1% for the Planet, a global network supporting thousands of businesses that are committed to donating at least 1% of annual sales to environmental organizations. Our 1% for the Planet businesses make going green a matter of uplifting people, protecting the planet, and generating profit through social purpose.
Decade Impact is “business strategy for a world on fire.” Decade Impact exists because they believe every company can leave the world better than they found it, every person deserves to feel the delight of change-making, and absolutely anything is possible. Decade Impact provides the support businesses need to step in the right direction and respond to the critical challenges of our decade.
Dismount Bike Shop is a full-service family bike shop, a coffee bar, and a social hub for the community in Toronto. From weekly group rides to in-store workshops, community is at the core of everything they do, from weekly group rides or in-store workshops. They even have a two-year kids’ bike buyback program, improving accessibility for families to get their children involved in cycling.
iilo Creative Alliance is a women-owned full-service creative services agency delivering communication design solutions for impact-driven organizations. iilo means “thread” in Spanish (spelled “hilo”) and is pronounced “ee-lo” in English. They’re inspired by the idea of interdependence and the threads that connect people to each other, because we’re all connected.
GOODEE is a curated marketplace offering essentials for better living. They are a community of socially-conscious design enthusiasts who put “caring” for people, and the planet, at the center of everything they do. Alongside their support of RAVEN and Indigenous rights, the products they support, services they love, and ideas they champion reflect their unwavering pursuit of a happier and more sustainable future for all. Shop GOODEE online here.
OnwardUP Sales and Marketing is an outdoor industry sales group that partners with the most innovative outdoor companies with a mutual commitment to inspire outdoor experiences and respect for the natural environment. Through collaboration with their vendor partners and their outdoor educational initiatives, they are helping to nurture and inspire environmental awareness and responsibility in the outdoors.
Prince of Whales was our Flagship Sponsor of Festival Afloat 2023. For the last 30 years, Prince of Whales has not only been an adventure touring company, but has found ways to support other organizations focused on coastal conservation, protecting salmon, and safeguarding blue carbon. We are so grateful for their support, and for the work they do to protect the coast and provide awe-inspiring experiences that make others want to protect it, too. Read more about their support of Festival Afloat here.
Spring Activator creates and delivers programs that build an inclusive community of purpose-driven investors and founders. Part of this is supporting diverse impact founders and their businesses. If people are going to buy gifts for the holidays, why not do so thoughtfully and create a positive impact? Sustainability is integral to their core values and operations. While much of their time is spent in the for-profit, impact business space, they recognize that their 1% partners also need to be supported in the nonprofit/charitable realm.
Over the years RAVEN has had nearly 200 business supporters. Whether you own an enterprise or work on a team, you can get involved with RAVEN. You can get brand recognition by sponsoring events like Festival Afloat. You can create RAVEN-branded products and donate the proceeds. Work in an office? Pass the virtual hat with a team fundraiser, or invite RAVEN to deliver a ‘lunch n’ learn’ based on our lighthearted-yet-super-serious course, Home on Native Land.
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