These 5 Leaders Are Actually Using Social Media To Do Something Good
Last fall, Patagonia Founder Yvon Chouinard took to Twitter with an unusual announcement: “Hey, friends, we just gave our company to planet Earth.” In a stunning move, Chouinard donated his company — and all of its future profits — to environmental causes, making headlines around the world. But he’s not the only leader out there speaking up in big ways. While our social media feeds may sometimes seem filled with cat memes and clickbait, progressive leaders out there are using their platforms in creative ways to make real change. And the public is taking notice. Two thirds of consumers think brands should be taking a public stand on social and political issues, and according to the same study, just as many think CEOs should be included in that responsibility.
From climate change to racial justice, there are many critical causes that require attention and action. With that in mind, here are five leaders who have demonstrated their commitment to creating a better world and mobilized their followers to join the cause.
Felipe Villela — Regenerating Nature
The climate crisis is a universal problem for the global community, and Villela is one of the figures leading the charge as the founder of reNature. His company evangelizes regenerative farming with the ultimate goal of converting as many farmers as possible to more sustainable methods of production — in their words, “actively regenerating nature in as many ways as possible.”
What makes Felipe’s feeds special is that he doesn’t just talk about issues but also shares actionable advice on how we can fight it, like diversifying our diets. He also uses compelling graphics and imagery to hammer home points about soil and agriculture in visceral, easy-to-understand ways.
Lauren Singer — Zero Waste
In 2015, Lauren Singer walked onto a TEDx stage with a 16oz mason jar full of clothing tags, sauce packets, tea bags, and receipts — all of the trash that she had produced in the three years prior.Since then, she’s been running Trash is for Tossers and the Package Free Shop, two major sustainability-focused organizations helping people inspired by Singer to live their own zero-waste life.
What makes Singer’s social feeds especially powerful is her emphasis on how-to guides and practical resources.Her personal Instagram, for instance, is filled with posts and reels on how to live your life with as little waste as possible — like this one about chemical-free cleaning — so she’s worth a follow.
Minda Harts — BIPOC Voices
Minda Harts is all about uplifting people of color — especially women — in the corporate world. Her books range from career advice for BIPOC women in The Memo, to self-help books about healing from racialized trauma in Right Within.
But what’s really great about Harts social presence is that she extends her platform to feature voices of the people she uplifts. For example, in this article in her 17,000-follower newsletter, Secure the Seat, she features CEO of DiversityInc Carolynn Johnson talking about inequality facing Black women. By combining her voice with others, Minda makes strides towards raising awareness and prompting corrective action on challenges facing BIPOC people in the workplace.
Sara Menker — Food on Tables
While Villela hits the environmental side of agriculture, Menker tackles the human problems. Her company, Gro Intelligence, uses analytics to monitor food production’s intersectionality with climate, supply chains, prices, and more. They use their data to monitor, raise awareness about, and take action against food insecurity to make sure everyone has access to good meals.
Menker personally leads the cause on her social media by sharing findings to her 250,000 followers, like detailed graphs and reports on food prices. By helping consumers stay in the know, she helps everyone struggling with food insecurity find a way around the inflation we’re facing every day.
Leslie Forde — Kids and Careers
After learning that other new moms with careers were struggling just as much as she was, Leslie Forde started Mom’s Hierarchy of Needs. The name is a reference to Maslow’s Hierarchy, the idea that self-fulfillment is our highest need, but can’t be met until we satisfy more basic needs like food, shelter and economic security. Forde recognized that for working moms, kids’ needs also had to be factored into that hierarchy, and her site is dedicated to resources for supporting and raising awareness for working mothers.
Her social media posts share research and advice for working moms, and the organizations that employ them. What makes her feed special is her long posts of detailed advice and research, prioritizing usefulness and quality over what might conventionally get engagement. For example, in this post for working moms, she provides new research findings and translates that into advice for women to advocate for themselves in the workplace. Her goal is to make it as easy as possible for mothers to have a career and children at the same time.
These are just a few examples of business leaders who have turned their social media feeds into a force for good. Do you follow any leaders whose social channels deserve to be recognized? Let us know in the comments.