In the midst of a cold winter night in northern Ontario, Francine, sits in her cozy living room by the crackling woodstove. The warmth of the fire and the sound of the northern wind whipping by her window carry her thoughts to a faraway place.
In her reverie, Francine stands on a small island in the middle of the Indian Ocean. The warm breeze brushes against her cheeks as she walks through the Balinese jungle. Treading on a hard volcanic stone path, she passes lush gardens, and rice paddies, greeted by the familiar lowing of cattle and clucking of chickens. She takes a deep breath and walks up to her beautiful open-spaced bamboo classroom. Under the thatched roof sit her students, eager to be empowered and ready to tackle a new project. The students roll out their Pilates mats and Francine reminds them of the importance of keeping a balanced lifestyle. They start their class by taking a deep breath in through the nose and exhaling all the toxins and negative energy through the mouth. After a few breaths, the students roll down into a forward fold and hangs there for a moment, inhaling through the mouth, tucking their tummies and rolling up slowly, re-aligning one vertebra at a time. And so, the learning experience begins.
Francine explains that the mind, body and spirit are intertwined and must all be treated equally to find overall wellness. After cleansing with Pilates, Francine starts her business lesson by asking her students, “How do we become socially and environmentally responsible citizens? How can business leaders succeed in a competitive global market?” After spirited and meaningful debate, Francine introduces her pupils to the most important business concept they will ever learn, known as the Triple Bottom Line. All business leaders who want to succeed must focus on three concepts simultaneously, which are profit, planet, and people. Business is both a direct and indirect cause of most ecological problems. As the class discusses the issue of growing human population, rising levels of consumption and threats to natural systems, students are beginning to see how much capitalism has an effect on their world. Francine emphasizes how social responsibility is the backbone of every successful business and how organizations must adopt restorative strategies to save the planet and help communities develop sustainable plans to survive any drought, war or environmental disaster that may touch their community. Business leaders, Francine tells the inquiring minds before her, have the power to be the change they wish to see in the world.
Francine then asks her students, “How do we turn sustainability issues into new profit opportunities?” To expand on this idea, she announces that the next project will be to create a green product or service that responds to a local need, has a minimum impact on the planet and helps generate a profit. The profit made from the product will then be re-invested in third-world entrepreneurs who are trying to create a sustainable local business, such as a fruit and vegetable stand in Tanzania. Francine then explains that their homework for the night is to start brainstorming a green product or service and to visit Kiva.org to find an entrepreneur they would like to help.
Francine feels the energy in the room; students are interacting and their ideas are bouncing off the invisible walls of the classroom. She watches them collaborate to build sustainability plans and knows she has reached her triple bottom line for the day—she has exposed, empowered and lead her students to think, create and make an impact.
After a full day of learning and exploring with her students, Francine hops on her bicycle with a smile and heads home. She sits on a café terrace in the glowing evening sun in the quaint town of Ubud and watches pedestrians walk by holding hands and laughing, street vendors selling jewellery, and a local man depicting what he sees with oil paints and a canvas. The server walks over to take Francine’s order. “I will have the Bebek Betutu and a glass of brem,” she says. As the server walks away, Francine begins to reflect on the inspiring day spent with her students. As she looks out to the horizon, a strong breeze pulls her out of her reverie. She is once again in the cozy warmth of her living room – this time not dreaming of the incredible opportunities that may await her oceans away, but instead determined to be there, making her dream a reality – living her very own triple bottom line. She reaches for her backpack, her plane ticket and her passport and walks out the door, smiling with confidence and anticipation.
Francine Bouchard
I cannot teach anybody anything; I can only make them think.
- Aristotle
