What does Virgin have in common with Richmond? Pat Hull.

As a friend of Sir Richard Branson, Pat established Richmond Unite (similar in spirit to Virgin Unite) to help fund and empower local organizations whose focus is turned towards Richmond's youth.

Just last week Richmond Unite hosted it's first annual conference and fundraiser entitled, #DSRPT. Thanks to the generosity of the organizers, Protozoa Design was able to attend.

From the onset, our curiosity was piqued. What is this all about? What can we expect to learn from this experience?

A lot. 

Richmond is full of people and organizations dedicated to the cultivation, empowerment and growth of the city's young people. We were impressed and amazed at the variety and inventiveness of those taking a seemingly average hobby and turning into a vehicle for evolution. 

Aside from meeting some wonderful and dedicated people, we learned about a new business structure recently implemented in the state of Virginia. It's called a B-Corp.

Certified B Corporations are a new type of corporation which uses the power of business to solve social and environmental problems. B Corps are unlike traditional businesses because they:

• Meet comprehensive and transparent social and environmental performance standards;
• Meet higher legal accountability standards;
• Build business constituency for good business

B-Certification sends a message that you just can't say your environmentally responsible. For example, BP can advertise that they are environmental friendly. They do this through their visual identity and marketing materials. A B-Certification requires you prove it.

Currently there are 5 states in which B-Corp is a recognized business structure and more states are on the way. Maryland has passed the B-Certified LLC. Currently, only the B-Corporation is recognized in Virginia. Change is coming and it's pretty exciting. As more companies build community and sustainability practices into their mission, the B-Certification will allow for transparaency and accountability.

Practice what you preach.