Here at Rubicon®, we are firm believers in using our purchasing power to make conscious consumer decisions to help brands that are helping others. While Pride Month comes only once a year in June, there’s no time limit on supporting the LGBTQ+ community and the push toward sustainability. To wind-down our month-long Pride celebrations, Rubicon’s LGBTQ+ Affinity Group has curated a list of four businesses to support that are both eco-friendly and LGBTQ+ owned.
Mightybytes: Chicago, Illinois
Mightybytes is a digital agency and Certified B Corp that works with socially conscious organizations looking to make an impact. Mightybytes was founded in 1998 by Tim Frick, whose life-partner Jeff Yukanin has served as Operations Manager & Benefit Director since 2016. As an LGBTQ+ owned and LGBTQ+ friendly business, Mightybytes embodies diversity and inclusivity both in the work they do for other organizations and the way they run their business.
Mightybytes helps companies, nonprofits, and social enterprises meet their goals and amplify their impact through a bevy of digital marketing activities. They design digital strategies, offer UX Design services, and help organizations drive long-term success. Their practices focus on optimizing growth while minimizing your environmental footprint.
Mightbytes is a certified B Corp business, having made B Lab’s annual Best for the World list every year since 2017. This led to Mightybytes improving their key equity, inclusion, and diversity metrics and becoming an LGBTBE-certified business.
Mightybytes relies on renewable energy to power their digital products, while also working to educate people about sustainable web design practices such as optimizing code or enabling caching. As one of the first digital agencies to make sustainability a cornerstone of their digital projects and services, Mightybytes is committed to building a better future for both people and the planet.
Sweet Livity: Richmond, California
Sweet Livity believes that the key to wellness is healing; which is why they provide wellness services to individuals and businesses that serve vulnerable communities. Whether they’re offering wellness retreats for some much-needed self-care, team-building exercises to improve group bonds, or strategic planning services to help boost civic engagement, Sweet Livity provides the support that leaders need to serve their community.
Sweet Livity was founded by Diana Marie Lee, a BIPOC womyn (she/they), and entrepreneur who was inspired by the idea of “business as a force of good.” The name Sweet Livity comes from the Rastafarian concept of Livity, which in this context means aliveness, vitality, and inspiration. Sweet Livity focuses on living in harmony with self, community, and nature, which is why they commit themselves to improving the effectiveness and sustainability of the leaders they work with.
Self-care is an important part of life that many people who perform charitable work often forego. Sweet Livity believes that self-care is integral to doing one’s job to the fullest, which is why they offer services such as leadership and wellness coaching that allow workers to do their jobs without sacrificing their well-being. They also offer community care services such as team building and conflict resolution that help improve trust within teams and partnerships.
Sweet Livity has been honored four times as Best for the World by B Lab since they first became a certified B Corp in 2012. Their focus on change and equity initiative have created a community impact that advances conversations around leadership, culture, race, and equity.
Noto Botanics: Los Angeles, California
Noto Botanics is a natural skincare and cosmetics boutique founded by artist, activist, and entrepreneur Gloria Noto in 2016. As a queer person, Noto was interested in creating a diverse and inclusive space in the clean beauty industry. That’s why all of Noto Botanics’ products are made using high-performance plant-based ingredients, and they all serve a genderless multi-use function that anyone can enjoy regardless of gender identity.
Noto Botanics believes that self-identity should be fun, radical, and unique while also protecting the environment and the community. To this end, all of their bottles are made of glass, while their plastics are made of non-single-use PCR material. Their boxes are created using recycled biodegradable material, making the company at the forefront of sustainable beauty.
In addition to using environmentally conscious, natural, and cleanly formulated ingredients, Noto Botanics also offers a NOTO refill station. This allows customers to refill their bottles in the store, reducing packaging waste and helping transform sustainability practices in the beauty industry.
Otherwild: Los Angeles, California
Otherwild is a queer-woman-owned collaborative complete with a retail store, event space, and design studio. The retail store is home to tons of zero-waste products, items derived from ethical supply chains, and more sustainable options for housewares, apparel, and even toys for kids. The goods are a collection of handmade artisans, local no-waste suppliers, and even Otherwild’s own lines of product.
Otherwild General, home to their zero-waste home essentials, comprises everything you could possibly need to reduce your carbon footprint, remove waste and single use plastic from landfill, and put the earth first. One marquee product on their shelves is Marley’s Monsters UNpaper® Towels. The paper-towel alternative is made from single-ply 100 percent cotton flannel and can be washed and reused with increased absorbance after every use.
Otherwild is rooted in community. The brains behind the brand partner with queer artists and create special clothing lines to drive awareness and raise money. Ten percent of their proceeds are donated to different LGBTQ+ organizations and the victims and families of the tragic Pulse Orlando shooting.
With a long-term pop-up shop in New York City, Otherwild is curating sustainable shopping from coast to coast.
Desmond Jackson is a Project Sourcing Specialist and Co-Founder of the LGBTQ+ Affinity Group at Rubicon. To stay ahead of Rubicon’s announcements of new partnerships and collaborations around the world, be sure to follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter, or contact us today.
