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social entrepreneurs are starting companies rather than non-profit organizations, to capitalize on public benefit. To top it all, some of these entrepreneurs choose a new corporate structure that requires enterprises to build into their foundation strong social and environmental standards for their operations.

Through Bono’s persistence, the (RED) campaign was launched and today Gap, Hallmark, and Dell, among others, sell (RED)-branded products and donate a portion of their profits to fight AIDS.

Corporate America has discovered that social responsibility attracts investment capital as well as customer loyalty, creating a virtuous cycle. Companies are now talking about a triple bottom line – profit, planet, and people – that focuses on how to run a business while trying to improve environmental and working conditions. Some companies have embraced the new ethos.

None of this could have happened without consumer demand. In a survey conducted, half of Americans polled said that protecting the environment should be given priority over economic growth – to think that the survey was done amidst a recession and unprecedented record unemployment. Consumers are doing their own calculations and they would prefer comparatively more expensive cars that get better gas mileage, will save them money in the long run, and make them feel good in the process. Walmart, once the poster child of ruthlessness, a retailer whose business in the past was to undercut all its competitors, has resolved to change its way of doing business for the sake of the future of the planet.