They say luck is when preparation meets opportunity, but I think the real magic is in connecting the dots.
When I heard Climate Week was coming to San Diego, I immediately reached out to the organizers to explore how we could get involved. This initial connection quickly led to securing a screening space at our friends’ location, Coastal Roots Farm, and volunteering to help with the event programming.
We planned to follow the format of the Farm’s popular "Farm and Film" series: vendors and speakers in the late afternoon, followed by environmental films shown outdoors at sunset. Easy, we thought.
But I was hard-pressed to find a documentary that highlighted how local San Diego businesses were successfully integrating sustainable practices. I wanted to show how local companies reduce their environmental footprint and positively impact our community and employees, all while still turning a profit.
With a mere eight weeks until the event, my tendency to believe anything is possible kicked in. I connected with Carlisi Creative and Pure Cinema and decided: We had to make our own mini-doc.
We started by identifying leaders in San Diego’s purpose-first business community. We then spent considerable energy (including producing a faux trailer) to convince Dr. Bronner’s, Jimbo’s, and San Diego Goodwill to be the focus of our story. They agreed, and an expedited process of storyboarding, scouting, scripting, interviews, shooting, and editing ensued.
The final storyline unfolded just as we had hoped: all three organizations clearly put people and the environment first, with profit serving as the third variable, not the driving one. Success required all three elements to work in unison.
There’s a literal thread between the grocer and the soap manufacturer — Jimbo’s recently launched Dr. Bronner’s first refillable soap dispensers. But the true power lies in the metaphorical thread that connects not just these three businesses, but all of us. In examining your supply chain, customers, and communities, you see the interwoven relationships. The decisions we make — who we choose to work with, the organizations we buy from, and even the conversations we have — connect all of us and ultimately determine the strength and resilience of the community we share.
We invite you to watch The Threads Between Us to see how these San Diego leaders are connecting their purpose to their profit.
