~ by Dagmar Reinhard

"B Corporation certification": a reward for great community work

In September, 2017, Bodhi Surf + Yoga was officially recognized as a “Best for the World” company for their work in the community. With a medium score of 17 in the Community category, Bodhi scored well above that at 57 amongst 180 companies from 80 industries in 34 countries.

Pilar Salazar and Travis Bay of Bodhi Surf explained: “Within our community, Bodhi Surf + Yoga developed several programs and initiatives to improve our environment, offer educational opportunities and services to our neighborhood that may otherwise be inaccessible and foster teamwork among residents and visitors. In 2016, Bodhi Surf + Yoga generated over 3,500 service hours for our community through our Yoga for the Community, Service & Surf Saturdays, and summer high school student service groups.”

And Travis goes on: “We were stoked to learn that we had received our certification and become the first surf and yoga camp in the world and Costa Rican Tourism Company to earn this designation. For us, being a B Corp is both a privilege and a benefit, because not only does it feel great to be ranked among some of the top responsible businesses in the world, but it also keeps us on our toes. Now that we are being held accountable by an independent third party, we can never become too complacent and will be motivated to improve our Impact Assessment every year. Impact Assessment of our company comes in five categories (by the B Lab, a non-profit organization headquartered in Pennsylvania which awards the B Corporation certification):

Environment: performance related to the physical impact, product/services and awareness about environmental issues.

Workers: workforce and the workplace environment.

Customers: the impact on its customers, products/services benefit the public or solves social/environmental issues.

Community: involvement in the local community, community service or charitable giving, and product/service are designed to solve social issues.

Governance: the company’s accountability and transparency of practices and policies, its mission and stakeholder engagement.

Congratulations and keep up the good work, Bodhi & Surf!