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Most of the students in Leeds want to make a positive impact on the world.  This week, I was able to sit down with a Leeds alumna who works for a company whose mission is to make a positive impact by rewarding socially and environmentally beneficial behavior. 

Whoever said “doing the right thing is never easy” certainly hadn’t heard of .  With the promise of redeemable Positive Impact Points for doing something as simple as filling a reusable water bottle, riding a bike, or recycling an old phone, it’s hard to imagine why anyone wouldn’t want to participate and get rewarded for simple everyday tasks!  With enough PIPs, you can get great discounts on healthy food, fitness classes, responsibly made clothing, and even textbooks and school supplies from the CU bookstore!  The app also offers challenges and contests in which you can win prizes, including gift cards, ski passes, gym memberships, tickets to concerts, and so much more.  Using various data gathering methods such as API integrations, beacons, sensors, QR codes, and transaction reports, PIPs makes it easy for you to earn points through the app, often without ever having to take your phone out of your pocket!  Determined to produce 360 degrees of good, created points that are earned by doing good and can only be redeemed for socially beneficial products, services, and experiences. 

The People Behind the Movement

Spencer Turk, a Leeds School of Business alumna who received the Social Responsibility and Ethics (SRE) Certificate (formerly called the Socially Responsible Enterprise (SRE) Certificate), graduated in May of 2018 and already landed what she says to be her dream job at 3P Partners, the company that runs the PIPs Rewards platform.  Like many students, Spencer started out at CU not knowing exactly what she wanted to do, but soon discovered her passions.  In the Business Ethics module, Liz Stapp, one of BESI’s faculty members, opened Spencer’s eyes to how corrupt and environmentally hazardous business can be.  This class drove Spencer to apply for the SRE Certificate where she hoped to learn how business could be used to produce positive social and environmental change, rather than negative implications.  Keith Stockton was another BESI faculty member who had a major impact on Spencer’s education.  He taught and challenged Spencer in a way she hadn’t been before.  Through the weekly papers about various environmental issues Stockton required in his class, Spencer learned essential skills such as being analytical, pragmatic, and considering all stakeholders in any given situation.

While living in her sorority house sophomore year, Spencer used her passion to enact substantial change in the Greek system.  She realized that her house, Kappa Alpha Theta, had recycling, but only had one small bin for a house that sleeps 79 girls.  As a response, Spencer created Kappa Alpha Theta’s first ever Sustainability Committee in which she was able to gain the help and resources to address sustainability initiatives.  Through this, she found that CU’s Environmental Center has a program called Green Greeks that drives sustainability in Greek life across campus.  After a meeting with its program supervisor, she was offered a position as Greek Sustainability Coordinator starting her junior year.

When she started in this position, she found most of the program’s missions and methods to be outdated.  Over the course of her junior year, she helped realign the mission of the program to match the Environmental Center’s values as well as those of the Greek community.  She left the program in good hands after leaving and it is still alive and well, making a huge impact in the campus community.

The experience Spencer gained through starting a Sustainability Committee at her sorority and as the Greek Sustainability Coordinator helped her to land an internship in February 2018 that led to a full time job as an Associate for PIPs Rewards!  Because 3P Partners is a startup, Spencer has many roles and has the opportunity to learn anything she wants about sustainability, as well as about all areas of business.  She works in several different realms doing everything from administrative work, to marketing, to drafting scavenger hunts and trivia contests for students, to even growing as an entrepreneur by working with the company’s CEO!  She has been able to make lasting connections with several businesses that PIPs partners with such as EarthHero and PACT Organic, and has learned valuable relationship management skills. 

She plans to stay with PIPs for the foreseeable future and envisions the platform making a huge positive impact at several universities and communities across the US in the next few years.  Spencer feels lucky to be involved with an organization that incentivizes behavior that has such a wonderful impact on people and the environment. 

What Can Students Take Away From Spencer?

When asked what her advice to students would be, she said that if you see something that isn’t quite right or doesn’t add up, make sure you ask questions to understand why things are a certain way.  Spencer also advocates that you get involved, rather than being bystanders in your community or life.  She knows that if she hadn’t taken a chance and gotten involved, she might not be where she is today: working at her dream job where she can make a real, tangible, positive impact on the world around her after having graduated only three months ago.

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Get involved with CESR by attending an event, signing up for a certificate program or joining CESR Fellows or Net Impact!