We believe in—and have seen first hand—the power of individuals making smarter purchasing choices, that’s one of the reasons we started Hilde. We also know that better purchasing decisions alone isn’t enough to drive the kind of transformation we need at the speed necessary to avoid the worst consequences to our planet and health. We systemic change including forward thinking corporate activism to to truly transform the way we meet our material needs. With more billionaires than ever actively shaping the laws that affect the safety of our families and the sustainability of our future, advocacy by and for working people has never mattered more.

People and organizations in a society live by shared sets of rules. Some of those rules are spelled out in detail in the form of laws or our public policies. These are legally binding obligations for people and businesses to behave (or not) in certain ways that carry the ability to be enforced through our justice system. Many of the rules that govern how we treat each other can be considered as “social norms”. You could consider these informal agreements that people in a society share to help us all get along and act in ways that support our common good.

When we talk about corporate activism or public policy advocacy, we’re talking about the act of expressing the needs or preferences of different people or stakeholders (including non-human ones) as they relate to our shared rules. The acts of expression can take various forms. Those acts could include something as simple as a social media post or sending an email, or as powerful as meeting in-person with a legislator or attending a public rally.

The needs and preferences we have can reflect on our shared rules in many different ways. For example, some families may be experiencing challenges when it comes to conception. Our shared rules, including our public policies and laws related to the use of chemicals in products linked to infertility may be impacting some people’s ability to get pregnant.

Engaging in activism and advocacy, or expressing our needs and preferences in strategic ways is a proven way to change our shared rules. Sometimes they change for the better, meaning they make our world fairer, or help protect people and our planet more effectively. But sometimes the opposite happens. Our shared rules may change in ways that make our world less fair, less safe, or more unequal. That includes when there are changes to the informal rules set by a company or business. Those internal rules influence how they make decisions as an organization which in turn can impact our families and planet.

You’ve probably heard this before: Communicating with decision-makers about your needs and preferences as they relate to our shared rules matters. Those messages, phone calls, and meetings with the people responsible for creating and implementing our shared rules can have a major impact on how they are built and applied. Lots of people don’t think their voice matters. Here’s the reality: We’ve been working on changing our shared rules for decades so trust us, your voice absolutely matters.

Making your voice heard or expressing your needs about our rules requires effort. You’re busy, we get it. Engaging on a public policy advocacy campaign, even at the local or state level may seem like a heavy lift. But you may be surprised at how easy it can be to have an impact on laws that help protect the health of your family and our planet.

Our recommendation is to start small. Begin with an action that feels comfortable to you and won’t add extra stress to your day. Here are some small steps you can start with when you want to share your perspective:

• Submit a question or comment about an issue to a company through their customer service contact email or online form
• Sign a petition on an issue that matters to you
• Post on social media about an issue and tag a company or elected official
• Make a donation to an organization working on issues that you care about

If you start feeling like you are ready and able to do more, you can consider engaging in a deeper way:

• Make a phone call to the person representing your district at the state of federal level
• Attend a rally or demonstration about the issue
• Submit online comments to a state agency or legislative committee about a policy being considered

If you ever want help finding a good way to engage on an issue that you care about related to the topics Hilde works on, please contact us. We’re happy to help!

Creating a critical mass of voices for changing our shared rules through activism and advocacy is one of the reasons we decided to build Hilde. It’s a powerful way to have an impact in the lives of people and in support of the planet that sustains us now and for generations to come. It’s why we plan and manage these kinds of campaigns (small efforts for now) and something we devote our time and resources to doing. Channeling our shared needs and preferences into tactics that compel change among decision makers is part of the way Hilde helps you change the system.

We’re not the only ones with needs or preferences. And we’re certainly not the only ones who are attempting to change our shared rules. In fact, in some cases our families are at a distinct disadvantage when it comes to how those rules are made, changed, and enforced. Business voices are compelling when it comes to passing new laws. They can be very influential with legislators and elected officials. But companies can also use their power and resources, regardless of their stated reasons, to fight AGAINST passing new laws designed to protect your family and our planet.

Let’s work together to shape our shared rules and push back against policies that don’t protect our families, now and in the future.