Bodhi Surf + Yoga Recognized As A “Best For The World” B Corp

Every year, the team at B Lab (the global nonprofit that certifies B Corporations) chooses B Corps based on their annual Impact Assessment scores and recognizes them as “Best for the World”. We are so excited to announce that we have been honored to be in this year’s “Best for the World: Community” honors list! With a total of 846 businesses across 52 industries from 48 countries being recognized on the full list of 2017 “Best for the World” honorees, this is no small feat.

Bodhi Surf + Yoga recognized as “Best for the World: Community”

On September 12th, 2017, Bodhi Surf + Yoga was officially recognized as a “Best for the World” for our work in the community. With a median score of 17 in this category, Bodhi scored well above that at 57. In total, the Community category featured 180 companies from 80 industries and 34 countries.

Within our community, Bodhi Surf + Yoga has several programs and initiatives designed to do the following: improve where we live, offer educational opportunities and services to our neighbors that may otherwise be inaccessible, and foster teamwork and solidarity among residents and visitors, to name a few. In 2016, Bodhi Surf + Yoga generated over 3,500 hours of service hours for its community through its Yoga for the Community, Service & Surf Saturdays, and summer high school student service groups.

Read more about Bodhi Surf + Yoga’s corporate responsibility programs in our community and more of our work in our 2016 Ocean Guardian Initiatives document, and check out Bodhi’s B Corp profile and 2016 Impact Assessment.

The Impact Assessment’s five categories

During the annual Impact Assessment, B Lab looks at these five main categories in order to score how a company is doing holistically:

• Environment: how the company’s overall environmental performance is in terms of its physical impact, and if its product/service is designed to solve or raise awareness about environmental issues
• Workers: how the company treats its workforce and the workplace environment that it has fostered
• Customers: the impact that a company has on its customers, whether its product/services promotes public benefit or solves social/environmental issues
• Community: the company’s impact on and involvement in its local community, if it features community service or charitable giving, and if its product/service is designed to solve social issues
• Governance: the company’s accountability and transparency of practices and policies, its mission and and stakeholder engagement

In their annual “Best for the World” honors list, B Lab utilizes these five categories and awards businesses who score within the top 10% in each individual category.

Bodhi’s B Corp certification

In 2016, we at Bodhi decided solidify our tradition of corporate responsibility by applying to become a Certified B Corp. It was our first attempt, and though we weren’t totally sure if we were qualified, we figured it would at least give us a good idea of where to improve. We were stoked to learn that we had received our certification, especially since we have looked up to and emulated other B Corps (and the entire model) for years — even before the creation of Bodhi. In so doing, we became the first surf and yoga camp in the world to earn this designation, and the first tourism company in Costa Rica.

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.

We also want to congratulate the other Costa Rican B Corp that won this award, Pucci photography!