Seeing Hope Through a Sustainable Lens: Honoring the Work of Yvon Poirier

At the heart of the Sustainable Lens Game is a simple but powerful idea: when we learn to see the world differently, we begin to act differently. We notice relationships, systems, values, and consequences that too often remain invisible in conventional business thinking. Few people embody this way of seeing more deeply than Yvon Poirier, a longtime expert in the social and solidarity economy and  Special Advisor on Advocacy for RIPESS, based in Quebec City, Canada.

Yvon Poirier has spent years advancing the idea that economic life should be organized not only for profit, but for people, communities, and the planet. His work reminds us that another economy is not only possible, but already alive in the practices of social enterprises, cooperatives, nonprofits, and solidarity-based initiatives around the world. His voice has long been one of wisdom, realism, and hope in conversations about sustainability and economic justice.

A friend and respected colleague, Yvon Poirier has devoted his life to advancing the social and solidarity economy in Quebec and around the world, championing community-centered, sustainable, and hopeful alternatives for the future.

For Dr. Tamara Stenn, Yvon is not only a respected colleague, but also a personal friend. Over the years, they have visited one another in Quebec and shared meaningful exchanges around solidarity economy issues, sustainable development, and the urgent need for more humane and purpose-driven approaches to business. These relationships matter. They remind us that the movement for change is built not only through ideas and institutions, but also through friendship, trust, and shared commitment.

Yvon’s review of The Profitable Good beautifully captures the spirit that also animates the Sustainable Lens Game. He writes:

“With the book, The Profitable Good, Dr. Stenn provides excellent knowledge and tools for people who want to engage in social enterprises instead of traditional profit-driven businesses.”

This affirmation is especially meaningful because it comes from someone who has dedicated so much of his life to building and supporting alternatives to extractive economic systems. Yvon does not romanticize the challenges we face. In fact, his review squarely confronts them. He points to the sobering reality that the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals are off track, that climate change continues to deepen, and that the world is moving too slowly in the face of urgent crises.

And yet, despite this realism, Yvon’s message is not despair. It is resolve.

He emphasizes that all businesses, new and old, need to adopt approaches that place sustainable development at the core of their activities. He recognizes that social enterprises, cooperatives, social economy organizations, and nonprofit businesses are central to building a more conscious and purpose-driven economy. Just as importantly, he reminds us that governments must help create an enabling environment, because without fair rules and public leadership, those who engage in greenwashing and social washing too often gain an unfair advantage.

What makes Yvon’s perspective so powerful is that it holds both truth and hope at once. He acknowledges how serious the situation is, but he refuses hopelessness. In one of the most stirring parts of his review, he writes:

“Even if the situation might lead to pessimism, we must reject the idea their situation is hopeless. This is what they want us to believe. On the contrary, there is reason for hope.”

This is exactly the kind of perspective that the Sustainable Lens Game seeks to cultivate. The game invites players to move beyond passive awareness and into engaged, critical, creative thinking. It challenges us to ask better questions: Who benefits? Who is excluded? What are the long-term consequences? What would a more just and regenerative solution look like? In doing so, it helps participants practice the mindset Yvon has championed for decades.

His final message is one that deserves to be carried forward:

“People want and need a better situation for themselves and for their children and grandchildren. This is an unstoppable force!”

That unstoppable force is what we hope players experience in the Sustainable Lens Game: the recognition that change is both necessary and possible, and that each of us has a role in shaping a more sustainable and solidarity-based future.

I am grateful for Yvon Poirier’s lifelong work, for his friendship, and for the clarity and encouragement he offers to all who are working to build enterprises — and societies — that serve the common good.