We can argue forever about whether business is in any way responsible for these crises. The point is that, as the dominant power in the world, the business community will have to be a major part of the solutions.

For many business leaders, that fact can be energizing. They know that they’re in command of organizations that could be powerful forces for change. But there’s a problem: Corporate law in the United States compels any publicly-traded corporation to put the financial interests of shareholders above all other interests. As a result, much of the creative talent housed in many businesses is focused on maximizing shareholder value in the near term, even at great risk, and even when the means of achieving it might not be in the long-term interests of anyone—including shareholders.

As a result, business isn’t able to make the investments that could benefit communities, the environment and ultimately shareholders. If this notion is even partly correct, then our most powerful institutions will be unable to do enough to solve the social and environmental crises confronting us.

Earlier this spring, Vermont opened up a new path for businesses hoping to make a difference. Through an initiative called the Vermont Benefit Corp., the state now provides for a different class of organization—one that exists not simply “for profit” but “for benefit” and, therefore, expands the definition of fiduciary responsibility to encompass the interests of all corporate stakeholders, including employees, the local economy and the environment. Are the directors of a “benefit corporation” still obliged to act in the best interests of the company’s owners? Absolutely. But they have legal protections to make investments with an eye to the long term, aiming for sustainable returns, not fast paybacks for shareholders.

Business may or may not be the root of our problems, but the solutions will come more quickly and be more durable if we can find a way to involve businesses in them.

Will Patten, formerly the director of retail operations at Ben & Jerry’s, is the executive director of Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility, a statewide not-for-profit organization promoting triple bottom-line business practices.