2007 Conference Highlights

A record number of business leaders attended the 5th annual Co-op America Green Business Conference. Attendees raved about the networking opportunities, welcoming atmosphere, and inspiring speakers

Marcee Yager a first-timer remarked, “I was VERY impressed with the many ways that we were encouraged to network and develop a sense of community…the speakers were inspirational and the food great.”

The conference kicked off with Co-op America Green Business Network™ Director Denise Hamler inviting attendees to use their unique position as green business leaders to help direct the future of responsible business in America. She emphasized the overwhelming attention green issues are getting in mainstream media, and she highlighted the critical role Green Business Network members will play in the year to come. She concluded with a rousing call to action: “There’s no time to waste!”

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Denise Hamler of Co-op America's Green Business Network™

Laurie Demeritt of The Hartman Group presented their recent research, The Hartman Report on Sustainability: Understanding the Consumer Perspective, which documents current green consumer trends. The findings illustrate the strong desire of consumers to shop responsibly, with varying understandings of what that means. Her suggestions for green businesses include focusing on one target group of consumers, discovering and employing the language of these customers, and creating narratives to connect consumers to their products.

Laurie Demerritt's presentation (PDF, 1.9 MB)»

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Laurie Demerritt of the Hartman Group

Co-op America Executive Director Alisa Gravitz, an expert on climate change, provided specific examples of how green businesses are part of the climate solution. She outlined a twelve step plan crafted by Co-op America to cut emissions, steps of which included driving hybrids, phasing out coal, increased reliance on wind and solar power and a larger use of biofuels. She encouraged all in attendance to begin by signing up with The Carbon Concierge to offset their carbon impact.
Alisa Gravitz's presentation (PDF, 1.8 MB) »

In a case study, Lori Duvall of Sun Microsystems explained their company’s path to sustainability and going green. She insisted on the importance of involving management and spoke of the small steps a company can take to limit their carbon footprint—from allowing employees to telecommute, to using energy efficient light bulbs. She encouraged all companies to compare and share their energy efficiency practices with others on openeco.org, an online community dedicated to energy efficiency.
Lori Duvall's presentation (PDF, 86 KB) »

Organic Valley Family of Farms' Project Coordinator Erin Ford reported on the sustainability practices at Organic Valley and with the family farms they work with. From a group of seven farmers in 1988, Organic Valley has grown to over 1,280 farmers nationwide. It has doubled the size of its office, yet manages to use a mere 25% of the energy. OV uses bio-diesel in their fleets, performs routine ecological audits, established the Farm Renewable Energy and Construction Program and does bio-mass collection.

Erin Ford's presentation (PDF, 636 KB) »

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Erin Ford of Organic Valley

A special feature of the conference was The Carbon Concierge, a project of the Bainbridge Graduate Institute and Social Venture Network created to help businesses reduce their carbon footprint. Directors Mickey Lee and Lorinda Rowledge were at the conference to help attendees make the pledge to go carbon neutral. They were available throughout the conference and we achieved an impressive 56% participation. A follow-up process will ensure that all businesses are successful.

Lorinda Rowledge, PhD’s presentation (PDF, 505 KB) »

Mickey Lee's presentation (PDF, 1.4 MB) »

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Lorinda Rowledge of The Carbon Concierge helps an attendee calculate her carbon footprint.

Growing your Business with eBay was introduced by Priya Haji, Robert Chatwani and Ella Silverman. Project Good, a joint venture of eBay and World of Good, will bring fair trade and eco-friendly products to a wider marketplace in 2008.

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Priya Haji of World of Good and eBay's Project Good

We introduced Bridges to Action and SpeedPlanning to help conference attendees follow through on their conference inspirations when they return home. Developed by Rob Lederer and Sarah Hill of Management Resources, the session laid out techniques/strategies to help each attendee identify their unique challenges and guided them in creating manageable “action steps.” They also offered one-on-one consulting time with business leaders to aid them in implementing their ideas.

Financing and Funding Green Business Growth

Mark Finser, Board Chairman of RSF Social Finance, conveyed the importance of knowing where your funding is coming from and what motivates the investment. He was joined by New Resource Bank founder Peter Liu. New Resource specializes in growing green businesses and connecting these businesses with solid investors including angel, social venture/PRI, venture capital, debt and strategic investors.

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Peter Liu of New Resource Bank

Christopher Horner, of solar company Solio, shared his experience seeking investors and encouraged other business leaders to thoroughly understand investors’ expectations, get advice from experienced business people, and acquire legal expertise to review all agreements.

Elliott Hoffman of New Voices for Business joined us to talk about the implementation of the California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006, the first and only mandatory cap on GHGs in the US, and inspired others to get involved in similar movements in their home states.

Attendees enjoyed an optimistic look at the future of green business presented by publisher and editorial director of Ogden Publications, Bryan Welch. Welch gave a moving talk on the need to remain authentic as “green” is increasingly appropriated and misused. He spoke of the spiritual motivation that leads people to work in sustainability and promoted a movement of inclusiveness where economic and political divides are transcended by the call to environmental consciousness.

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Bryan Welch of Ogden Publications

“Think like a man of action, act like a man of action.” James Kenefick challenged company leaders to make plans and stick to them. He also brought attention to the people who you surround yourself with: “Just as great students have great teachers, great companies have great boards of directors.” Business boards must value accountability over popularity and results over status: they should help business owners focus and create the company they desire.

James Kenefick's presentation, part 1 (PDF, 486 KB)»

James Kenefick's presentation, part 2 (PDF, 617 KB)»

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James Kenefick

As founder of several businesses, Joe Sibilia shared valuable exercises used by business owners that facilitate in securing financial resources. Through stories and the participation of attendees, he demonstrated the benefits of each business owner describing his/her business in one sentence, defining the opportunities the business serves, and highlighting the experience the management team brings. “Potential funders want to know that a business can cover basic costs through launch and that the business team has developed a realistic financial plan that demonstrates the social and environmental impact of the company.”

To advance your vision of a socially just world, Eric Friedenwald-Fishman emphasized the necessity of effective marketing. Drawing examples from his book Marketing that Matters, written with Chip Conley, he stressed the importance of being aggressively ‘customer centered’ by dedicating yourself to understanding the ins and outs of your clientele, and working intensely to bring the best possible product to market.
Eric Friedenwald-Fishman's presentation (PDF, 822 KB) »

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Eric Friedenwald-Fishman

Green living expert Sara Snow shared her journey of growing up as a child of the environmentalist founders of Eden Foods to hosting her own cable show, "Get Fresh with Sara," on The Discovery Channel. She discussed her passion for green living, and methods to make “green more digestible” to the general public. By creating simple, concise and articulate steps to follow, she hopes to get more people involved in creating a sustainable society.

Sara Snow's presentation (PDF, 128 KB) »

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Sara Snow

Coaching us to success, veteran business owners Janet DiGiovanna and Danny Rubenstein, reminded us that “Entrepreneurs take a problem and make a solution.” They delivered the message: a new outlook can save a company. Attendees were asked to reflect on why they were called to be a socially conscious business leader, to identify what set them and their product apart, and to realistically assess what it will take to achieve their goals.

Hilary Abell and Deb Goldberg of WAGES (Women’s Action to Gain Economic Security) and four members of Natural Home Cleaning, a 26-member cooperative offering eco-friendly house cleaning, joined us in discussing the role of green business in creating a more socially just world. The worker co-op uses eco-friendly products and provides high quality and healthy jobs to low income and minority wage earners in San Francisco. The successful business model is ready to scale up and inspires others to create stable, healthy, and living-wage jobs.

WAGES' presentation (PDF, 549 KB) »

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WAGES Cooperative members

Simran Sethi, host of Sundance Channel's "The Green," and newly named Environmental Reporter for CNBC urged attendees to help the media tell these complicated business stories. "How the media frames a story matters. You can help reporters ask better questions in ways that promote sustainability and create restorative models." It's the challenge of both media and green business to support and help each other in "making relevant and accessible" those without voices.

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Simran Sethi

The 2007 Green Business Leadership Award was given to Organic Valley Family of Farms. Erin Ford received the award from last year’s winner Jeff Mendelsohn, the founder of New Leaf Paper.