business
Women Business Owners Lead the Way
How could I resist re-posting an article with this title? I received the below information from Steven Jones-D’Agostino, who is one of the Energy Freedom Fighters and has been a great supporter of D2E. Thanks Steve!
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Women business owners are at the forefront of leading America toward energy conservation and clean energy. In fact, a majority cite moving to clean energy as our most important energy policy goal, according to a similar survey of 455 women business owners also commissioned by WIPP and WCEE.
On both of these measures, women business owners are even more committed to clean energy than the general female population. They strongly believe wind and solar energy should have an important role in addressing our country’s electricity needs. They are also more aware of nuclear energy’s clean-air benefits—that it is not a cause of global warming and releases no air pollution—than women as a whole, and they are more supportive of nuclear energy than the general female population. Other significant findings are:
- 77 percent of female business owners have cut their electricity use at their businesses in the past few years, and 98 percent have done the same at home.
- Nearly 8 in 10 (79 percent) have made their businesses more environmentally friendly.
- 87 percent favor federal tax incentives – including 52 percent who strongly favor them – to encourage companies to become more energy-efficient and use more clean energy.
Survey Methodology
Greenberg Quinlan Rosner, the international public-opinion research and consulting firm, conducted a national telephone survey of 801 women 18 years or older, and a national web survey of 455 women business owners. The surveys were conducted between May 4 and 18, 2009. The margin of error for women 18 years and older is plus or minus 3.5 percent. The survey was commissioned by Women Impacting Public Policy in collaboration with Women’s Council on Energy and the Environment, and was underwritten through an educational grant by Entergy Nuclear.
Resources for Women
Women can learn more about how electricity impacts their world and their planet by downloading a brochure, Women and Clean Power: Electricity Matters, at www.wipp.org.
About WIPP
Women Impacting Public Policy is a non-profit national bipartisan group with more than half-a-million members. WIPP is the collective voice in Washington, DC, for 48 national women and small business organizations. WIPP advocates for and on behalf of women and minorities in business in the legislative processes of our nation, creating economic opportunities and building bridges and alliances to other small business organizations. WIPP’s policy agenda, the Economic Blueprint, the Women Business Owners’ Platform for Growth, is found on the WIPP Web site. Visit www.wipp.org.
About WCEE
The Women’s Council on Energy and the Environment is a non-partisan policy-neutral organization that focuses on women, energy, and the environment. WCEE’s mission is to provide consistently high-quality, non-partisan and policy-neutral forums for dialogue on cutting-edge energy and environmental issues, and to foster the personal and professional growth and leadership abilities of its members. Visit www.wcee.org.
Available to comment on the survey and findings:
- Barbara Kasoff, President, Women Impacting Public Policy (WIPP)
- Sharla B. Artz, President, Women’s Council on Energy and the Environment (WCEE)
For more information or to receive more survey results, please contact:
Kathryn Morris, The Huntington Group, 845-635-9828/914-204-6412, Kathryn.Morris@thehuntgrp.com
Kira Gordon, The Huntington Group 646-243-4920. Kira.Gordon@thehuntgrp.com
A local business and church making a difference
Anton Cleaners are accepting winter jackets. They clean them and then pass them on to someone that needs it.
This morning on the way to work I stopped at my local Anton Cleaners to drop off an old winter jacket. It was in great shape, but just did not fit me right. No matter how much I like to think I am still a small, I really need to wear a medium these days. So it felt great to know that this slightly used jacket was going to be cleaned and then given to someone who needs it. While there I noticed that they have an eco-clean program. So here is an example of a local business that is thinking about the community and the earth.
We at D2E love to hear about our local organizations pitching in to help the greater community. Sustainable living is about everything – not just “going green”. It’s about people and business and how we all affect one another.
I came across another great local effort from one of our local Unitarian Churches. I grew up a UU and I learned a lot about community with our church.
Learn about the growing green economy
Join UU Mass Action and the Boston Green Justice Coalition this Sat to kick off an exciting and innovation campaign to ensure that our region’s growing green economy will create quality jobs, healthier communities and energy savings for low-income residents.
Saturday, December 6th @ 10:00am
Twelfth Baptist Church Roxbury (150 -160 Warren St.)
Green Jobs are a major component of the UU commitment to address the effects of Global Warming. Please support this coalition in their efforts to realize this goal in Boston. The Green Justice Coalition is a partnership of community groups, labor unions, environmental organizations and other allied organizations who are building a broad-based effort in support of a sustainable, equitable and clean energy economy in the Boston region.
For more information, please visit our website: uumassaction.org
Appliances: Energy Saving and Earth Saving
- Washer/Dryer combo for urban living.
Last week I traveled to NYC to attend the LIVE World Summit – Leadership, Innovation & Vision for the Earth. This was a great gathering of people that want to learn more about how they can make the world a better place. Topics covered everything from health issues, to the ocean, to branding and finance.
My friend Evan generously let me crash at his apartment – so of course I had to take a photo of his super cool and energy efficient washer/dryer combo. Also note the bamboo wood used for the cabinetry in his bathroom. What a cool guy! I never thought I would be inspired by a bachelor pad, but between the countertops made from recycled materials and the bamboo floors, this was one cool place to hang out. Remember the coffin in St. Elmo’s Fire? I think an eco-friendly bachelor pad is the chick magnet of now.
Anyway, back to the conference. One of the topics that was new to me was about refrigeration units. A woman from Greenpeace talked about how detrimental refrigerators are to the environment. And after reading more about it, I can’t believe I was not already aware of this. Considering how much I read up on these topics, it just goes to show you that there is always something to learn.
GreenFreeze is Greenpeace’s campaign to transform the refrigeration and cooling industries by eliminating the use of F-gases, the chemicals used to cool refrigerators, homes, cars, and food in stores and vending machines. F-gases are responsible for 17% of the world’s global warming pollution. CFCs such as Freon, which you’ve probably heard of, have been banned. However, the HFCs that were presented as the “environmental alternative” to CFCs by chemical companies have had a similarly grave impact on the environment — which is why we need to eliminate them now.
And though it was upsetting to learn how long it took for the US to accept the new technology, it was heart warming to hear that Ben & Jerry’s, a D2E exhibitor, played an integral role in getting this technology to the US. Apparently, common sense does not always prevail in Washington. Lobbyists for the big manufacturers held up the process, so caring and responsible business owners like Ben & Jerry, and community organizers like Greenpeace had to rally together to make it happen. See a more detailed report from Treehugger (9/30/08):
Greenpeace researchers in Germany first developed the precursor to the climate-friendly freezer in the early 1990s when it became clear that HFCs, which the chemical industry had marketed as a safe alternative to ozone depleting clouroflourocarbons (CFCs), were accelerating global warming.
The technology showed, contrary to industry claims, it was possible to use effective refrigerants that protected the ozone layer and the climate. In fact, the cooling units turned out to be more efficient than those using HFCs.
Greenpeace made the technology available to industry free of charge, and it is now used by leading manufacturers such as Haier, Whirlpool, LG, Bosch, Panasonic and Samsung and can be found in over 300 million refrigerators worldwide.
However, the HFC-free refrigerators weren’t allowed in the United States until this year when the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency allowed Ben & Jerry’s to run a test trial of 2,000 Greenfreeze-equipped freezer units at shops across the country.
I never thought I would feel warm and fuzzy inside while eating ice cream, but this Ben & Jerry’s sure tastes good!
When old is new again
One person’s trash is another person’s treasure. Sometimes it is a clever designer finding a new use for an old thing – other times it is curb-side shopping, and other times it is passing on your old stuff to organizations that can redistribute it. It’s all good.
One of the great things about this blog is that it keeps us actively looking for sustainable businesses, products, organizations, events and news around town. We learn something new each day at D2E and we love sharing it.
Since finding new owners for old goods is clearly sustainable, today we wanted to feature More Than Words. This is a student-run organization that sells donated books. It’s simple: you have some old books that are cluttering your home, they can sell them to raise money. High school students learning how to run a business.
Beauty in simplicity.
Staycations are hot this summer
Above: Boston at sunset. Taken from a friend’s roof deck. It’s always fun to crash friends’ houses in different areas of town – just be good and bring a host gift.
When I started my own business my budget was tight, so there was no chance of a big vacation in a far-away exotic place. When I took time off I would venture into Boston or take the bus to NYC for an urban day off, and travel up to VT and NH for hiking and fresh air. I have recently learned that the high price of gas (and therefore air travel) has affected tourism in the US. Staycations, vacations close to home, are in.
After googling staycations I was surprised to see how much chatter is happening about this subject. It really is hot this summer, so there are many resources and opinions out there. The article in the Globe today by Nicole Wong instigated this blog entry and below are some of D2E’s favorite local attractions.
D2E list of Boston area stuff-to-do
- Walk Boston
Check out this website to find events that involve walking and Boston. The group has a higher mission to make Boston more walkable, and while doing this they offer some fun Boston walks. It is well worth checking out.
- Boston Public Library
Julie visited the library last night and saw two great exhibits. One on WWI posters and the other was called Movingline. According to Julie it is well worth the visit. The library offers something for everyone, at every age, so definitely check out their website. You will be pleasantly surprised.
- The New England Aquarium
What would a tourist day in Boston be like without a stop at the aquarium? My husband and I like to go on late night urban bike rides and we always stop at the aquarium to say hello to the seals. They are definitely distant relatives of Lucy, our labrador.
- Lobstah!
A few weeks ago my husband and I decided to explore the north shore after work. We had never been to Gloucester and wanted to check it out. While driving around we discovered The Lobster Pool in Rockport and loved having our steamers outside while the sun was setting. If you want to stay in metro Boston, there are plenty of options.
- Urban Bike Rides
Get out your bike, your helmet and tour the city. Check out Boston Bikes to see what the city has going on. And Urban Adventours will take you on a guided tour with other bicyclists. If you do not have a bike, you can rent one from Urban Adventours – so no excuses!
For a more comprehensive list, visit the City of Boston’s website. It is amazing how much this city has to offer.
No appletini, thanks, but pass the organic wine!
I met people from all over the city doing great things; from the Charles River Conservancy to EarthWatch to our neighbor, the Lenox, to young students looking to meet professionals already in the sustainable business sector. Since our whole mission at D2E is to promote businesses that are abiding by the triple bottom line* while educating consumers about how to live sustainably in our urban/suburban environment, this was a great place to talk to people about interesting programming options. We always want to hear about the challenges and victories of individuals living in greater Boston. How do you commute? What recycling challenges are you facing? What is the best way for an apartment dweller to compost? We want to know. Send your ideas to info@d2eboston.com.
* Triple bottom line: Financial, social, and environmental effects of a firm’s policies and actions that determine its viability as a sustainable organization.
Some green drinks from our exhibitors:
French Rabbit is changing the way wine is made and packaged.
Tetra-Prisma containers are state-of-the-art packaging that will revolutionize the wine industry. 100% recyclable, Tetra-Prisma containers reduce packaging by 90% in comparison to typical glass wine bottles. They may not look as romantic, but they work great for Shakespeare on the Common.
Kunde Wine Estates are looking at every aspect of their business.
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For example, cover crops are employed to reduce energy usage, water conservation, control erosion, increase soil fertility, and create habitats for beneficial insects. Vegetation management and the placement of nesting boxes for owls and other raptors throughout the vineyards support a natural, pest free environment. These approaches to winegrowing create a naturally healthy environment which results in well-balanced vines and wines.
So if you like a glass of wine with your meal, consider your sustainable options!
There’s good big business, and then not-so-good
Timberland
Yesterday I attended an Ad Club event that highlighted Timberland’s 2007 Earth Keeper campaign. This was a great example of a big company making a big difference. I had seen their billboards and posters all over town last year, but I did not know about what they did on the back end. Below is a short list to give you an idea of how a media company (Mullen – Media Hub) and a big retail company can put their heads together and come up with some great sustainable marketing ideas.
- All billboards were re-purposed and made into reusable tote bags, sold at Timberland stores. (They raffled two off, but I wasn’t so lucky.)
- The energy used to run their TV ads was offset, meaning that the money was invested into renewable energy.
- The Earth Keeper shoe was made with recycled materials (old tires and plastic bottles).
- Recycled materials and soy based inks were used in the packaging. (They put these requirements in their RFP’s when looking for vendors.)
It was refreshing to hear a big business talk about the environmental impact and the social impact that their company makes. Timberland was completely honest and upfront with the audience, making no claims to be perfect. They are doing their best to treat the world, the way they would want to be treated.
Dunkin Donuts
On the not-so-warm-and-fuzzy note – our office is in the same building as a Dunkin Donuts store. The store is currently being remodeled, so there is a lot of construction going on outside. Yesterday as I was walking to work, I saw that the crew was disassembling the signs. So I asked if they would be recycling them or just throwing them out. The answer was that they would be trashed. So, since I am a quirky graphic designer and I collect old signs, I offered to take them. I wanted to put the big “715″ sign on our office wall, since we are located at 715 Boylston Street and I love this sort of re-purposed/found art. How cool would that be? To have a big 715 sign on our wall? Pretty cool. And I figured I could take the old Dunkin Donuts sign and add it to my personal collection. I assured them that I would not have these signs in public, that they were for our office and my private collection. (I’m not yet able to begin an art collection, so I focus on old signs.)
Alas, I heard through the construction super that they feared there would be a liability issue. Does this seem like a knee jerk fear reaction from corporate America? The owner did not even call me to have a conversation. I think that is what bothered me the most. I had given my card to the construction crew supervisor and he passed it on to the owner with my request. I did not even get a courtesy call to say “Thanks for taking an interest in our brand, but…” And to boot – we have given them a key to our office so that they can access our utility closet during construction. We went out of our way to help them.
I should note that the construction crew and the store manager have been exceptionally nice throughout this whole process. I have not met or spoken with the owner, so I can’t speak for him/her.
As a designer, I can understand if this is a branding issue. They may fear that I would hang the sign on a public street or in an adult book store. But if the owner had called me it would have accomplished much more for the brand. I would have felt like a person, not just a number that adds to their bottom line. And there would have been a slight chance that we could have found a better home than the land fill for these signs. Perhaps this franchise owner could have put me in touch with corporate to see if there was a better solution.
Chocolate or Vanilla?
When planning D2E we have to make decisions about what exhibitors we want to participate, what kind of sponsors we are looking for and of course the educational programming. Every decision we make will reflect upon us and send a message to the public. We can rationalize that a Hummer is green when it runs on vegetable oil. But is that the message we want to send to our kids?
Based on all that I have learned in my exploration to live a more sustainable life, I have come to realize that we need to re-think our American dream. This is not an easy task and I do not have the answer. But I am working to change my own habits, one at a time, and I am re-thinking my personal and professional goals.
Based on the previous blog entry, a friend contacted the Sierra Club to inquire about their criteria for endorsing products. Below is the response.
Thank you for contacting the Sierra Club.
We received a couple of emails about this and I got this reply from Carl Pope:
“The comments are accurate. My personal view is that no one needs an SUV — if you need 4wd a Subaru will do, and if you are a serious rancher or plumber you need a pick-up. A mini-van will handle the soccer team more safely.
But there are no equivalent sized vehicles that get as good gas mileage, no hybrid subaru wagon or mini-van, so I think it was the best new car of this year.”
Your support of the Sierra Club is greatly appreciated. Please let us know if you have any additional questions or concerns.
“Explore, Enjoy and Protect the Planet.”
Best Regards,
David Perry
Sierra Club Information
I wonder if The Sierra Club realizes the power of their endorsement. They are telling people that this is a great vehicle to purchase and you can feel good about it. I think, and I hope, that there is someone out there that really needs this huge SUV. My husband drives a big truck, but he is in construction and he uses it to haul loads every week. So I understand the need for trucks. But I don’t understand promoting it as a green option to the general public. I wonder if the Sierra Club is going to taint it’s brand with these types of endorsements.
The Tahoe may be the best in it’s class, but should we be promoting this class for the environment? Is this like promoting open toe high heels at a rodeo?
Greenwashing Galore
Considering how much hype the whole green movement has received it is hard to decipher between what is really making strides to improve our life and what is just marketing. So we were pleased to see Beth Daley’s story in today’s Globe. See excerpt below.
“Just how green should you feel driving the new Chevy Tahoe hybrid sport utility vehicle?
The eight-passenger vehicle is plastered with “hybrid” labels. An automobile magazine panel that included the executive director of The Sierra Club named it the “Green Car of the Year.”
But the Tahoe gets only about 20 miles per gallon – not much better than the nonhybrid Honda Pilot SUV, which also seats eight. The celebrated Toyota Prius gets around 46 miles per gallon.
“How a 6,000-pound behemoth can be the green car of the year is beyond me,” said David Champion, director of Consumer Reports Auto Test Division. “It’s a marketing exercise rather than reality.”"
Unfortunately this brings up another question to be answered. How is the Sierra Club determining which products to endorse and should we trust them? The Sierra Club has a great reputation, as far as I know, but now I wonder. Perhaps I am looking at this from the wrong angle. Some people really need powerful vehicles to climb over mountain passes in snowy conditions and haul heavy loads. So perhaps this is a great alternative for that person. This sounds like a job for our research intern. More info to come later.
In the meantime, we will continue navigating this great gray space working to set the bar high and promote the companies that are helping us move to a more sustainable future.
Business as an agent of change
For the past year we at D2E have been researching companies and organizations that we feel add value to the consumer’s life, and make sense for our environment and society. Betty and I felt strongly that all businesses should be considering these factors – the end user (value of the product or service), the environment, society and of course profit. I should say profit with a capital P, because it is such and important factor. Profit can mean the money gained so that one can send her kids to college. Profit can be the money gained so that the Non-profit can help more people or animals. If nobody profits, where are we?
I am not an economist or an academic. I am a mere small business owner that has earned my MBA in the trenches. But I have learned the value of business. Business can be an agent of change. We business owners can help society progress in a positive way. We create jobs and we help stimulate the economy. Take Lush as an example (shameless plug – but their stuff is so great). This company offers great bath products to the consumer. Why are they great? 1. They are fun, so they deliver joy to the one using it. 2. They smell good. 3. They will clean your body. 4. They do not conduct any animal testing. 5. They do not contain any toxins. They are made with fresh organic fruit & veggies. 6. No sweat shops. 7. They minimized packaging… This company considered many factors when they were developing their products. They did not ignore the fact that in the end, the product has to work. It has to deliver value to the end user. If a product is merely environmentally friendly it will not live long.
And we can’t ignore corporate responsibility. I attended the Boston Business Journal Philanthropy Summit this year and their panel sponsored by State Street on how businesses can help end youth violence in Boston (Urban Violence is a Business Problem). Our society has some serious issues to deal with – and it takes a village to raise a child. Or, perhaps, it takes a conscience corporate community to raise a city.
As for D2E – we decided early on that we wanted to make a difference. How can we use our skills to create something that is useful for the end-user and good for the planet and community? Well, we made a few decisions early on.
1. We created a Board of Advisors that could help us do the right thing. They know a lot more than we do about the environment, so we knew we would need their help in order to avoid green washing.
2. Inspired by Van Jones, we decided that we had to have en event for the youth of Boston. We need to reach out to the kids and let them know why these issues are important and show them the opportunities that are here for the taking. So on Sunday, March 30 at noon we will host a YOUTH FORUM. We will have a panel of professionals from different sectors of the sustainable economy talk about how they got to where they are, and why it is important to pursue a career in this emerging sustainable economy. Why should we care?
3. We decided to focus on design and innovation. Our hope is that in the future one will not gain any marketing points with the green label. So we want D2E to showcase good design and innovation that just happens to consider the planet. On Saturday we will host a symposium on SUSTAINABLE DESIGN. The panelists are a diverse group and they will talk about how design, science and policy all come into play and can help create a more sustainable future.
We at D2E want this event to be beneficial to the consumer. We want to help consumers find products and services that enable them to live their day-to-day lives with style and comfort, while shrinking their footprint. We want to inform and entertain.
So that is my thought for the day, and I hope that you all attend our show and feel we have added value to your life.
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