Green Options

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Every now and again, something really cool crosses my desk, and I think, “Wow, that’s really cool!” Just such an occasion happened this week, when a friend who works in PR sent over some information from The Reuse People of America, or TRP.

Based in Oakland, TRP is a nonprofit organization that works to reduce the amount of useable construction materials that go into landfills. Since its founding in 1993, TRP has salvaged over 200,000 tons of reusable building materials. The resulting resources are sold to the public, or are donated to a variety of worthy causes, including Habitat for Humanity and Goodwill Industries.

Though the materials can come from a variety of sources, over 90% come from TRP’s own demolition services. In demolition projects, TRP acts like any other contractor, except that they sell or donate the resulting “waste”. Homowners who use TRP for demolition get a bonus - tax deductions, based on the value of the materials salvaged. These deductions can be large, in some cases covering the cost of the demolition itself.

Inspiring eco-entreprenuers and would-be B&B owners everywhere, the Venice Beach Eco Cottages are the new cool spot to stay on sizzling Venice Beach. Their tagline says it all: sustainable, environmentally friendly, gezellig - a chill-sounding Dutch word meaning a cozy, relaxing, and warmly enjoyable environment.

These one-time crack houses were renovated by Cynthia Foster and Karel Samson to become 450 square feet of sustainable, solar-powered beach heaven. Each bungalow has been rebuilt using green materials, like reused wood and recycled denim insulation. Inside, each of the three cottages sports organic linens and mattresses, repurposed furniture, and energy efficient appliances.

Last year, I covered a press conference touting GE’s ecomagination initiative, which detailed the progress that the corporate giant had made in its new lines of business. It was exciting to see “green” applied across the board in so many varied areas, including entertainment division Universal Studios. And though the event had a Hollywood feel (even the Governator was there) I would never have expected Bart Simpson to get into the act.

Well, not Bart exactly, but his theme park counterpart, “The Simpsons Ride” at Universal Studios Hollywood and Universal Orlando Resort. The first of its kind, the new rides use  a variety of technological innovations in their design and construction to reduce their environmental impact. Ay, carumba!

AltBuild, the Alternative Building Expo sponsored by the City of Santa Monica, CA, returns for its 5th year on April 25-26, 2008.

Designed to promote green building, alternative energy, and sustainable technologies and practices, the Expo brings together all members of the building and construction community. This includes architects, contractors, designers, government representatives, as well as the interested public. And really, aren’t we all interested these days?

I’m excited to say that there are so many events coming up here in LA to celebrate Earth Day, I can’t come close to listing them all. I’ve picked out a few big ones in different parts of the city - you’re sure to find one near you. For a complete list, check out EarthDay LA.

Kicking things off is Santa Monica’s Earth Day on the Promenade. Santa Monica seems to be at the forefront of environmental issues and Earth Day is no exception - the city always holds its event early. On Saturday, April 12th, you can check out the booths and exhibits while enjoying live performances up and down the Third Street Promenade.

Some environmentalists feel strongly that companies should reduce their impact on the environment because it’s the right thing to do - going green because it benefits the bottom line somehow doesn’t count. Personally (and paraphrasing Oleta Adams) I don’t care how you get there, just get there if you can.

Business events like the AeA soponsored, “How Does Going Green Affect the Bottom Line?” further the cause. Held on March 20th at UCLA, technology companies discussed their successes along the journey to sustainability, and shared lessons learned related to different areas of greening.

A few key takeaways for companies interested in going green:

We’ve all heard about the greening efforts of some pretty big companies, including GE and WalMart. But what’s behind the press releases and green logos? Though some corporate efforts may be greenwashing, many companies, both large and small, are making solid verifiable moves toward sustainability.

A panel held at UCLA this month, dedicated to sustainability in business, put this issue in the spotlight and revealed some useful information for companies looking to reduce their footprints. A few key points:

As the country experiences droughts in the Southwest and Southeast and absorbs the news of Lake Mead’s impending demise and pharmaceuticals in our drinking water, we can’t help but think about our water. Of course, despite our troubles, we are among the world’s most fortunate when it comes to safe, clean drinking water.

To help those in other parts of the world who are not as fortunate, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has developed The Tap Project, which runs this week through World Water Day on Saturday, March 23rd.

The concept is simple, but the results will be powerful: participating restaurants invite patrons to donate $1 for each glass of tap water that they normally receive for free. For every dollar raised, a child will have clean drinking water for 40 days. Since the lack of clean and accessible water is the second largest killer of children under five, this is an important outcome.

As a big proponent of the Triple Bottom Line concept for businesses, one organization floats my boat for a lot of different reasons: BALLE, the Business Alliance for Local Living Economies. Why? Because BALLE sees business as a way to strengthen our communities, as well as our local economies.

Though it can be difficult to understand how BALLE works, I’ll try to nutshell it for you. BALLE, a national organization, is made up of local business networks.  The networks are spread out all over the country, and each is focused on improving the sustainability of its own unique local economy. The businesses that make up each network are locally owned - they work together to share local resources and ideas, and to improve their local economy. BALLE provides resources to these member networks, like conferences and trainings.

UCLA is quickly becoming the go-to spot for quality sustainability events and resources, and this month is no exception. Two events on the docket look to be productive for those interested in sustainable business.

First up on March 12th, the Sustainable Resource Center, in partnership with several UCLA clubs, is hosting a panel discussion dedicated specifically to sustainability consulting. Since this topic encompasses a variety of services, such as high-level strategy, facilities management, and environmental compliance, the panel will represent each of these different perspectives. Specifically, panelists wil discuss the evolution of sustainability consulting, emerging trends, and the possible business opportunities and career paths available.