Green Options

Please forgive me for this shameless plug for a project that I am involved in called the Summit of Awesome. I had to share because well, it is awesome and more importantly there are some really great green crafting workshops and learning sessions that will be held during the Summit.

First up - our own Becky Striepe will be speaking on a panel called Crafting a Green Craft. She will share the stage with the co-founders of Cosa Verde and the owners of Urban Fauna Studio. These amazing crafters will be talking about the ins and outs of green crafting - something that you see right here on Crafting a Green World.

The business case for reducing corporations’ water footprints was explored at last week’s Corporate Water Footprinting conference held in San Francisco.

“Water is the new carbon,” said Gil Friend, President and CEO of Natural Logic, during his moderation of a session on “The Outlook for Water Supply Shortages.”

The conference, held December 2 and 3 and organized by Green Power Conferences, engaged corporations to discuss how to become more proactively involved in the water management of their facilities. Companies such as The Coca-Cola Company, PepsiCo International, Nestle Waters, MillerCoors, and Cadbury were represented. Professors, water experts and consultants from a variety of firms, including Business for Social Responsibility and Natural Logic, also participated in panels.

The carbon footprint of international conferences held in Cape Town is almost entirely a function of travel. Erecting the greenest building in South Africa will probably have greater public relations value than environmental impact, if the air travel component is not addressed.

The New Conference Centre

Following a feasibility study the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC) has decided to invest 130 million US$ in the extension of its facilities. The planned expansion will include 9,500 m² of exhibition and a total of 30,000 m².

In announcing the plans it was stated that the building would be South Africa’s greenest building! Rashid Toefy, the CEO of CTICC’s holding company said “In the context of climate change, sustainable business development and being in a competitive industry, CTICC’s focus must be on minimising its carbon footprint and the environmental impact of any planned expansion.”

51 countries have signed an agreement to form an international agency to support renewable energy development.

If it seems like the world is rallying around renewable energy, that’s because it is. And why not? With huge recent fluctuations in oil prices, the economy on its knees, and climate change at our doorstep, windmills and solar panels have become iconic symbols of energy independence, a new green-collar job sector, and a response to climate change. Now, an international agency is emerging to lead the charge on a global scale.

The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) will integrate regional clean energy progress into a coordinated, global effort. It will provide political recommendations and identify funding for renewable technologies. Moreover, IRENA will seek to even the playing field for countries that have had difficulty affording investment in renewable energy. To this end, the agency will fund its budget with contributions by member-countries on a sliding scale with unindustrialized countries paying less.

In less than three weeks, Sacramento plays host to the world’s largest conference on one of the most important societal issues of our time - Peak Oil. In late September, the Association for the Study of Peak Oil and Gas - USA (ASPO-USA) is convening its 2008 Peak Oil Conference at the Hyatt Regency in Sacramento, California. The conference title - The Peak Oil Energy Challenge - The Future Starts Now! - says it all; it’s time for us to take control of our energy future and start dealing with our oil and energy predicaments.

I imagine ASPO-USA chose Sacramento since California is leading the nation in laws for renewable energy and combating global warming, thereby providing a model for other states. Perhaps if Peak Oil mitigation can get some traction in the California, it can also speed up action on the federal level which tends to be slower than molasses.

Guest Contributing Writer Philip Proefrock is more frequently found writing about green building and design issues at our sister blog Green Building Elements. His wife, Stacia Proefrock is a homebirth midwife, doula, and fertility consultant and is a member of the Michigan Midwives Association organizing committee for the MANA conference.

The Midwives Alliance of North America (MANA) annual conference will be held in Traverse City, Michigan later this October. MANA is a professional organization for midwives throughout North America. “MANA’s goal is to unify and strengthen the profession of midwifery, thereby improving the quality of health care for women, babies, and communities.”

You can help support the work of midwives.  MANA is working to push legislation in a number of states where the practice of midwifery and homebirth is not fully legal.  While some states have laws that support and encourage the practice of midwifery, many other states are less supportive.  MANA is also advocating for insurance companies to allow homebirth options as a safe, less-expensive and less resource consuming alternative to standard hospital births.

No, Al Gore is not running for president this year, but the Nobel Laureate, Oscar winner and former Vice President still keeps popping up during this campaign season. Late last week, the folks at West Coast Green announced that Gore will give a keynote address at their 2008 event, joining other eco-celebs such as Sarah Susanka, David Suzuki and Hunter Lovins.

So what’s West Coast Green?  Well, when we covered it last year, the event was billed as a “residential building conference and expo.” This year, however, the program will expand to cover the wide range of issues and ideas surrounding green building and development, and the event’s being described as “…a feast of innovations and ideas — an educational smorgasbord designed to widen your vision and stimulate your mind with the latest best practices in green building.” Homebuilders, homeowners, policy wonks and ecopreneurs will all find plenty to keep them engaged.

Blue Planet Run Foundation taps into the deeper running issues African women face when they lack access to water. The first ever African Women and Water Conference was recently held at the Greenbelt Center (home of Nobel Laureate, Wangari Maathai’s, Greenbelt Movement to plant trees). Annette Faye, a representative of BPRF’s Peer Water Exchange reports her findings:

Why would women need to gather to discuss the topic of water?

• Pastoral women wake up at pre-dawn hours to walk great distances in order to collect water and relieve themselves. By midday they must walk out into the desert at a greater distance to avoid being seen, often returning ashamed and sometimes soiled.
• Water privatization makes water inaccessible to most because it raises prices. Male water vendors dominate the communal water points, so women have to wait in long lines. Women get beaten if it takes too long to return home, accused by the husbands that they are cheating on them.
• Desperate women exchange sex for water to avoid the line.

Every single women agreed, and took for granted, that water is their responsibility and that it’s a problem.

The AWWC, held in Kenya, was comprised of 30 women from all over Africa. These women were eager to learn and share with their communities. The five-day schedule was packed, going well into the evening. Between activities women broke into song and dance. They learned how to implement new technologies, write business plans, test water’s safety, and use the Peer Water Exchange collaborative model. The women were excited to join a global network and liked that the PWX application is standardized.

With the country seemingly abuzz with the word “green”, you know that industry cannot be far behind. Of course, consumer packaged goods companies are churning out green versions of their products, but what about the rest of the world’s companies? For them, does it pay to go green?

That’s the question that UCLA Extension looked to answer for about 150 attendees at their “The Business of Green: What’s the Payoff?” conference in Long [...]

Fast money and fast movers. These are the phrases that come to mind when entrepreneurs talk about venture capital as a potential source of funding. But what if the flow of funds slowed down…way down?

The Next Generation of Sustainable Capital

The Investors’ Circle spring conference attempted to answer that question during a lively breakout session entitled “Slow Money: New Strategies for Investing in Local Food Systems.” Attended by reps from next generation investors such as SJF Ventures, Transformative Capital, and Renewal Partners, the conference blended a business pitch competition, philosophical discussions, an entrepreneur showcase, and community education in an effort to jump start the transition to a sustainable economy. Ecopreneurist writers were out in full force at the conference, with Leah Edwards blogging the “Is Organic the Next Clean Tech?” breakout session and joining in the networking events.

Slow Money: New Strategies for Investing in Local Food Systems

As part of the larger Slow Movement sweeping the cultures of food, travel, cities, and schools, Slow Money proponents seek investments and returns at the pace of sustainable business development. Slow Money panelist Greg Steltenpohl, former CEO of Odwalla and self-confessed “fast money sinner testifying before you,” advocated for the creation of new metaphors for economic growth. In the Slow Money movement, organic phrases replace academic terminology and new financial vehicles arise to form the “compost of the slow money economy.” Investors’ Circle chairman Woody Tasch expressed this transition as a study in contrasts between old and new ways of thinking:

Wal-Mart CEO Lee Scott attended the ECO:nomics conference in California this week. Wal-Mart has been heralded as a forerunner of corporate environmentalism: in 2005, the company announced big plans to “green up” its act. But when Scott was asked when Wal-Mart expects to achieve the environmental goals it set forth in 2005, Scott answered bluntly: “I have no idea when that will be.”

It’s the first time anyone from Wal-Mart has admitted so candidly that the company [...]