While it ranked an honor to receive the distinguished alum award, the five-minute speech proffering advice for the 2009 graduating class proved to be a unique challenge for me, requiring me to think about and process the “Lisa Kivirist” from 1985 when I graduated, when the only “green” I knew was the one in the padded paychecks I aspired to earn, to the green rolling hills of our Wisconsin farm and B&B today, Inn Serendipity and helping others launch green businesses through my book, ECOpreneuring.

Detours with a dose of serendipity quickly arose as the theme song for my last twenty years, a refrain that I wanted to leave with the graduating class.  Life may take unexpected turns, but remember, as I learned, to keep connected to the core values, your earth mission, figuring out ways to craft a life and livelihood based on your passions.

Here are some excerpts from my speech:

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The Fourth Annual Sustainable Industries Economic Forum will feature ecopreneur Ray Anderson, founder and Chairman of Interface, a company specializing in sustainable carpets and other industrial products.  The event will showcase a panel discussion with rock stars of the green business world, representing a broad swath of green industries.  The timely discussion for this year’s event will focus on the current economic realities of the green business sphere.

Other speakers and panelists including Anup Jacob, founding partner of Virgin Green Fund, a consulting and venture capital firm affiliated with Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Group, Laura Rodormer, Division Manager of Green Construction for

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Figure out what you love to do. Then just do it — under a green umbrella. By focusing on the process, rather than the product, Peter Nicholson serves as ecopreneuring inspiration, founding the premiere non-profit organization serving sustainable education in Chicago, Foresight Design Initiative, based around his passion for design.  Nicholson is among the Ecopreneur Profiles featured in our ECOpreneuring book.

“For me, design is manipulating variables for a desired outcome, which in this case is improving our urban quality of life without sacrificing the needs of future generations,” explains Peter. “The variables could be anything from words to graphics to economic influences. I’m fascinated with how we could use design to empower people, to improve human conditions holistically, and often dismayed by the abundant examples of how poor design hinders us.” Today, Peter serves as Executive and Creative Director of Foresight Design Initiative, providing him a palette for sustainable design expression.  Like many sustainable enterprises, they have plans to operate from a showplace green office building not unlike the Matson and Associates Eco-Building in State College, Pennsylvania.

Peter’s career roots back to a foundation in music, essaying initially to be a concert cellist. “When I realized I didn’t have the talent for professional music, I parlayed my music background into arts administration,” explains Peter. Blending music and entrepreneurship, his first venture included launching a classical orchestra in New York City. “I felt classical music was staid and stuck in the 19th century, losing a whole new potential audience. With this new group, we aimed to blow the lid off same old same old and designed fresh, hip graphics and style for every element.”

Enticed by design, Peter enrolled in a design graduate program but left after a year, realizing he had garnered the tools he needed, and took his education into his own hands. A residency in Europe led him to the o2 Challenge in the Netherlands in 1998, a life-changing, dynamic, hands-on working conference on sustainable design that planted the seeds for Foresight Design Initiative. “I realized that sustainability would not evolve without a broader application of design and found, in the challenge of this pursuit, barriers that were both worthwhile and fulfilling to engage,” explains Peter. “Sustainable design, however, was an emerging field; I knew I needed to create the conditions to practice this vocation.”

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For those that choose the second option, there are several interesting paths to follow, and many places to find ideas to inspire which one you choose. Springwise is my favorite, with thousands of trend spotters around the world, writing brief, engaging pieces on companies expanding what’s possible. For quick scanning, they’re categorized by type, as in Eco & Sustainability, Style & Design, Non-profit & Social Cause, and Life Hacks.

This piece on Scout Books, sustainably made custom designed journals created for what Springwise calls “minipreneurs” is one example. Though this article was focused on how Pinball Publishing enables ecologically minded artists and innovative swag seekers to create high quality journals to their specifications in a relatively small run, suitable for selling on Etsy stores and the like, it was when I looked further at Pinball itself that I saw a dynamic business model well suited for these times.

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The same holds true for T. S. Designs, the nation’s largest maker of the most sustainably printed T-shirts.  It’s a company that revolutionized the very process of manufacturing.  Isn’t this the kind of innovation and creativity President Obama is calling for?

Ironically, T.S. Design’s transformation was brought about by the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), championed by the US government under the Clinton Administration, that nearly destroyed their business when their customers shifted to off-shore sources for cheaper T-shirts.

T. S. Designs, founded by Eric Henry and Tom Sineath, now uses 95 percent American-made organic cotton in their T-shirts. Its patented REHANCE printing process allows them to avoid using plastisol, normally made out of polyvinyl chloride (PVC), thus reducing the harmful ecological impacts of these ubiquitous products. As I write about in ECOpreneuring, T.S. Designs doesn’t just make an eco-effective product; it transformed its business model from a focus on profits to operating by a triple bottom line: people, planet and profits. Instead of selling to the Gap and Nike, it now sells to Whole Foods Market and Greenpeace.

“Although Tom and I have always taken care of our employees and tried to make socially and environmentally responsible decisions with our business, our transition to a triple-bottom-line business was not spurred by inspiration, but by desperation,” admits Eric, about their transition. “We believe that if you go outside your market to source a product that your market is capable of supplying, that is not sustainable. Unfortunately, this is due to NAFTA’s and the World Trade Organization’s missions that are driven solely by consumer price and do not consider environmental or quality-of-life costs.”

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While unemployment skyrockets and banks decline, there remains a ray of hope right around the corner: spring. For those of us living in the Midwest, now is that time of anticipation when March peaks on the calendar and we vocally vent together about how the “worst is behind us.”

Seed catalogs jam mailboxes this time of year. We Wisconsin gardeners lustfully gaze at the Royal Burgundy Bush Bean and Panorama Red Shades Bee Balm like tempting centerfolds, vividly dreaming of starting anew in the field once again.

But these seed catalogs offer more than just plant starters. Dig a dash deeper and this arrival of the seed catalogs summons a message that can germinate just what this country of angst-ridden job seekers could really use: hope. Hope wrapped in a message of self-employment of the ecopreneurial variety. Plant seeds for your own green business, follow your passion for leaving this world a better place, and you just might amaze yourself at the true prosperity your harvest.

Here are three tips reaped from the pages of seed catalogs on how to become a self-employed, independent ecopreneur:

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The English language has a wonderful way of evolving with major or minor events in the economic, social and political history of man. Following the release of words like “Mompreneur” and “Ecopreneur”, the latest buzzword that is floating around the business and economic sphere is “Obamapreneur.” While it is clear that all “Preneur” roads lead to a noble business mission but what the heck is an Obamapreneur?

President Obama is clearly the man of the moment and although running a business is not officially part of his resume, entrepreneurs are closely examining the way he has run his campaign, and now the country, to model their business strategy after his.  Barry Libert and Rick Faulk, authors of “Barack, Inc: Winning Business Lessons of the Obama Campaign” point out three lesson to entrepreneurs based upon what they have seen in President Obama’s campaign:

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Scott James is a frequent contributor to Planetsave. This is his first post on the Ecopreneurist.

Hi Everyone, I want to introduce you to the Carbon Advice Group. It is an international carbon offsetting venture that allows users to create their own carbon offset merchant sites. This site harnesses the spirit of social entrepreneurship in the drive to be carbon neutral by empowering anyone to set up their own personalized micro-site where they can provide carbon offsets to their family, friends or business colleagues.

Every person and business leaves a carbon footprint, perhaps most notably through travel or food consumption, and this site empowers people to take responsible action to offset the unavoidable emissions of everyday transactions. I especially like that the affiliate set-up lets people take the carbon offset message to their personal community/network/business and take a lead role in spreading that awareness. Here is a page that I set up as an example:  Scott on Carbon Advice Group.

“We want to motivate the average person in the street to get online, build their own site and get the message across to everyone they know,” says serial Social Entrepreneur and Carbon Advice Group founder Matthew Sullivan.

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I interviewed several hundred ecopreneurs about their business when writing a book about how to become an ecopreneur, and one of the questions I asked was, ‘Besides word-of-mouth, what is your most effective marketing?’  It is worth noting that if I hadn’t prefaced the question the way I did, each and every one of them would have said “word-of-mouth”. 

The answers varied across industry, but there was some great information that emerged.  Companies in the green building sector, including remodelers, new construction, and retail operations, all mentioned lunch & learn sessions with tradespeople.  Several in this sector mentioned Educational Workshops with the general public and local green publications including directories. 

Networking events turned out to be prime advertising for…

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We all know a successful ecopreneur or two (or ten).  What characteristics unify ecopreneurs?  Are they all young?  Are they all progressive?  Are they all spending quality time with their organic gardens to get away from it all? 

In conducting the research for Build a Green Small Business:  Profitable Ways to Become an Ecopreneur, I interviewed hundreds of ecopreneurs to find out just what made them tick. 

I asked ecopreneurs about their business, hoping to learn what made them greener than their conventional counterparts, and what might help others succeed.  I was amazed to find out how willing ecopreneurs were to share their business secrets with someone who was going to write a book about it.  The main finding, therefore, is that this ‘ecopreneur personality’, if there is one, is selfless and committed to the betterment of society. 

But we probably suspected that.  What other trends are there? 

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Summer was here, and the living was sustainable… and here are some of our best efforts.

June 2008

• Caroline Savery declared that one of the top rules of living sustainbly is “Have fun!”
• Zachary Shahan offered a new twist on “think global, act local”: sustainability starts at the inidividual level.
• Mark Winstein answered the question “What is an investment product?”
• Low Impact Living listed 10 Ways to Cut Home Energy Consumption.

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]]> http://sustainablog.org/2008/12/26/the-twelve-days-of-sustainablog-poop-green-teeth-and-pimpin-your-ride/feed/ http://ecopreneurist.com/2008/12/18/do-you-have-what-it-takes-to-become-an-ecopreneur/ http://ecopreneurist.com/2008/12/18/do-you-have-what-it-takes-to-become-an-ecopreneur/#comments Thu, 18 Dec 2008 20:40:12 +0000 Scott Cooney http://ecopreneurist.com/2008/12/18/do-you-have-what-it-takes-to-become-an-ecopreneur/ Everyone’s had a dream to start a green business.

Well, at least everyone reading this blog.  But where to begin?  You have an idea.  You have some skills.  Maybe you have some experience in the field.  Perhaps you have some startup capital.  Are these things enough for you to become a successful ecopreneur?  Maybe most importantly, do you know what you’re doing?!



Let’s say you love the idea of organic agriculture, and want to support organic farmers.  You hang out a shingle as an organic foods broker, offering to represent organic farmers in promoting their goods in your community among local grocers, restaurants, and coffee shops.  You get a bunch of people willing to sign up and give you a cut of their proceeds if you’ll get them into your local market, and all seems good until you pick up the phone and start to call the restaurant on the corner by your house.  Wait.  You’re a cold-calling salesman?  Really?  How did this happen?

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]]> http://ecopreneurist.com/2008/12/18/do-you-have-what-it-takes-to-become-an-ecopreneur/feed/ http://ecopreneurist.com/2008/12/06/tweeting-green-why-and-how-eco-businesses-should-be-on-twitter/ http://ecopreneurist.com/2008/12/06/tweeting-green-why-and-how-eco-businesses-should-be-on-twitter/#comments Sat, 06 Dec 2008 14:57:45 +0000 mcmilker http://ecopreneurist.com/2008/12/06/tweeting-green-why-and-how-eco-businesses-should-be-on-twitter/ I’ve been spending a lot of time these days working with clients interested in establishing a presence in social media. If you’re not considering doing that for your business, you might heed the words of Wayne Kurtzman from Media Bullseye.

Companies who miss the importance of the social media ship may actually risk the same fate as companies who thought the Internet was a fad. That sounds extreme, but over half the nation is already on a social network. They upload photos and videos or share shopping reviews. Customers are changing how they want companies to interact with them. The more that happens, the more companies will be left in the dust.

Since many if not most companies only have a hazy idea of how social media works and why in the world they should jump into the fray, some are slow to take the plunge. This is perhaps less true of new and old media companies. You can find Ecopreneurist and Green Options on Twitter, along with the New York Times, CNN and The BBC.

Besides Twitter, there are of course a whole host of ways to reach out to your customers and engage them on a one-to-one basis. There is Facebook and Myspace as well as a fast growing selection of newer sites. There are blogs and blogger networks, as well as, shopping social networking sites. There are community forums for a variety of topics and there are media sharing sites like Flickr and Youtube.

All of these should be considered for a social media campaign, but not all should be used. Why? This depends a lot on the company and product.

For example, as a social media marketing consultant, I focus on green products and on women’s products. I know the Mommy and female blogger and The Mommy and female social media market. I know the green market. What tools they use and where one can find green consumers. I recommend tools that make sense for my clients. Not all of the tools that Liz Strauss or Jeff Pulver suggest do that, though I follow and admire them both, but they often serve different markets.

One thing on which we all agree, though is Twitter. Though less than 2 years old, Twitter is rapidly becoming the go to place for both questions and answers. Have a question on organic food? Direct message @WholeFoods, an early and excellent user of social media. Follow Seventh Generation and find updates answers on a variety of green topics.

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]]> http://ecopreneurist.com/2008/12/06/tweeting-green-why-and-how-eco-businesses-should-be-on-twitter/feed/ http://ecopreneurist.com/2008/11/19/this-week-nbc-showcases-ecopreneurs-who-help-you-green-your-routine/ http://ecopreneurist.com/2008/11/19/this-week-nbc-showcases-ecopreneurs-who-help-you-green-your-routine/#comments Wed, 19 Nov 2008 14:30:12 +0000 Reenita Malhotra http://ecopreneurist.com/2008/11/19/this-week-nbc-showcases-ecopreneurs-who-help-you-green-your-routine/ For those of you who didn’t know already, this week is “Green Week” at NBC Universal. On Monday (till the end of the week) the network started broadcasting 150 hours of environment-themed programming on its various TV channels and other properties.

Green themed programming includes prime time shows such as “The Office” which will air an episode about the company considering recycled paper. And then local NBC stations are incorporating green-themed stories into their newscasts. As a Healthy Living Consultant, I spent this morning at the Farmer’s Market with NBC11 talking about “How to Have a Green Thanksgiving.” The segment will air on NBC11 this Thursday at 6.45pm so stay posted!

I think it’s a great opportunity for Ecopreneurists.  Both in terms of finding interesting eco businesses…as well as a tool for drawing visibility to your own eco business. Last year, the company launched its first Green Week and also a “Get On Board” program to encourage consumers to reduce greenhouse gases and raise awareness. This year’s theme is ‘Green Your Routine,’ the network will feature tips and resources that offer consumers advice on this area: green cleaning companies, sustainable food producers, greening your commute and so on. More information about the programing can be found here.

So Ecopreneurs, it is time to start creating you NBC pitch.  Your company or product might just be their next Green find!

]]> http://ecopreneurist.com/2008/11/19/this-week-nbc-showcases-ecopreneurs-who-help-you-green-your-routine/feed/ http://ecopreneurist.com/2008/11/13/ecodrive-a-backseat-driver-with-the-planet-and-your-pocketbook-in-mind/ http://ecopreneurist.com/2008/11/13/ecodrive-a-backseat-driver-with-the-planet-and-your-pocketbook-in-mind/#comments Thu, 13 Nov 2008 20:52:10 +0000 Paul Smith http://ecopreneurist.com/2008/11/13/ecodrive-a-backseat-driver-with-the-planet-and-your-pocketbook-in-mind/

When I say the name Fiat, what comes to mind? If you’re American, the words, “Fix It Again, Tony” may come to mind, recalling the days when Fiats were a more common sight on these shores, and had a less than stellar reputation for reliability. But if you’re in Europe, a very different set of words may come to mind: Efficient. Stylish. Innovative.

Really?

Yes. The latest example of that is EcoDrive. What is it, aside from a catchy name? It’s an application that analyzes how you drive, and tells you how you can improve it. This backseat driver has a motivation: Helping you save gas, money, and reduce emissions, on vehicles whose average CO2 emissions are the lowest in Europe.

How?

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]]> http://ecopreneurist.com/2008/11/13/ecodrive-a-backseat-driver-with-the-planet-and-your-pocketbook-in-mind/feed/ http://ecopreneurist.com/2008/10/08/eco-marketing-101-include-your-url/ http://ecopreneurist.com/2008/10/08/eco-marketing-101-include-your-url/#comments Wed, 08 Oct 2008 18:52:09 +0000 mcmilker http://ecopreneurist.com/2008/10/08/eco-marketing-101-include-your-url/

This should really be titled “21^st Century Marketing 101”, since this seems an obvious point, include your web site URL on all of your marketing communications vehicles including package, flyers, outdoor (billboards) and, of course, print ads.

Yet, a survey found that 70% of Print Campaigns Ignore the Multi-Channel Reality, and do not include a URL. This seems counter-intuitive in this age of digital reach. It ignores the reality that between 50 and 70% of consumers, depending on the category, research products online. This is true even of ordinary grocery items which half of consumers than go on to purchase OFFLINE.

So even if your product is one which consumers rarely purchase online, the need for access to your web site remains.

While this is surely important for traditional businesses, it’s even more true for green businesses. Why? Because as the green market has reached a Tipping point and consumers are bombarded by green claims - they’re looking for validation of your eco friendly claims.

There’s only so much you can out in a print ad or on your package. With more and more products claiming certification, the value of that certification is in question. Not everyone, particularly newer green consumers, is familiar with how rigorous the requirements are for, say, the Forest Stewardship Council certification. A link to their site, and a discussion of why it’s better than say, an internal company certification is a powerful way to differentiate your product.

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]]> http://ecopreneurist.com/2008/10/08/eco-marketing-101-include-your-url/feed/ http://ecopreneurist.com/2008/07/09/for-ecopreneurs-how-minding-your-own-green-business-preserves-more-green/ http://ecopreneurist.com/2008/07/09/for-ecopreneurs-how-minding-your-own-green-business-preserves-more-green/#comments Thu, 10 Jul 2008 00:53:01 +0000 John Ivanko http://ecopreneurist.com/2008/07/09/for-ecopreneurs-how-minding-your-own-green-business-preserves-more-green/ There are many financial benefits of becoming a business, depending on how you structure it. Not only are businesses taxed after their expenses have been deducted, but many legitimate deductions are available to a small business that reduce its reported earnings.

The IRS tax code specifies the following related to business expenses:

IRS Code Section 162(a),Trade or business expenses:
“There shall be allowed as a deduction all the ordinary and necessary expenses paid or incurred during the taxable year in carrying on any trade or business.”

IRS Code Section 212, Expenses for production of income:
“In the case of an individual, there shall be allowed as a deduction all the ordinary and necessary expenses paid or incurred during the taxable year.”

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]]> http://ecopreneurist.com/2008/07/09/for-ecopreneurs-how-minding-your-own-green-business-preserves-more-green/feed/ http://sustainablog.org/2008/06/11/ecopreneur-or-entrepreneur-whats-the-difference/ http://sustainablog.org/2008/06/11/ecopreneur-or-entrepreneur-whats-the-difference/#comments Wed, 11 Jun 2008 21:17:29 +0000 John Ivanko http://sustainablog.org/2008/06/11/ecopreneur-or-entrepreneur-whats-the-difference/ There are many ways in which entrepreneurs and ecopreneurs are similar. Both embrace failure and are idea driven, innovative, creative, risk tolerant, flexible, adaptable, freedom minded and independent. Perhaps you could add a few more defining characteristics as well.


However, ecopreneurs go beyond organic, beyond compliance to laws and regulations (or redefine them), beyond consumerism, beyond minimum wages and beyond the free market economy to conduct business. Entrepreneurs become ecopreneurs when their spirit, boldness, courage and determination not only transform the landscape but coalescence into a movement to transform global problems into opportunities for restoration and healing. After talking with thousands of ecopreneurs over the past decade, we’ve discovered quite a few distinguishing characteristics reflected in the chart to the right. Additionally, ecopreneurs seem to be more focused on cooperation and collaboration than competition as the means to get ahead in the world. That’s why so many form innovative partnerships or creative interdependencies with fellow ecopreneurs — just as in nature.

The most progressive ecopreneurial enterprises address more than one of the many challenges facing us. Their business might foster fair trade relationships (promoting economic justice and equity), generate more energy from renewable energy sources than it uses (severing our addiction to fossil fuels) and even serve local, seasonal, vegetarian, and organic meals to those who work in the business.

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]]> http://sustainablog.org/2008/06/11/ecopreneur-or-entrepreneur-whats-the-difference/feed/ http://sustainablog.org/2008/06/04/why-are-people-called-consumers/ http://sustainablog.org/2008/06/04/why-are-people-called-consumers/#comments Thu, 05 Jun 2008 03:01:21 +0000 John Ivanko http://sustainablog.org/2008/06/04/why-are-people-called-consumers/ When did we become “consumers”? How did it seep into our mainstream culture so that it’s commonplace to refer to each other as consumers?

It’s pretty clear why people over the last several decades started referring to each other as consumers: wealth and greed. Today, about two thirds of our economy is based on “consumer spending.” If we stop spending, our economy will likely fall into a recession, or worse. While our standard of living (measured in possessions) has never been higher, the quality of our life is not what it once was. Until recently, Americans have enjoyed an economic boom like no other, though it’s hardly shared among all citizens. But now, our spending habits have seemingly caught up with some of us.

We’ve discovered that owning lots of stuff often gets in the way of achieving a satisfying and fulfilling life. As a result, we’re revisiting our values and reorganizing our life around better meeting them. When we do purchase something, it’s as a “conserving customer”. If we own a business, perhaps as an ecopreneur, we offer products or services that seek to make the world a better place. Our enterprise, either for-profit or non-profit, is a means by which to create the changes we seek in the world.

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]]> http://sustainablog.org/2008/06/04/why-are-people-called-consumers/feed/ http://ecopreneurist.com/2008/05/03/targeting-green-grocers-how-ecopreneurs-can-profit-from-the-greening-of-supermarkets/ http://ecopreneurist.com/2008/05/03/targeting-green-grocers-how-ecopreneurs-can-profit-from-the-greening-of-supermarkets/#comments Sat, 03 May 2008 13:40:40 +0000 mcmilker http://ecopreneurist.com/2008/05/03/targeting-green-grocers-how-ecopreneurs-can-profit-from-the-greening-of-supermarkets/ It seems like your local grocer has reason to go green. Not only are we living in an era where words like “global warming” and “climate change’ have entered the common lexicon, we have, it seems reached the tipping point where green living is driving consumer purchase.

A walk down the aisles of Kroger or Safeway or any chain grocery store confirms this as natural and organic section signs pop up in spots previously reserved for salty snack foods and frozen sugar laden sweets. Packaging is shrinking. Light bulbs are energy saving. And the words “eco” and “green” leap out at consumers at every turn.

Obviously the retail grocery industry has gotten the message. An article in Progressive Grocer gives some insight into what’s next on the agenda.

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