Sustainable Bonanza

November 26, 2009

Gratitude and Thanksgiving

Filed under: Uncategorized — Tags: , , , — admin @ 12:28PM

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday because:

- It is about being grateful.
- You spend the time with the people who are the most important to you whether they are family or friends.
- It is a celebration of the harvest, or the good things that have come to you in the previous year.
- I do love good food and wine!

Gratitude is something that I regularly practice.  I say practice because it isn’t always easy to be grateful for a lost job, ending relationship, death of a loved one, et cetera.  But with every situation in our lives no matter how challenging and difficult, there comes the opportunity for learning, success and growth.   This is not always obvious and so often you can feel knocked down and that is the best time to practice remembering that like other ‘bad’ times this too will give birth to something better.

We don’t always know why things happen, but I have had many times in my past that I have felt hurt or resentful because of a given situation (not getting in to Colby for college, the lost of a good friend without reason.)  Later in life I understood why those situations happened, some many times over, and was able to feel grateful for them because of what came next that would not have been possible otherwise.

Now in my life, I am grateful and open when something that seems challenging comes up.  I realize that it may be quiting my job that allows for the space for my dream job to come into my life.  I am more open to understanding that every situation has a silver lining or possibility attached to it.

November 25, 2009

The socially just internet. Oxymoron?

Filed under: General — Tags: , , , , , — admin @ 11:55AM

I am annoyed by the Internet and at the same time I am in lust.  Like a troublesome boyfriend, the Internet seems to be the answer to so many problems – everything you need a few clicks away.

Today, the rush to get ‘online’ for organizations may very well be the difference between failure versus legitimacy and future success.

The biggest problem I see is that for the portion of our population with limited or no access, the Internet is not an answer.

Technologically, there is and will continue to be a separation between those who have and those who do not, like there is with salary.  Each new innovation increases the knowledge gap that someone just becoming computer literate must leap.  It may be instinctual to someone who has been immersed with computer use their whole life, but what about the urban and rural poor that have not?  What about those who are older and just have never picked up the skill?  What about those who have no need to use a computer for their livelihood?  What is their right to have access to the same information?

Obama recognizes the need for transparency (BRAVO!!) with regards to the recovery work being done in America.  To answer this challenge the administration has posted the information regarding this transparency online.

However, how do US citizens who are not computer literate access the same information?

Is the Internet just another form of oppression?  This is a challenge that needs to be addressed.  How do we make information accessible?  Is a socially just Internet a potential reality?

I think a socially just Internet would look like something that used vacant storefronts to teach, entrepreneurs and volunteers to train passersby, engage the community and a general recognition that while some information should be available online we shouldn’t give up on the person to person connection that happens in a community.

What do you think?

November 24, 2009

How to present the case for sustainability

Filed under: Economic Anthropology — Tags: , , , , , — admin @ 5:45PM

Big Bucks advertising and marketing have got it down. They know how to begin marketing to someone at a very early age. They know that the wording of a slogan matters. They know that how you phrase an ad changes people perception. They know the colors and symbols used evoke emotion and connection. We should be using the same effective principles when we’re trying to help people to understand the new ideas and creativity we need to see in our world.

Too much of the green movement and those driving sustainability have been operating by making documentaries, writing books and doing talks.  If that were the best way to get a product or concept to be purchased and believed in, well you’d have tons of pro-Wal-Mart documentaries.  The bookshelves would be lined with books about Target being the solution. Scientific conference sessions would be dedicated to Nikes conforming perfectly to the feet of most humans.  But you don’t see that.  My intuition tells me that one of the reasons those tactics are not primary to corporations is because they don’t create a big demand in a short period of time.

We need to learn from this.  We, as in those of us who are interested in the sustainability of the planet. We need to take a lesson from the corporations who have been so effective in getting their goods and products into our minds. We need to market positivity and transformation in a way to generate ‘fanatic evangelists’ for these life sustaining practices. Gloom and doom, end of the world, ‘you need to change’, and non-interactive mediums will not create vibrantly alive communities. Interactive, hands-on, culturally aware, co-created approaches will.

‘How?’ You ask. Well that’s something for me to continue writing about, and for you to hire me to implement.  Check back in as these ideas unfold through my writing and feel free to share your thoughts via commenting.

November 23, 2009

Branding Me

Filed under: General — Tags: , — admin @ 9:47AM

I am finding myself in an interesting situation.   I am a writer, consultant, experiential educator, teacher, facilitator, advisor, and a multitude of other descriptors.  I love to do a gazillion different things. What others consider an insurmountable problem, I consider a challenge and something to delve into.  I smile at  an opportunity to re-think or reimagine.  Problem solving makes my eyes sparkle as does learning a new language.

I work with non-profits, for-profits, educational institutes, and planning departments; really, just about everyone.  I can create and compile the information necessary to request a loan, read a financial statement, develop interactive education designed to create social change, keep a classroom of 12-year-old boys enthralled for an hour and a half talking about sustainability, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera.

My current challenge is looking at marketing and branding myself in order to more efficiently explain to people what it is that I do.   I am exploring this so I can simply explain to someone my current three projects and additional volunteer affiliations.   Even more important I would like to give someone a business card that sticks in their memory because it deeply resonates with who I am and what I stand for.

I realize that this is important time to spend even though the results are likely to be something as simple and mundane as a business card, a logo on a website, letterhead on which to mail out my bills.  Well, it’s going to be difficult for me to narrow down my focus from the broad to the narrow. However, spending time thinking about what is the most important to me in the direction that I want my life and my energy to go in will be overall a great benefit to my career and what I’m trying to accomplish. So I’m glad that it’s come to this even though it will take hours.

November 20, 2009

Slow Money

Filed under: Uncategorized — Tags: , , , , , , — admin @ 2:24PM

Slow Money by Woody TaschFriends of Slow Money recently challenged themselves to raise $25,000 in increments of $5.  This means that a mere  5000 people needed to make a donation.

While it would be great if 1 person donated $5000, and I doubt they would turn it down, I think there is another point to the exercise.  The challenge gave the group an opportunity to show a few things.

1) That there are at least 5000 people invested in the idea of Slow Money.
2) Just a little bit of money when combined with others in the community can accomplish great things.
3) With a 7 day time limit, this has the urgency and potential to build momentum.  Something which can be a struggle.

While they did not achieve their goal in terms of numbers I think that the push for members and outreach was positive because for very little effort and resources on the part of the organization they got the word out to more people about Slow Money.

For those who are not familiar with the concepts championed by the Slow Money Alliance, the most complete description can be found in Woody Tasch’s book Inquiries into the Nature of Slow Money.  (Follow this link to find a locally owned bookseller in your community if you are interested in picking up the book.)

For those who are interested in the short version I think this sentence from the principles sums it up the best

“In order to enhance food safety and food security; promote cultural and ecological health and diversity; and, accelerate the transition from an economy based on extraction and consumption to an economy based on preservation and restoration…”  For more, you should certainly check out the Slow Money Alliance website.

While I like the idea of Slow Money, have donated and become a member, the one thing I wish were more clear on the website and in the presentation of the concepts is how to do this and what it really means.  Is my membership money going to eventually go to giving out loans or just general support of the organization?  I get most of it, and like what I see so far, but the nerd in me want to see more information on the website in a digestible form before I buy the book or run around wall street with a cardboard sign.

November 9, 2009

Leveraging Technology to Change the World

Filed under: General — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , — Kirsten @ 10:28AM

Randy Paynter of Care 2 brings up a good point when he says that businesses no longer controls their brand or marketing. This is because of the increasing interactions and communications in the digital world which are not controllable by an organization. He points out that today’s purchasing habits allow consumers to access reviews and alternative products with just a few clicks. In the past glossy advertising guided the public perception of a product, but today consumers are no longer limited to canned marketing campaigns medium to inform their opinions.

Leveraging Technology

Randy maintains that this massive shift in power from the seller to the buyer comes in part from the plethora of choices, thereby creating a commodity of any product. In order to achieve brand success he touts the importance of differentiating a product as well as influencing the conversations surrounding it. He suggests that we need to create and engage ‘fanatical evangelists’ to build and communicate brands online.
Listen to the full session here

Steve Newcomb has high aspirations. His company, “Virgance, is a startup incubator that finds great ideas and turns them into companies that change the world. Steve wondered if he could “break the rules and build companies that do good.” His commitment to 100% transparency puts him in front of the public so that they can ask any question about how business is conducted.

Steve has approached the idea of sustainability as he would any market sector and he sees the market opportunity as enormous. The change needed will require not a single Apollo-sized project by hundreds. Seeking to change the very nature of capitalism, Virgance companies adhere to five tenets:

  1. “Cause as much direct and measurable change as possible.”
  2. “Always use the carrot and never use the stick.”
  3. “Use technology and the powers of social networks to get the job done.”
  4. “Have business models that allow these businesses to be self-sustaining.”
  5. “Try to involve and empower people to make the change.”

But the plenary wouldn’t have been complete without Malika Chopra, who began the session by guiding the SVN community in a beautiful mediation of gratitude, showing her heritage as the daughter of internationally renowned, Deepak Chopra. While her childhood exposure to the self-help arena and her presence around people who were on a journey of self-exploration, Malika’s early interests steered her to work for MTV initially. But it was while in Bombay that she had a change of heart after seeing a group of barefoot children huddled around a TV watching MTV. “Oh my God, what am I doing?” was all she could think and she decided to quit MTV the next day.

Today, Malika spends her time building a community on Intent, a sanctuary on the web for users to share their intentions and dreams with each other. Malika, a self-proclaimed “social media maven,” has a unique perspective on things because she is coming at it from the perspective of a mother and a woman.

Both Malika and Steve remind us that powerful movements and changes have been created through the use of blogs, Facebook and Twitter. Activities like ‘flash mobs,’ ‘tweet storms,’ and ‘carrot mobs’ can or have been used to create positive social change. The energy generated by this group’s discussion seemed to electrify the air, and that crackling interest will likely lead many of the participants to delve further into their own use of social media in order to create change.

November 6, 2009

Tips from the Top on Social Finance

Filed under: Uncategorized — Tags: , , , , , , , — admin @ 10:36AM

Jason Graham-Nye of gDiapers, Shaula Massena an Angel Investor, and Don Shaffer of RSF Social Finance gathered with a room full of attendees to discuss the big picture on social finance. While there was a great amount of interaction and numerous ideas that got discussed, the big take-aways from each speaker can be distilled down to three elements each.

Jason Graham Nye’s tips for business owners looking to bring in money:

1) Know what your motivation is for taking outside money.
2) Make sure that money is in alignment with your mission.
3) Nothing (no package) is standard.

Shaula Massena’s suggestions when looking to Angel or VC funding:

1) Understand dilution. The pie gets bigger the more money you take in.
2) Have a full path to become cash flow positive.
3) Don’t be addicted to control.

Don Shaffer shares questions that RSF uses in its decision making process:

1) What is the management like? Do they invest in people? What are their intentions?
2) If it a business that has raised funds – Who are their other owners and are they also committed to the triple bottom line focus?
3) Why are they coming to RSF for financing? – RSF prefers to work with those that are not just looking for the best rate, they are looking for unconventional funding?

Overall these guidelines provide a good perspective to a business owner who is looking to bring in money. Understanding the mindset of all the parties and how and why they make their decisions is an important factor to deciding which route to use.

But even “traditional funding” sources are trying to get more creative. Three Twins Ice Cream self-described ‘indirect direct public offering’ in which they company raised $610,000 out of a needed $675,000 from its customers by using a small sign in their stores. Another novel route to funding involves employing alternative legal structure, something Criterion Ventures Structure Labs is promoting.

November 5, 2009

Micro Finance in California

Filed under: Uncategorized — Tags: , , , , , , , , , — admin @ 5:35PM

When you think of micro finance you’re likely to envision Kiva or the Grameen Bank making tiny loans to poor people on the other side of the world so that they can create a small business and lift themselves out of poverty. But micro finance is helping to empower entrepreneurs closer to home as well and this panel highlighted the successes of micro finance enterprises right here in California.

Claudia Veik of CAMEO (California Association for Micro Enterprise Opportunity) guided this intimate breakout session. With the current financial slump, many small businesses are having an even harder time qualifying for loans from traditional banks, Claudia explained, which is driving demand for alternative funding. It is estimated that 5% of the unemployed are entrepreneurial, and with the necessary loans some of those unemployed could begin to build the economy is a more sustainable manner, Claudia said. Claudia suggests that we “call on the entrepreneurial energy of the unemployed” to help revitalize our economy.

Elizabeth Makee of ACCION San Diego serves low and moderate income business owners. Instead of basing loans solely on credit scores or debit to credit, ACCION San Diego checks references from suppliers, family, neighbors and measures the experience of the applicant when making a decision. Applicants that have had past credit challenges could potentially become successful. Along with getting to know their clients well, the organization matches borrowers needs with skill workshops to help the success rates.

Faith Bautista’s work at the Mabuhay Alliance has helped ‘empower minority communities’ as well as challenge big businesses to see the value in those communities. Mabuhay is a voice for the Phillipino and PanAsian activists in the Unites States. 260 business owners have graduated from this organization’s training. Similar to ACCION’s model, Mabuhay helps to connect its borrowers with technical assistance that they need to thrive in the marketplace.

Participants also had the honor to meet Mario Lewis, a business owner who has received two loans from ACCION. His bad credit stemmed from an attempt at restaurant ownership which he felt failed due to a lack of knowledge of marketing and advertising. Mario had used those two loans to first build and then expand his barber shop. Imperial Barber Shop is a tremendous success and has grown to now employ nine people. His success is in part due to his vision of the ‘old school’ barber shop which serves as a community meeting place.

For his accomplishments, Mario has received an award for being a community resource, as well as a letter of recognition from his congressman. Mario’s future plans include opening another shop and expanding into a line of hair care products as well as raising money in the community to send a second member of the community to Barber school.

Mario’s story and the great work being done by CAMEO, ACCION San Diego, and the Mabuhay Alliance are a reminder of just how well micro enterprise can work within our country to strengthen and build communities.

November 3, 2009

Dealing with the Tough Stuff

Filed under: Uncategorized — Tags: , , , , , , — admin @ 3:24PM

Dealing with the Tough Stuff, the latest in the SVN book series by Margot Fraser and Lisa Lorimer, was the topic of Friday afternoon’s plenary where the authors talked about their own struggles in their businesses and helped lead “feedback circles” for participants to get support with their own challenges.Dealing with the Tough Stuff

Lisa Lorimer, former President and owner of Vermont Bread Company in Brattleboro, Vt., spoke with passion about what it’s like to be in challenging situations as a business owner. Her great empathy comes from her own vast experience. She knows what it’s like to have to decide what to do when payroll is due and there is no money in the account. Lisa stressed that business owners need to have a place where they are able to talk about the realities of the business, something which was practiced later in the session in an exercise.

Although Birkenstocks are now a ubiquitous sight on college campuses all over the country, Margot Fraser, founder of Birkenstock USA, did not find the U.S. to initially be a receptive market for the cork-souled sandals. Her first distribution deal with the manufacturer was based on a “handshake” and her narrow focus on selling only one product made others call her crazy, but Margot admits she would have liked some seasoned advice when she was first starting out. Both Margot and Lisa agreed that creating a competent and skilled advisory board can be a lifesaver for a struggling entrepreneur.

The session wrapped up with a half an hour exercise with the participants shared their own challenges and offered advice to each other in small groups. This exercise not only got me much needed assistance, but it also demonstrated just how helpful it is to have a sounding board for not only idea but also troubles. I look forward to reading the book, which was included in each participant’s bag, and gaining even more insight of these two women.

Powered by WordPress