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Warming up for Earth Day with a Salute to Harvard

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April is my favorite month because it includes “Earth Day”  on April 22.

For green businesses like mine, April is really more like “Earth Month” – a month-long celebration of all things green and sustainable.

Check out the Earth Day events going on worldwide, and decide where you’d like to participate. Or start an event of your own. You’re likely to find food, fun and friends wherever you go.

When the Crimson is Proud to Be Green 

As part of my Earth Day celebration, I’m giving a special shout-out to my alma mater – Harvard University – for its ongoing efforts to create a more sustainable world. These efforts range from leading-edge research to offering students over 200 courses on energy, sustainability and the environment, to greening the actual operations of all of Harvard’s schools. This happens all year long.

Given that Harvard’s official color is crimson, the idea of a green.harvard is both wonderfully ironic and exciting.

Learn about sustainability from Harvard’s experts – for free

You don’t need a Harvard degree to understand what sustainability is. Check out their page of Topics to see the breadth of what’s involved. Click on any one of them for details on how Harvard is approaching it.

For example, pick “Food” as a topic, and see how they’re thinking about new ways of growing it, distributing it, and avoiding food waste.

There are no tests or grades! Just information that – with a little creativity – you can use in your own life.

Divestment – Come On, Harvard…

While I salute Harvard for all it has done and is doing, I wish they would also divest from fossil fuels. The size of Harvard’s endowment is the stuff of legend – $36.4 billion in 2014. Divestment from fossil fuels would be a major statement from one of the most famous universities in the world.

It’s the kind of action that’s needed to grab the attention and shape the thinking of millions of people. It’s no silver bullet, but Harvard could add its weight to the positive momentum around sustainability issues.

Harvard is helping build a greener future for everyone

Two things I appreciate about Harvard are (1) they maintain a wonderful sense of history as they go about inventing the future AND (2) they ask their students, teachers and alumni to be their best selves and bring that to the rest of the world. That sense of responsibility for making the world a better place was palpable in my time there.

I can think of no better way to uphold that tradition than to “make a ruckus” – as Seth Godin says – about sustainable living, working and learning. And I salute Harvard’s efforts to do that every day.

Help create a sustainable spring

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Welcome, spring! If you’re champing at the bit to get out and enjoy the season, here are 10 tips for doing so in a more sustainable fashion. (This is a post I wrote for the Sustany Foundation.)

10 Tips for a More Sustainable Spring

And tomorrow, April 1, is not just April Fool’s Day. It’s also the start of what many people consider to be “Earth Month.” Earth Day is April 22, but eco-friendly events happen all month long. Join in!

MIT’s Climate CoLab Wants You!

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You’re invited to be part of the solution to climate change

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This week I’m passing along an invite to you from MIT’s Climate CoLab. The CoLab is a crowdsourcing platform where citizens work with experts and each other to create, analyze, and select detailed proposals for what to do about climate change.

On March 6, The CoLab launched some 22 new contests on everything from our energy supply to transportation options to a U.S. carbon price.

These contests are open to everyone. You can contribute to an existing proposal or create your own. Proposals can win a “popular” vote and they can be judged as winners by a panel of experts. The winner takes home a Grand Prize of $10,000 and gets the opportunity to present their proposal to experts who can help implement the idea.

Last year’s winner

In 2014, Danielle Dahan took home the Grand Prize award for a proposal to Improve Building Energy Performance: Green Job Skills Training. It addresses the shortage of qualified personnel to maintain the increasingly sophisticated heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems installed in green buildings today.

“As high performance green buildings increase in complexity,” Dahan wrote in her proposal, “we need to give building technicians the skills to maintain buildings and achieve high performance energy goals.”  The curriculum, when in full motion, is projected to save 33 trillion metric tons of carbon each year in the United States alone.

What’s neat about the Climate CoLab

  • It’s a great use of crowdsourcing.  MIT knows that, as one institution, it can’t possibly house all the potentially life-changing, climate-saving ideas within its walls. So it has thrown open the doors to the world and said, “Come help figure this out.” With more diverse ideas – and more efficient ways to vet them –  we can find and scale the solutions that work sooner.
  • It’s a hub of activity.  As of January 2015, over 270,000 people have visited the Climate CoLab, representing every country in the world, and over 30,000 have registered as members.  The CoLab community also includes over 7,000 Facebook likes and 17,000 Twitter followers. To learn more about the Climate CoLab community, click here.
  • It’s a fun way to tackle a critical issue. Because climate change is such a multi-faceted challenge, there are endless aspects to focus on. Choose the one that interests you most, and dive in!

Enter now

The new contests are open now. Peruse your choices (there are about 7 of these I’d sign up for in a heartbeat). Or add your own new idea. You must enter before Saturday, May 16, 11:59:59 PM Eastern Time.

The CoLab sponsors tell you when voting on the various proposals will occur. If history is any guide, the awards will be announced around November 2015.

So join in. You might just make the world a better place – for all of us!

Students Bring Sustainable Business Expertise to Theater Buildings

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Every so often I see a sustainable business article that I want to share “as is.” Today there’s happy, local news from the Sustany Foundation – one of my long-time clients.

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Through Sustany, students from the Patel College of Global Sustainability will serve as sustainability consultants to one of Tampa’s premiere landmarks, the Straz Center.

The Patel College is one of the best sustainability schools you’ve never heard of. And the Straz Center, which has graced Tampa’s waterfront since 1987, will definitely benefit from their expertise in energy efficiency, water conservation, and waste minimization.

So today, I’m pointing you to the source – Janet Harrison Hall – and saying, “What she said…” Enjoy!

Students Serve as Sustainability Consultants for the Straz Center

Some Sweet News about Chocolate…

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I am a certified chocoholic. I still remember being wowed by the first Whitman’s Sampler I saw as a kid. And through the years I discovered M&Ms and Hershey’s chocolate bars and Godiva and See’s Chocolates – to name just a few.

Chocolate companies need to source their cocoa ethically.

Chocolate companies need to source their cocoa ethically.

The “dark side” of chocolate

So I was dismayed to learn from Green America about how much cocoa production involves child slave labor. The global chocolate market is $83 billion a year, of which the cocoa farmers get a pittance.

This past Christmas was the first where my family skipped our usual boxes of Godiva’s and See’s. My daughter was not happy, but as a high school student she is old enough to understand that feeding our “sweet teeth” should not come at the expense of children.

Since learning about this issue, I’ve paid attention to some of the big chocolate companies. I was underwhelmed by Hershey’s response, which was to drag their feet for years and then announce in 2012 that they would source 100% Fair Trade cocoa by 2020. That’s an 8 year lead time. In the life of a child, 8 years is an eternity. And who really “recovers” from being a slave?

But there is some recent good news to share:

  • Harry Potter fans persuaded Warner Bros. Studio to source ALL of the cocoa for their chocolates from Fair Trade sources by the end of 2015. That’s this year. If you’ve read the Harry Potter books, you know that magical chocolate frogs figure prominently.
  • Hershey just announced that they are ahead of schedule in sourcing their cocoa from Fair Trade sources.  “30 percent of their globally sourced cocoa was independently certified and verified in 2014—this reflects an accelerated pace for achieving its goal of sourcing 100 percent of its cocoa supply from certified and sustainable cocoa farms by 2020.” That’s still not fast enough, but it’s better.

I’ve often wondered why can’t we grow cocoa beans here in the US. There’s huge demand for it, it’s healthy for you in moderation, and we’d eliminate the emissions that currently arise from shipping beans by boat across the Atlantic. I’m sure there’s an agricultural scientist out there who knows why that won’t work. But if urban dwellers can grow their produce on their apartment walls, then there must be opportunities to grow the much-beloved cocoa bean in news ways and places.

Sharing Great Green Content from Earth911

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My New Year is off to a fast start, and that’s a happy thing.

Today I’m sharing some posts that I wrote late last year and early this about cars, food, jets and the circular (green) economy.  Disclaimer: I was paid to write these for Earth911.com – a client – although not by the individual companies. I think the information is useful.

Earth911.com is a treasure trove of information.

Earth911.com is a treasure trove of information.

Creating Awareness

As I work with businesses and talk to people, I am struck by the continuing lack of awareness around green businesses and the products they create. Green business is not a “scam” or a “hoax” or a “threat to jobs.” On the contrary, green businesses are here today. Green businesses range from behemoths like Google to tiny ones like Great Green Content. They are profitable AND they minimize harm to the planet.

Green businesses create jobs

And while the oil and gas industries have grown with the shale oil boom, scientists have told us for years that using fossil fuels puts greenhouse gas emissions in the air, which leads to global warming, which leads to climate change. And all the droughts, floods, storms, property damage and weather-related insurance claims that that entails. Fossil fuels need to stay in the ground.

It reminds me of a bumper sticker I saw when I lived in North Carolina. It said, “Tobacco put my kids through school.”  Unfortunately, that tobacco probably killed or sickened people as well. People need jobs, but not jobs that harm other people.

So here is a sample of my articles. It heartens me to know that green business is taking off in all directions. And I want YOU to be heartened – and more aware – too!

Really, this is just the tip of the green business iceberg. I’ll be writing weekly for Earth911.com, so if you are interested in even one of these, there are plenty more on tap.

Celebrating Clients and Welcoming 2015!

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Happy 2015!

As the old year wraps, this post celebrates just some of my clients and the wonderful work they do. It’s an easy post to write. Each client makes the world a better place, and collectively they make it fun – yes, FUN – to go to work in the morning. To all my clients: thanks for what you do. This post’s for you!

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B is for Brilliant

Bob LeVine and Selective College Consulting had an exciting 2014. SCC assisted over 80 high school students seeking admission to the colleges of their choice. Bob LeVine, former Chairman of the Harvard Schools Committee for the West Coast of Florida, understands the methods used by admissions committees during the selection process. SCC teaches the techniques necessary to maximize an applicant’s chances of gaining admission to colleges of choice, especially the most highly-selective colleges. For 2015, SCC has a new, more robust Premier Package offering service not available anywhere else in the world.  In early 2015, SCC will host several free seminars on “What Juniors Need to Know (about College Admissions)” around Tampa Bay.

C is for Cool

Chase Ezell and Earth911 had a bang-up 2014. For over 20 years, Earth911 has positioned itself as the recycling authority. Their recycling directory provides consumers and business with over 1.6 million ways to recycle more than 350 different materials.  Earth911 also provides fresh, targeted content daily, helping consumers live a more environmentally responsible lifestyle. 2014 highlights included the launch of the YouChange™ marketplace powered by Earth911 – packed with eco-conscious products.  Another 2014 highlight was the launch of Earth911TV.  Earth911’s goal is to continue to be the leader in helping consumers and business reduce their daily waste. You are a part of the solution. Come join us in 2015!

D is for Dazzling

David Reed and the Sustany Foundation had a truly memorable 2014. The ever-popular Sustany Buzz in November – the annual riverside celebration of sustainable living in Tampa – flirted with 1000 attendees this year. Earth Day saw the first “Sustainable Restaurant Walking Tour” in downtown Tampa. Attendees sampled treats from several restaurants newly certified as City of Tampa Sustainable Businesses. Sustany’s mini-grant program funded practical and effective efforts like the Tampa Eden project, which built a new community garden. And Sustany was nominated for a “Sustainable Florida 2014 Best Practice Award.” 2015 promises to be a year of explosive growth as the Sustany Foundation and Tampa’s Sustainable Business Coalition combine efforts for even greater impact.

H is for Hooray

Hugo Amorim at Brandpendulum is looking forward to 2015. Hugo helps businesses tell their stories in engaging and delightful ways so that they can reach their true potential. He does this by designing logos, websites, and marketing materials within an overarching brand strategy. He works on projects that he knows will have the greatest impact on his client’s business. Working with Hugo is like having a business partner without the equity. He focuses on strategy first, and design second – Hugo doesn’t design for design’s sake.  He is candid, open and objective. If you’re looking for a designer who is also a strategic thinker, feel free to contact Hugo at Hugo@brandpendulum.com.

J is for Just Terrific

Julie Klein at Confluence Sustainability  specializes in sustainability strategies and solutions that use travel and tourism as a catalyst. Her work supports leading international travel destinations such as Vail, CO (coinciding with the 2015 World FIS Alpine Ski Championships) and Jackson Hole, WY in building collaborative sustainability leadership between businesses and community leaders. Projects took her coast-to-coast to support Hostelling International USA as they pursue a globally recognized sustainability certification. She is wrapping up the year with waste management and diversion strategy work for UNEP and the Small Island Developing States (SIDS) program. Passionate about the power of travel and tourism in advancing sustainable development, Julie continues to work closely with Sustainable Travel International on several initiatives that foster their mission of tourism as a force for good.

L is for Legendary

Lisa Merlo-Booth and the Relational Centre has a laser focus on empowering women and guiding couples into happier, healthier relationships. In 2014, Lisa gave workshops for women and couples around the country on her groundbreaking work–incorporating a Grounded Powerful Strength (GPS) in how you walk in the world. She coached dozens of couples to turn their relationships into ones that fuel them rather than drain them. She will be launching a new campaign in 2015, “Change It,” to help men and women stop settling for bad relationships, jobs and lives. Through January 21, 2015, she is taking registrations for her new teleclass for mental health professionals called “Working Your Edges.” This class provides therapists, counselors and coaches a safe and confidential place to learn to better manage their most difficult clients. As Lisa says, “You deserve great things.” And she knows how to help you get them.

M is for Marvelous

Megan Everett at Tools-N-Pros is rolling out new service packages and infoproducts in 2015, based on decades of supporting both online and offline businesses. She works primarily with larger businesses that need ongoing help to manage all the “moving pieces” as they grow. Services range from creating business plans, to consulting and quarterly reviews, to providing key reports, to finding and managing the contractors they need for specialized tasks. For businesses with smaller budgets, she provides stand-alone infoproducts that walk them or their assistants through all the steps needed to complete specific projects. Solutions can be created and/or customized upon request. Wishing you all a wonderful holiday season and a successful New Year!

Mike Bruny and Brand Inside a Brand focused in 2014 on creating content for corporate employees who want to strengthen their personal brand.  In 2015, Mike will offer a broader scope of services that covers training in several soft skills (personal branding, networking at conferences, and presentation skills).  If you or your employees need assistance in building your soft skills, don’t hesitate to reach out.  Find us at www.BrandInsideaBrand.com

R is for Remarkable

Rebecca Mullen is the author of the class A Soulful Cleanse, where participants come to figure out the source of their clutter habits and find a new, liberated way forward. She is newly partnering with her local ski area to harness the power of fear and fly down the mountain of life. Enjoy a free session with Rebecca to see if coaching with her might be a fit for you.

That’s the scoop! I wish you all a happy and healthy New Year!

The People’s Climate March – A Ground’s Eye View

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So I  marched in the Climate March in New York City last Sunday.

While you’ve probably seen all the statistics and the amazing aerial photos of the march, there is nothing quite like being there.

400,000 people attended the march in New York City.

400,000 people attended the march in New York City.

In case you weren’t, here’s my ground’s eye view from WAAAY back in the third section of the march – which was devoted to “Climate Solutions.”

The march was:

  • Enormous. 400,000 people showed, instead of the 100,000 people that organizers expected. On the ground, that meant that things got pretty crowded by the time the march got moving.
  • Geographically diverse. The people around me came from everywhere.  The man next to me was a high school science teacher. He had ridden 4 hours on a bus from Oneida, NY to march on behalf of his students. When I asked why he was carrying multiple signs, he said he planned to put them up in his classroom to spark discussion. I also met people from California, Chicago, Vermont, Massachusetts and North Carolina. This was not a New York-only event.
  • Demographically diverse. All kinds of people marched:  young and old, men and women, families and singles, many races. Were there – ahem – “crunchy granola” types? Yes. But they were wildly outnumbered by people who look like my neighbors.
  • Very well organized. Thank you to the main organizers like 350.org for an amazing, successful event. Volunteers were easy to spot in their colorful tee-shirts, and directed me on my way. Thank you to the NYC police, who were out in force. The march was just as I had hoped – friendly, peaceful and LARGE. That doesn’t happen by itself.
  • Most memorable moment. At 12:58 pm, the organizers had asked for a moment of silence followed by a minute of noise to metaphorically “raise the alarm” about climate change. It was astonishing to see that many people fall silent all at once. And then, the marchers broke out noisemakers of every kind, including drums, rattles, horns – even a metal pot and wooden spoon. I experienced sound as a physical force,  a wave of sound that started in the  distance and then rushed over me. Wow!

The Bottom Line

As I’ve said before, I am not the marching type, but this march felt historic.

400,000 people in NYC alone is an astounding number of people expressing concern about climate change. And many of them went to a great deal of trouble to get there – taking buses and trains for many hours to meet and demand action.

When I looked around initially, I thought,  “Aahhh – these are my people.” But as the march progressed, I realized that “my people” seems to include everyone – students, teachers, kids and grandparents, people of faith, farmers, artists, scientists, business people and non-profits.

The key will be, can all that “people energy” be channeled into powerful and effective action? I think it can. After all, as one marcher’s sign put it, “There is no Planet B.”

 

Lining Up for the Climate March – Where Will You Be?

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So I’m starting to get excited about this Sunday’s Climate March in New York City.

The People's Climate March happens September 21, 2014.

The People’s Climate March happens September 21, 2014.

I’ll be there to add my voice – as both a citizen and a green business owner – to thousands of others, to call for action now on climate change.

Just today, I saw how we are all going to line up. Here’s the map in case you need it: http://peoplesclimate.org/lineup/

I’ll be joining the “We Have the Solutions” group, which includes “clean and green businesses.”  Both the number of organizations participating – now over 1400 – and their sheer diversity is staggering. From native Americans to gray-haired grannies, from scientists to nurses, the list of partners is mind-boggling. My thanks to the organizers of the march for laying it out so clearly.

It looks like the weather is going to cooperate. 🙂 Where will you be on Sunday?