Oren's blog

Enjoy this segment from Green Business leader Mike Pastryk of Liberty Valley Doors.

Liberty Valley Doors recently completed its Green Business Certification and is now reaping the rewards. See what owner Mike Pastryk and his son Stephen have to say about the path to certification and savings.

Key Points:
-- LVD has reduced its waste stream by an impressive 85%!
-- Over half a million dollars in rebates and tax breaks financed a rooftop PV solar installation 
-- The Rediscovered Door Line not only recycles wood, but brings in customers looking for explicitly sustainable products

As part of our Sustainability in Schools program, this from Len Greenwood:

From Drop Outs to Graduates – A New Vision for Career Training in Public Schools

We can have no sustainable business or healing of this injured planet or people until we first and foremost have a healthy and sustainable public education system. At the moment, we do not. In this working session, Len Greenwood and students from the Montgomery H. S. Green Career Program will explore the new vision of a dynamic union between the Sustainable Business community and Public Education, especially within Vocational training courses.

We will examine the drop out rates in California and across the nation. We will explore how establishing exciting new Career training programs like the Green Career Program at Montgomery can keep students engaged in their education and revamp entry level education and jobs for the Green Workforce. We can assist in establishing an intelligent, motivated and world-aware graduate who is both advocate and activist for a healthy and economically viable planet.

Annie Leonard lays it our clear and concise – we need to change the way our tax dollars are spent. With over $1 trillion dollars to spend each year, our government can have a big influence in shaping the future of our economy.

Governor Brown signed AB 361 into law. This image from the 2011 Sustainable Enterprise Conference where Assemblymember Huffman advocates for the importance of AB 361 establishing the Benefit Corporation in California.

Today that Bill was signed into law.

Governor Brown signed Assembly Bill 361 today to spur the creation of high quality jobs in California through benefit corporations. The legislation, introduced by Assemblymember Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael), creates a new class of corporation in California called benefit corporations that are legally required to pursue the creation of a material positive impact on society and the environment, while meeting higher standards of accountability and transparency. Current law requires corporations to prioritize the financial interests of shareholder over the interests of workers, communities, and the environment.

In his article from the Huffington Post, Jay Cohen Gilbert breaks it down:

benefit corporation legislation is important because it builds the legal infrastructure for a new economy that is more inclusive, resilient and sustainable.

Many people and much work involved here, but especially thank you to Assemblymember Huffman for his leadership.

I am blessed to work with some amazing and wonderful people in planning the conference. I am inspired daily by the way people in the green community care for the environmant and work together creating a better future.

This includes our volunteers. When I asked one of our volunteers, Greg Zirbel, if he wanted to contribute to our carbon offset raffle, here's what he offered:

I would like to donate one of my Historic birdhouse feeders that resembles what was the St. Francis winery in Kenwood. This original birdhouse was made from the recovered redwood barn wood from what was once the largest pig farm in Sonoma County, the Ress Pig Barn of Cotati, CA. Many of Sonoma's giant Sequoia were cut down in the early 1900’s, to help turn Sonoma County into the “chicken capital of the world”. I regretted seeing all this old growth redwood go to waste, in Sonoma Counties' condemned barns. By recycling old redwood, NeatTweets is excited to be preserving a part of history.

I figured that for this project I would create numerous birdhouses and let them sit and weather for years before I would accept my art project as complete. I wanted to create another ghost town of my own. If I let them weather for years, getting rained on, sitting in the heat of the summer sun and letting the wind and fog work on them, I’d have a collection of historical miniatures that resembled an abandoned town as was Bodie, the second largest city in California in it’s time. Then I’d have completed my art project.

Here's what you'll get when you attend the 6th Annual Sustainable Enterprise Conference:

#1 The latest clean energy news from Assemblymember Jared Huffman, Panama Bartholomy, the Deputy Director, Efficiency and Renewable Energy at the California Energy Commission (CEC) and Liz Yager, Energy & Sustainability Manager for Sonoma County.

#2 Compelling economic justifications for corporate responsibility and ecological sustainability from Maggie Winslow, Ph.D., Interim Dean at Presidio Graduate School and Joey Shepp, Director of the Green MBA program at Dominican University of California with additional sessions featuring B Corporation and RSF Social Finance.

#3 Organizational management workshops designed to help you implement sustainability strategies and grow your enterprise.

#4 Exhibits from the businesses, agencies and organizations working for a green and proserous North Bay.

#5 Ample time for networking with North Bay leaders dedicated to helping businesses, nonprofits, and other organizations transition to economic, environmental and social sustainability.

#6 A locally sourced and organic lunch and a closing wine reception.

Palm Drive Hospital hosted today's Green Day event titled "Improving Sustainability in Health Care." This was an opportunity for the Hospital Green Team to report on sustainability initatives that have been implemented in different departments, including the kitchen, housekeeping and waste management. Many of these program were based on a sustainability report prepared by the Green MBA program at Dominican University of California in Marin County.

I was honored to share a room with Health Care Professionals at Palm Drive Hospital as we enjoyed the presentation by Dr Barbara Sattler. She drew light to the alarming number of toxins in our environment and the even higher rate of exposure for hospital workers. In California, we're just beginning to address the best practices for Pharmaceutical Waste management. Learn more at the CalRecycle Pharmaceutical Drug Waste program, please visit http://www.calrecycle.ca.gov/HomeHazWaste/Medications/.

Bioneers founders Kenny Ausubel and Nina Simons optimistic words for our future:

The Shift Has Begun: Nina Simons and Kenny Ausubel from Bioneers on Vimeo.

"But now is not the time for despair. The ground is moving beneath our feet, and we are in a breakthrough moment. All across the world the shift is becoming palpable and gaining momentum."

The Sustainable Enterprise Conference uses EventBrite Events to manage attendee registration. The service worked very well in 2010 and we especially liked the robust coupon features. The attendee email tools are easy to use and included in the service fees and if you don't charge for your event the are no service fees.

Follow this link to learn more: about EventBrite

(this is an affiliate program and proceeds offset registration fees)

I attended the North Coast Green Summit in Ukiah where I had the pleasure of hearing Panama Bartholomy speak about the launch of Energy Upgrade California - http://www.energy.ca.gov/ - it should be live on the website any day. This state program is designed to accelerate energy efficiency retrofits by providing a central database for financing, rebates, certified contractors, jobs, job training, marketing and outreach all in one place. There's a very large outreach program planned at the state level to stimulate consumer action.

As pointed out by Kevin Gilleran, Gilleran Energy Management, these incentive programs are pro jobs and pro energy efficiency, creating an instant win for local economies and long term savings for all. There was concern raised about the effects that Prop 23 could have on the growing clean tech and energy efficiency sectors so get educated before November.

Each year we donate generously to a local community-based organization that is restoring a local creek through tree-planting and other projects. We feel that this community based carbon offset balances our desire to mitigate the conference carbon impact and serve local needs. Join us.

From Jenny at Cotatit Creek Critters:
Meanwhile, I’d like to just let you know a little about some of our activities and achievements over the last year or so, since approximately the time of the last conference.