Workshops

Every business owner comes to a moment in the development of their business when they are faced with the question: where do I find the money to finance more growth? Start ups, small businesses, existing enterprises with stable cash flow but a desire for more, the quest for capital is fundamental. This panel hosts seven local experts on finding funding for your enterprise in the new green economy. Come early to find a seat, as this will be popular, standing room only!

Moderator
Christopher Peck, Natural Investments LLC

Panel
Gary Abriem Corporate Sustainablity
Kim Kasiolanis; Circle Bank
Gary Groff; New Resource Bank
Cliff Detz, Innoventure
Bobbi Hoff Beehler, Pisenti & Brinker, LLP
Mark Quinn, District Director, San Francisco District Office of the U.S. Small Business Administration

Several forces are driving change in today’s economy and catalyzing opportunities for growth in sustainability and clean technology. Consumers are demanding better products and services. Meanwhile recent legislation requires companies to document their environmental footprints and find ways to reduce their green house gas emissions. This panel will discuss how sustainability is driving innovation, how savvy companies are responding and what this means for the Bay Area’s economy.

Moderator
Bill Silver, Ph.D., Dean, School of Business and Economics, Sonoma State University

Panel
Will Sarni, CEO, Domani
Cynthia Murray, President/CEO, North Bay Leadership Council
John Webley, Serial Entrepreneur

Employees are the most vital resource in successful companies. In a time of economic challenge, innovation requires diverse perspectives. Uncover unconscious assumptions that may be limiting your company’s workforce. Through a combination of experiential activities and an informative presentation, you may discover how our social identities impact the success and growth of sustainable businesses. Discover practical tools for talking about race and racism as well as class and classism. Social equity is an essential element in the emerging green economy.

Presenters
Stephanie Puentes of Equity Action
Laurie B. Lippin, Ph.D. of Equity Action

New energy efficiency programs like Sonoma County’s Energy Independence Program, bring the business owner outstanding opportunities to immediately lower their energy bills 30-50% through efficiency retrofits like insulation installation, weatherization and water conserving systems without an upfront cost. Solar has never been a better deal with rebates and SCEIP financing. Businesses often incur costs by storing or discarding valuable equipment that instead could be used by nonprofits, diverting it from landfills. How do you get started today slashing your business costs while reducing greenhouse gases, waste, and conserving energy? This workshop will be a lively presentation of tools for saving money by reducing your operations’ energy footprint.

Presenters
Liz Yager, County of Sonoma, Energy & Sustainability
Ken Kurtz, CEO, iReuse
Craig Carlock, Chair of Solar Sonoma County

Whether you are a professional seeking a clearer sense of direction, or a manager wanting to equip your workforce with skills as the new green economy takes shape, this workshop and panel will provide tools, tips, and additional resources for planning your next steps (or navigating your journey). In the workshop you will clarify your interests, transferable skills, and work values, expand your knowledge of options using a green career map, and learn about a range of green training options in the North Bay and beyond from a panel of representatives from local programs offering training for green careers.

Moderator
Anne Greenblatt, MA in Career Development, Green Career Transitions

Panel
John Stayton, Dir. Green MBA Program, Dominican University
Chuck Robbins, Dir. Economic Development, Santa Rosa Junior College
Alex Hinds, Interim Director, Center for Sustainable Communities, Sonoma State University
Tanya Narath, Exec. Dir. & CEO, Leadership Institute for Ecology and the Economy

As "organic", "fair-trade" and "sustainability" have become mainstream terms, farmers are finding that they are becoming less clear, not more, about what having a truly sustainable farm is. In this roundtable discussion, hear from local business leaders about how they define sustainability, how they practice it, and how they have maintained these efforts over time.

Moderator
Armand Gilinski, Ph.D., Professor of Ag SSU specialist on wine industry

Panel
Jennifer Lynn Bice, Redwood Hill Farm & Creamery
Joseph McIntyre, Ag Innovations Network
Steven Canter, Quivira Vineyards & Winery Winemaker/Winegrower
Deborah Parrish, CFO, Straus Family Creamery

This session provides practical tips on how to get sustainability initiatives implemented from industry experts and what the rewards and challenges are of doing that. We will be looking at these questions:

• How to create a sustainability policy, and what does it include
• What are the internal challenges of gaining buy-in for these initiatives
• Practical tips on specific ways to reduce your company's carbon footprint
• How having a sustainability policy increases your business opportunities
• What are some best practices of a mid-size company and large company
• What are the implications of future regulations and legislation

Moderator
Mary O’Connor, Sustainable Leadership Institute

Panel
Bruce Thorpe - Vice President, WSP Environment & Energy LLC.
Jonathan Storper - Hansen Bridgett Law Firm
Tim Smith - Senior Director of Sustainable Development, Shaklee Corp

Sustainability Marketing in a World of Radical Transparency

Social media technology is driving the shift towards a more open culture, a more open government, and most notably, a more open way of marketing. People are Twittering about your brand right now and the way you respond today will determine the future of brand management.

At the same time, corporate sustainability marketing initiatives are getting labeled as green washing because they lack transparency that is foundational to building authentic brand trust.

In this talk, you will learn how to leverage social media technology to be an Open Brand leader, transcending green washing and building trusted relationship with your customers. See current case studies of corporate green initiatives that have succeeded and failed. Learn how to show your green, authentically.

Presenter
Joey Shepp

Certified B Corporations meet comprehensive and transparent social and environmental standards and legally expand their corporate responsibilities to include consideration of interests of all stakeholders, including employees, suppliers, community and the environment. During this lively roundtable, hear several prominent business leaders describe how the B Corporation model is adding credibility and strength to their brand with its tools to evaluate and improve the social and environmental performance of their companies.

Moderator
Deborah Hirsh, B Lab/BCorporation

Panel
Michael Hannigan, Give Something Back, Inc.
Matt Reynolds, Indigenous Designs, Inc.
Mal Warwick, Mal Warwick Associates
Haven Bourque, Straus Communications

More about B Corporations.

This session will feature a hosted dialogue between representatives of two successful companies engaged in sustainable business practices within the construction industry. It will provide a penetrating insight into how their corporate vision of sustainability is changing the essence and operations of their businesses, and the impact it is having on their industry. Through a casual, focused conversation, critical issues such as the challenges of driving eco-initiatives within and beyond the company, addressing social equity, engaging uncertain or unconvinced stakeholders, and allocating resources will be explored. One company, Serious Materials, is relatively new and has its roots in sustainable business, the other, Webcor Builders, is an established company that has learned the art and skill of sustainable construction, with such notable projects such as building the LEED Platinum California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco.

Moderator
Terry Taylor - Global Genesis

Panel
Kevin Surace, CEO, Serious Materials
Phillip Micheal Williams, VP, Webcor Builders