business
Sustainability in the Office
Offices contribute greatly to the waste generated in
Minnesota. According to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA), each
year the average office worker uses 10,000 sheets of office paper, and the
average American throws away 1.6 billion single-use pens.
Socially Responsible Investing INVESTING FOR A CAUSE
A growing number of people are investing to achieve change in
the future of their communities, the environment and the world. Socially
responsible investing (SRI) assets
rose more than 324 percent from $639 billion in 1995 to $2.71 trillion in 2007
while total assets under professional management in the US grew less than 260
percent during the same period from $7 trillion to $25.1 trillion; thus, SRI now represents 11% of the total.*
The strategies that define SRI are:
Live Near Your Job OR Work Near Where You Live
Whether you own or rent your home it pays to move near your
workplace. The current estimate of car expenses is 58.5 cents per
mile. So for every ten miles your workplace is closer to your home you
save $58.50 per week. Assuming you average 30 to 60 miles-per-hour during
your commute you will also get an additional two to three hours of extra free
time each week.
Green Gatherings NEW PARTNERSHIP FORMED TO HELP EVENTS OF ALL SIZES GO GREEN
In late 2007, a unique partnership named GreenGatherings was
formed to shape the greening of events, large and small, in the Twin
Cities metro-area, beginning with the 2008 Republican National
Convention. With the eyes of the world on our region, the partnership saw
a tremendous opportunity to collaborate and showcase the region's environmental
practices as well as shape the environmental impact of future events in the
area.
The project partners include Ramsey and Hennepin Counties, the Cities of Saint Paul, Minneapolis, Bloomington, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, and
Green Business is Here to Stay
How important is it to you that a business is locally and
independently owned, or that it engages in green practices? How important is it
to you that you work for an environmentally friendly company? Or that your
office space or production facility is sustainable and healthy? The answer may
change depending on where you live and work. What cannot change is the
interconnectedness and interdependence of society, our environment, and the
economy.
Five Tips to Launch Your Own Green Business: ECOPRENEURING
Are you at a job that doesn't reflect your mission to leave
this world a better place? Feeling those Monday morning blues? Get out of the
cubicle track of working for someone else. Blend your green lifestyle with your
livelihood and become an ecopreneur: launch a business reflecting your passion
for caring for the planet and people.
Here are some tips to get started, with much more detail found in the book, ECOpreneuring: Putting Purpose and the Planet Before Profits.
1. Identify your Earth Mission
LOCAL SPOTLIGHT Butter Bakery
Butter Bakery and Café owner, Dan Swenson-Klatt, on how his
restaurant is working to lessen their impact on the environment.
Q: How does Butter Bakery's product differ from a conventional restaurant?
New Green Businesses
As the green movement flourishes, so does the green retail
sector. Stop by to visit some of the new green businesses throughout the Twin
Cities and Greater Minnesota to find some new, hip and green goods, carbon
saving devices for your home, new modes of transport, and tasty treats!
Twin Cities Green and Sunny Day Earth Solutions. These new green stores offer a wide array of recycled, reclaimed, and earth-friendly products for home, play, and a green lifestyle: wallets and bags made from
Thanks to our Sponsors
