Interviews
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September 15th, 2008 by Patrick Dominguez
Hanson Bridgett is a San Francisco-based law firm that has taken an innovative approach not only in being a greener business - but also raising its profile as a sustainable business leader in the community.
Jonathan Storper, partner and chair of the sustainable business practice at Hanson Bridgett, explains both the business and personal benefits of becoming a more sustainable law firm - and the how they’ve overcome the challenges that come up on the journey to sustainability.
INTERVIEW HIGHLIGHTS
- Why sometimes the greatest challenge to being more sustainable is employee resistance - and what to do about it
- What is a “B Corporation” and why Hanson Bridgett became one
- Why using china instead of biogradable plates became a big challenge
- Jonathan explains how competition is good for (green) business!
LISTEN NOW (press play below)
TRANSCRIPT
PATRICK DOMINGUEZ, GREEN BUSINESS INNOVATORS: Hello this is Patrick Dominguez from Green Business Innovators and I am here speaking with Jonathan Storper, who is a partner at Hanson Bridgett, and a chair of the sustainable business practice at Hanson Bridgett.
Interview with Tom Szaky, CEO and founder of TerraCycle
September 1st, 2008 by Amie Vaccaro
There is more than one road to success. Here is one formula: Dropping out of Princeton + Growing Pot = Potentially the world’s greenest consumer products company. Here’s another formula: Imagination + Things People Don’t Want = $3.5 million company. Yes, we’re talking about Tom Szaky and TerraCycle, a company that develops products made of and packaged from waste and sold at large retail chains.
Since 2001, TerraCycle products have received a Zerofootprint Seal of Approval, and the company has been inundated with a host of other awards. Its products include plant fertilizer, cleaning products, school supplies and bags - all made using trash.
CEO and founder Tom Szaky discusses how it all began, what has been most challenging, what he loves about his job, his views on greenwashing and more.
AMIE VACCARO, GREEN BUSINESS INNOVATORS: How did you come up with this idea for TerraCycle while at Princeton?
TOM SZAKY: My friends and I were trying to grow better pot and it turned out worm poop did the trick. It was also inspiring in that it was using garbage.
Everyone “Diggs” 1 Block Off The Grid (1BOG.org)
August 26th, 2008 by Patrick DominguezBig news just announced from 1 Block Off The Grid (1BOG.org)
With 1 Block Off The Grid (aka 1BOG.org) San Francisco residents can save up to 48% off the cost of a solar system for their home (total cost for low energy users would be about $3,200 for a system). The deadline for taking advantage of 1BOG’s offer is September 15, 2008 so check out 1BOG’s web site soon for more details.
I just heard this news from Sylvia Ventura, co-founder of 1BOG, and I’m mentioning this to my blog readers because this seems like a particularly unique opportunity for my fellow San Franciscans to receive low-cost solar power - and I’m a supporter of affordable renewable energy.
San Franciscans can currently benefit from the largest government-sponsored rebates that have ever been available, but some of them will soon no longer be unavailable. Between 1BOG’s discounts and the rebates, this is likely the lowest price opportunity for solar available in San Francisco this year. In addition to securing volume pricing, the team at 1BOG helps guide and educate its members through the process, making getting solar power less intimidating than going it alone.
The background on 1BOG
1BOG’s mission is to accelerate the adoption of renewable solar energy in residential homes. Their primary tool for doing this is to make solar power more accessible financially by negotiating deep discounts in the price of solar systems. 1BOG’s unique business model involves bringing together a large group of homeowners in a given city, and then using group purchasing power to negotiate volume pricing so that everyone in the group benefits.
According to Sylvia, 1BOG aims to take the equivalent of a city block off the San Francisco grid by the end of the year. This isn’t an actual city block - it’s more like a “virtual block”, the aggregate of all the participating solar homes in San Francisco. Afterwards, their goal is to reduce San Francisco’s electricity demand by many blocks, and then to repeat this in cities across the country.
Taking a block off the grid, or roughly 50 homes, in San Francisco would be a real achievement, given current numbers. According to 1BOG’s site “The city has set a goal of 10,000 solar roofs by 2010; to date less than 700 residences have solar on their roofs.” This low level of adoption is largely due to cost, but also due to inadequate information (e.g. about government incentives and tax benefits).
You can see a visual image of the demand for 1BOG in San Francisco:
A Bad Time to Take a Vacation
Another story from Sylvia - her family was taking her kids on a 10-day summer vacation in Tahoe last week that they had planned 6 months in advance, including family visiting from out of town. This soon turned into an entrepreneurial working vacation when unexpected promotional pandemonium broke loose…
When 1BOG put an announcement on the news wire on August 19 (during their family vacation) that they had selected Real Goods Solar as their solar power installation partner, a CleanTechnica blog post about the news suddenly became a popular story on Digg. By the next day, there was 100 Diggs, and the story hit the front page on Digg, and became the top story with over 600 Diggs in just a couple of hours!
Within hours, 1BOG.org was flooded with thousands of visitors, and this led to 80 new registrants, bringing their total number of members to 340.
Why did this get so popular on Digg out-of-the-blue? Sylvia isn’t sure, but she suspects that Digg is very much community-oriented, and that 1BOG has an inspiring community-oriented concept.
Where to Next? Going National
Though 1 Block Off the Grid is focused on completing their first round of community solar installations in San Francisco, the word has gotten out nationally. According to Sylvia Ventura, they are now considering the next cities they want to serve. My guess is they will go to the cities with the largest number of registrants at 1BOG’s site, so that should be motivation for people outside of San Francisco.
1BOG has signed up 40 people in Washington DC, 15 in Las Vegas, 6 in Portland, and a number of people in other Bay Area cities such as San Jose and Sacramento.
Interview with Mo Chicarro and Anthony Oram, Founders of Male Organics
August 16th, 2008 by Patrick Dominguez
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“The Cleanest Men in London”
Male Organics is a UK-based internet store that’s a one-stop shop for organic and natural grooming products for men aspiring to be chemical-free and earth-friendly.
The two founders of Male Organics share why they seized upon the idea of starting a store for men - and surprising things they’ve learned along the way.
INTERVIEW HIGHLIGHTS
- Why Male Organics was told off for being sexist….
- …and a surprising fact: 50% of the customers at Male Organics are women!
- What from the marketing toolbox is working? Offering discounts is working to attract people to their site
- Find out the #1 bestselling natural grooming product purchased for men
LISTEN NOW (press play below)
TRANSCRIPT
PATRICK DOMINGUEZ: This is Patrick Dominguez from Green Business Innovators.com and I am here speaking with two gentlemen from Male Organics. Why don’t you introduce yourselves and tell us a little bit about what your company does and its history.
MO CHICARRO: Sure, I’m Mo Chicarro.
ANTHONY ORAM: And I’m Anthony Oram.
MO CHICARRO: We started out Male Organics almost a year ago and the idea was we were looking ourselves for products on the internet - to wash with or brush your teeth with, a toothpaste, shower gel, stuff like that and previously you would only find them on websites that were mainly female orientated and a very small men’s section. So, we spent about a year researching a wide variety of products and then put them all in one place which is now Male Organics. Guys can go there and the whole website is laid out for men’s idea of shopping.
Interview with Chris Bristow and Harvey Jones, Founders of Smartly Green
August 8th, 2008 by Patrick Dominguez
Smartlygreen.com is an innovative shopping portal/loyalty program/social network that allows people to offset their carbon footprint for free while they shop online at 400+ top retail stores. The site serves customers in the US (with stores in the US including the Gap, Apple, Orbitz, Macys, etc), the UK, and Australia. The two founders of Smartly Green, based in the UK, share the story behind the founding of the site and their vision for its growth.
INTERVIEW HIGHLIGHTS
- The Smartly Green story of two “normal guys” (actually with extensive business experience) making a choice to give back through their business
- How they were able to enroll so many top retail brands in their program
- The thinking behind Smartly Green’s international expansion
- Does Smartly Green encourage people to do more shopping? The founders address this question
LISTEN NOW (press play below)
TRANSCRIPT
PATRICK DOMINGUEZ: Hello, this is Patrick Dominguez from Green Business Innovators and I am here with the two founders of Smartly Green. Why don’t you introduce yourselves and tell us what Smartly Green does.
HARVEY JONES: My name is Harvey Jones.
CHRIS BRISTOW: And my name is Chris Bristow.
HARVEY JONES: First of all, Chris and I thought we needed to do something which was environmentally sustainable and living in that way. Because we had spent the last 25 years working for large corporates in different parts of the world and it was now time to put something back in. We came up with the idea from looking at a series of studies that had been in the UK that indicated that in between 70 and 75% of the population actually did have an environmental conscience, but were doing nothing about it. They were doing nothing about it because (a), they found the information confusing or worse, they were actually finding the information coming downstream contradictory. That was a major issue. That resulted in them doing absolutely nothing. We came up with the idea saying, okay let’s do something for that part of society. Let’s make it easy for them and let’s start them on the journey to a more sustainable lifestyle. And let’s make it in such a way that they don’t even have to think about it. They don’t have to change their lifestyles to begin with and they certainly don’t have to spend any more money.
We came up with a retail portal called Smartly Green and people are encouraged to do their normal shopping through us, not to spend any more money and certainly not to do anymore shopping.
Video Interview with Michael Dwork, CEO, VerTerra
July 24th, 2008 by Patrick DominguezCompostable Dinnerware - Made from Fallen Leaves
In this interview, VerTerra CEO Michael Dwork shares how he came up with the idea for VerTerra’s compostable dinnerware while traveling in Asia, and behind-the-scenes details of how they produce sustainable products.
VerTerra produces compostable dinnerware (such as plates and bowls) made from just fallen leaves and water pressure. No chemicals are used (such as coatings, glues, plastics) and no trees are cut down. And no recycling is needed, since the products are made of leaves - they are biodegradable and the material used naturally returns to the earth within 2 months.
In addition to reducing waste and energy use, they offer fair-wage jobs to the many people they employ in developing countries in Asia where the leaves are sourced.
Last but not least - VerTerra’s products are very attractive and stylish! These amazing products are a great way to help “green” your next event.
Interview with Clare Harris, Editor, New Consumer Magazine
July 7th, 2008 by Patrick Dominguez
New Consumer, a UK-based magazine and web site, helps people around the world channel their purchasing power choices and actions to make a difference through ethical living and support of fair trade. Top-notch content (passionate, irreverent, positive and fun) and a strong commitment to their values are two linchpins of New Consumer’s success.
New Consumer’s Editor Clare Harris takes us on a behind-the-scenes tour of the business and editorial strategies that guide New Consumer’s successful growth.
INTERVIEW HIGHLIGHTS
- Note how clear New Consumer is about what strategies they are using to attract and grow their audience. (Do you have a clear plan for growing your business?)
- The power of partnerships to spread word-of-mouth
- What New Consumer does to provide an antidote to “green fatigue”
- Where to find out about vegetarian and fair trade condoms!
LISTEN NOW (press play below)
TRANSCRIPT
Patrick Dominguez: This is Patrick Dominguez with Green Business Innovators and I am interviewing the editor of New Consumer, Clare Harris. Thank you, Clare for agreeing to do this interview.
Clare Harris: Thank You.
Patrick Dominguez: Clare, to get started why don’t you tell us about New Consumer.
Clare Harris: Well, New Consumer started out about 5 years ago and it was originally set up as a publication that reflected the growth of the fair trade movement in the UK. And we covered a whole range of fair trade issues, what new products were out there, what the effect on producers was, and since then we have grown with the sector to cover all areas of ethical living, whether that’s organics, eco-electricity, whether it’s fair trade products. So, we have widened partly in response to the fact that the more people are aware of shopping ethically and want to shop ethically. There is an appetite for knowledge out there.
Video Interview with Rick Batia, Managing Director, Bauer’s Intelligent Transportation
June 25th, 2008 by Patrick DominguezFrom Bachelorette Parties to Green Transportation Leader
Rick Batia shares how Bauer’s Intelligent Transportation grew from a 6-vehicle limousine company to the largest private eco-friendly fleet in the country. Bauer’s Intelligent Transportation provides employee commuter shuttle programs for many top technology companies (such as Google and Yahoo) in the San Francisco Bay Area.
This interview was held at the Sustainable Brands 2008 conference.
Interview with Alicia Lai, Founder of Bourgeois Boheme
May 31st, 2008 by Patrick Dominguez
In this interview, founder Alicia Lai shares knowledge gained from managing Bourgeois Boheme, a compassionate fashion boutique that offers a range of ethical fashion accessories for both men and women.
The London UK-based company has an online store and a showroom in London, and every product offered is free from animal ingredients (suitable for vegans). Bourgeois Boheme has an ethical-business model that aims to educate consumers that their conscious choice of an ethical product does make a difference in how people, animals and the environment are treated in the commercial world.
INTERVIEW HIGHLIGHTS
- Ethically-produced products can be price competitive and do not have to carry a price premium
- How Bourgeois Boheme sources ethically-produced products
- The satisfaction of living your values in your work
- Are ethically-product products as stylish as other products in the marketplace? Would Sarah Jessica Parker wear them?
LISTEN NOW (press play below)
TRANSCRIPT
Patrick Dominguez, Green Business Innovators:
Hello, this is Patrick Dominguez with Green Business Innovators, and I am here with Alicia Lai, the co-founder of Bourgeois Boheme. Welcome Alicia.
Alicia Lai, Bourgeois Boheme:
Thank you, Patrick.
Patrick Dominguez: Tell us about Bourgeois Boheme.
Alicia Lai: Okay. Bourgeois Boheme is a mainly online-based business and we provide fashion accessories, fashion with compassion, which is basically cruelty-free fashion that has been produced in an ethical means, as well. We provide a sort of vegan and veggie products that cater to the demands of people that are looking for cruelty-free and environmentally-friendly products. The primary market I suppose is vegan and vegetarians, but we are also trying to target you know ethical and environmental people who are conscious about what they are wearing.
Patrick Dominguez: And what kind of products can people buy from your company?
Alicia Lai: Well, we can buy a vast array of basically footwear, bags, wallets, purses and cosmetics. Basically, sort of all the fashion accessory side of things, and they are all produced with non-animal-based products including glues, etc. And also in more sort of eco-friendly products such as microfibers and hemp and organic cottons and things like that.
Patrick Dominguez: How did you choose the products that you sell?
Alicia Lai: It was really hard, but we started sort of 3 years ago finding products that sort of meet our aims of cruelty-free, no animal products, ethically produced etc. So, we went and visited lots of trade fairs within Europe and in the UK, speaking to wholesalers and starting off with getting products through wholesalers. They would need to meet our criteria. So, we started off on that aspect and as we have sort of grown over the last 3 years we are sort of in a position now that we can start producing our own range, which is quite exciting.
Interview with Mark Pastore, Founder, Incanto Restaurant
May 25th, 2008 by Bill Baren
INTERVIEW HIGHLIGHTS
- When starting a new business, is passion more important then experience?
- Innovation comes from being conscious about what you do and continually asking the question, “How can I do this better every day”
- “Sustainability is leaving the world better off before you touched it.
- How serving foods that aren’t popular can be the best marketing tool you’ve got… a sustainable business is not based on a marketing ploy, it’s simply a commitment to live your life and run your business sustaineably.
LISTEN NOW (press play below)
TRANSCRIPT
Bill Baren:
I’m Bill Baren of Green Business Innovators and I’m here at the back offices of Incanto Restaurant in San Francisco. Incanto is committed to delicious Italian food with sustainable practices. I’m joined by Mark Pastore, the founder and owner of Incanto. Thank you, Mark. Thank you for allowing us to enter your world.
Mark Pastore:
It’s nice to be with you, Bill. Thank you.
Mark Pastore: Sure. I grew up in an Italian-American family and had a life changing experience when I was 21 years old in Italy. I always loved cooking growing up, but when I went to Italy, it made me really think about eating. Europeans eat differently than Americans do. When I came back to the United States, I started a career that lasted about 13 years. But at the back of my mind, I was always interested in food and I would spend all of my spare time reading cookbooks and traveling on food-related vacations. Ultimately, the passion grew strong enough that in 2001, I left my old life and decided to start an Italian restaurant.
Bill Baren: So you’ve made your passion and your love your career these days?
Mark Pastore: Yes, which many people warned me about, but I can’t say that I have any regrets.
Bill Baren: Did you have any formal training or a methodology that you used when you first started?
Mark Pastore: No, I would like to tell people that I’m an untrained professional. I guess, I had started two businesses prior, neither of which had been in the food world. So I had a little bit of background about how to hire people and, hopefully, manage a business. But I was a complete novice to restaurants and to the food world. In fact, I’d never even worked in a restaurant until the day we opened our doors.
Bill Baren: So was that training in the line of fire?
Mark Pastore: It was, I was a deer in the headlights for the first few months, but I’ve been fortunate to be able to work with some exceptionally talented people in this field. I think, why train somebody who’s never been in the business if you can work with really smart people who have more experience than you and you’re going to end up learning.
Bill Baren: So how were you able to come upon these partnerships?