In This Chapter
Reach beyond your business
Increase sales through professional networks
Benefit from group resources
Market through supporting local initiatives
A big part of the green and sustainable movement requires a rethinking of business as usual. Although companies of the past have risen to the top with a spirit of competitiveness considered healthy for business, the new paradigm suggests that cooperating and collaborating may be a more successful way to gain ground in business. Developing a community philosophy of working together and helping one another with shared goals of creating prosperity and a healthier planet for all is the prevailing attitude of the new green economy. Although it might seem contrary to traditional ideas, working with our peers to get ahead can prove to be a successful approach to business. And guess what? It works.
Most business people have discovered that networking with other professionals can enhance their business through increased contact and visibility in their field. But oftentimes, professional interests are at odds when talking or working with others in the same field. Competition can create a barrier that keeps those with like minds from working together because they’re afraid the competition may steal their ideas or their clients. Although the current business mantra deems competition to be good, that’s only because it spurs workers to move more quickly than their peers to capture a potential market. Sustainable businesses find that cooperating with peers to achieve goals—instead of competitively hiding information from them—can be a win/win situation for all involved.
The green business approach posits that working together can help achieve even greater goals than a few sales, and the result can be more progress toward shared objectives. Sustainable businesses focus on goals that impact the planet and the health of citizens worldwide while increasing their profits. This approach can lead to greater success for all involved.
In the emerging economic climate, which will address green energy and efficiency and create multiple opportunities, saving the planet and turning around hazardous practices becomes a greater good that companies can work together to achieve. Strength in numbers and the power of group energy focused on problems, such as cleaning up polluted water and air, is the only way we will meet these important goals, and these factors are essential to continued life on Earth. Sustainable businesses understand this and factor this knowledge into their design plans. Working together, businesses will be able to achieve these goals more effectively.
Networking with other businesses that share your goals of sustainability will help you find and support suppliers and customers working toward the same planet, people, and profit values that your company supports. You can connect with these companies and avoid supporting businesses that don’t share these values. Teaming up to support the same suppliers can result in a discounted cost for purchasing products. Often referred to as a purchasing co-op, many small- and medium-size businesses use this as a cost reduction strategy.
Amy Belanger, Deputy Director of the Green Business Network at Green America, reports a recent example of networking among members resulted in a partnership with Green America; World of Good, an online e-commerce group reserved for products that meet Green America standards for social and environmental responsibility; and eBay, the online auction site that has created revenue streams for many thousands of entrepreneurs. “This was a networking coup in Green America,” said Belanger. “It’s a concrete outcome of a really good networking relationship.”
Networking with like-minded owners can help businesses gather power on a large-enough scale to affect basic changes in the way they do business and to prevent the worst effects of global warming and a greed-based economy. Part of your sustainable business plan should include benefits such as cleaner air, water, and soil; and employees should have more time to spend with their families or to pursue other creative and intellectual aspects instead of just working to survive. Once considered intangible benefits that had little or no place in the workplace, today the value of these is recognized as important for our health and well-being. They are part of the triple bottom line or integrated bottom line, which provides business benefits for people and the planet as well as profit. Working together can enable businesses to make large-scale changes to help prevent global warming. Remember, sustainable businesses focus on a triple bottom line that includes people, the planet, and profit instead of the traditional single bottom line of just profit.
While large and small sustainable businesses are focusing on more objectives than just profit, by developing sustainable practices, they also benefit from cost savings and increased profits.
As many business people are learning in the twenty-first century, the electronic age and all its wonderful ability to connect us in myriad ways 24/7 can be a boondoggle to our productivity and a time sapper in our offices. We need to be judicious in our use of electronic resources to make the most of the advantages offered through the Internet. Some companies designate certain times of day, limited hours, or specific employees to maintain electronic networking and research benefiting the company. Also note that the Internet has few filters to help protect us from false claims and wasted money and time. But as tedious as the electronic age may be, there is no doubt that learning to navigate the information highway can lead to better connections with the larger world and opportunities to work with other companies to enhance your sustainability and expansion goals. Working through agencies and organizations that vet members and participants can help focus your efforts on reliable businesses and potential partners, similar to the way certification agencies provide assurance of viability through certification labels.
Formerly known as Co-Op America, the nonprofit organization Green America is dedicated to helping socially and environmentally responsible businesses succeed because it wants to bring about a socially just and environmentally responsible society. Born from a conversation among friends, the group began as a cooperative effort to sell artisan jewelry and tie-dyed t-shirts, but as the need for a network connecting similar businesses became clear, they shifted focus and became a networking facilitator.
“This is a need in the world,” says Belanger of the Green Business Network. “If we really want to see dramatic change, we need to get consumers on board, voting with their dollars. Rather than just protesting and trying to change things at the government level, why not change it through the economy?”
Green America created the National Green Pages, a catalog that lists businesses that meet Green America’s standards as socially and environmentally responsible businesses. Businesses of all sizes are benefiting from Green America membership because of the resources and networking opportunities it offers.
Going Green
Take advantage of the broad resources available through Green America and find out if your company is eligible for membership at www.greenamericatoday.org.
Operating since 1982, the group has seen a tremendous surge in memberships in the past few years as more business owners seek to apply social and eco-friendly values to their work. Green America provides many services and educational resources for members, and networking with other members can lead to benefits such as discounts and business opportunities, as well as the assurance that colleagues have similar values.
Through the Green Business Network, Green America offers business members connectivity via an e-list, where participants can post inquiries for new products, raw materials, or references and other resources. The group also hosts an electronic lounge for members, where chats and educational resources can be accessed.
Look for the Green America logo on business promotional material and websites and you’ll know that the business displaying the seal is genuinely working to help solve the world’s problems while conducting a successful enterprise.
Green America logo.
(Courtesy Green America)
The advent of the Internet has made networking much more possible than ever before. Many groups meet virtually online without frequent in-person meetings, and many networking opportunities online help like-minded businesses find ways to work together. The Internet can increase our reach and multiply our marketing efforts when used effectively. LinkedIn, a popular business networking site, enables users to create a profile and connect to one another. Used strictly for business purposes, LinkedIn is a great way to build a professional network. You can also join other groups such as The Green Group, Green and Sustainability Innovators, and The Sustainability Working Group just to name a few.
Green Chamber of Commerce organizations, which are beginning to pop up across the country, are a great place to meet other like-minded green business leaders and potential collaborators. If your city or town doesn’t currently have a Green Chamber of Commerce, why not create one? You will increase the presence of your business in the community, serve as a leader, and encourage sustainable business practices throughout your town.
Green America hosts annual green business conferences and green festivals in several locations around the country to bring green and sustainable businesses together and to foster education and information exchange. The group anticipates a turnout of as many as 100,000 at its events, which begin with educational programs for business leaders and include a public festival for green products and networking. Many other groups also provide opportunities to connect with legitimate businesses working in the green realm.
Small businesses participating in these events can benefit from exposure through the conferences and from networking with other like-minded firms.
Earth Day Network evolved from the original Earth Day in 1970. Today, the international network includes 17,000 organizations in 174 countries, promoting educational and climate-related campaigns around the world. Earth Day Network sponsors Earth Day events to help bring interested parties together to learn more about sustainability.
Earth Day Network partners with Green Apple Festival to produce green music around the United States to celebrate Earth Day. Started in New York City in 2006, the green music festivals were held in eight U.S. cities in 2008, attracting more than 200,000 to the event featuring music and green business vendors and displays. It’s billed as the largest Earth Day event in the world. See Appendix B for contact information.
Business for Social Responsibility is an organization that helps businesses develop socially responsible sourcing networks and practices. With 250 international business members, the nonprofit group provides advisory services and educational programs. It also networks with civic leaders to help connect members with issues and solutions at the local level and beyond. Its mission statement lists its values as leadership, integrity, and respect and describes its mission as to help businesses develop accountable, sustainable, and competitive success. See Appendix B for contact information.
Green Drinks International is a group that was founded at a local pub in London in 1989 when like-minded environmentalists pulled their tables together to talk. Thanks to the entrepreneurship of Edwin Datschefski, one of the original group members, there are now 402 cities participating worldwide. You can establish a Green Drinks group in your own area to provide a meeting place for those interested in or involved with environmental issues to learn about one another’s programs and how they might work together. Datschefski advises finding a local restaurant or other venue that’s happy to host an event one night a month and then letting attendees buy their own food and drinks. Arranging for a speaker from a local government, group, or other green initiative will help get ideas flowing.
Going Green
To find or start a Green Drinks International group in another city around the world, visit www.greendrinks.org.
Net Impact is an organization of students and professionals “using business to improve the world.” It has more than 200 chapters worldwide and 10,000 members working to support their mutual interests in social responsibility and environmental sustainability. The nonprofit organization facilitates these initiatives with educational programming, an annual conference, and online networking for members. “Net Impact works to enable our dynamic, intelligent, and committed members to transform their ideals into measurable results,” according to the group’s mission statement.
Net Impact began in 1993 when a group of 16 MBA interns began networking to “put their business skills to use to both make money and achieve positive social good.” Within a year, 500 students had joined the network. Today the mix is about half students and half professionals. The group reports that 1,800 attended their 2007 conference, and in 2008 it held two conferences, one in Switzerland and one at the University of Pennsylvania. Attendees “gain a fresh perspective on the role of business in society and a new appreciation for their work as business leaders and their connection to a network of like-minded colleagues.” It might be worthwhile to ask one of your employees to connect with this organization so your small business can benefit from this network of academics and professionals.
Social Venture Network (SVN), founded in 1987, is a group of 500 socially responsible business leaders whose mission is “to inspire a community of business and social leaders to build a just economy and sustainable planet.”
SVN lists several prominent businesses and organizations among those headed by its members. Gary Hirschfield, founder of Stonyfield Farm, started his yogurt company in 1983, and a report on the SVN site says the company applied values of environmental sustainability even then. “We were children of the ’60s,” he reports in an SVN article, “and had no choice but to question the conventional models and try to integrate these values.” SVN describes the approach as values first and marketing second, but the result was successful—the company grew into the largest organic yogurt company in the world. Hirschfield worked with SVN to found the Social Venture Institute to share his business model and practices with like-minded business owners and entrepreneurs. The twice-annual Institute provides business mentors, problem-solving sessions, and workshops on financing a socially responsible business, sales and marketing, management, and strategic growth.
As we move into a new green economy, businesses are taking a leading role in rebuilding a world infrastructure and society that will be a friendlier and healthier place in the future. One of the best ways sustainable businesses can positively affect their communities is to partner with social and government programs to help community members gain footing in the new paradigm. Becoming a player in the new green movement is a more effective way to take advantage of this than sitting on the sidelines bemoaning the changes that are inevitable as we face global warming and a changing economy.
Amy Belanger from the Green Business Network has a background in marketing and wrote a chapter for the book Guerrilla Marketing on the Front Lines by Mitch Meyerson and Jay Levinson (Morgan James Publishing, 2008). Belanger’s chapter, “Guerrilla Cause Marketing: How Marketing with Causes Can Send Your Profits and Your Spirits Soaring,” is all about the benefits shared by both the business and the community programs or nonprofits it supports. Belanger says that cause marketing is a partnership between a nonprofit and a business where the business provides resources to aid the cause and the cause provides good public relations for the business.
Note
Cause marketing is a collaboration between a business and a nonprofit organization that provides the chance for the business to help address a social or environmental cause in exchange for publicity.
“Green businesses are often already networking in the community from day one because they started for altruistic reasons. For those who are not, they should be,” says Belanger. “They should think of it in marketing terms, not as a donation, because they’re not cutting dollars out of their profit. They should consider it super affordable and highly leverage-able mission-based marketing. Every time they contribute to a cause in their community, members of that cause are going to develop a loyalty to their business.”
Belanger adds that green business owners often feel uncomfortable marketing their businesses, which often leads to their downfall. Business owners who started out fighting for a social or environmental cause may be wary of becoming too profit-oriented, because that’s how our environmental and social problems developed in the first place—through greed. Belanger hopes green business owners will help themselves get past that hurdle: “If you’ve got a legitimate green business, this is legitimate green marketing that comes together seamlessly—it’s not exploitive, it’s a good win/win partnership.”
Networking opportunities abound in your home community, so look for a cause that the expertise of your business can help. For example, if you’re in the green building business or you manufacture or retail green building supplies, check in with the local housing authority to find out if there is a community initiative to develop affordable green housing. If there is, find out how you can help; if no such initiative exists, find out how you can get one started.
If you’re in the food business, perhaps you can work with a food bank or a shelter program. Or work with local schools to implement healthier meals using produce from local farms, organic foods, or healthy drinks and snacks.
Are you a sustainable purveyor of green goods? Consider donating your products to local businesses for auctions, fund raisers, or prizes for their incentive programs. Seek out programs that are doing the kinds of work your sustainable values support.
Just as you might look for a government program that seeks to fill a need that resonates with your business, you could also look for nongovernment organizations that are serving the community through nonprofit work. You can make donations to support nonprofit organizations, sponsor events to raise funds for such groups, or dispatch volunteer staff to help them in their work.
Clif Bar, maker of all-natural and organic energy bars, has partnered with 1 percent For the Planet to donate 1 percent of their profits to benefit communities. They’ve also teamed with Focus the Nation to help educate students, businesses, and communities about global warming and environmental issues. The company also provides employee staff time to volunteer for many different community organizations.
Developing an altruistic realm of your business will help your local community, or perhaps a community in a developing nation, and also help your business fulfill your goal of social responsibility. In conclusion, it’s clear that developing a business that meets the needs of the planet and people while generating profits is more than a good idea—it’s achievable.
Zachary Karabell, president of River Twice Research and adviser to Business of Social Responsibility, wrote in the September 22, 2008, issue of Newsweek: “Environmental concerns have suddenly emerged as a dominant driver of global corporations, marrying an old impulse to be good stewards of the planet with an equally ancient desire to make money. That marriage may well eradicate the quaint distinction between profit motive and public good, opening up a brand-new world of business practices and investment opportunities.”
This is the new world of possibility and an opportunity to change not just the way we use our Earth’s resources but also the way we do business. The new green economy gives us the chance to rewrite the meaning of business and economy in the twenty-first century. As you craft your sustainable business plan, you have the power to affect changes in how we view our economy and how it impacts life on Earth. While developing more environmentally friendly practices, you’re reducing your energy usage and waste output and learning how to use resources more efficiently. You’re even creating friendlier lifestyles for yourself and your employees. Should the 32-hour workweek take hold on a broad scale, we might have time to pursue hobbies, increase our knowledge through reading or continuing education, and perhaps find time to simply ruminate—the foundation of creative thought, which is the source of invention and solutions. Welcome to the Green Revolution, and thank you for choosing to be a part of creating a healthier, happier future for all of us and our children. It’s happening.
Networking provides a great opportunity to raise visibility for your business.
Working with other organizations and businesses can help you reach beyond your local market.
Broadening your scope can help increase sales and profits.
Creating partnerships with community and nonprofit organizations can help spread the word about your business to consumers who share your values.