Archive by Author
Interview with Real Food Daily’s Catering Director, Elisha Valdez
Posted on 26. Jan, 2010 by Brady Gibson.
The Clean Energy Economy is emerging. Jobs are being created across the spectrum and industries are going through fundamental shifts to adapt to an ever-changing world. Whether business strategies evolve out of necessity to government policy or wanting to both improve and incorporate the Triple Bottom Line, sustainability is creating jobs, expanding the market, and promoting economies of scale.
Opportunity Green strives to recognize leaders in sustainability and the green movement. Whether you are Proctor&Gamble or Ecovative Design, the OG team recognizes green greatness through green living–the difference between those who “say” it and those who “do” it. Furthermore, these companies and individuals create an impact bigger than their immediate size. They collaborate with business leaders, companies, and customers that value sustainable operations, community development, and a clean energy economy. Community-based and intrinsically tied between People, Planet, and Profit, sustainability is an emerging cultural ideology that requires innovation, integrity, and perseverance. One way to live green is to eat green. Restaurant sustainability is on the rise, yet there are a limited number of leaders and pioneers in the Green Restaurant Industry. As one of the most wasteful and rigid industries in the United States, the restaurant industry represents a major opportunity to find successful models, tools, ideas, and management systems for other industries and the wider Clean Energy Economy as a whole. Opportunity Green took the time to look within their green community for a leader in this category and all signs pointed to Real Food Daily. Starting out as a catering company for Hollywood moguls and superstars in the 1980′s, Real Food Daily opened its first restaurant in 1993 in Santa Monica, California, under owner Ann Gentry. Since then, it has emerged as the only restaurant in Los Angeles to serve a 100% vegan menu with foods grown solely from organic farming methods. According to Elisha Valdez, Catering Director at RFD, “the goal [...] is to introduce the Real Food Daily menu to as wide an audience as possible. We want to break the misconception that vegan food is bland, boring, and unappealing.” (If you don’t believe her, go try the nachos!) 
In addition to their delicious food, RFD is both a leader and pioneer in the green restaurant industry and had centered their operations on sustainable design long before “organic” became the buzz-word du jour. According to Elisha, RFD has bought organic for 17 years and has been a “pioneer in the efforts to advance awareness of the organic food segment of the market.” Did you know the carbon footprint of a non-meat eater is 1/7th the size of a meat eater, according to the U.N.I.P.C.C? That is a snippet of information that Elisha and others at RFD incorporate into their ideology and they live it daily. Furthermore, they influence the community by providing “people with a delicious opportunity to embrace a vegetarian diet–even it’s not everyday–[as] one of the best ways to support sustainable initiatives in the community”. Ultimately, RFD is about “the balance for both the environment and the body, [coming] from a Macrobiotic foundation [that] incorporate[s] the yin and yang of not only food, but life”.
Although RFD makes it look easy to both maintain and grow a sustainable restaurant industry, Elisha told us they still face daily challenges. ”One of our biggest struggles is communicating to the full extent of our commitment to organic foods and sustainability.” Indeed, one of the biggest struggles in the restaurant industry and sustainable operations is finding a way to transition the restaurant into green operations–a goal that starts at the fundamental operations and costs of the business. ”We see a lot of companies say ‘organic whenever possible’, but what they mean is ‘organic unless it’s too expensive or difficult to procure”. These words ring so true to Opportunity Green and other genuine companies in the clean green economy.
“The triple bottom line of people, planet, and profits, has always been at the core of what we do at RFD. Before there was even a term for it, we just felt that it was right for our business because it was the right thing to do. For us, its not a triple bottom line–it’s one bottom line that is inextricably connected between those three elements.” As we move into the future, Opportunity Green hopes to observe green methods in the restaurant industry and the positive impact of sustainable systems on business scalability.
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The Clean Energy Economy by the Numbers
Posted on 14. Jan, 2010 by Brady Gibson.
A clean energy economy applies to more than global warming—it’s just good ‘economic’ sense. As worldwide demand for clean tech and design continues to grow, it provides America with the opportunity to become a technological leader once again. New industries will create new jobs and generate new sources of income. At a time when the United States is recovering from a recession, the clean energy economy could be one of the greatest opportunities in the 21st century.
The Pew Center recently came out with out with one of the best economic reports detailing what the clean energy economy is, where it’s at, and where it’s going. The Pew Center defines the clean energy economy as an “economy [that] generates jobs, businesses, and investments while expanding energy production, increasing energy efficiency, reducing green house emissions, waste, and pollution, and conserving water and other natural resources”.
In addition, the Pew Center has indentified 5 categories:
- Clean energy
- Energy efficiency
- Environmentally friendly production
- Conservation and pollution mitigation goods and services
- Training and support for foregoing activities
Clean energy economy by the numbers at the end of 2007:
- More than 68,000 businesses across 50 states, accounting for 770,000 jobs that achieved double bottom line of economic growth and environmental sustainability;
- The clean energy economy is bigger than bio-tech industry, representing 2.5% of total employment compared to 1% of total employment, respectively;
- Clean energy jobs grew 9.1% from 1998 to 2007, whereas total jobs grew only 3.7%;
- Growing interest, support, and investment from private sector has increased, resulting in $12.6 billion in venture capitalism during past 3 years
- Last but not least, th public sector and governmental regulation has increased as well, starting with Obama signing a bill for $85 billion to cultivate a clean energy economy
While many ‘green’ jobs might appear to be esoteric and reserved for highly experienced and educated professionals, Pew research indicates the clean energy economy will present job growth for a wide array of Americans across economic and educational spectrums. Pew estimates incomes ranging from $21,000 to $111,000 will be generated in this emerging economy. Furthermore, the largest sectors of growing jobs are in Conservation and Pollution Mitigation, Clean Energy, and Energy Efficiency. Here is a quick list of job titles in each of these:
- carpenters to for product installation in homes, businesses, and government buildings
- electrical engineers
- electricians
- engineers developing energy efficient lighting, meters, and software programs
- environmental consultants
- machinists and system operators
- mechanics
- plant operators
- plumbers
- researchers and technicians
- scientists and technicians
- trained workers to safely remediate hazardous materials from industrial sites
The clean energy economy is has sustained tremendous growth for the past 12 years and looks like it will continue on the same path for years to come. Of course, this potential is only limited to the nation’s ability to cultivated and establish these jobs and market places. As we enter into 2010 and the new decade, the clean green economy is a growing platform for business opportunity, social and cultural revival, and a matter that will be addressed by local, state, and federal governments.
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Is Wind Power a Future Pathway for World Superpowers?
Posted on 18. Dec, 2009 by Brady Gibson.
The United States and China have another area of competition: wind power. What may have seemed as a trivial issue decades ago, wind power has become a pathway to economic power as the globe continues to strive towards green practices and sustainable systems. While Europe leads continents in cumulative wind energy, the United States has led individual nations in this category until 2008. However, as China has taken the lead in this category in 2009 and may continue to hold onto its lead as it’s economy continues to grow and develop clean technology. Once again, the United States and China are in a possible race over an economic resource that will undoubtedly contain economic, social, and political implications around the globe.
What must the United States do to regain its spot as the leader in wind power? Here a few areas of improvement:
1) Currently, wind power in the United States is driven by a federal contract initiated by the Federal Production Tax Credit (PTC), ending in 2012. If the United States can extend this contract to 2020, this will give lenders, developers, and manufacturers room to grow and develop more efficient wind technology and have more time to implement wind power systems across the union.
2) Currently, the Obama administration is striving towards a greener society and a sustainable culture. Policies are currently being drawn up and will most likely be influenced by discussion in Copenhagen. However, a stronger portfolio of renewable resources needs to be developed and implemented by law. A national standard and state standards need to be established for rapid growth in sustainable technology and operations. If wind power can be strongly addressed over the next few years and implemented into a long-term plan, the United States can regain their position ahead of China in cumulative wind power output.
3) Fulfilling the potential of the nations power grid. Nearly 300,000 megawatts of wind power are awaiting access. A thorough upgrade of the nations electric grid is needed to employ the total potential of the nation’s wind power. Approximately 16 transmission development projects, with power lines able to accommodate 36,000 megawatts of new wind capacity, are in the pipeline and scheduled for completion by 2014. Is there nothing more sad than wasted potential?
4) Finally, the United States needs to put its money where its carbon is! Incorporating climate costs into a more comprehensive system of energy output would shift the interests of average citizens and businesses to strive for a wind energy as an alternative energy solution.
As discussion continues to unfold in Copenhagen, global policies for renewable energy and sustainable policies will shape national policies around the globe. The hold of fossil fuels as a token of power may soon run its course, leaving wind power as a viable option for generating economic prosperity. Wind energy is not only a chance to reduce our nations carbon footprint, but it also represents a viable way to improve the unemployment rate, stimulate the economy, regain a leadership role in global energy, and set a better example of the United States government for the world to follow. The ball is in our court and it now comes down to smart decisions.
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Restaurant Compost: A Green Opportunity for Local Development and Sustainable Business
Posted on 01. Dec, 2009 by Brady Gibson.
One of the biggest challenges facing the sustainability movement is developing a sustainable culture of sustainability, backed by green institutions, systems, and models that can be tapped into by citizens, business leaders, and government officials. Successful models at the local level can translate to city-wide, state-wide, nation-wide, and eventually the global level. This process is a bottom-up emergence of trial-and-error, community awareness, and a participatory culture. While this can fall onto any institution in the United States, this article will focus on composting food waste in the restaurant industry, backed by examples of city-wide programs.
Before we begin, let’s go over a couple snippets of information about the restaurant industry and food waste management:
- The restaurant industry is the second largest employer in the United States, second only to the government. In 2005, the restaurant industry did $476 billion dollars in sales. With over 900,000 restaurants throughout the United States, green business models are emerging as a critical concept in the restaurant industry.
- Restaurants throw away approximately 30% of their food, about $48.2 billion worth a year, according to the Green Restaurant Association. Restaurants also produce far more garbage on a daily basis than most other retail businesses. The development of successful models of restaurant composting programs and policies could redirect billions of dollars of food waste into compostable resources. A typical restaurant generates 100,000 pounds of garbage per location per year, the Green Restaurant Association estimates. However, 70% of wasted food is estimated to be organic and compostable.
If you read through this carefully, you should have felt not only worry but also OPPORTUNITY. Like most industries in the United States, wasteful systems and behaviors are both correctable and adaptable. Not only can restaurants redirect waste from the landfill to local farms and agriculture, a PROFIT can also be made here. A combination of social responsibility, business ingenuity, and government organization can eventually incorporate a comprehensible composting program in the city of Los Angeles (or any city for that matter) with long term impact on the Triple Bottom line.
Currently, the City of Los Angeles has a restaurant composting program up and running, with 650 restaurants participating. The city provides both trash bins and trash removal and restaurants are only responsible for separating waste. The waste is hauled up to Sun Valley (south of Bakersfield) where it sits, rots, and goes through various stages of composting. Three months later, fresh compost is available to local farmers and businesses. Not only does the compost enrich the soil, acting more like a fertilizer, the composter has the capability to cater the compost to different crops! Sun Valley reportedly runs out of this soil all the time because it is in such high demand. With only 650 restaurants out of the total 8,000 in Los Angeles, am I the only one that sees a chance to improve People, Planet, and Profit?
Perhaps we should tip our hats to San Francisco which has composted 620,000 tons of scraps and food waste since 1996. Recycling and composting became mandatory October 21st, part of an effort to divert 75% of waste by 2010 and eventually becoming a zero-waste community by 2020.
In April 2009, Seattle instituted a composting and recycling program to its local citizens. The local government, via King County and the Department of Ecology, initiated a $100,000 campaign in July and it will go to March of 2010. Through active participation and education of its local citizens, Seattle is striving for a positive impact on the environment and setting an example for other cities to follow. Take a look at their compost guide.
One of the biggest challenges in a comprehensive composting program is there is not a long term successful model of composting for restaurants and citizens to follow. Somebody has to take the first step and its starts at the local level. Business leaders at the local level can influence both private citizens and government officials to initiate a global composting system if they can demonstrate an improvement in their triple bottom line.
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FairRidge Group previews their Opportunity Green 2009 Sustainability Management Maturity workshop
Posted on 05. Nov, 2009 by Brady Gibson.
FairRidge Group, a consulting firm that helps businesses realize sustainability as the greatest business opportunity of our generation, is a recent start-up based in San Francisco. Take a look at this quick video as Daniel Winokur and Scott Johnson preview their Opportunity Green sustainability management maturity workshop, happening Sunday November 8th.
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Close-looping Sustainability Through Local Business and Manufacturing: An Interview with Mike Hill from AoSA Image
Posted on 16. Oct, 2009 by Brady Gibson.
AoSA Image started four years ago with a group of friends who loved surfing, the environment, and the local community. Their first offering reflected their immediate passion: surfboards. Now AoSA (which stands for the Art of Sports and Apparel) offers tile murals, fine art prints, t-shirts, fabric banners, snowboards, and surfboards. Each of these products are manufactured from a variety of recycled and reusable materials through eco-friendly and environmentally stable processes. As AoSA’s founder, Mike Hill realizes the long term impact humans have on the planet and has made the company’s mission to be a positive impact on the environment with recyclable and reusable products developed through local business and manufacturers.
While innovation, creativity, and sustainable operations is central to their business, the biggest struggle comes from relating internal development to external production. “First and foremost, [it] is making a sustainable product,” says Mike. “It is more of an internal sourcing struggle than a client struggle. Clients usually come to us for a special fabricated job and we don’t give them many options out of what we have.” While the company is small, they will not compromise and use materials and products that are not both environmentally friendly and outdoor stable. “We work with materials and processes that we respect. We do market ourselves as a sustainable resource but I don’t know if that’s a major purchasing point with customers. It’s about holding integrity in our product.”
Where does this leave business development and long term customers satisfaction? The company’s recursive ideology of integrity within and across its relationships is the answer. “We don’t have a single product offering. It’s more a group of ideas that can be implemented by different companies. It’s more about meeting the client’s needs half way or all the way with what we have, and developing with the client over time.” Through long term innovation, design, and loyalty, customer needs are met as their product is customized to a craft level. Sustainability is a must from the get go of any product or service, inherent in the design and manufacturing.
As AoSA Image strives to be a positive impact on both the environment and the community through local business and local manufacturing, what are the next steps? Mike Hill is leading his company in the right direction, tapping into the global community of sustainable businesses and green business leaders. Recently, AoSA Image joined the 1% For the Planet Foundation and will be attending the Opportunity Green Conference in Los Angeles, California next month. AoSA Image has recently started a new program utilizing reusability and recycling in a double system called The Sustainable Banner Program. Banners made by AoSA are used from 100% recycled plastic bottles and will be reclaimed by the company and turned into carrying bags.
What does Mike Hill and AoSA Image hope to gain from Opportunity Green next month? “I really don’t look for anything ever. I go into things to just do them and have fun and support people. I don’t have any objective. First and foremost is to support OG and learn more about the community. Second, hopefully OG will come to us.” AoSA represents both an idea and a process in product development for long term sustainability. AoSA’s Products and services are accustomed to specific needs and wants of their business counterparts and environmental integrity is held within the product development. Productive communication lines are developed through inter-company interaction and developed into a comprehensive model. Over time, sustainable business relationships, a sustainable profit, and a sustainable product is created, reaching the triple bottom line.
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Blog Action Day 2009: Preparing Communities for Climate Change through Local Business and Manufacturing
Posted on 15. Oct, 2009 by Brady Gibson.
Today is Blog Action Day! Held on Oct. 15 every year, it’s an event that unites thousands of bloggers worldwide, highlighting a particular issue. This year’s theme is climate change. One of the most salient points regarding climate change and how to prepare for it is green business. With upcoming legislation from local, state, and federal governments for a greener society, business is of the biggest and most adaptable sectors to transition to sustainable systems with a positive impact on the environment.
What is the environment? Perhaps it can be defined in many ways, but let’s look at the environment through the lens of the Triple Bottom Line: People, Planet, and Profit. Of course, you may say “planet” is solely the environment. However, when you take all three into consideration as well as the interaction and interdependencies between and among each one, the environment can be broken down into social, political, business, and private landscapes. Out of awareness for Blog Action Day 2009, this blog will highlight the importance of local business and manufacturing as a generative point for sustainable culture and green business. Let’s look at sustainable communities from the perspective of the past, present, and future.
According to the Global Development Research Center, “making a community sustainable means integrating economic development, community development and environmental protection.” The benefits of local manufacturing and business can improve both economic development and gas emissions. The City of Santa Monica, California started a recent campaign for local business called “Buy Local Santa Monica.” Interestingly, for every 100 dollars spent on local business, an average of 45 dollars stays in the community. The city of Portland, Oregon also realizes the importance of sustainable communities and recognizes its leaders in sustainable business for small, medium, and large business. Recently, the International Trade Administration started a nationwide campaign called “Sustainability 360: An Aerospace Supply Chain Event” to recognized leaders for local business for sustainable manufacturing in the Aerospace industry. The benefits of multiple campaigns aiming to highlight sustainable community development helps share models, tools, ideas, and increases the incentive for businesses to transition to greener operations through public merit.
Here are a few more organizations and companies striving towards sustainable operations through local business, local manufacturing, and community development: Toshiba is currently visiting local communities throughout the country for community clean up and tree planting. ICLEI-Local Government for Sustainability aims to form coalitions of cities and communities that are preparing for climate change. Local Works and the Sustainable Communities Act have provided a legal system to citizens, communities, and councils to press for sustainable community development.
As move into the future, innovation will be the driving force for cleaner and more efficient technology, systems, models, and tools. Luckily, there are leaders of innovation out there actively spreading their ideas to whoever is willing to listen, learn, and act. Take a look at William McDonough’s TED Conference video on designing ecological infrastructures, comprehensive sustainable communities, and business design with positive impacts on the environment. He looks at the intention of our species and the strategy for change. He believes “our goal is a delightfully diverse, safe, healthy and just world, with clean air, water, soil and power–economically, equitably, ecologically and elegantly enjoyed”. He is striving for cradle to cradle design.
As climate change continues to be a significant factor in our society, we must find a way to prepare. The local community is a generative starting point. Businesses, government, and communities at the local level will help organize a comprehensive and working system of sustainable living and long term development. Innovation will help shape and organize future action, however, it must be applied at the community level. Simple and effective actions can have both immediate and long term impact. As the government continues to press for top-down transmission of sustainable development, the local community can generate bottom-up emergence of sustainable development through local business and manufacturing.
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By Pursuing “Sustainable” and “Organic” Are Restaurants Missing the Energy factor?
Posted on 08. Oct, 2009 by Brady Gibson.
Restaurants meet a wide range of needs, from daily visits to special occasions and events across government, business, and private sectors. A working network of sustainable professionals will help recognize successful models and discard the bad ones.Through the human-cultural element of food, the restaurant industry can serve as a generative point for sustainable business and green operations.
The restaurant industry is the second largest employer in the United States, second only to the government. In 2005, the restaurant industry did $476 billion dollars in sales. With over 900,000 restaurants throughout the United States, green business models are emerging as a critical concept in the restaurant industry. A large amount of waste usually is produced by large systems. Applying sustainable models and concepts to the restaurant industry reveals the tremendous potential for the development of comprehensive sustainable models within and outside the food-service industry.
The problem is waste: wasted food and wasted energy. Energy isn’t the only thing being wasted. Restaurants throw away approximately 30% of their food, about $48.2 billion worth a year, according to the Green Restaurant Association. Restaurants also produce far more garbage on a daily basis than most other retail businesses — typically 100,000 pounds of garbage per location per year. The development of successful models of restaurant composting programs and policies could redirect billions of dollars of food waste into compostable resources. Nearly 80% of the $10 billion dollars that the commercial food service sector spends annually for its energy use is lost in inefficient food cooking, holding and storage, says PG&E’s tech division. They use almost five times more energy per square foot than any other type of commercial building, says Pacific Gas & Electric’s Food Service Technology Center (FSTC). Restaurants produce far more garbage on a daily basis than most other retail businesses. A typical restaurant generates 100,000 pounds of garbage per location per year, the Green Restaurant Association estimates. However, 70% of wasted food is estimated to be organic and compostable.
A New Green Frontier? Government agencies, and non-profits like the Green Restaurant Association, have begun to address the industry’s waste problem. For instance, the California Integrated Waste Management Board provides a guide for restaurant owners showing ways to increase efficiency in purchasing, product handling and storage, food preparation and storage, and production and services. Energy Star has a website has for restaurants on how to successfully adopt, maintain, and grow sustainable business practices, even a step-by-step, equipment-by-equipment guide to greening one’s restaurant. Media-mogul, Ted Turner, is opening a chain of green restaurants called Ted’s Montana Grill. Recently, McDonald’s announced a green business model.
Successful adoption of sustainable restaurants starts with aligning the interests of business owners and consumers alike. If sustainability is both internal and external, trust among and between businesses, customers, and government is essential. Identifying the leaders and pioneers in the sustainability movement and green restaurants is a solid starting point. From here, models can be adopted, tested, fine tuned, and eventually evolve into long lasting, sustainable operations. Overtime, sustainable practices through both the bottom-up and top-down processes will evolve.
Photo courtesy of: Gruczi via flickr
