The Sustainable Business Council Blog

Lisa Swallow & Genevieve King – May In Business

“Got Nature?” The catch phrase emblazoned on the front of the Parks & Recreation insert concisely sums up good times in these parts. Don’t misunderstand – bowling, shooting pool, playing cards, attending a movie or reading a good book are all worthy sources of entertainment! But with a veritable cornucopia of outdoor activities in our backyard, it’s hard to resist looking to the natural world to quench our recreational yearning.
Obviously clean water and air, diverse flora and fauna and pristine open space are critical to many outdoor activities. Whether folfing, hunting, snowshoeing, birding, trail running, mountain biking, shooting a rapid, skiing or casting at your favorite hole, the intimate connection with the untrammeled natural world makes for a unique experience. Sustaining high quality recreation opportunities for future generations requires embracing an understanding that how we meet our current needs will impact how our descendants get to meet theirs. If you’ve ever seen a Hummer at a trailhead, you know that not everyone makes the connection. Even when recreating, try to be conscious of your resource usage – Americans collectively emit 25% of the world’s carbon, while comprising a scant 4% of its population.
Outdoor recreation and tourism, while not intrinsically environmentally beneficial, yields vast potential to benefit our communities (and the environment) when engaged in sustainably. Green recreation, or ecotourism, is about conservation and communities and is the new age term used to market every guided back country trip, cultural tour group, farm/ranch excursion and chartered fishing float around. Ecotourism is defined by The International Ecotourism Society (TIES) as “responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and improves the well-being of local people.”
Ecotourism is the most rapidly growing segment of the tourism industry and that’s not lost on local entrepreneurs who see how green tourism makes strategic sense. The cool thing about sustainable tourism and recreation is its constancy. It’s generally not a boom-n-bust industry sector, but rather economically sustainable in the long term. And true ecotourism builds environmental /cultural awareness while providing direct financial benefits for conservation and local people. All three tenets of the triple bottom line (people, planet and profit) are enhanced when authentic ecotourism is at play.

The potential here in Montana is phenomenal. Nonresident visitor spending generated over 33,000 direct travel jobs (and nearly 45,000 total jobs) and contributed over $1 billion in total personal income for Montana residents in 2007. Travel expenditures by nonresident visitors generated over $4.3 billion in total economic impact for our state. Although most of us are suffering from ‘big number fatigue’, it’s easy to see how significant these figures are.

Montana has a reputation for high value-added tourism services. Although we rank 42nd in the U.S. for total tourist spending, we come in seventh in the nation in per capita tourist spending.
As more folks suffer from ‘nature deficit disorder’, the opportunities for introducing folks to natural areas to engage in authentic experiences will surely only grow.

Ecotourism destinations differ greatly in focus and innovativeness, but most folks interested in engaging in green recreation/tourism look for the following:
• Lodging that follows ecologically sound principles like utilizing toxin-free products, recycling and upholding water/energy minimization practices.
• Tour and activity guides that are able to offer an educational component to supplement their green activities, such as describing flora, fauna and geological/cultural history while kayaking or kite boarding. Ecotourists tend to be more educated than the ‘average’ tourist and are interested in learning as an integral part of the experience.
• Minimizing resources used –paperless communication/marketing and few disposables, for example.
• Sourcing of local products, particularly food and beverages, are increasingly viewed as a core element of ecotourism.
• Employment practices that provide for living wages and adequate benefits.
• An opportunity to engage with indigenous people in a genuine way.

Low impact, nature-based recreation is a cornerstone of Montana life, for tourists and residents alike. Whether getting out into the wild blue yourself or being a part of a business that draws revenue from ecorecreation, strive to be mindful about intergenerational responsibility – that core element of sustainability. Is going through a case of bottled water while paddling through a heron rookery ecologically sound? Do you need fistfuls of gadgets made in China to enjoy a hike in the Bitterroot Selway wilderness? Help create conscience recreation by being a great example for others. See you on the trail!

Greetings SBC members and friends,

The sun has finally begun to warm the soil and full bloom is everywhere.  Rivers flow at their peak and downtown Missoula is alive with activity, ripe in the depth of spring and with the promise of summer.

This warm newness manifested into thousands of people who turned out for a spectacular celebration of all things Missoula on May 16th at SBC’s first annual Garden City Localfest. We ate, drank and were merry while educating the public on what their part is in creating strong local economies.  We supported locally owned businesses and showcased many of our members in their quest for sustainability.

This year’s BALLE conference proved to be one of the most dynamic and productive events in the sustainable economic development movement.  I was honored to be asked to present SBC’s Think Local Buy Local campaign to the conference attendees and share with them our successes.  I was and am proud to be a part of such a dynamic group of dedicated and inspiring professionals.  I return home to Missoula invigorated and inspired and ready to work hard for our members.

Yours in Sustainability,

Genevieve King, Director

Green Companies Do Better During Downturn: Study
By GreenBiz Staff
Published February 11, 2009

CHICAGO, IL., and WASHINGTON, D.C. — Thinking of curbing or curtailing sustainability efforts because of the troubled economy? Think again, says a new study by global management consulting firm A.T. Kearney, whose research indicates that firms with “true commitment to sustainability” outperform industry peers in the financial markets.

“The most sustainability focused companies may well emerge from the current crisis stronger than ever,” said the authors of the analysis, “Green Winners: The Performance of Sustainability-Focused Companies in the Financial Crisis,” A.T. Kearney released Monday.

The report is the latest that backs the assertion that green products and services as well as the firms that produce them will show resilience through the economic downtown. The new research goes a step further and provides data on market performance for firms whose business approach emphasizes sustainability.

The authors of the A.T. Kearney analysis are four partners of the firm — the company’s global coordinator for sustainability practices and the heads of the sustainability practices in Australia, France and Germany.

Their analysis looked at 99 firms on the Dow Jones Sustainability Index and the Goldman Sachs SUSTAIN focus list of green companies and tracked stock price performance for six months through November last year.

In 16 of 18 industries included in the review, businesses deemed “sustainability focused” outperformed industry peers over three- and six-month periods and were “well protected from value erosion,” the paper’s authors said.

During the three-month period, September through November, the performance differential across the 99 firms tracked was 10 percent; over six months, it was 15 percent. “This performance differential translates to an average of $650 million in market capitalization per company,” the report said.

This chart shows the performance of sustainability focused companies in comparison with that of their peers in each industry.

The authors stressed throughout their report the distinction between companies that consider sustainability as fundamental to their business strategy and firms whose commitments and practices are not as deeply engrained.

“Our findings suggest,” the authors said, “investors may reward ‘true’ sustainability focused companies” that demonstrate an emphasis on “long-term health rather than short-term gains, strong corporate governance, sound risk management practices (and) a history of investing in green innovations.”

The report cited as an example a global consumer packaged goods company that began its sustainability efforts more than 10 years ago and has since changed its business model so that it incorporates sustainability practices in every link of the value chain.

The firm has increased production volume by 76 percent since 1998, and over the same period reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 16 percent, water consumption by 28 percent and energy use by 3 percent, according to the report. In 2007, improvements in energy efficiency led to a $30 million savings. Over a 16-year period, the company saved more than $500 million by optimizing packaging volume.

The report acknowledged that many corporate drives to reduce waste and emissions, use renewable energy and produce goods that have less of an impact on the environment have seemingly become “me too” efforts in recent years. “Yet companies with a history in green innovations have reaped the most benefits,” the authors wrote. “And those that continue to make meaningful investments will continue to prosper, both in terms of business results achieved and public perception.”

The report recommended that firms review their sustainability practices, the corporate commitment to them and the apparent payback resulting from those efforts. If commitments are largely exercises to improve image, or play catch up, and the returns are slim, “it might make sense to reduce or eliminate sustainability investments and redeploy this capital to area that will help the company weather the current crisis,” report said.

“However, if sustainability is transforming the business, it makes sense to maintain this commitment and, where possible, even consider increasing investments to improve future positioning,” the report urged.

The Sustainable Business Council is pleased to partner with Green American in spreading the message of the new model of sustainable business and living that is poised to raise us out of the current economic and environmental crisis and carry us into the future with sustainable prosperity.

7 Fixes from the Green Economy

Bold solutions from the green economy are the antidote to the broken economy—and can repair the damage and create a world that works for all.

Economy Everyone now understands that the economy is broken. What our members and readers have known for years— that the economy is not working for people and the planet—is now playing out on Wall Street and Main Street every day.

While many name the mortgage and credit-default-swap crises as culprits, they are only the most recent results of an economy with fatal design flaws. These design defects range from a dependence on growth, consumerism, and the structure of money to the short-term focus of today’s markets, and policy goals that are focused on growing Gross National Product. Yet, when GNP growth includes a whole set of “bads”—from sweatshop labor to manufacturing toxic chemicals—every dollar of GNP growth actually reduces wellbeing for people and the planet.

Taken together, these fatal flaws systematically create economic injustice, poverty, and environmental crises.

It doesn’t have to be that way. The green economy offers solutions that are the antidote to the current breakdown.

Green America members have been trailblazers for green economic solutions for years. We now have a teachable moment to be bold in stepping up with these solutions for long-term change toward sustainability—and helping people through tough times. Now these green economy solutions are more important than ever.

Simply put, we need to move from greed to green.

Here are seven green economy solutions to today’s economic mess.

1. Green Energy—Green Jobs
A crucial starting place to rejuvenate our economy is to focus on energy—for the sake of the economy and the environment. It is time to call in the superheroes of the green energy revolution—energy efficiency, solar and wind power, and plug-in hybrids—and put their synergies to work with rapid, largescale deployment. This is a powerful way to jumpstart the economy, energy independence, job creation (with jobs that can’t be outsourced), and the victory over the climate crisis. The five green-energy keys are rapid, large-scale deployment of:

• Energy efficiency—moving toward 50 percent savings in five years.

• Solar and wind—getting to an all-renewable electric grid.

• Plug-in electric hybrid vehicles (PHEVs)—getting to at least 20 percent of the US vehicle fleet in ten years.

• Smart grid—rebuilding our aging electric grid with a smart grid that makes it easy to scale up energy efficiency and renewables.

• New national and state electric utility regulation and building codes that make it easy to scale up with efficiency, renewables, and PHEVs.

This year, Green America is launching Project LEAP—our Low-carbon Energy Acceleration Plan—to show how to combine these superheroes for real economic prosperity, energy security, and 80–90 percent greenhouse gas reduction. We shared this with our allies on President Obama’s incoming team (along with our idea for the financing mechanism; see #2 below). But you don’t have to wait for Washington—use Green America resources to get started today:

• Guide to Efficiency First!
• Solar how-to articles, and interviews with the solar leaders of our Green Busienss Network™
• Solar High Impact National Energy (SHINE) Plan. [PDF]
• Utility Solar Assessment (USA) Study. [PDF]

2. Clean Energy Victory Bonds
How are we going to pay for this green energy revolution? Green America and our allies at Clean Edge propose Clean Energy Victory Bonds. Modeled after victory bonds in World War II, Americans would buy these bonds from the federal government to invest in large-scale deployment of green energy projects, with particular emphasis in low-income communities that are hardest hit by the broken economy. These would be long-term bonds, which would pay an annual interest rate, based in part on the energy and energy savings that the bonds generate. During WWII, Americans bought over $185 billion in bonds—that would be almost $2 trillion in today’s dollars.

Millions of people are looking for a way to help the country right now. During the townhall- style presidential debate, one person posed this question to the then-candidates: “What would you ask us to do?”

Green America’s answer: Invest in Clean Energy Victory Bonds so our country can start building the clean-energy infrastructure and get people to work in good, green jobs, right now.

Sign up for the Green America e-newsletter to help advance these and our other green energy policy measures all year long.

3. Reduce, Reuse, Rethink
Living lightly on the Earth, saving resources and money, reducing inequality, and sharing —jobs, property, ideas, and opportunities—are the principles crucial to restructuring our economy. This economic breakdown is, in part, due to living beyond our means—as a nation and, in too many cases, as individuals. With the enormous national and consumer debt weighing us down, we won’t be able to spend our way out of this economic problem. From planting gardens to conserving energy to swapping clothes to making gifts—these green economy basics will help us move to an economy that works for all.

As Dr. Juliet Schor, economist and author, puts it, “We’ve lost the ability to profitably … grow our way out of recession. The usual kinds of consumer spending (cars, electronics, furniture, apparel, travel) degrade vital eco-systems and have an economic cost. Business-as-usual puts us deeper into an economic hole.”

Ultimately, we need an economy that’s not dependent on growth and consumerism. So it’s time to rethink living over-consumptive lifestyles, and turn to the principles of elegant simplicity—what Green Americans have known all along.

4. Go Green, Fair Trade, and Local
When we do buy, it is essential that those purchases shift from the conventional economy to the green and local economy—so that every dollar helps solve social and environmental problems, not create them. What we spend our money on—and refuse to buy—does matter. Expanding the green economy is fundamental to the transition to an economy that works for people and the planet. Moving dollars away from conventional agribusiness and toward supporting local workers and local, organic farmers creates more justice and sustainability.

Use the National Green Pages™ to make as many of your purchases as possible from the green economy. Turn to Green America all year long for ways to be intentional with your money—to help create a better economy with the choices you make every day.

5. Community Investing
All over the county, community investing banks, credit unions, and loan funds that serve hardhit communities are strong, while the biggest banks—from Washington Mutual to CitiGroup —required bailouts. The basic principles of community investing keep the community investing institutions strong: Lenders and borrowers know each other. Lenders invest in the success of their borrowers—with training and technical assistance along with loans. And the people who provide the capital to the lenders expect reasonable, not speculative, rates of return. If all banks followed these principles, the economy wouldn’t be in the mess it’s in today.

You can provide capital to community investing banks and credit unions—it’s as easy as opening a federally insured account. Check out the community investing section of our Web site to get started.

6. Shareowner Activism
When you own stock, you are a shareowner and have the right and responsibility to advise management to clean up its act. Had General Motors listened to its activist shareholders, it would have invested in the efficient and electric cars that would have prevented the need for a bailout from bankruptcy. Had CitiGroup listened to its activist shareowners, it would have steered clear of the faulty mortgage practices that brought it to its knees. Activist shareholders are key to reforming companies—from jumpstarting them on the energy revolution to addressing executive compensation to stopping the corruption created by corporate lobbying—for the transition to the new economy. Let’s up the ante.

7. Building Community
“Whatever the problem,” says Dr. Lynnaea Lumbard, psychologist and interfaith minister, “community is the answer.” Connected, resilient communities help people get through tough times—and celebrate during good times. Now is the time to get started. Get to know your neighbors. Do a neighborhood skills inventory—so people can help each other fix their roofs, repair their bikes, mend a torn coat—saving money and building community. Plan a community garden, a neighborhood garage sale, or clothing swap. Start a dinner or home improvement co-op. (Get more ideas and learn more here.)

The Time is Now
It looks like we have a huge opportunity on our hands—a global economic breakdown that is teaching us that we are all interdependent. There’s no “there” to escape to, so we all might as well figure out how to live together —and transition our economy to one that protects vulnerable people and our vulnerable planet. Stay tuned to Real Green all year long. We look forward to working with you on turning today’s problems into opportunities for a more just, sustainable, and joyful world.

—Alisa Gravitz

The Montana Sustainability Center (MSC) is a campus style development that will offer a variety of sustainable retail, office, and warehouse space. Environmental, alternative energy, social justice, for-profit, non-profit: if it’s sustainable this could be your space. Locating multiple organizations and experts together in one location will boost the regional green/sustainable business movement by strengthening all of the participating organizations. Benefits and synergies of the Montana Sustainability Center include the following:

• The Center will incubate and nurture growth; many of the businesses/organizations operating in the green /sustainable products fields need to grow but have run out of space at their current locations. For example, the Center’s anchor tenant, Home Resource is moving from under 7,000 net SF to 20,000 net SF;
  
• The Center will allow the participating businesses to leverage their shared customer bases in one location, i.e. regional one stop shopping for all green/sustainable products and services, creating a top of mind space brand and location awareness;
  
• The Center will enable its occupants to achieve economies of scale in marketing and distribution;
  
• The Center will enable its occupants to achieve increased capacity and higher efficiency by sharing conference rooms, office equipment, phone systems, and computer networks;
  
• The Center will allow businesses with shared values to cross pollinate ideas creating new products, services, business models, and technologies;
  
• The Center will demonstrate sustainable business methods and alternatives throughout the facility and broaden the market for green goods and services;
  
• The Center will be a conduit for local green activities and national/global green activities.

The Montana Sustainability Center

Rates:

Rates range from $8.50 to $10.00 a square foot* for Phase 1

Space Available:Approximately 14,000 square feet is currently available in Phase 1. Choose your size and MSC will build to suit*! The floor plans detailed below are subject to change to fit the tenant’s needs.

* Long Term Triple Net Lease

The Montana Sustainability Center

Your Alternative Space

The Goal:

The Montana Sustainability Center (MSC) will have tenants moving into Phase 1 (the rebuilt former 4 G’s Plumbing Building) by early Spring of 2009. Phase 1 provides a mix of retail, office and warehouse space for its tenants at extemley competitve rates.Once Phase 1 is fully occupied, construction will begin on Phase 2 which is tentivley scheduled to begin in late 2009 early 2010.The Montana Sustainability Center (MSC) is looking for sustainable and like minded folks to join them in their vision of a synergistic sutainable alternative to commercial and office space in Missoula. Envorinmental, alternantive energy, social justice, for profit, non-profit if you think your group would make a good fit at the MSBC please contact Jed for more information.

Need more information?

Contact:Jed DennisonRealtor531-1216

jed@zillastate.com

CALLING ALL VOLUNTEERS….

We are in need of volunteers to help out with Missoula’s 3rd annual Project Homeless Connect event!!  Project Homeless Connect is a one-day, one-stop service event for the homeless and those at risk of becoming homeless.  More than 65 Missoula service providers will be on hand to help folks, and last year, we served more than 300 people in a 5-hour time span!  Event details are below and in the attached flier.  Please post the flier and forward this email to anyone you think might be interested in volunteering.  A wide variety of volunteer positions are available, and volunteers will be provided with food and beverages.  Thanks in advance for your response!

PROJECT HOMELESS CONNECT
Thursday, January 29, 2009
10am – 3pm
First United Methodist Church
300 E. Main (Across the street from the library)
Contact:  Caitlin Swock 829-3928 or caitlinswock@montana.com