What better way to celebrate my first post than to pay homage to the very event that introduced me to SocialYell: the Sustainable Brands 2010 Conference held in Monterey, California.  Recommended to me by Treehugger columnist Pablo Päster, the conference didn’t just open up a whole new world of learning for me, it also enabled me to form relationships many new and brilliant people (and even helped me land a blogging gig!).

If you’re on SocialYell, chances are that you have you have a job or interest in issues related to those commonly called green, sustainable, or environmentally-friendly.  Maybe you’ve even fantasized about a more sustainable career path or have been wanting to learn what the big fuss is about ‘green.’  Either way, conferences and networking events are great ways to learn about sustainability and to learn who its key players are.  Through Sustainable Brands, I learned who Yvon Chouinard is and how Patagonia is changing the world, about behavior change campaigns that can save aquatic habitats from invasive species, and about how good design can make people desire change instead of resenting it.

“Wait a second, Alli, those conferences are expensive. And I’m out of work, re-mem-ber?” you might be thinking.  Well, here are some tips to make the most out of sustainability conferences on a budget:

Author: Marc Schuelper; GNU License, Version 1.2 http://commons.wikimedia.org

• -  If you’ve got the time, consider attending a conference or event in your area, or tack on a few extra days and make a vacation out of a conference in a faraway land. (I learned a lot in Monterey, but the highlight of my trip was definitely walking back from the Monterey Bay Aquarium past sea lions cuddling on the shore.)
• -  Many of these conferences actually offer reduced rates or free admission to students and attendees who volunteer before or during the event.  In fact, I attended SB’10 as a volunteer and paid about 25% of the full fee. Even if there aren’t any reduced rates posted, turn on the charm and contact the conference organizer to offer your time or services in exchange for lower rate.
• -  Another option is to score a press pass, which can usually get you free access not only past the conference gatekeepers, but also to many of the speakers.  With a badge saying “PRESS” swinging around your neck and a notebook in hand, conference attendees will be excited to tell you their stories.   Conference organizers generally prefer to give out these coveted press passes to members of the established media who write on a regular basis, so if you’re not part of the media yet, start writing now!  Or get in touch with David to write for SocialYell!

Sadly, SB’10 has come and gone, and it won’t be until June 2011 that another life-changing conference will convene in Monterey.  In the meantime, here are some other events to consider (sea lions not included):

Urban Green Expo, New York, NY, September 29-30: According to the conference web site, “Urban Green Expo connects the sustainable building industry with a wide variety of vetted green products and services.” And William McDonough, author of Cradle to Cradle is the keynote speaker!

West Coast Green, San Francisco, CA, September 30-October 2: According to the conference web site, “The West Coast Green experience is a feast of innovations, ideas and opportunities designed to expand your business, widen your vision, and stimulate your thinking with the latest best practices and key players in building, business and design.”  And William McDonough is here, too! Also, check out their low student and volunteer rates!

LCA Sustainable Product Design, Miami, FL, October 26-27: LCA stands for Life Cycle Assessment, and it will be a gathering of many heads of design and CSR across.  If you’re curious about design and happen to live in the greater Miami area, please attend for me!

Sustainable Agriculture Conference, Winston-Salem, NC, December 3-5: “The SAC theme this year is, “Local & Organic Arrives: Our Opportunity is Now.” ” Be sure to check out the other events run by the Carolina Farm Stewardship Association!

Green Build International Conference and Expo, Chicago, IL, November 17-19: Even if you can’t make the whole event, try to go one day early to the Green Jobs Summit.

Green Drinks, international, monthly: For something more casual, look for a Green Drinks group in your city!

Sustainable Business Networks, national: Many cities now have Sustainable Business Networks with events worth checking out and people eager to help you.  Philadelphia and New York both have sizable networks.

Location technologies are transforming how we experience, navigate, and ultimately better our world. From the global to the local, here are #10Ways geolocation is a positive force for good.

Social media has changed the world. It has revolutionized communications on a global scale, and the transformation continues with every status update, blog post, and video stream. The global citizenry has become a global network.

Since becoming widely adopted just a couple years ago, social media has supercharged social action, cause marketing, and social entrepreneurship. Indeed, the true value hasn’t been the technology itself but how we’ve used it. Today, a second wave of innovation is defining a new era and setting the stage for change over the coming decade.

Mobile technologies will extend the global online network to anyone with a mobile device while enabling countless local networks to form in the real world. We’ve decentralized media production and distribution. We’re doing the same for energy. And we’ll continue this trend for social networking, social action, and commerce.

The combined forces of smartphones, mobile broadband, and location-aware applications will connect us in more meaningful ways to the people, organizations, events, information, and companies that matter most to us—namely, those within a physical proximity of where we live and where we are. Can location-based services (LBS) change the world? Here are #10Ways:

1. Checking in for Good: If Gowalla and Foursquare have taught us anything, it’s that people respond to simple incentives. By offering badges, mayorships, and other intangible rewards, millions of people are checking in to the places they go. Apps like Whrrl take this a step further and enable like-minded “societies” to form on a local basis. The next step is for these apps to add greater purpose by encouraging more meaningful checkins and offering corresponding badges and stamps, thus mapping the cause universe. Or for a dedicated app to be developed that rewards conscious consumption, social responsibility, and civic engagement. Yes, the CauseWorld app features a cause element, but it’s not about cause-worthy places.

2. Eating Locally: Sustainability demands that we source our food as close to its point of production as possible. Many so-called locavores subscribe to the 100-mile diet, which requires that one “eat nothing—or almost nothing—but sustenance drawn from within 100 miles of their home.” Given the difficulty of accessing and verifying this information in order to live by this standard, there’s a geo-powered Locavore app. It gives you info on in-season foods, those coming in-season, farmer’s markets, and links to recipes. This rather simple app is clearly just the start. In time, location-aware apps will guide us not only to the grocery store or farmer’s market but through them. All the while identifying foods based on our particular diet or sensibility.

3. Political Organizing: In the next presidential election, politics will not only be local but location-enabled. We saw the power of social media in Obama’s 2008 landslide victory. In 2012, location-based apps and technologies will play a central role in how campaigns are organized, managed, and ultimately won. Much of this will be visible through mobile apps and location-aware browsers. Activists and volunteers will be more empowered. Voters will be more engaged in the moment, right down to casting their votes. Behind the scenes, though, we’ll see massive new sets of data available to campaigns for targeting, empowerment, and optimization. The party, candidate, and/or cause that has the best handle on geolocation will have a measurable advantage. (The Elections app will soon be updated for 2010.)

4. Finding Green Businesses: The web has effectively replaced the paper Yellow Pages as a way to find local businesses and services. However, this “stationary web” experience is quickly being supplanted by the mobile web and mobile applications, which give us access to this information when we most need it. The Yelp and Around Me apps are popular ways to find restaurants, coffee shops, or hotels wherever you are, but what about green-rated businesses? Greenopia has transformed its printed, local guides into a dynamic, nationwide mobile application that lets you find local, green-rated businesses in any category. No more paper and a much better experience. The Green Map app is another that facilitates discovery and connects us to local green environments.

5. Traveling More Efficiently: We’ve had access to GPS navigation systems and static traffic information for some time, but only now are we seeing the full potential of these technologies. With access to more detailed traffic information that is specific to your route and updated in real time, we can minimize congestion and maximize traffic flow (as much as physically possible). The new turn-by-turn MapQuest 4 Mobile app is a good start, as you can get traffic alerts specific to the route you program. However, user-generated information from apps like Trapster and Waze can crowdsource more specific details, such as whether to avoid an intersection due to a toxic chemical spill. Or, if you want to avoid automobiles altogether, Google Maps makes it easy to use public transportation and take a bike.

6. Scanning for Ethical Products: With online shopping, we’ve become accustomed to reading reviews and making comparisons before we buy. This can now be done in the physical world through games like MyTown and services like Stikybits. By scanning a product barcode using a smartphone camera, you can unlock a treasure of additional information (not to mention deals) that can help with your purchase. This might include where it was produced, how far it traveled, the reputation of the manufacturer, chemical contents, carbon footprint, or the full lifecycle analysis. Location-aware applications can also transform commerce itself by giving us better access to local inventories and locally-produced goods. Whether it’s fruits and vegetables or books and electronics, if something can be found within blocks of your current location, it makes no sense to ship it from afar.

7. Networking Neighborhoods: One of the hottest categories in geolocation is neighborhood networking. The vision for many of these apps is to strengthen the very fabric of our communities. With DeHood, you can keep track of what’s happening in your neighborhood, share your favorite places, and grease the wheels for actually meeting people. After all, if you’ve made contact through the app, it’s a lot easier to say “Hello” in the real world. Blasterous is another that lets you share information locally, whereas BlockChalk does this on an anonymous basis. Finally, NeighborGoods uses your street address to facilitate one-to-one borrowing and trading of useful stuff. In the end, making connections with your neighbors can lead to safer, more productive, and more sustainable communities.

8. Tracking Environmental Disasters: The size and scope of environmental disasters appears to be growing. In 2008, we had the Tennessee coal ash spill, which was billed as “the largest environmental disaster of its kind in the United States.” And that was before we realized it was three times bigger than originally estimated. More recently, the BP oil spill set daily records for “largest environmental disaster in the U.S. ever.” In each case, geolocation technologies can be used by engaged citizens to monitor and track the effects. They can be used by response teams to coordinate containment and cleanup efforts. Ultimately, these technologies can be used to accurately measure the size and impact of a disaster in order to better understand its damages and costs.

9. Viewing the World Through an Eco Lens: Augmented reality (AR) follows geolocation as one of the hot trends in mobile technology. It enables you to view the world through a smartphone camera (or similar device) and see layers of geo-specific content or information. One of the most popular apps is Layar, an augmented reality browser/platform that lets you choose specific data layers or experiences. The potential for green- and cause-related content is tremendous. You might view green-rated businesses, LEED-certified buildings, or virtual GHG emissions as they enter the atmosphere. Combined with smart meter technology, you could see the most efficient and inefficient homes around you in real time. And for the cynics among us, you could view our mountains, forests, rivers, and oceans as they once were…before the effects of climate change and so many environmental disasters.

10. Capturing the Moment: Better access to information about what’s happening around us—right now—can dramatically improve quality of life. This sense of “geospatial awareness” is possible through today’s smartphones, whereby a piece of content or information—a moment—is captured and preserved based on the unique time and place in which it occurred. It is essentially to document spacetime. Protests, natural disasters, sporting events, parties, political crises…real-time information about anything happening anywhere at any time, as well as the history of what happened. This will take several years and a number of different applications to realize. In the end, though, it will revolutionize how we access and consume content. It will complete the democratization and decentralization of news and information…based on time and location.

Cautionary note: Privacy is the single biggest issue in the LBS industry. It’s important to understand what information you are sharing with regard to your location and with whom.

Author’s note: We’ll be hosting geolocation events for Social Media Week in Los Angeles this September. This is the third in Max Gladwell’s #10Ways series of distributed blog posts. It was published simultaneously on as many as 300 blogs.

This video was made using CamStudio.  It was my first video tutorial and was very easy to make.

The hardest part was creating the script.  Well, I take that back.  The hardest part, by far, was listening to my own voice.  I am a talker, so I apologize to everyone else who has to hear my voice all the time.

Developers and designers have told me time and time again that there are better platforms than PowerPoint for making and animating graphics, but PowerPoint is what I used!  I would like to learn other platforms for this, but just haven’t had the time.

Today’s consumers are becoming more educated, and many companies are realizing there is a diminishing return in simple ‘green’ marketing.  The dramatic increase in global awareness has resulted in a significant shift in ‘green’ consumer expectations.  To manage one’s sustainability reputation in today’s social media environment, leading business sustainability minded organizations realize that actions speak louder than words.

A strong reputation is a critical component of every business, but it is especially important in driving consumer eco awareness of a specific product or service.  To build business and product reputation, a company should be able to demonstrate what they say they value.  In this light, a recent lesson learned by many organizations is the over-statement of company sustainability intentions and actions.

When communicating to the outside world, be aware that the audience is not privy to the same level of internal information and business action understanding.  Sometimes referred to as the “curse of information”, loosing site of this basic concept can get your organization into some undesirable conversations.  Here are a few rules of thumb to keep in mind:

Simple:

- Are you conveying your understanding of the big picture or specific action?

- Is the topic of your message a significant environmental or social achievement?

Creditable:

- Are other activities in your company consistent with this message?

- Have you engaged stakeholders and incorporated their feedback?

- Do you have data to back up your claim?

- Could your claim be supported by a third party?

- Is the message honest and not self-glorifying?

Concrete:

- Is the issue you are addressing material to your business?

- Have you invested significant resources?

- Did you spend more money on the activity than on communications?

- Have you already achieved the results in your claim?

Green consumers are seeking out companies that deliver on their expectations.  Effective and transparent communication is key.

In fact, the best practices of larger organizations can be applied to small businesses to deliver bottom line and environmental results.

As an example, HP is known as a consumer and vendor of paper.   Internally, HP executed six guiding principles including efficient use of raw materials, sustainable forestry practices, responsible and low-carbon production, and waste minimization.   The results?  HP diverted   91.3 percent of its waste in 2008 and the company’s non-hazardous waste reduction program helped the company avoid sending 83,866 tons of waste to landfill, which was primarily paper waste.   Technology Business Research says this strategy saved the company nearly $7.7 million from reusing items and avoiding landfill costs, and generated $2 million in revenue by selling material to recyclers.

How can a small business implement similar strategies in the business and generate similar results of cost savings, environmental impact reduction, and increased efficiency?

One approach to consider is Paper:

- How much paper do you use for events, trade shows, invoicing, literature, packaging, shipping materials?

- What about the kitchen areas and bathrooms?  Remember, it’s not just paper but paper products.

- Consult with people in other departments and get a clear picture of the paper they are using, where it is coming from, when they are using it, and how they are using it.

- You might want to talk to your purchasing department and learn more about how much you are spending on your paper products.

As a next step, take eco action and employ the sustainability concept of the 3 R’s: reduce, reuse, and recycle.

- Reduce your paper consumption by working with your purchasing department to reduce the amount of paper purchased and switch to buying  recycled paper (100% post consumable is best).

- Reuse paper by placing bins next to the copiers and printers for easy reuse of single sided scraped paper.

- Recycle paper that has been used.

Simultaneous with these efforts, consider the use of online document management systems for your documents.  Content management systems give you more than the environmental benefits of going paperless.  They offer the ability to manage different types of data: emails, contracts, logos, reports, forms, drawings, web pages, and blogs which contributes to improved efficiency, further cost reductions, and environmental gains.

Sustainable business strategies used by larger organizations are examples of best practices that can be utilized in small business to generate cost savings, reduced environmental impacts, and brand differentiation by going green.

Business leaders looking to bridge the gap from concept to action are invited to explore 5 business strategies designed to reduce emissions and boost productivity.

1.  Paperless management systems: The benefits of a paperless/ document management system include increased productivity, elimination of storage space, create the ability to work remotely, reduce expenses of sourcing and storage, and reduce environmental impact.

2.  Employee telecommuting and remote working reduces commuter traffic, reduces sick leave and absenteeism, decreases demand for, and cost of, work space or equipment at the office, and provides for uninterrupted public or customer service.  Telecommuters can continue to provide vital services or work on projects during inclement weather and even during natural disasters.

Interestingly, did you know that if 10% of the nation’s workforce telecommutes one day a week, we would avoid the frustration of driving 24.4 million miles, we’d breathe air with 12,963 tons less air pollution, and we’d conserve more than 1.2 million gallons of fuel each week?

3.  Co-working provides a gathering spot for individual entrepreneurs or employees from multiple companies sharing a common work space.  Basically, a bridged solution between traditional office locations and telecommuting, that also offers a unique option for those concerned about their employment carbon footprints.

4.  Bike commuting programs:

- Increase worker productivity: Fit employees are more alert, more productive, perform better and more efficiently.

- Improve employee health.

- Lower health care costs: healthier employees can reduce health insurance costs.

- Reduced carbon emissions.

- Reduce turnover: Employers who appreciate workers’ personal needs have less employee turnover.

There are benefits to the bike commuters as well.  Not only are employees expanding environmental awareness in the community and within the business, they are also elevating their moods, saving money, and improving well being.

5.  CRM and online invoice and billing applications for small businesses that boost productivity as well as reduce carbon emissions.

Have you ever noticed how the expression of a corporate mission differs from the high level vision to how it’s expressed within an organization?  It appears there is often a disconnect between a corporate sustainability plan and how that vision filters down to the day-to-day workings of the company’s employees.   The heart of this may lie in the misconceptions of executive management about true employee engagement.

In a recent report by Companies at a Crossroads, findings show there is a huge disconnect between executive beliefs and employee reality.  While 38% of chief executives felt levels of trust in their companies were high and that their staff was engaged, only 16% of managers had similar perception from the front line.

It is concerning that both perceptions were well below 50%, but even more surprising is that there is such a disconnect between executive belief and employee experience.  What chance do companies have to implement business sustainability programs with such a wide gap in leadership?  What can businesses do to bridge the gap?

Suggestions on how to close that gap include:

> Green teams: informal groups of people in a company organized around environmental issues and tasked with ways to promote business action in alignment with the corporate sustainability plan.

> Individual employee sustainability programs: personal employee commitments with the basic premise of translating corporate strategy into personal business sustainability action.

> Cross-Organizational Education: sponsor ongoing workshops, training, lunch and learns, and educational activities to educate both employees and management on the corporate programs and the individual efforts underway within the company.

Evidence has shown that stakeholder engagement, particularly employee engagement, is critical to a company’s ability to capitalize on internal eco awareness, innovation, and overall business sustainability.  Start building the bridge today between your corporate sustainability vision and employee action.

Gap Inc. has a long history of engaging stakeholders in their social responsibility plans and achievements.  With over 130,000 employees worldwide, Gap knows that employees are among the most valuable of those stakeholders.

So, to celebrate the 40^th anniversary of Earth Day (April 22, 2010) Gap Inc. is hosting their second annual Earth Week Green Festival. The Green Festival brings together Gap Inc. Bay Area employees (approximately 4,000) with local sustainable organizations and provides employees with services and products that will allow them to make simple environmentally-conscious choices. The festival helps Gap employees make positive impacts in their communities and lets employees gather, learn and socialize around a common theme of sustainability.  Last year’s event was a great success. Twenty-five local vendors were represented and more than 250 employees attended.

This year’s event already has some great vendors signed on to bring sustainable products and ideas to the Gap family.  If your organization is interested in participating, you should definitely reach out to Catherine Rhoades of Gap Inc. and find out how your organization can help make the festival an even greater success.

2010 Earth Week Festival Vendors

18 Rabbitts

Coral Reef Alliance

Farm Fresh To You

Fresh Snack Pack

Green Street Cleaners

Green Zebra

Kimpton Hotels

Organic Wine Company

PG&E

Rain Forest Action Network

SF Department For The Environment

The Pant Café Organic

Thirsty Bear Brewing Company

Trust For Public land

ZipCar

Solutions to complex problems can be sparked by unusual pairings.  Consider how you can grow your business by partnering with a nonprofit, NGO, or the like to not only address corporate social responsibility but also powerfully contribute to the improvement of community issues.

In a report by Forum for the Future, the authors discuss the hallmarks of sustainability leaders.  Specifically in the area of community relations, the report discusses some key business distinctions.

> Community activities have strong links to the core business, its brands and its products/services.

> The business measures the outcomes, rather than just inputs, of its community activities.

> A clear strategy at group level provides the framework for initiatives carried out at the local level through partnership with community groups, local businesses, regulators etc.

> Measures are in place to ensure initiatives add value both to the community and to the business.

> Initiatives are delivered via mixed investments of time, finance, knowledge and skills.

How can you grow your business through community building?  Match your company values with partnering organizations in the community.  Focus on:

> Shared interest

> Creating a win/win outcome

> Meeting commitments to the local community

> Delivering on social business targets

> Building local trust

> Improving stakeholder relations

> Developing a skilled local supplier base

These kinds of partnerships lead to beneficial back scratching -to affect change and get a better grounding for the corporate social responsibility programs and business sustainability strategies.  Organizations working together allow sustainability plans to synergize in a way neither organization can achieve on its own.