Spring Course at UC Berkeley Extension: Principles of Green Purchasing and Sustainability

What's really 'Green'?

What does the latest science say about the real benefits -- to our environment, economy, health and quality of life -- of green products and services?

How are people and businesses improving their personal and financial health by using green products?

How can you know which 'green' products you can trust to provide such claimed benefits as:

• reduces emissions of the heat-trapping carbon pollution that causes climate change
• protects our natural heritage and its wondrous biological diversity
• reduces toxic pollution and waste (and helps protect YOU from toxic chemicals)
• protects our health and the safety of our children
• supports green jobs and our transition to a more secure clean energy economy
• reduces our dependence on oil and other dirty energy sources
• improves our national security

Find out the answers to these questions and more this spring at UC Berkeley Extension, where I'll be teaching a weekly evening course titled 'Principles of Green Purchasing and Sustainability".  It runs from Tuesday March 29 - Tuesday May 31 2011 at the San Francisco campus.

Spanning multiple product categories, this course pulls together years of my research -- as both a conservation scientist and sustainability expert -- to help you and your company gain a foundational understanding in green purchasing.  The course description reads as follows:

A good understanding of the principles of green purchasing is important to limit the impact that businesses, governments and corporations have on natural resources,  ecosystems and human well-being. This course is intended to provide sustainable business enthusiasts with an important foundational overview of the environmental information underlying sustainable purchasing. You will learn how to access, understand and evaluate the information that you need for green procurement.   Evaluate business cases that illustrate how companies can boost profits and productivity by using and selling sustainable products.

Many problems with sustainable business reflect a need for managers to become better versed in the technical environmental information underlying sustainability.  Each week, you will explore a new aspect of green procurement and learn how to distinguish those products that credibly limit impacts on the environment – and people too.  You will become well versed in the environmental information underlying sustainable business, and learn how to distinguish between different green certifications and identify those that are credible.

Click here to sign up now to gain valuable expertise in green purchasing.  Tell your friends and peers about this class (use the 'share' button below).  Thank you so much -- you're the best!

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FREE COURSE PREVIEW -- A SPECIAL INVITATION

Advancing the Green Economy: Achieving Impact from the Office to the Ecosystem

Thursday March 17, 2011, 6:30–8 pm
UC Berkeley Extension: Golden Bear Center

1995 University Ave, Berkeley, CA

Join scientist and sustainability expert Jonathan L. Gelbard, Ph.D., as he explores the connections between choices made in the office and the health of ecosystems and people. Hear stories about how businesses are learning to boost profits and productivity by using and selling green products. Gain valuable tips on how to identify the products, partners, and certifications that can help your company achieve measurable positive impacts and advance the green economy.

Jonathan L. Gelbard, Ph.D., principal at Conservation Value, Inc., is a researcher, writer, speaker, and educator. He has taught at the World Wildlife Fund’s Climate Camp workshops; appeared in the 2009 urban forest documentary, Dig It; and served as an educational producer for some of America’s largest green music festivals.

EDP 426320
1 meeting
Reserve Your Place Now
extension.berkeley.edu/enroll

Fall Course: The Ecology and Credibility of Green Products (aka: What's really 'Green'?!)

What's really 'Green'?

What does the latest science say about the real benefits -- to our environment, economy, health and quality of life -- of green products and services?

How are people and businesses improving their personal and financial health by using green products?

How can you know which 'green' products you can trust to provide such claimed benefits as:

• reduces emissions of the heat-trapping carbon pollution that causes climate change
• protects our natural heritage and its wondrous biological diversity
• reduces toxic pollution and waste
• protects our health and the safety of our children
• supports green jobs and our transition to a more secure clean energy economy
• reduces our dependence on oil and other dirty energy sources
• improves our national security

Find out the answers to these questions and more this fall at UC Berkeley Extension, where I'll be teaching a weekly evening course titled 'Green Purchasing for Sustainable Business Management".  It runs from September 13 - November 15.

Spanning multiple product categories, this course pulls together years of my research -- as both a conservation scientist and sustainability expert -- to help you and your company gain a foundational understanding in green purchasing.  The course description reads as follows:

A good understanding of the principles of green purchasing is important to limit the impact that businesses, governments and corporations have on natural resources,  ecosystems and human well-being. This course is intended to provide sustainable business enthusiasts with an important foundational overview of the environmental information underlying sustainable purchasing. You will learn how to access, understand and evaluate the information that you need for green procurement.   Evaluate business cases that illustrate how companies can boost profits and productivity by using and selling sustainable products.

Many problems with sustainable business reflect a need for managers to become better versed in the technical environmental information underlying sustainability.  Each week, you will explore a new aspect of green procurement and learn how to distinguish those products that credibly limit impacts on the environment – and people too.  You will become well versed in the environmental information underlying sustainable business, and learn how to distinguish between different green certifications and identify those that are credible.

Click here to sign up now.  Tell your friends and peers about this class (use the 'share' button below).  Thank you so much -- you're the best!
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Best Practices of Businesses Successfully Profiting From Green Initiatives

More food for thought from Triple Pundit -- this for all you eco-entrepreneurs seeking to do well by doing good...

Some of the keys to green business success:

Prove it, Conclusively! All of the successful green businesses in my network have a marketing plan that “overwhelms” the customer with evidence that their product and company are the “real deal.”

Sounds good to me -- as far as I'm concerned, the production impact, use impact, and re-use potential of products either reduces toxic pollution, habitat destruction, and emissions or it doesn't.  And I want to see proof, from a credible eco-label whose standards reflect the best science on the subject, be it sustainable forest management, materials toxicity, etc.

The next killer app for sustainability is price competitiveness. As a professional economist I inserted green price parity into my economic analysis and generated a stunning forecast of a $10 TRILLION global revenue sustainable economy by approximately 2017. I am seeing this green price competitiveness now emerging in all areas of our economy from sheet rock to solar to fast foods. Achieving the price-competitive killer app in sustainability is the key ingredient of The Secret Green Sauce™ that will provide us with restored employment, business profitability and a sustainable environment.

Couldn't agree more -- the sooner green products become priced more competitively (and they are), and we can shed the image of green products as more expensive (still the case too often, though it's getting better and better), the better.  Especially in this economy.

Studies show that given the choice between similarly priced items, consumers will choose the greener option.  Especially if it means it's the "safer" option, and the more efficient option (lower operating cost).  If it's legitimate, that option will use more sustainably produced materials (that don't for example, will come from destroying virgin forests), will be less toxic to people and planet alike, will emit fewer emissions, and it's end of life will be cradle to cradle or biodegradable.  And for us here at CVI, it's credibly achieving these outcomes that really benefit people and the earth that matters.
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Mainstream Green Examined

This week's LOHAS weekly email just arrived, and contains a neat little article detailing results from the Natural Marketing Institute's (NMI) LOHAS Consumer Trends Database™, an annual study of the U.S. general population regarding all facets of green consumerism (LOHAS stands for "Lifestyle of Health and Sustainability -- a prominent green marketplace segment).

It's a nice, positive story to take you into the weekend:

According to NMI’s LOHAS Business Director Gwynne Rogers, “In addition to green benefits, many LOHAS-related products and services are now balancing their offering with conventional benefits that appeal to a wider consumer base. For example, some consumers are motivated to purchase hybrid cars in order to save money on gasoline, with environmental impact being a secondary or feel good benefit.”

Sales of other green products have also increased due to declining price premiums (such as the case of renewable power) and improved product performance (for natural household cleaning products). In addition, LOHAS products are also becoming more convenient to purchase thereby requiring fewer trips to specialty retailers. Recycled paper products are widely available at stores such as Office Depot and Staples. And big box home improvement stores are selling natural and organic lawn care products among other eco-related items.

NMI believes that the continued growth of green and socially-conscious products will be based on the ability of product and service manufacturers to provide this suite of balanced benefits to consumers. Providing “green” benefits is an important differentiation and provides meaningful value to consumers, but many consumers expect additional (or at least comparable) performance. Particularly for manufacturers who need to achieve a larger critical mass in the market, targeting not only LOHAS consumers but also NATURALITES may be needed, which elevates the importance of products and services being able to communicate the optimal mix of both green and conventional benefits. As such, finding such a “sweet spot” is vital to the success of many green initiatives.

As a life-long conservationist, I marvel everyday at seeing "green" being as hot as it's ever been. It's great that as green products become more and more abundant, easy to find and buy, and easy to afford, people are finding that they benefit not just the environment, but also their finances, health, and quality of life. It's also fascinating to watch as marketers push the full suite of these benefits to appeal to more and more segments of the population.

There is, of course, a real danger that the desire to continue this mainstream push by searching for a "sweet spot" between environmental friendliness and improved performance ends up generating a flood of greenwashing: products that are green in name and marketing only; whose production and use don't really help curtail such human environmental impacts as climate change, toxic pollution, and deforestation.

Let's hope that instead, this mainstream push inspires creative new approaches for making the products that are best for the environment also the best in terms of whatever their target users most value - be it price or overall quality. With critical environmental problems such as climate change and deforestation accelerating, and Peak Oil drawing ever nearer, we need this kind of visionary innovation in the marketplace more than ever.

High Sierra Music Festival, Local Farmers Partner to Reduce Waste, Save Money

Note: Here is a short press release about a project that I am proud to have both organized and been a part of. - JLG

Compost Effort Keeps Over 2 Tons of Fruit and Vegetable Waste Out of Landfill, Provides Farmers With Free Feed and Fertilizer

Quincy, CA (July 20, 2007) -- High Sierra Music Festival , which took place July 5-8 at Plumas County Fairgrounds in Quincy, today announced the final results of their pilot composting program. The festival partnered with local area farmers to keep organic scrap by-products created by its food vendors out of the landfill.

In total, approximately 850 gallons of fruit and vegetable waste were kept out of the landfill by the composting team. The team included festival officials, along with conservation biologist, Jon Gelbard of Conservation Value, Bob Hollis of the California Resource Recovery Association, farmers Noel Carlson and Jim Holst of the Quincy Grange, Regional Grange Deputy, Ken Donnell, and Nick Aster of The Triple Pundit.

After setting up clearly marked compost bins behind the festival’s food courts, Gelbard informed food vendors of where to dispose of their surplus organic materials (meats excluded – to avoid attracting bears to the farmer’s compost pile). Gelbard, Hollis and Aster then monitored bin levels to see how quickly they were filling up.

Once the bins were close to being full, the team would contact farmers Carlson and Donnell to let them know the team was “on” for their pre-arranged evening pick-up. Upon arriving at the festival, Carlson’s blue truck was escorted to the pick-up site, where the group and festival officials used a fork lift to retrieve the bins and dump the contents into the back of the truck. From there, Carlson transported the mixture of mostly fruit and vegetable materials back to her Quincy-area farm, where it was mixed into the operation’s compost pile. The bounty of resulting compost – whose production saved the festival money on waste disposal – will help improve pasture for the Carlson’s locally-grown Icelandic lamb and wool, marketed under the Holst Station label.

The festival also introduced the use of biodegradable food utensils this year, and hopes to expand the program to all vendors for 2008.

“It’s a wonderful relationship we’ve seeded this year”, said Debbie Crockett of High Sierra Music Festival. “We are deeply grateful for the support of these Quincy area farmers, and look forward to exploring ways to grow this relationship in 2008.”

“This is yet another example of how business and land management practices that are good for the environment can also benefit local farms and communities. We started with organic waste that the festival would have had to pay to send to the landfill. But instead, we worked together to cut these disposal costs, and turn this waste into both free feed for farm animals and free compost that is being used to help restore a farm’s topsoil from historic mining damage.” said conservation biologist, Jon Gelbard of Conservation Value.

"The Grange is thrilled to be involved with this composting program and the High Sierra Music Festival. This composting program fits perfectly with the California Grange's goal of "Helping Farmers, Protecting Consumers™", and is a perfect example of thinking globally, acting locally,” said Regional Grange Deputy, Ken Donnell.

“All of the folks helping with the festival were great to work with! I’m looking forward to meeting up with them again in 2008. For an event of this size, the organization and logistics were fantastic. Our Icelandic sheep and American Guinea hogs thank High Sierra too—they dug for buried treasures in the compost pile and were totally in love with the oranges and cabbages,” said farmer Noel Carlson.

“This was a great project to demonstrate sustainable community practices, which is part of the mission of the Quincy Grange”, said farmer and Quincy Grange member, Jim Holst.

“It’s great that the High Sierra Music Festival took the initiative to implement a composting program this year. I hope that other groups who use the Plumas County Fairgrounds will follow this example. It was wonderful working with the local members of the Quincy Grange in support of sustainable farming,” said recycling expert, Bob Hollis

The festival looks forward to exploring ways to expand the operation in 2008, including by providing recycling bins for bio-degradable food utensils and possibly by providing compost bins for all festival goers.

About High Sierra Music Festival (www.highsierramusic.com): High Sierra Music has been producing world-class music festivals since 1991. An independent production company based in Berkeley, CA, the organization was founded with the first High Sierra Music Festival, its cornerstone event that takes place every July 4th weekend in Northern California, and remains committed to its grassroots origins by drawing support from its loyal community of patrons, staff, volunteers and non-corporate sponsors.

Press Contacts

High Sierra Music Festival (www.highsierramusic.com): Debbie Crocket 510-420-1529 debbie@highsierramusic.com

Conservation Value (www.ConservationValue.org): Jonathan Gelbard, Ph.D. 510-898-4895 jon@conservationvalue.org

California Resource Recovery Association (www.crra.com): Bob Hollis, (916) 717-8108 rhollis@carnegiepartners.com

Holst Station Farm (www.holststation.com): Noel Carlson & Jim Holst (530) 283-2414 noel_carlson@hotmail.com

California State Grange – (www.californiagrange.org): Ken Donnell, Deputy for Region 6 of the California State Grange: kdd@frontiernet.net
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