The Inspired Economist

A Passion for Fish and the Planet: Passionfish Restaurant

John Ivanko — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 22:21:54 +0000

Some people say you eat with our eyes. At Passionfish restaurant in Pacific Grove, California, you do so with your heart — at a place where the local is celebrated, showcased, and conserved. Sometimes, savoring a meal can nurture our body while helping preserve or restore the planet. One day, every meal will be consumed this way.

While my family and I make every effort to eat local and lower on the food chain – mostly vegetarian – when we travel, we occasionally become “flexitarians” and enjoy a seafood dish or two when we’re at the edge of a vast ocean, perhaps with a wharf at the end of the street. At Passionfish, a restaurant nestled in the scenic Monterey Peninsula just a mile from the Monterey Bay Aquarium, we connected with the Pacific Ocean by both its salty breeze and through the food we savored.

Opening in 1997, Passionfish is the brainchild of Chef Ted Walter and his wife Cindy Walter. Besides being restaurateurs, the Walters’ might as well be called “marine activists.” This dynamic duo have ambitions of changing the world by educating people about what they eat, especially if what they eat comes from the sea. Using their restaurant as the alluring (and delicious) platform, the couple promotes sustainable seafood as well as locally sourced, fresh, organic vegetables and fruits. Even their meat products are pasture-raised.

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People? Planet? Or Profits?

Heidi Tolliver-Nigro — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 14:55:57 +0000

I’ve written a lot in these posts about print vs. electronic media and the sustainability issues faced by both (yes, both! electronic media aren’t as green as people think). Now you can investigate more deeply for yourself. On November 17, Target Marketing and Printing Impressions will offer a webinar titled “Paper or Electronic? The Impact of Choices.”

Speakers will be:

Don Carli
Senior Research Fellow
Institute for Sustainable Communications

Brian Kozlowski
Director, Sustainable Development
NewPage Corp.

This free webinar will discuss the tools, processes, and success stories that exist to help direct marketers determine not only which media best fit the job at hand but also how to improve the carbon footprint of all channels.

Topics to be discussed include:

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Green: Mainstream, Sticky, but Not Deep

Heidi Tolliver-Nigro — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 00:20:41 +0000

What is the current state of the consumer on the issue of green products? Grail Research, which recently conducted a survey of 500 consumers on issues related to the purchase of green products, refers to green as mainstream and sticky, but not deep.

According to the study, “The Green Revolution” (September 2009),

84% of consumers say that either some or most of the products they purchase are green (mainstream)
Only 1% say that they used to buy green products but no longer do (sticky)
Only 8% of consumers make green the primary factor in their purchase decisions (not deep)

The number one reason people are deterred from buying green products? They are perceived as being too expensive, with 69% of respondents giving this answer. Forty percent view green products as not offering enough variety and choice.

What is the difference between the moderately interested (light green consumers) and the very committed (dark green consumers)?

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Harry Potter Sports an Environmental Audit

Heidi Tolliver-Nigro — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 13:11:47 +0000

Did you notice something different on the back pages of The Order of the Phoenix? If you live in the Canadian market, you might. The fifth book in the Harry Potter series has something unusual on its back pages. It’s an environmental audit.

The audit, produced using New Leaf Paper’s Eco Audit Calculator, uses New Leaf EcoBook paper, which uses 100% postconsumer waste. This is something new in the book market, which is normally so sensitive to price.

While the paper does cost more than virgin, these costs are offset by the extreme environmental benefits of switching to paper made with 100% postconsumer fiber. Because virgin paper costs less than recycled papers, the book industry has traditionally gone almost exclusively with virgin stocks. But Scholastic decided to make an environmental statement — a big one.

According to the audit, on the 950,000 print run, this simple switch resulted in a savings of 29,600 trees, 12.4 million gallons of water, 20,300 BTUs of energy, 1.4 million pounds of solid waste, and 2.7 million pounds of greenhouse gases. That’s more than just a drop in the bucket.

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Big Important Speeches and Little Breakout Groups at BSR

Keith Rockmael — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 12:57:59 +0000

No matter who attends the BSR conference, we always seem to find a balance between the people who legitimately wish to improve sustainability, not just for their company but the planet, and those who set out to further their profits by subtle or blatant greenwashing.

During the Thursday morning breakfast, Zhang Yue, chairman and CEO of China-based Broad Air Conditioning woke the crowd up as he spoke through an interpreter. A few minutes before that, I found myself asking a colleague “Who is this guy?” After 10 minutes, I changed my mind. More people should listen to this guy. True, I haven’t done due diligence on his company but if his company does half the things that he says they do then I’m on board. Yue created China’s first “non-electric chiller” and insists on showing consumers how triple paned windows will reduce their need to use air conditioners. Consider that their business revolves around making air conditioners.

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BSR 2009 - Biodegradable Lanyards and Microsoft Sustainability

Keith Rockmael — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 17:04:05 +0000

Ah, it feels good to have the BSR conference back in San Francisco. Even though the economy has gone to hell, it is good see that probably close to 1000 attendees hit the conference so the sour economy has not killed the whole notion of notion of sustainability and companies.

Good start — as we walked in and registered the staff handed me a recyclable, biodegradable, compostable lanyard.

The theme for this year’s conference - Sustainability in a Reset World

After admiring our lanyards and breakfast we jumped into packed conversation with Pamela Passman of Microsoft. Of course we considered today’s launch of Windows 7.

The discussion centered on the sustainability of Microsoft. Now, most people will admit that the technology business isn’t the least sustainable or “dirtiest” business. But that doesn’t mean that they don’t press a heavy carbon footprint. Passman discussed that companies need software to track their own carbon footprint.Microsoft may have many ideas for other comanies but they need to look in the mirror as well.

She admitted the two most pressing issues that Microsoft needs to improve in so far as reducing their carbon footprint that includes:

1- Traveling (lots of it)

2 – Data centers — The data centers continue to be electric and water intensive.
Microsoft claims to be attempting reduce the footprint of these data centers.

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The Aspen Institute’s Top 10 Business Schools Integrating Corporate Social Responsibility

Cindy Tickle — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 23:19:52 +0000

Today’s business climate is more competitive than ever. Several highly qualified MBA grads are vying for fewer and fewer corporate jobs. According to a 2008-2009 survey by the MBA Career Services Council, business schools have experienced a drop in corporate recruiting of more than 10 percent affecting more than half of the 94 top-ranked business schools in the United States, Canada and Europe. Scary, isn’t it…especially if you’re one of the many contemplating a return to graduate school. So what would set you apart or give you the competitive edge to land that corporate gig? Corporate Social Responsibility

The Aspen Institute just released the 2009-2010 edition of Beyond Grey Pinstripes, a biennial survey and alternative ranking of full-time MBA programs that integrate issues of social and environmental stewardship into curricula and research. Did your school make the list?

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2009 Business for Social Reponsibility Conference Starts Today

Cindy Tickle — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 07:10:19 +0000

The 2009 Business for Social Responsibility (BSR) Conference begins today and runs through Friday in San Francisco. The theme this year is Reset Economy, Reset World and focuses on a “trio of global crises - the worldwide recession, accelerating climate change, and a collapse of trust in business.”

Nearly 500 businesses, non-profits, universities and other organizations are expected to attend. Speakers from major corporations such as Nike, eBay, Chevron, Wal-Mart, Gap, Microsoft, PepsiCo and Monsanto will join speakers from Oxfam America, Mercy Corps, Global Fund for Women and the International Labour Organization to discuss everything from stakeholder engagement and public policy to supply chain transparency and human rights. So does all this networking and talking actually inspire change and make a difference?

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Community Colleges: Disappearing Shop Classes and Green Technology

Fred Etcheverry — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 06:39:31 +0000

In my last post, “Soulcraft and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance The Demise of Shop Classes,” I discussed Matthew B. Crawford’s recent book, Shop Class as Soulcraft, in which he examines the consequences of the disappearance of high school shop.

Crawford acknowledges that community colleges to some extent are able to “salvage” the lack of high school shop. This is certainly true as you may read in my post, “Green Technology at Your Community College.” CCs are providing an essential service to the workforce. Government studies show that the highest paying jobs, especially green jobs, will come from the CCs. ( Jessica Milano and Conor McKay at the Democratic Leadership Council. San Jose Mercury News.)

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Playing for Change Connects the World Through Music

Cindy Tickle — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 01:56:06 +0000

When I first watched the video “Stand by Me” produced by Playing for Change a year ago, I was moved by the beauty of the music and the simplicity of the message. Playing for Change wasn’t just a multimedia project. It was a movement - and its mission was to “bring peace to the world through music”.

Needless to say, I ran out and bought the CD, Playing for Change: Songs Around The World as soon as it was released on April 28th. And now, the fine folks at Playing for Change Records and Concord Music Group bring us the special two-disc package of Playing for Change: Songs Around The World - Deluxe Edition, which includes the full-length documentary film Peace Through Music.

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