Green Business Jobs Driving Rising Enrollment at Business Colleges

The Erb Institute for Global Sustainable Enterprise has seen a 30% rise in enrollment over the 2007-2008 school year due to students’ confidence in the bright, lucrative future of green business.  The Erb Institute is a program that partners with the University of Michigan Stephen M. Ross School of Business and School of Natural Resources and the Environment.

School administrators at the Erb Institute believe that enrollment in 2010 will be even higher, as more students seek to get into the green business field.  From Mlive.com:

“The program has been growing steadily over the years, especially since 2004, but still this was such a big jump that it took me by surprise” said Thomas P. Lyon, Erb Institute director. “I think the biggest driver has been the greater public awareness of green issues, especially climate change. A number of things have contributed to this shift: new scientific information about the risks of climate change, Al Gore’s movie ‘An Inconvenient Truth,’ (and) Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath.”

“I think a lot of that trend is people seeing a shift in markets, this ‘greening’ of America,” said Brewster Boyd, an MBA student planning to graduate in 2009.

Rising enrollment at the Erb Institute is no doubt a sign of a broader trend across the country.  College students are looking toward the future, and they’re seeing success and fulfillment in green industries.  Environmental issues are tied to our country’s economic future, and many opportunities will be opening up over the coming decade.

Lyon, the Erb Institute director, hopes that the younger generation’s drive toward green business will help the Michigan economy, which is the weakest in the nation.

Link [Mlive.com]

25 Rich Ass Greenies Who Made Their Fortune Saving the Environment (#5 - #1)

All this week, EarthFirst.com has counted down the world’s richest green entrepreneurs who have amassed fortunes ranging from the low millions to an incredible $3.4 billion mostly from doing good deeds for the planet.

We’re down to the top 5 – green billionaires who didn’t just start helping the environment after they became billionaires, they made the bulk of their fortunes from helping the environment. These industry giants range between $1.5 billion and $3.4 billion in net worth, and the top three are all from a country that might surprise you: China.

5. Rubens Ometto Silveira Mello, Cosan

The world’s first ethanol billionaire, Rubens Ometto Silveira Mello has seen his fortune decrease dramatically over the past year due to the decline of sugar and ethanol prices and rumors of a takeover of his company, Cosan S.A. Of course, $1.5 billion still ain’t bad.

Cosan is one of the world’s largest producers of ethanol, which they brew from sugar cane. Mello has been described as ‘the world’s first biofuel tycoon’. Cosan began way back in 1936, when Mello’s family established a sugarcane mill in Piracicaba, Brazil, outside Sao Paolo.

4. Frank Asbeck, SolarWorld

Frank Asbeck founded SolarWorld, a company that manufactures solar cells and modules which are then installed as solar panels, in 1998. Asbeck has proven to be an innovative leader for this family-owned German company, taking an aggressive entrepreneurial approach that many predict will help the company grow by 25% each year. SolarWorld is at an advantageous position right now, since the manufacture of solar cells will likely be somewhat of a bottleneck in the solar power industry and his company will be able to step in and meet much of that demand.

Asbeck, worth an estimated $1.6 billion, said in a 2007 press release, “Solar energy is on the way to attaining full competitiveness with grid power in the next few years. This means that a major factor for a climate-friendly turning of the tide in the energy sector would be achieved. Yet, in order to actually achieve this ‘grid parity’, the solar industry must continue to invest in the expansion of its capacities and also earn these investments. Because only mass production and efficiency improvements can make prices drop further.”

3. Peng Xiaofeng, LDK Solar

A relative newcomer in the field of solar energy, Peng Xiaofeng’s wealth soared dramatically over a period of only a few years. Just last year, he was worth a whopping $3.85 billion, but his net worth decreased to ‘just’ $2.5 billion in 2008 after allegations by a former employee that his company, LDK Solar, had inflated inventory figures of a key raw material, polysilicon.

Peng’s business began as a safety-product manufacturing plant, until he realized that no Chinese company as of that time was producing solar wafers, a key component of solar panels that make up 25% of their cost. He poured millions of his own fortune and $80 million in venture financing into his new operation, and soon LDK Solar began its rocky journey through the solar industry.

2. Shi Zhengrong, Suntech Power

This China-born Australian citizen is the world’s richest solar tycoon, with about $2.9 billion to his name. Shi Zhengrong runs Suntech Power, which he founded in China in 2001. Suntech makes the photovoltaic cells used in solar panels, and was the first Chinese company to be listed on the New York Stock Exchange. Shi, born in poor rural China and given up for adoption by his parents so that he could have a better life, is now one of the richest citizens of both China and Australia.

Suntech Power has a current market value of about $6 billion, and Shi is confident that his company will grow to the size of the world’s largest oil conglomerates as we shift toward renewable sources of energy.

1. Cheung Yan, Nine Dragons Paper

Reported by some sources as the world’s richest self-made woman, Cheung Yan gained her fortune in what many might find a surprising place: recycled paper. Cheung (her name is often spelled Zhang Yin as well) is worth an estimated $3.4 billion based on 2007 revenue figures (2008’s aren’t in yet), and she’s made it over the span of just a few years. Nine Dragons Paper takes post-consumer paper from the U.S. and processes it in China into new paper goods. Cheung held the title of world’s richest woman for nearly two years before being toppled by a young woman who inherited her father’s vast fortune (Yang Huiyan, worth $16.1 billion), but is still richer than both Oprah and J.K. Rowling.

Great Green Job of the Week: Environmental Scientist at Green Seal

Green Seal, a non-profit organization dedicated to environmental standard setting, product certification and public education, is seeking an environmental scientist to work at their headquarters in Washington, D.C.  Green Seal works toward sustainability by identifying and promoting environmentally responsible products, purchasing and production.

Title: Environmental Scientist

Position Type: Full Time

Position Overview:

Green Seal is seeking an Environmental Scientist to work on environmental leadership standard setting across a range of products and services.

Responsibilities:

The role will lead and support the development of environmental leadership standards for Green Seal. The main responsibilities of this position will be to evaluate technical research and work with external experts to develop criteria for environmental leadership standards; interact and coordinate with external stakeholders; conduct and support life cycle research; and manage projects.

Qualifications:

It is preferred that the candidate have an MS plus at least 1 year of experience or a PhD in chemistry, biology, environmental science, toxicology, engineering, physics, or related field. Experience with life cycle research and critical analysis of technical research is strongly preferred. Experience with standard development and stakeholder processes is not required, but preferred.

To apply, please email standards@greenseal.com with a cover letter, resume, and three references by September 30th, 2008.

Get more info about Green Seal at GreenSeal.org.

Via [Sustainable Jobs]

25 Rich Ass Greenies Who Made Their Fortune Saving the Environment (#10 - #6)

All this week, EarthFirst.com will be counting down the world’s richest green entrepreneurs who have amassed fortunes ranging from the low millions to an incredible $3.4 billion mostly from doing good deeds for the planet.

Next up on our countdown of 25 of the richest green businesspeople in the world are a husband and wife team, two eco-friendly cosmetics pioneers and a man who wandered into the lucrative world of wind power by accident.  Today’s list starts at $100 million and ends around $1.4 billion, incredible fortunes made while simultaneously doing good things for the earth.

10. Tom Chappell and 9. Kate Chappell, Tom’s of Maine

Tom and Kate Chappell began making eco-friendly personal care products in the late ‘60s, when they were unable to find any on store shelves.  Taking out a $5,000 loan from a friend, they started Tom’s of Maine with ‘Clearlake’, the country’s first phosphate-free laundry detergent.  In 1975 they introduced the first natural toothpaste, which cemented their future as a leader in the natural personal care industry. Tom and Kate share in the $100 million fortune they made from selling Tom’s of Maine to Colgate in 2006, and remain the CEO and VP of the company, respectively.  Tom’s of Maine pulls in about $45 million in annual sales.

Of the green industry’s future, Tom told SFGate, “The current consciousness for environmental sustainability is different from anything I’ve ever seen before. It’s coming from industry, from companies, for the first time. You’ve had small companies doing a grassroots effort for decades, along with consumers and nonprofit groups, but now you’ve got large companies with senior leadership saying we’ve got to take this seriously. That’s terrific. We know that green solutions are possible. We just need to have green solutions become more available and affordable.”

8. Anita Roddick, The Body Shop

One of the pioneers of the natural beauty industry, Anita Roddick amassed a fortune of $200 million through her cosmetics and toiletries business, The Body Shop, making her one of England’s richest women.  Anita began The Body Shop with the vision that all types of businesses could be run ethically, and that every ingredient has a story.  Anita passed away in 2007, and her husband, Gordon, now manages her fortune.

Of her inspiration to start The Body Shop, Anita said, “My early travels had given me a wealth of experience. I had spent time in farming and fishing communities with pre-industrial peoples, and been exposed to body rituals of women from all over the world. Also the frugality that my mother exercised during the war years made me question retail conventions. Why waste a container when you can refill it? And why buy more of something than you can use? We behaved as she did in the Second World War, we reused everything, we refilled everything and we recycled all we could. The foundation of The Body Shop’s environmental activism was born out of ideas like these.”

7. Roxanne Quimby, Burt’s Bees

When Roxanne Quimby met Burt Shavitz (#23 on our countdown), she was a single mother of twins living in a cabin in the North Woods of Maine. Her husband had just left her and she was desperate for income.  Burt, who had been selling jars of honey out of the back of his pickup truck, had hives labeled ‘Burts Bees’ and pounds and pounds of beeswax, and that spurred an idea: making products like lip balm, shoe polish and beeswax candles.  Over time, her efforts paid off in a big way: Burt’s Bees is now the most successful natural care products company in the world.  The company sold to Clorox in 2007 for $1 billion, and Roxanne made an estimated $300 million from the sale.

Roxanne told Hilary Career, “I think it takes a lot of hard work, persistence, and belief in one’s vision to build a successful company. That sounds sort of trite but one must possess these basic traits to carry on when faced with the daily challenges and sheer exhaustion of running one’s own company. Good luck and good timing also play a role in one’s success. For a product-driven company like Burt’s Bees, I think it’s important to stay ahead of the curve with product innovation and listen closely to what the consumer tells you she wants, and remain faithful to your mission and values.”

6. Tulsi Tanti, Suzlon Energy

Tulsi Tanti, an Indian businessman, didn’t set out to save the environment.  It sort of happened by accident. In 1995, when he owned a fledgling textile company called Suzlon, he received a shocking electric bill that made him wish he could do something about the price of power.  That led him to decide to provide for his own energy needs, buying two wind turbines to power his company – a risky and expensive move, but one that he felt strongly was the right thing to do.  Then, in 2000, Tanti read an article about global warming that predicted that some of his favorite tourism destinations, including the Maldives, would be underwater by the year 2050.  He told TIME Magazine, “I had a very clear vision. If Indians start consuming power like the Americans, the world will run out of resources. Either you stop India from developing, or you find some alternate solution.”

That’s when Tanti decided to sell off his company’s textile manufacturing and enter the field of wind-turbine generators. Suzlon is now the fourth largest wind-turbine maker in the world, with annual profits of about $850 million. Tanti is now worth an estimated $1.4 billion.

Check out the rest of the Rich Ass Greenies: #25-#21, #20-#16, #15-11

25 Rich Ass Greenies Who Made Their Fortune Saving the Environment (#15 - #11)

All this week, EarthFirst.com will be counting down the world’s richest green entrepreneurs who have amassed fortunes ranging from the low millions to an incredible $3.4 billion mostly from doing good deeds for the planet.

Today’s 5 rich ass greenies include three organic foods moguls, a wind company executive and a hero that has helped spread the message of environmental responsibility more than anyone, perhaps aside from Al Gore.  Though we don’t know the exact net worth of all of these businessmen, we do know that it’s in the double-digit millions or higher and that they’re now enjoying the high life after dedicating their careers to helping the planet.

15. Chuck Marcy, Horizon Organics

Charles ‘Chuck’ Marcy is the former president and CEO of Horizon Organic, one of America’s largest organic milk producers. The company had been around since 1992, but didn’t start major marketing efforts until 2004 when acquired by Dean Foods for $246 million.  Marcy also owns Healthy Food Holdings, a private-equity backed company that buys organic and healthy food brands including Van’s International Foods and Breyers.

14. Mike Gilliland, Wild Oats Market

Mike Gilliland helped kick off the natural foods industry when he founded Wild Oats Markets with then-wife Libby Cook in 1987.  The Boulder, Colorado-based company quickly became the second largest natural foods chain in America.  Gilliland left Wild Oats in 2001 when the company’s sales suffered after an acquisition spree.  Wild Oats was purchased by rival Whole Foods in 2007 for an estimated $565 million.  Gilliland then went on to found Sunflower Farmers Market, a chain of natural foods outlets in the Southwest.  His fortune hasn’t been disclosed.

13. Michael Skelly, Horizon Wind

Michael Skelly is the former CEO of Horizon Wind Energy, a renewable energy company located in Houston, Texas.  Horizon is a wind energy developer and independent power producer which as developed wind farms all over the country, and is the third largest wind company in the United States.  The company was acquired by Goldman Sachs in 2005 for an undisclosed amount and then sold to Energias de Portugal for $2.15 billion.

Skelly, a Democrat, is now running for Congress in Texas’ 7th congressional district against three-term incumbent John Culberson.

12. Steve Demos, White Wave

Steve Demos has had an interesting life, to say the least.  He’s a Buddhist, and once lived in a cave in India. He spent a lot of time traveling, and that’s when he had a revelation: that he wanted to construct a “right livelihood”, making money and doing good for society at the same time.  He set out to make healthy vegetarian foods, with a particular focus on soy.  It was quite a battle, though: for 20 years he struggled to get soy products accepted into mainstream society through his company, White Wave.  It wasn’t until 1996 that he realized that tempeh and tofu weren’t likely to end up on most Americans’ plates, but soymilk was a product that could be accepted more easily.  After that, sales rose dramatically and Demos spent the next 8 years helping the company grow. In 2005, Demos was unexpectedly ejected from the company he founded by the board.

We don’t know exactly how much Demos is worth, but consider this. When White Wave sold to Dean Foods in 2002 for $295 million, Demos ensured that the company’s 100 employees who had worked there for at least 2 years each got a share of $15 million of the profits.  So, we’re sure he made out pretty well – in the double-digit, if not triple-digit millions, most likely.  At the time of his ousting, White Wave was worth $1.2 billion.

11. Captain Planet

For years, Captain Planet educated the world about environmental issues, showing off his incredible skills as he flew, blew hurricane force winds, shapeshifted, moved objects with his mind and performed amazing feats of matter transmutation.  As we all know, the smog, radiation and toxic waste that continue to pollute the environment at alarming levels harmed Captain Planet’s health, so it’s only natural that after his show was canceled he retired to the island of Taos to build his strength back up.  Captain Planet invested his money wisely and now lives in an off-grid home on the island, relaxing and taking in the fresh air and clean water.

Check out the previous installments:

25 Rich Ass Greenies (#25-#21), (#20-#16)

25 Rich Ass Greenies Who Made Their Fortune Saving the Environment (#20 - #16)

All this week, EarthFirst.com will be counting down the world’s richest green entrepreneurs who have amassed fortunes ranging from the low millions to an incredible $3.4 billion mostly from doing good deeds for the planet.

Today’s 5 green businessmen are a diverse bunch: two energy moguls, the founder of a carbon mitigation firm, a tea titan and the man who changed the face of natural food stores. Each of these men has made $7 million or more off of their eco-friendly ventures, and they’re all likely to keep on hauling in cash by the truckload for the foreseeable future.  These 5 rich ass greenies help prove that environmental responsibility and reaching millionaire status aren’t mutually exclusive.

20. David Scaysbrook, Novera Energy

When David Scaysbrook founded Australian firm Novera Energy in 1998, he was convinced that unlike other forms of renewable energy that were available at the time, wind power had real potential.  He became a millionaire when cashing in $7 million worth of shares in the company, and is still a non-executive director on the board. He’s also a founding shareholder of Viridis Energy Capital, a specialist green energy fund with a global focus and a portfolio of investments in landfill gas, biomass and hydro power.

David is confident that we haven’t seen anything yet when it comes to the success of the wind power industry, telling Reuters that he believes fears about energy security, the rising price of oil and growing concerns about the environment will push the scale of investment in wind to far greater proportions, which will undoubtedly continue adding millions to his bank account.

19. Pedro Moura Costa, EcoSecurities

EcoSecurities is an Irish carbon mitigation firm that has developed more projects than any other similar business, and co-founder Pedro Moura Costa got $10 million richer last year when he sold some of his shares in the firm.  Moura Costa knew that the carbon market could be big business, especially once the Kyoto Protocol was established.  It may have taken longer than he expected for the market to become very profitable, but he’s done well and will continue to make even more: his remaining shares are worth an estimated $83 million.

When asked by Reuters whether the thought green business was a bubble, Moura Costa said, “It’s become quite obvious we do something now or it will be an irreversible trend with catastrophic consequences.  The only chance of it being a bubble is if we lack the political commitment to drive emission reductions worldwide — and if we do that we might as well forget about any environmental effort whatsoever because climate change is hitting us hard and the trend is likely to accelerate. I think it’s very unlikely political support will go away.”

18. Steve Hughes, Celestial Seasonings

Often referred to as an ‘organic mogul’, Steve Hughes is a veteran of the natural foods industry and had already held several high-profile positions before becoming CEO of tea company Celestial Seasonings in 1997.  Serving for just 3 years before Celestial Seasonings was sold to natural foods giant Hain in 2000, Hughes made a whopping $20 million from the merger. He’s credited for reinventing the brand after four years of stagnant sales, resulting in the interest from Hain.

Hughes is now CEO of natural margarine producer Smart Balance, which analysts predict could become a billion-dollar company over the next decade, especially as more people turn to products that don’t contain trans fats.

17. Ryan Turner, Pacific Ethanol

Ryan Turner co-founded Fresno, California-based energy company Pacific Ethanol in 2002, and after just four years, became a multimillionaire. After the company went public, its stock price quadrupled and Tuner, who had been acting as the company’s chief operating officer, cashed in $29.5 million worth of stock.  At just 31, he resigned and set out to enjoy his new fortune. Pacific Ethanol may or may not continue to see the same success and support as it has over recent years, depending on what the future of this biofuel holds. But, either way, Turner’s got it made – if he resists the temptation to spend it like Hammer, he’s set for life.

16. John Mackey, Whole Foods

Way back in 1978, John Mackey dropped out of college and borrowed $45,000 from family friends to open Safer Way Natural Foods, a small vegetarian health food store in Austin, Texas.  After experiencing some difficulty in his first few years in business, Mackey approached the owners of another Austin health food store about a merger, and together they became Whole Foods, which later became the most successful natural foods chain in the world.

Mackey has declined to disclose his personal net worth, but we know that prior to 2006, when he announced that he was no longer in the business to make money and would henceforth only make $1 per year, he was netting $400,000 annually.  He reportedly has enough money now to give at least $1 million away to charity every year, and as CEO of such a huge company, we’re sure he’s pretty damn comfortable.

Check out last week’s installment of ‘25 Rich Ass Greenies Who Made Their Fortune Saving the Environment (#25 - #21)‘.

25 Rich Ass Greenies Who Made Their Fortune Saving the Environment (#25 - #21)

All this week, EarthFirst.com will be counting down the world’s richest green entrepreneurs who have amassed fortunes ranging from the low millions to an incredible $3.4 billion mostly from doing good deeds for the planet.

We’re starting off the list with a few entrepreneurs for whom no actual numbers are available in terms of personal fortune, but who undoubtedly have very well padded bank accounts. These five guys are rich and getting richer, and their companies are worth staggering quantities of cash. They’re making the big bucks off their eco-friendly ventures, and we hope they’ll inspire all of you wannabe entrepreneurs out there to get out and do something for the environment – and make a truckload of money, too.

25. Neil Eckert, Climate Exchange

Neil Eckert is the CEO of Climate Exchange PLC, a leading provider of exchange-based carbon-emissions trading products. Climate Exchange PLC owns both the European Climate Exchange and the Chicago Climate Exchange. Climate Exchange provides emissions reduction credits in Europe under the mandatory European Emissions Trading Scheme. Neil’s personal net worth hasn’t been disclosed, but it’s thought to be in the millions.

24. Ray Anderson, Interface Inc.

Ray Anderson has been called ‘the greenest chief executive in America’. Founder and CEO of Interface Inc., a carpet tile company, Anderson wasn’t always interested in environmental issues, but in the summer of 1994 he was asked to give a speech to Interface employees about the company’s approach to the environment. He told The New York Times, “I was running a company that was plundering the earth. I thought, ‘Damn, some day people like me will be put in jail! It was a spear in the chest.’”

After that, Anderson set out to make Interface a sustainable operation, an effort that has saved the company more than $336 million since 1995. Today, the company makes more than $1.1 billion in annual sales, and Anderson has undoubtedly taken home a hefty portion of that.

23. Burt Shavitz, Burt’s Bees

Burt Shavitz could have been a hell of a lot richer than he is. Roxanne Quimby, co-founder of popular natural care products company Burt’s Bees, bought out the iconic beekeeper way back in the late ‘90s before Burt’s Bees hit it big for a low six-figure sum. Today, she enjoys a fortune of more than $300 million, while Burt’s got about $4 million to his name. He doesn’t seem to mind too much, though – the 72-year-old lives in the same rustic turkey coop he was shacking up in when he met Roxanne back in 1984, when he was selling honey out the back of his pickup truck.

Burt’s Bees was purchased by Clorox in November 2007 for nearly $1 billion.

22. Gary Hirshberg, Stonyfield Farms

Gary Hirshberg is chairman, president and CEO of Stonyfield Farms, an organic yogurt producer. Hirshberg has been interested in sustainability since he was a teenager, and studied ecology in college. He started Stonyfield Farms as an organic dairy farming school with partner Samuel Kaymen in 1983, and today the company pulls in more than $300 million in annual sales. Hirshberg is also author of the book ‘Stirring it Up: How to Make Money and Save the World’.

Hirshberg wrote in Newsweek, “At Stonyfield, we have factored the planet into all our decisions. We are a 100 percent organic manufacturer, which means we avoid the production and use of many tons of toxic chemicals. We were America’s first manufacturer to offset 100 percent of our carbon-dioxide emissions from our manufacturing facility. We’ve mapped our climate footprint (by figuring out just how much greenhouse gas we emit), installed the largest solar photovoltaic array in New Hampshire and converted our yogurt waste into bio-gas, avoiding the generation of truckloads of sludge.

These kinds of green improvements have not only reduced our company footprint on the planet, but have saved our company so many millions of dollars that I’ve come to think of them as the “First National Bank of Conservation.”

21. Bruce Khouri, Solar Integrated Technologies

Bruce Khouri, age 49, co-founded Solar Integrated Technologies in 2001 and made a personal fortune of $5 million by cashing in shares in the company. Khouri saw a market for solar panels long before most other entrepreneurs saw it as a viable revenue source, in the 1990s. He realized the value of sun-baked rooftop real estate, and says that 50 years from now, he expects that every sunny rooftop will be covered in solar panels.

Of his path to fortune, Khouri told Reuters, “It hasn’t been easy but we transformed an old-world roofing material into a renewable energy technology. It’s a miracle Solar Integrated is still here but a pioneer charging across the prairie is bound to get hit by a few arrows.”

Great Green Job of the Week: Senior Online Marketing Manager at SustainLane.com

SustainLane is looking for a smart, creative, hands-on online marketer to grow the SustainLane.com site membership, refine its voice and expand its content.  SustainLane is a green social media website where users can get together to collaborate and connect with like-minded people who are also looking for answers on living a greener, healthier, more sustainable lifestyle.  This position is located in San Francisco.

Description

You are intelligent, self-confident and self-starting, and you take pride in your work. You will locate quality content through partnerships and community catalyzing, and make our content easier to find through good SEO. You are an entrepreneurial individual that is excited about the green space, user-generated content and community-building web technology, and believe that you can help take SustainLane.com to the next level.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Promote the website using standard tools, including newsletters, link-building, SEO research and implementation, Adwords campaigns and banner campaigns
• Oversee content creators/bloggers and manage editorial updates (selecting and featuring user-generated reviews and information)
• Create and manage marketing alliances
• Provide reporting and analytics
• Create web copy and communications and evolve the voice of the site
• Support development team in user interface decisions to create maximum site stickiness

Credentials & Experience

• Minimum four years of hands-on web marketing
• Copywriting experience for web
• Real experience in marketing user-generated content and knowledge of the blogosphere
• Track record of increasing site traffic
• Knowledge and passion for the green/sustainability space

Compensation

• Competitive salary
• Benefits (Health, Vision, Dental, flexible work environment, three weeks vacation and a company that values quality of life)
• Incentive stock option plan

To apply, send your cover letter and current resume to careers@sustainlane.com or fill in the application on the Treehugger jobs board.  Learn more abut SustainLane at the SustainLane.com website.

Link [Treehugger] + [SustainLane]

Big Solar and Little Solar Engaged in Turf Wars

So it goes – in every industry, the little guys will battle the big guys. In this case, it’s the many small solar companies that are fighting power giant Southern California Edison, who plan to install 250 megawatts’ worth of solar panels on the roofs of warehouses. The pros of Edison’s plan are that it would lower the cost of photovoltaic power, expand the market and transform currently unused space exposed to plenty of sun throughout the day into mini power plants.

The lone con is a big one – solar companies, trade groups and consumer advocates are afraid that allowing a large utility company to own and operate such “massive green megawattage” will crowd out competitors.

From Green Wombat:

There’s no doubt the program will be a boon for solar module makers. For instance, thin-film solar cell company First Solar (FSLR) is supplying 33,000 panels for the program’s first project, a 600,000-square-foot roof array in the inland city of Fontana. However, Southern California Edison intends to contract for union labor to install the solar systems and tap its own capital and a rate hike to finance the project. That won’t leave many opportunities for solar installers and financiers like SunPower (SPWR), SunEdison and MMA Renewable Ventures (MMA).

“Even though this program is kind of taking bread out of our own mouth, the demand for solar will keep going up,” says Mark McLanahan, senior vice president of corporate development at MMA Renewable Ventures, a San Francisco firm that finances commercial solar arrays.

“What they have announced is extremely visionary,” McLanahan tells Green Wombat. “It’s game changing and opens up whole new realms of what solar can do. That’s exciting.” On the other hand, he says, “It’s certainly possible that a young, growing industry that is pretty fragmented could be hurt by this rather than helped.”

It seems that Edison’s program will be funded by a hefty rate hike. Some solar industry critics have suggested opening up the program to competitive bidding, not just for the procurement of solar panels. Of course, Edison’s not crazy about that idea, saying it would work against the economies of scale it says it can bring to the program.

Tough situation, and we’ll undoubtedly see a lot more of this sort of thing as our country starts making what could be a somewhat arduous transition to new energy sources.

Link [Green Wombat] via [The Huffington Post]
Photo credit: Flickr user clownfish

Who’s Who in Green: Heather Stephenson

For decades, the idea of ‘going green’ insinuated to most of the general population a whole lot of discomfort, inconvenience and unattractiveness. That’s part of what held a lot of people back from being more environmentally responsible – this idea that you had to sacrifice so much of your life in order to do it. But Heather Stephenson knew that it didn’t have to be that way, so along with partner Jennifer Boulder she launched the website Ideal Bite in May of 2005. Ideal Bite offers ‘bite-size tips for light green living’ – in other words, it makes living green accessible and attractive to an audience made up primarily of women across the globe.

Ideal Bite, which is self-described as ‘a sassier shade of green’, offers up daily tips that help people make small decisions each day to be more eco-friendly. Each tip is ranked with between one and five green apples with 5 being easy, inexpensive and high-impact. The tips range from recommendations for stylish eco-handbags to reducing the margins on your electronic documents to reduce paper waste. They’re hip, accessible and fun – just what the green movement needed to get some momentum and push forth into mainstream consciousness.

Heather grew up in Libby, Montana, a logging town where residents were proud of being supported by the timber industry and environmentalism was a dirty word. That didn’t stop her from being inspired to do what she could to help the planet. Heather, a yoga enthusiast, moved to Brooklyn in search of a more receptive environment. Before founding Ideal Bite she worked in advertising and technology, and she also founded UrbanSage, a NY-based rooftop garden design/build firm. She recently moved to San Francisco, where she says the atmosphere is great because of how supportive the city’s residents are to green ideas.

Here’s a video clip of Heather discussing Ideal Bite’s business mode and how they create a relationship with their readers:

Heather’s a big fan of incremental steps toward being green, as evidenced by Ideal Bite’s easygoing vibe. Of her own failings and the eco-confessions displayed on Ideal Bite – revealing Ideal Bite staffers’ obstacles along the path to being green - she told San Fransisco 7×7,

“No one’s perfect. Scaring people into a green lifestyle isn’t our style. I’m not even halfway there, but I’m definitely trying.”

Heather may not be one of the extreme eco-warriors who have completely transformed their lives to help the earth, but that doesn’t mean she’s not making a huge difference in the world. Through Ideal Bite, Heather has brought environmentalism to the masses – in a way that inspires them to keep taking the next step. It’s effective, and it shows – Ideal Bite has a list of over 100,000 subscribers and is sure to keep on growing in the years to come.

Heather Stephenson’s Green Score: 23,838

Photo credit: Jennifer Hale/7×7sf

Great Green Job of the Week: Online Director of Earthjustice

Earthjustice, the nation’s leading environmental legacy law firm, is seeking an Online Director to develop and manage all online communications. Earthjustice works nationally and internationally to prevent climate change, protect wildlife and wild places, and defend the right of all people to a healthy environment. Earthjustice achieves these goals through the U.S. court system to enforce, strengthen and maintain environmental laws on behalf of environmental organizations, coalitions and communities.

Position Overview:

We currently have an opening for an Online Director. The Online Director is responsible for developing, implementing, and evaluating online communications programs for Earthjustice, developing an overall plan for electronic information management, researching and adopting new technologies and software, managing content across multiple web sites and email lists, and integrating online with offline communications.

This position supervises the work of the web team in implementing this plan and coordinates with staff from all parts of the organization, works in partnership with Communications, Development, and Policy and Litigation staff to grow and cultivate Earthjustice’s online community, tracks and evaluates online strategies and makes changes accordingly and manages ongoing relationships with key vendors and represents Earthjustice at key industry events.

Qualifications:

Education: Bachelor’s degree, preferably in English/communications, environmental studies / scientific discipline, political science, or history.

Experience: 7+ years experience with using online communications to attract & retain an audience. Experience specifically with web design, online communications programs including fundraising, computer technology, writing projects, marketing, and graphic design strongly preferred. Staff management experience.

Skills: Broad understanding of Internet technology and technology application in the business environment. Interest in exploring new technologies and practices to communicate with an online audience. Excellent organizational skills. Excellent written and oral communications skills. Strong eye for design. Exceptional interpersonal skills.

The ability to collaborate and work effectively with a broad spectrum of constituencies is critical. Experience applying technology to law firms and/or nonprofit organizations. Prior knowledge of database applications, html programming, Microsoft Office applications, and graphic design applications. Knowledge of Get Active software is a bonus. Strong familiarity with environmental issues.

This position will work out of our headquarters in Oakland, California. We are located ½ block from the 19th Street BART station in downtown Oakland.

For a list of responsibilities and compensation information, see the job listing at SustainableBusiness.com. To apply, submit a current resume and cover letter outlining your qualifications with the subject line “Online Director” to jobs@earthjustice.org.

Link [Sustainable Business] + [Earthjustice]

More Corporate Boards Have Environmental Committees

Activism works, people! Corporations are listening to what consumers and investors have to say, and the overwhelming message is that we want them to green up. So, more and more of them are putting together environmental committees tasked with addressing environmental issues. Investors have been putting quite a bit of pressure on corporations to be socially and environmentally responsible.

From The Wall Street Journal:

About 25% of Fortune 500 companies now have a board committee overseeing the environment, compared with fewer than 10% five years ago, estimates Mindy Lubber, president of Ceres, a national coalition of activists, investors and others concerned with the environment. Such panels typically try to make sure that executives effectively handle conservation efforts, new environmentally friendly ventures like wind power, compliance with environmental regulations and related business risks.

Shareholders are more active on environmental issues, too. The number of investor proposals related to the environment nearly doubled between 2004 and 2008, RiskMetrics Group Inc. says. Many proposals urge increased board attention to the issue.

That’s definitely encouraging news. If we’re going to keep the earth from becoming one giant hazy, drought-plagued trash heap, we’ve got to have companies on the same page as the rest of us. Of course, just having an ‘environmental board’ doesn’t mean the company is doing any good, so we’ve got to keep on campaigning for environmental responsibility and holding companies accountable for their actions.

Link [Wall Street Journal] via [On Earth]
Photo credit: Business Week

High-Flying Kites Could Produce Enough Energy for a City

Kites aren’t just toys anymore – they could be a new form of renewable wind energy that has the potential to power not just one house, not just a city block, but an entire city. Delft University of Technology scientists have developed a way to harness energy from kites, tethering a 10 square meter kite to a generator. They were able to produce 10 kilowatts of power – enough to power 10 homes. They plan to scale the experiment with a 50 kilowatt kite and a 100 megawatt version to be called the Laddermill, which could potentially power 100,000 homes.

From Inhabitat:

The promise of kite power lies in its inexpensive materials and its potential to harness enormous amounts of power, since high altitude winds can carry hundreds of times more energy than those on the ground. Airborne kites produce power by pulling on a ground-bound generator, which reels the kites back once they reach their maximum height. Also, unlike a field-full of wind turbines, kite power requires a minimal amount of land use.

Check out video of the test flight below. It’s amazing how many brilliant solutions are possible when researchers have the drive and the funding. Wind and solar power have so much potential beyond PV panels and turbines, and we’re just beginning to see what might provide clean, renewable power in the future.

Link [Inhabitat]

Great Green Job of the Week – Junior Electric Engineer at Solar Design Associates

Solar Design Associates of the Greater Boston Area are seeking a Junior Electric Engineer.  Solar Design Associates is a leading renewable energy firm, specializing in renewable energy systems for buildings. The 25-year-old company has earned an international reputation for the pioneering integration of renewable energy systems, especially photovoltaics, with buildings.  Past projects include the first solar powered Olympics, the US Mission to the UN, the SF Giants AT&T Park Stadium and the first solar powered neighborhood.

Job Description:

SDA offers motivated Electrical Engineers the opportunity to join a fast-paced, creatively challenging design team in the rapidly growing field of renewable energy. Responsibilities will depend upon skill level and may include design/engineering of solar electric and wind energy systems, engineering calculations, production of detailed construction documents, field assessments, feasibility reports, installation oversight, and systems commissioning. In addition, you may interface with clients, architects, utility representatives and code officials, as well as hardware suppliers and installation contractors. Project involvement will include the design of building integrated and non-integrated photovoltaic systems for residential, commercial, institutional and retail projects. Travel opportunities may arise within and outside the US.

We offer competitive compensation and benefits, a stimulating work environment that is smoke-free, team-oriented, and committed to client satisfaction.

Qualifications:

You’ve earned an Electrical Engineering Bachelor’s or Master’s degree and have coursework or professional experience in the design of building power or renewable energy systems. You have a high level of computer skills and CAD capabilities as well as accomplished communications skills - written and verbal. Direct experience with renewable energy systems and knowledge of National Electrical Code are a strong plus. Professional registration is not required, but desirable. US citizenship is required. You thrive on making a contribution and taking on responsibility, while learning and employing new skills.

Apply for this job at the Treehugger jobs board, or get more information about Solar Design Associates at SolarDesign.com.

Link [Treehugger Jobs] + [Solar Design]

Changents: Networking Site Turns Agents of Social Change into Rock Stars

Changents.com is unlike anything you’ve seen or experienced before. This social media startup, which has partnered with The Timberland Company, aims to use the internet and its many social media applications to connect agents of social and environmental change with a community of backers across the globe.

Where once people with great ideas to help humanity and the earth might have been at a loss as to how to begin getting people interested, Changents has made it easy and fun. Change Agents can sign up themselves or be nominated, and can then begin building a network of Changents community members who will respond to, spread, support and consume the Change Agent’s innovations and ideas.

What makes Changents so unique is the fact that they aren’t just highlighting people who effect social change – they’re providing them with a virtual army of assistants, publicity generators, fans, investors and advocates. Just a year old, the site started by entrepreneurs Deron Triff and Alex Hofmann already has dozens of Change Agents, some of whom have as many as 95 backers.

I interviewed co-founder and CEO Deron Triff about how Changents enables Change Agents in remote locations to get the word out about what they’re doing via their Changents networks, and what he’s most excited about as Changents sets to officially debut.

Deron and Alex were driven by the idea that Generation-X and –Y ‘millenials’ wanted to personally make positive changes in the world, but were turned off by traditional non-profit approaches to philanthropy. Technology has allowed today’s younger generations to connect in ways that have never before been possible, and through Changents, Deron and Alex saw a fun and exciting way to use the web to allow agents of change to be discovered and supported.

The Changents team is putting social media to work, using applications like Flickr and Twitter to help Change Agents and supporters get their message out. He says, “The idea of allowing these individuals to create a suite of storytelling tools where they can create real-time dispatches talking about what they’re doing solving social problems creating that direct connection is really inspiring – their stories are so exciting and to be part of what they’re doing is so exciting.”

Deron notes with particular pride the case of Change Agent Elizabeth Redmond, a 23-year-old self-described ‘designtrepreneur’ working on a project called ‘POWERleap’, a flooring system for high foot traffic urban areas that generates electricity through human footfall. Through Changents, Elizabeth has received backing from companies like Reverb and dozens of individuals. She describes how she wants her project to change the world on her Change Agent story page:

The POWERleap concept is meant to engage the community, you, to take responsibility and generate some of the electricity we use everyday. This interaction between our exerted energy and the electrical energy we create/consume is where my designer mind comes into practice- my job is to make it functional, mysterious, fun, interactive, educational, sexy, and satisfying; and also, to make it work! On a larger scale, my vision is to sustain urban public electrical consumption via human energy.

I am determined to create the day when we produce our own electricity by walking to work, running in the park, walking through the airport terminal, and simply playing on the streets together.

Elizabeth is far from the only environmental advocate taking advantage of Changents’ growing network of global citizens eager to help effect change. Take a look through the Change Agents and you’ll be blown away by the good that’s being done, and how many companies and individuals are supporting it.

Another great aspect of Changents is their desire to further push agents of change out into the world so that their ideas and stories reach an even broader audience. Changents aims to help the particularly successful Change Agents with compelling stories gain inroads in traditional media like documentaries, books and magazine articles through their ‘Life Story Option’.

If you know someone who’s doing extraordinary work for the greater good, nominate them to be a Change Agent. You might just help them get the big break they need to bring their innovations to the masses, and you’ll have fun in the process! You can also join Changents as a community member, and be one of the many people who enable Change Agents to do what they do best: save the world.

Link [Changents]

Net Impact Weekly Professional 2008 Green Challenge

If you’re a member of Net Impact and haven’t gotten in your entry for the Professional 2008 Green Challenge, act fast – the deadline is August 11th! The Green Challenge recognizes and rewards Net Impact members that are working on projects that make a positive environmental impact on their company, campus or community.

Some examples from last year’s Green Challenge include:

*Establishment of environmental task forces or “green teams”
*Creating the business case for green building programs on campus
*Efforts to move campuses and workplaces towards carbon neutrality
*Greening of cafeterias on campus or in the workplace

First prize winners (1 student, 1 professional) will get a cash prize of $500, $500 in Net Impact scholarships, a $100 gift certificate from TheGreenOffice.com, an 8,000 pound CO2 offset from TerraPass and recognition of the project’s success on the Net Impact website, at the 2008 North American conference and in Net Impact’s newsletter publications.

If you’re not already a member of Net Impact and would like to learn more, check out their website. The Net Impact network is made up of MBAs, graduate students and professionals who are committed to using busines for social good. Net Impact offers lots of great resources to help members hone their professional skills. And, if you become a member now, you’ll be able to participate in next year’s Green Challenge!

Link [Net Impact]

Great Green Jobs of the Week – WWF, Pew Environment Group

This week, we’ve got two great green job announcements for you – they were just too good to choose between! The Pew Environment Group is hiring a full time web intern, and the World Wildlife Fund is seeking an online marketing associate.  Now’s your chance to grab a great opportunity in the world of green collar jobs.

Online Marketing Associate – World Wildlife Fund

Job Type: Full Time
Location: Washington, D.C.

Job Description:

We are seeking an online marketing associate to perform a variety of tasks to assist the on-line marketing team with meeting its fundraising goals in the areas of email marketing and online projects. This is an exceptional opportunity to gain online marketing skills and contribute to the growth of the world’s leading conservation organization.

Basic Requirements:

The ideal candidate should possess a bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience. One to three years of online, web design or experience in a related field is required. Excellent project management skills, the ability to work independently, superior verbal and written communication skills, and proficiency with MS Office suite are necessary. Experience with HTML, Photoshop and Convio are preferred.

The closing date for posting resumes to this position is August 15, 2008.  Visit the WWF website’s jobs page and enter ‘29049’ as the requisition number to apply.

Intern – Pew Charitable Trusts

Department: Pew Environment Group
Location: Washington, D.C.

Responsibilities:

Web Internship, Pew Environment Group

The Pew Environment Group is seeking an online communications intern for the fall semester. This full-time job with the Web and Communications team is a great opportunity for somebody who is just starting out in the field.

Duties and responsibilities include online work on multiple campaign websites and support in developing potential new sites. PEG web interns typically work on dozens of different projects as well as participate in communications strategy discussions, planning meetings, brainstorming sessions and occasional training workshops. We’re looking for somebody who’s quick on his or her feet, adaptable, learns fast and has good attention to detail. Specific skills (html, design, etc.) are useful but not essential; some can be learned on the job. What’s more important is a positive attitude and strong initiative.

We offer a competitive internship hourly rate. Apply at the Pew Charitable Trusts website.

Link [WWF] + [Pew Environment Group]

Who’s Who in Green: Josh Dorfman

This week’s Who’s Who in Green focuses on the accomplishments of Josh Dorfman, a green entrepreneur and media personality with his own radio show, several books, a green furniture company and an upcoming television show. Josh first became interested in environmentalism while living in China in the 1990s, when he was launching Kryptonite Bicycle Locks’ sales and marketing program and noted that a nation of a billion bicyclists was turning into a nation of a billion car drivers. Since then, he’s made it his goal to help people maintain their standard of living while bringing their lives into balance with nature.

Josh is best known as the host of the Sirius radio show The Lazy Environmentalist, which he also created and produced. Listeners tune in to hear Josh discuss issues like eco-friendly personal care products, green charities, alternative energy and organic gardening. The idea for The Lazy Environmentalist all started back in January 2005 when Josh wrote a blog entry stating, “I want it to be totally fun, cool and sexy to act in an environmentally responsible way.” That statement virtually sums up the focus of Josh’s work since – showing people that they, too, can be green without sacrificing fun, style and comfort.

Currently, Josh is working with the Sundance Channel to bring The Lazy Environmentalist to television. He also serves as spokesperson for Brita’s FilterforGood campaign, which aims to help reduce bottled water waste, and for Green Works, the new line of green cleaning products by Clorox. Josh is a member of the Board of Advisors for Healing Lifestyles & Spa Magazine, a member of Newsweek Magazine’s Global Environment and Leadership Advisory committee and the Wolf Trap Foundation’s National Advisory Council for Arts and the Environment. He’s also a frequent guest speaker for companies like Google, MTV and Pepsi.

You may have seen Josh on television already, appearing as a guest on programs like The Martha Stewart Show. He has also appeared on MSNBC, The Sundance Channel, Bravo and many other networks. Check out the Green & Gorgeous video podcast by Treehugger below, where Josh is interviewed by Treehugger’s Jacob Gordon (Part 2 is here).

Josh is also the author of two books: The Lazy Environmentalist, Your Guide to Stylish, Green Living and the upcoming The Lazy Environmentalist on a Budget (due out in 2009). He’s the founder and CEO of Vivavi, a retailer of modern, eco-friendly home furnishings as well as Modern Green Living, Vivavi’s residential real estate search directory for consumers seeking green homes.

Josh’s efforts have certainly been paying off – through all of his work, he’s helped bring the concept of the ‘light green lifestyle’ to thousands of people. On what he wants readers to get out of his book The Lazy Environmentalist, Josh told Treehugger,

“Optimism. I hope that this book is part of the conversation that really needs to happen that says, “Yes, let’s acknowledge that these environmental challenges are real, and let’s get excited that we really have solutions that can solve these problems.” I’m very optimistic, and the book is written in such a way that I hope people come away with the feeling that there really are solutions here, and we can explore this more and talk about it because the solutions really are at hand.”

Josh Dorfman’s Green Score: 22,537

Great Green Job of the Week: Cascadia Green Building Council

EarthFirst.com’s great green job of the week is located in the Washington state area.  The Cascadia Green Building Council is currently seeking a Washington State Director.  Here are the details:

Title: Washington State Director
Status: Regular, exempt position
Reports to: Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
Hours: Full time
Starting Salary: Commensurate with experience

BACKGROUND & SCOPE OF RESPONSIBILITY

The Cascadia Region Green Building Council (Cascadia) seeks a Washington State Director for our Seattle office. The Washington State Director is responsible for planning and implementing all of Cascadia’s programs in the State of Washington, maintaining strong relationships with partner organizations and fundraising with the goal of improving the sustainability of the built environment. This is a position of leadership within a fast-paced, mission-driven organization. Applicants must care deeply about the environment and have a keen interest in green building.

Cascadia offers a collaborative, team-oriented workplace that treats employees as the responsible professionals they are. While the work is extremely hard, the hours are often flexible, benefits are generous, and laughter is frequent.

For more details about the duties and qualifications, download the PDF at the Cascadia Job Board.

ABOUT THE CASCADIA REGION GREEN BUILDING COUNCIL

The Cascadia Region Green Building Council (Cascadia) promotes the design, construction and operation of buildings in Oregon, Washington, British Columbia and Alaska that are environmentally responsible, profitable and healthy places to live, work and learn. Cascadia is one of the first Chapters of the US and Canada Green Building Councils a coalition of North America’s foremost leaders from
across the building industry.

The organization’s annual operating budget is $2.4 million with 12 full-time employees, 3 part-time employees, and a 20 member volunteer Board of Directors from across Oregon, Washington, British Columbia and Alaska. We enjoy broad and enthusiastic community support. Learn more about Cascadia at www.cascadiagbc.org.

Link [Cascadia] via [Green Jobs]

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