Great Green Job of the Week: Executive Director, EarthSpark International

EarthSpark International is hiring an Executive Director who shares their vision and convictions. The Executive Director will be an entrepreneurial leader with a capacity for perseverance and innovation, both as an individual and as a team member. This individual will have an enthusiasm for EarthSpark’s mission and will possess the ability to persuade, inspire and motivate others…

Who We Are

Energy poverty is hardship caused by insufficient energy sources and/or their inefficient or deleterious use. EarthSpark International is a nonprofit organization that seeks to reduce the causes and effects of energy poverty and thereby empower communities in need. EarthSpark achieves this by developing local businesses and country-scale supply chains for clean and efficient energy technologies; providing technical education and training to farmers, students and small and micro-enterprise owners; and mitigating local environmental damage caused by energy poverty.

EarthSpark envisions a world where forests thrive; where schools, hospitals and businesses are reliably powered; where homes have safe, clean energy sources; and where all residents have the opportunities for advancement and health that robust forests and clean energy provide. This spring, EarthSpark launched its pilot Tree Nursery Business Project and Clean Energy Store Project in Haiti. Together, these projects are expected to have a significant impact on two towns with a combined population exceeding 50,000.

Please visit EarthSpark’s website to learn about its history, leaders, and current projects: http://www.earthsparkinternational.org.

Who You Are

We seek to hire an Executive Director who shares EarthSpark’s vision and convictions. The Executive Director will be an entrepreneurial leader with the capacity for perseverance and innovation, both as an individual and as a team member. This individual will have an enthusiasm for EarthSpark’s mission and will possess the ability to persuade, inspire and motivate others. The Executive Director will also be adept at solving the practical problems of daily operations in an entrepreneurial international organization.

Other qualities the Executive Director will possess include:

Collegiality: ability to communicate, listen, and collaborate with partners
Strong sense of self, ethics, and integrity
Ability to learn by doing and to adapt and respond constructively to challenges
Experience working in low-income neighborhoods in the U.S., a developing country, or in the international arena would be valuable but not essential
A willingness to work at EarthSpark sites in Haiti about 25% of the time
Proficiency in Haitian Creole or French would be valuable but not essential
Community organizing experience (e.g., grassroots coalition-building with networks of community leaders and partners) would be valuable but not essential

What You Will Do

Executive Director Primary Responsibilities

Executive Leadership:

Serve as an international ambassador for EarthSpark, strengthening its reputation and public image
Continually refine and improve organizational approaches that support EarthSpark’s mission
Communicate frequently with EarthSpark donors, partners and extended network contacts
Coordinate and lead EarthSpark’s fundraising efforts
Manage day-to-day operations and lead by inspiring and motivating partners, colleagues, and EarthSpark’s extended networks
Engage the Board to help EarthSpark achieve its programmatic, financial and mission objectives
Work cooperatively with the Board to complete and continuously refine EarthSpark’s strategic plan

On-the-Ground Duties:

Market research: requires survey design and analysis; strong familiarity with existing academic and institutional research in the development literature; strong familiarity with existing organizations working at the intersection of energy and development; strong familiarity with social, political and economic conditions of the developing world
Project development: requires cultural awareness; ability to conduct meetings with community associations with a translator; identifying strong, local liaisons and strong, local project managers; ability to set appropriate targets and goals for liaisons and project managers as well as to follow-through on targets
Project follow-through: requires site visits to project; coordination between international and domestic vendors, importers, distributors, and project manager via phone and e-mail

Community Organizing:

Seek out community support and build a base of support in Haiti among community members and existing local organizations in Haiti
Based on community needs and participation, develop projects and programs that further EarthSpark’s mission
Coordinate with EarthSpark partners in Haiti to provide tools and trainings that will allow partners to realize their goals and meet performance targets
Help to implement and evaluate programs that support EarthSpark’s mission and the goals of its partners
Collaborate with partners in Haiti to measure EarthSpark’s impact through rigorous monitoring and evaluation

Supervision and Oversight:

The Executive Director will have a high level of responsibility and autonomy in daily tasks but will collaborate with senior staff on important matters
The Executive Director will answer to the Board of Directors.
Evaluation of the Executive Director will be carried out by the Board and founders annually.

To Apply

We ask that applicants submit their resume and cover letter to info@earthsparkinternational.org by November 15, 2009.

Great Green Job of the Week: Development Associate, Friends of the Earth

Friends of the Earth is seeking a full-time Development Associate in San Francisco, California.

Friends of the Earth U.S. and our network of grassroots groups in 77 countries are fighting to create a more healthy, just world. We’re hard-hitting, progressive environmental advocates that pull no punches and speak sometimes uncomfortable truth to power. It’s an approach that has worked for four decades to produce important victories that have protected our planet and its people.

Our current campaigns focus on clean energy and solutions to global warming, protecting people from toxic and new, potentially harmful technologies, and promoting smarter, low-pollution transportation alternatives.

Position Overview:

We are looking for an energetic and experienced candidate to become an integral part of our development program, providing support for membership management and donor communications, assisting with special events, and handling member inquiries and acknowledgements. This position will assure the smooth functioning of day to day membership operations.

The job also provides an opportunity to work with a close-knit team of dedicated activists in our West and East Coast offices, to learn new skills, and to learn about Friends of the Earth campaigns in the U.S. and internationally.

Responsibilities:

Manage details of membership and development operations, including:

* Data entry of member information and other data-management tasks in our Raiser’s Edge database;
* Field telephone and electronic inquires from our members and the general public;
* Production of donor acknowledgements and dissemination of special information for our Global Stewardship Council and other major supporters;
* Assist with special tasks such as events coordination, volunteer management, and other tasks as needed;
* Assist with design of print materials such as fact sheets and event invitations;
* Assist with updating development web pages utilizing a content management system;
* Process incoming and outgoing e-mail, mail, faxes, and courier services;
* Monitor office general e-mail and voice mail accounts daily;
* Assist development staff with mailings and research projects as new needs arise;
* Produce and file Earth Share state and federal campaign materials in timely fashion;
* Coordinate a variety of weekly administrative tasks including invoice and timesheet approvals, commuter chex distribution, follow up invoice questions, and other occasional tasks such as coordinating staff celebrations;
* Manage the office equipment operation and acquire office and development supplies as needed;
* Gather information on campaign activities, achievements and breaking news and distribute it as needed;
* Other assignments as directed.

Qualifications:

* Experience with Raiser’s Edge or other database software;
* Ability to follow instructions, prioritize duties and multitask;
* Exacting attention to detail and excellent memory for detail;
* Excellent telephone and personal communication skills;
* An eagerness to learn and the desire and ability to work as part of a team;
* Accountable and able to work well independently;
* Ability to write well and spell accurately;
* Commitment to Friends of the Earth’s mission and goals;
* Knowledge of Microsoft Word, Excel, and other software;
* Reliable, flexible, motivated and interested in learning;
* Interested in a career in nonprofit fundraising.

Compensation: This position offers a competitive salary, commensurate with experience. Friends of the Earth provides an excellent benefits package including medical, vision and dental insurance, a 403b plan, holiday, sick and vacation benefits, a flexible spending plan for pre-tax deductions, one full extra vacation week at the end of the year when the office is closed, and the incomparable benefit of knowing you are helping to save this planet.

To Apply:

Please e-mail cover letter, resume and short writing sample with the subject heading “Development Associate.” No mail applications or phone calls. Position will remain open until filled. Only those selected for an interview or telephone screening will be contacted.

Friends of the Earth is a equal opportunity employer.

Contact Information:
jobs@foe.org
http://www.foe.org/

Hot Spots for Green Jobs in Solar, Biofuels & More

Amid all the hubbub over Van Jones’ resignation and Obama’s focus on other issues, talk of green collar jobs in America has slowed down somewhat – but that doesn’t mean that those jobs aren’t out there. The clean-tech sector remains a bright spot in a dull economy, and a report released by Clean Edge research on Thursday hints at where those jobs are.

From CNET:

Based on the number of job postings and placements, and public and private investment, the report found the solar industry to be the leading clean-tech sector, followed by biofuels and biomaterials, conservation and efficiency, smart grids, and wind power.

For those willing to move for a job, the report lists the 15 areas in the U.S. where people are likely to find the most clean-tech job activity, as well as a separate list for global clean-tech hotspots.

Here’s the breakdown:

1. San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose
2. Los Angeles-Riverside-Orange County
3. New York-northern New Jersey-Long Island (N.Y.-N.J.-Conn.-Pa.)
4. Boston-Worcester-Lawrence-Lowell-Brockton (Mass., N.H.)
5. Washington, D.C.-Baltimore (Md., Va., W.V.)

See the rest of the list – which includes Denver, Seattle, Houston and Detroit – over at CNET.

The report, “Clean Tech Job Trends 2009” (PDF) also includes tons of other info for clean-tech job hunters including schools that offer green career training, websites where you can find green job listings and a list of the best green-tech blogs, so it’s definitely worth a read.

Link [CNET]
Photo credit: Oregon DOT

Bottom of the Barrel: Newsweek’s Least Green Companies

Which of the S&P 500 companies are the least environmentally friendly? Newsweek unveiled its Green Rankings last week and while there has been a lot of discussion about the top 5, there’s another story to be told in the bottom 5.

Unsurprisingly, nearly all of the bottom-ranking companies on the Newsweek list are in the energy industry. Here they are with their green scores (based on environmental impact, green policies and performance, and reputation):

Consol Energy – Basic Materials – Green Score: 28.65
ConAgra Foods – Food and Beverage – Green Score: 27.49
Allegheny Energy – Utilities – Green Score: 25.04
NRG Energy – Utilities – Green Score: 22.75
Peabody Energy – Basic Materials – Green Score: 1.00

Pretty big drop there for the bottom company, Peabody Energy (the world’s largest private-sector coal company). Peabody Energy comes in dead last thanks to its incredibly high toxic emissions and the negative impact that its product has on the environment.

This company is one of the biggest offenders in violating the Clean Water Act, injecting billions of gallons of coal slurry and sludge into the ground in the past 5 years. Pine Ridge, a subsidiary of Peabody Energy, reported to West Virginia officials that 93 percent of the waste it injected into the city of Charleston has illegal concentrations of chemicals like arsenic, lead, chromium, beryllium and nickel.

Green business expert Joel Makower has a great overview of how the companies were scored and, as he notes, the list isn’t perfect. Since it’s only a list of the S&P 500, far greener companies than the top 5, like Patagonia, are left out. However, it does bring together a lot of data in a way that’s efficient and easy to understand. If only they included a greenwashing factor – each company’s real efforts versus its claims about being green. Maybe next year.

Link [Newsweek] + [Joel Makower]
Photo credit: PeabodyEnergy.com

Green Businesses Get Anti-Greenwashing Packaging Guidelines

For every company that’s intentionally trying to manipulate consumers with vague or misleading green claims, there are many more businesses who are trying to do the right thing, but are sort of confused about what they should say. Enter the new guidelines to packaging sustainability claims developed by Greener Package, which should clarify some important points.

These anti-greenwashing guidelines will be used to review claims made by suppliers who submit their product data to the Greener Package Database.

From Earth 911:

“Consumer demand for sustainably produced products is a key driver in promoting progress at the manufacturing level,” said Victor Bell, EPI’s CEO, “Third-party validation is critical in combating greenwashing, which—if left unchecked—could erode consumer confidence and ultimately the public’s interest in buying sustainable products and packaging.”

The database offers companies that manufacture packaged goods a means to research and compare sustainable packaging materials, containers and suppliers. The data will also feed Walmart’s Packaging Scorecard system.

Submitting a company or material to the database utilizes a “middle ground” developed by Greener Package, where companies submit to a voluntary, third-party review.

“In effect, the reviewer serves as a neutral third party making a good-faith effort to review backup documentation from suppliers to compare to a common guideline in order to save the users of the database time from having to do the same for each listing each time they search,” according to Greener Package.

A service like this is invaluable, especially when fear of greenwashing accusations scares some businesses away from even trying to be greener in the first place. The cost for review will be between $110 and $330, well worth the investment to provide both businesses and consumers with some peace of mind.

Link [Earth 911]
Photo credit: Lunchbreath

Older Green Workers Worry as Young Trainee Ranks Grow

Right now, there’s a veritable army of green workers being trained across the country in fields ranging from conservation to clean energy. That’s great news to most people – except the older green workers who are afraid they’re going to be pushed out of their jobs by young trainees.

The Labor Department is paying to train people for green jobs, and younger workers tend to get more training money than adults. The fact that older workers have to update their knowledge to compete, paired with the lower cost of employing apprentices makes even this booming job market tough if you’ve got experience under your belt.

Youth Radio’s David Dominguez interviewed L.A. green workers, young and old.

This is ETI, the Electrical Training Institute of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. Here, you find a mix of older union workers, called journeymen, and young apprentices, like 24-year-old Anthony Hernandez. Right now, Hernandez and his fellow trainees are learning how to install solar panels.

Anthony Hernandez: “We’ll be brought up as apprentices with the solar and the green movement so the journeymen will have to relearn everything. Hopefully it will be to our advantage and easier for us to install.”

Anthony used to be non-union electrical contractor, but decided to join the union for the safety training and benefits.

Frank DuMarcos: “I’m learning not to change the future, but to keep up with the new technology.”

That’s electrical journeyman Frank K. DuMarcos. He’s a 10-year union veteran. He admits that jobs often boil down to the brutal bottom line of a contractor’s budget. And that creates tension.

“Some contractors hire apprentices because apprentices are cheaper than a journeyman. Some apprentices only make $20. A journeyman makes over $37. I’ve been on jobs where they had two journeymen and they had 15 apprentices.”

But older workers needn’t worry too much, according to Jerome Ringo, President of the Appollo Alliance, which is devoted to creating green jobs around the country. He says that older workers will have an opportunity to retrain and that all workers, regardless of age and experience, will have a chance to benefit from investment in green jobs.

Listen to this Youth Radio story at the American Public Media Marketplace.

Link [American Public Media]
Photo credit: Flickr user greenforall.org

Solar Electric Vehicle Company Provides Free Green Rides

Colleges, parks, museums and other institutions now have a green way to shuttle people around – for free! – thanks to the Solar Electric Vehicle Company. The company provides emissions-free, solar-powered people movers that are paid for by corporate sponsors so that more people will be able to breathe cleaner air, creating a healthier environment.

From SolarEVco.com:

For every solar electric vehicle in a community, citizens will have access to pollution-free transportation. For every vehicle at a university campus, more students will be able to cut down on their gas bills, as well as feel more secure traveling on campus. For every vehicle at any park, museum, garden, or zoo, there will be one less dirty, costly, petrol burning vehicle which keeps us dependent on foreign oil, and which keeps our economy inescapably tied to the price of a barrel of oil.

At the same time, while every solar electric vehicle is creating cleaner, greener, and better communities and institutions, they are also creating cleaner, greener, and better exposure for advertisers and sponsors. This allows them to connect more intimately and highlight their green commitment to their target markets. This is truly a model in which everyone wins.

Each Solar Electric People Mover is topped with two solar panels, which charge six 8-volt batteries. This enables the electric vehicle to go longer between charges, increasing the range by up to 33%.

It’s a pretty rad concept. Imagine how much cleaner the air would be in cities around America if even a fraction of universities and tourist attractions used these vehicles instead of traditional fossil fuel-powered vehicles. It could make a huge difference!

Link [SolarEVco.com]

China Kicking America’s Ass in Race to Go Solar

Leave it to China to find a way to produce just about anything on the cheap, and do it really quickly. Despite the Obama administration’s dedication to getting America’s clean energy industry off the ground, China is leaving us in the dust and it’s looking unlikely that we’ll get a good chance to catch up.

In fact, the Chinese are preparing to build plants right here in the United States to assemble their products, to get around protectionist legislation.

From The New York Times:

The Obama administration is determined to help the American industry. The energy and Treasury departments announced this month that they would give $2.3 billion in tax credits to clean energy equipment manufacturers. But even in the solar industry, many worry that Western companies may have fragile prospects when competing with Chinese companies that have cheap loans, electricity and labor, paying recent college graduates in engineering $7,000 a year.

“I don’t see Europe or the United States becoming major producers of solar products — they’ll be consumers,” said Thomas M. Zarrella, the chief executive of GT Solar International, a company in Merrimack, N.H., that sells specialized factory equipment to solar panel makers around the world.

China’s commitment to solar energy isn’t likely to make a big dent in the fight against global warming, especially given the country’s own skyrocketing emissions, much of which are caused by the pollution that goes hand-in-hand with running ultra-low-cost factories.

America still has the world’s largest supplier of photovoltaic cells – First Solar in Tempe, Arizona – but China’s Suntech is not far behind. Suntech plans to build a solar panel assembly plant in the United States “to facilitate sales — ‘buy American’ and things like that”, according to the company’s president for global sales and marketing.

Link [The New York Times]
Photo credit: OregonDOT

GM Turns its Back on Safe Mercury Disposal

Emerging from bankruptcy, the new GM has made many a promise about becoming greener and more sustainable – but don’t ask them to do anything about the environmental impact of their ‘old’ cars. The company has announced that it will no longer participate in a partnership that collects toxic mercury switches from vehicles before they’re recycled.

With the popularity of the ‘Cash for Clunkers’ program, this decision means that thousands of GM mercury switches could end up polluting the environment.

From The Huffington Post:

GM said its new company is not a member of the partnership because it no longer makes vehicles with mercury switches and is not responsible for the older vehicles. The old company, which is still under bankruptcy court supervision, said it is reviewing agreements involving the former company and declined to comment.

Roughly 36 million mercury switches were used in trunk convenience lights and antilock brakes in vehicles built in the 1980s and 1990s. More than half of them are in GM vehicles built before 2000.

The auto industry partnership, called the End of Life Vehicle Solutions Corp., or ELVS, was created in 2005 to prevent mercury emissions from being released into the environment when vehicles are crushed and shredded. It works closely with the National Vehicle Mercury Switch Recovery Program, which the Environmental Protection Agency helped form with automakers, the steel industry and environmentalists in 2006.

Unfortunately, the loss of GM’s annual dues is having a huge impact on ELVS’ budget. Without those funds, the program may be forced to scale back operations or even stop what they’re doing entirely.

If GM is really serious about being green, they’ve got to take responsibility for things like this.

Link [Huffington Post]
Photo credit: Flickr user dave_7

Sustainability Degrees Growing in Popularity

The world is about to welcome a whole new generation of sustainability experts, bigger than ever before – and it couldn’t have come at a better time. College students are flocking to sustainability programs in droves, graduating with the knowledge they need to help guide the world to a greener, more sustainable way of life.

From Earth 911:

With an emphasis on trans- and interdisciplinary research and teaching, schools such as Stony Brook, Colorado State University, the University of Washington, Arizona State University, the University of Pennsylvania and others are incorporating sustainability into subjects such as business, architecture, biological science, social science and more.

Some universities are even creating stand-alone schools related to sustainability. Additionally, According to the Association for Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education’s (AASHE) most recent count, 66 sustainability-oriented academic programs were created in 2008.

The academic knowledge base of sustainability will likely continue to be needed and expanded as more “green collar” jobs emerge.

With the noticeable increase in academic programs related to sustainability, universities increasingly appear up to the task of educating the next generation of leaders so that they might tackle the pertinent environmental, social and economic issues of our age.

We profiled some of the nation’s best undergraduate sustainability programs earlier this year in an article entitled ‘Becoming Tomorrow’s Green Leaders: Top Environmental Undergrad Programs’. Among the chosen colleges and universities are Middlebury College in Vermont, Warren Wilson College in North Carolina, Northland College in Wisconsin and the University of Colorado at Boulder.

Want to learn more? The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) has an exhaustive list of schools offering various kinds of environmental programs available on their website.

Link [Earth 911] + [AASHE]

Greenpeace Gets Verbal Ass-Kicking Over Ancient Forest Toilet Paper

When it comes to any sort of environmental initiative, it’s usually Greenpeace that’s complaining that the effort is just not enough. They’re often purists, demanding more than people are willing to give, out of a noble sense of urgency and responsibility. But after they suspended a recent campaign to stop Canada’s ancient boreal forests from being cut down for toilet paper, one ecologist says Greenpeace gave in too easily.

Dr. Glen Barry, environmental sustainability policy expert and founder of Ecological Internet, sent out a press release entitled ‘Greenpeace Wipes It’s Soft, Virgin Butt with Canada’s Ancient Boreal Forests’:

Greenpeace’s long-standing campaign against “ancient forest crimes” by Kimberly-Clark was suspended on the basis of promises that 40% of its North American tissue fiber will be either recycled or FSC certified by 2011. The company traditionally has used 3 million tones of virgin fibre a year, which will fall to 2.4 million tons if they are successful. This atrociously weak target will legitimize continued destruction of Canada’s ancient forest ecosystems for throw away paper products for decades.

“In a world well past its carrying capacity, facing abrupt climate change and species and ecosystem collapse, we call upon Greenpeace to immediately disclose the ecological science that suggests primary and old growth forests can and should continue to be clearcut to wipe our asses,” questions Dr. Glen Barry. “It is just like Greenpeace to half carry out a campaign, achieve partial success, claim victory and move onto a more telegenic protest opportunity to fill their coffers.”

Ecological Internet calls upon Greenpeace to embrace substance over style (for a change) and immediately disassociate itself from the Forest Stewardship Council’s ongoing certification of first time industrial logging of primary forests as being “well-managed” while implying sustainability.

“No one including Greenpeace can tell us how many tens of millions of hectares of primeval forest ecosystems are being destroyed under FSC’s certification label for, amongst other things, toilet paper and lawn furniture. Until Greenpeace and friends stop greenwashing FSC ancient forest logging, we call upon committed forest protectors to resign their membership from Greenpeace and other ancient forest logging apologists, and to stop using virgin toilet paper, no matter how sensitive their behinds,” explains Dr. Barry.

Wow. It’s not often that Greenpeace is accused of not being tough enough on environmentally irresponsible companies. They’re known for being among the biggest hardasses in the world of environmental activism, yelling “bigger, faster, more” like a drill sergeant when companies take baby steps toward better practices.

But Dr. Barry has one-upped them, saying “There is no such thing as ecologically sustainable or even mildly beneficial first time industrial primary forest logging, and Greenpeace should be ashamed of itself for legitimizing the trade. If you support Greenpeace, you support ancient forest logging that endangers our shared being.”

Judge for yourself at Greenpeace’s Kleercut campaign website.

Link [Greenpeace] + [Forests.org]
Photo credit: Greenpeace

Timberland CEO Struggles with Company Ban on Bottled Water

Timberland CEO Jeffrey Swartz announced a new ban on bottled water at his company headquarters around the world two weeks ago, thinking it would be fairly easy to implement. After all, what’s so tough about using filtered tap water or other alternatives and passing on expensive deliveries of bottled water? As it turns out, according to Swartz – plenty.

He was psyched about implementing the new ban, until he started running into some obstacles:

First there’s a supply issue to contend with – our facilities team reports a 4-week supply of bottled water already in house and we don’t want to be wasteful, so can we continue to offer it until the supply runs out?  Sure, okay … makes sense.  Then the vending machine folks chime in, what about the plastic soda bottles in the vending machines?  Are we getting rid of those, too?  Wow.  Okay, sure.  No more plastic bottles in the vending machines.  But hold on, says the guy in charge of our dining services – we don’t have nearly enough glasses and cups to accommodate the increased demand from people who would otherwise be drinking bottled water.  We’re gonna have to add more dishwashers, or buy more glasses … yikes.  All I wanted to do was get rid of the bottled water, now I’m buying new dishwashers?  How come it’s never as easy as you think it will be to get something done?

Apparently Swartz also received feedback from readers of the Earthkeepers blog about whether banning bottled water was even necessary in the first place, with people arguing that bottled water has its place and that getting rid of it wasn’t going to negate Timberland’s carbon footprint.

Swartz understands that – but, as he says on Earthkeepers, “I hold on to the notion that in the corporate world, where tap water is clean and reuseable containers are (soon to be) plentiful, we can do better than bottled water.”

That’s a great attitude to have, and we applaud Swartz and Timberland for going through the trouble to address these kinds of issues in the workplace. Their next step? Getting rid of paper products.

Link [Earthkeepers] via [GreenBiz.com]

Who’s Who in Green: Cate Trotter

The green job possibilities are endless – just ask Cate Trotter, who has the unlikely (and awesome) title of Sexy Sustainability Consultant. That’s right, if you want to know what’s hot, new and green, Trotter is your go-to girl. She’s a green trendspotter and entrepreneur, “working to get people inspired so we can achieve a sustainable future faster.”

Trotter gives up the details about her many green hats on Changents.com:

Insider London’s Cutting-Edge Green Tour, a tour that I devised for the business I founded, showing individuals the latest, most unusual green developments in the city. The tour takes in London’s first five-star green hotel, better-than-fairtrade chocolate, futuristic biodegradable shoes, London’s hydrogen fuel cell bus… this list goes on. Everything from the smallest eco-product to the biggest, healthiest community is covered – pleasantly surprising people at every turn.

Insider Trends, my consultancy that combines my knowledge of what’s great and green with my marketing strategy expertise. I take businesses out and about, giving them powerful first-hand experience of the best initiatives. It means their green work is more likely to be successful, benefiting their business as well as the rest of us who share the planet with them.

Trotter’s Green Tour hits some pretty cool sights in London, so it’s definitely an important stop for any green-leaning travelers headed to the city. Ethical fashion, green architecture, eco food – it’s all on the agenda. Time Out London said “Trotter is a bubbly, engaging guide with a real passion for her subject.”

Taking it upon herself to help spread the word that sustainability is fun, cool, sexy and stylish is what Trotter is all about. Check out her field reports on ‘greenspottings’, vertical gardens and more.

Cate Trotter’s Green Score: 9,128

Solar-Powered Pop-Up-Shop for London Entrepreneurs

Creative entrepreneurs aren’t exactly having an easy go at things during this recession. It’s hard to find a good retail space that’s affordable and accessible to a wide range of consumers. But now, thanks to an innovative – and green – invention by designer Wayne Hemingway and London mayor Boris Johnson, they’ve got a portable place to sell their wares with virtually no overhead costs. The KiosKiosk is a rent-free space with solar panels to power laptops, lights and even a sewing machine.

From Jamble Mag, via Green Living Ideas:

Businesses signed up for the kiosk include Jamble favorites, Above & Below London, the makers of recycled tube shoes. Other creatives include the Arthouse, who exhibit and sell art work created by adults with learning disabilities, and Invisible Children, a charity focused on spreading awareness of child soldiers in Africa.

On the launch of the KiosKiosk, Wayne Hemingway, said: ‘We believe that the KiosKiosk concept is a simple and cost effective way to spice up our towns and cities. This architecturally interesting, easy to construct retail space, gives entrepreneurs and creative minds a chance to have a go and put their ideas in front of the public to encourage an enterprise culture. This also adds excitement to our streets. We’ve been overwhelmed by the phenomenal response to our call for KiosKiosk occupants proving through this experiment, that the demand and talent is out there.’

If you’re in London, check out the calendar on the KiosKiosk website to see which vendors will be occupying the space through the end of summer.

What a gem – there’s no reason why this concept can’t be spread to cities all over the world. Not only does it give small businesses lots of exposure, it’s cool design and eco-friendly to boot! What’s not to love?

Link [Jamble Mag] + [KiosKiosk] via [Green Living Ideas]

Seven Fun and Creative Eco-Friendly Business Cards

Why stop at printing on recycled card stock when you could make your business card super eco-friendly, creative and memorable all at once? After all, business cards are a dime a dozen – most of them go into your wallet and aren’t taken out again until you’re cleaning it out and ready to throw them away. These seven green business card ideas are definitely outside the box, making an impression that will last much longer than most.

Blooms When Dipped in Water

Seed packets or cards with seeds embedded in them are a popular eco option, but two ultra-creative takes on this idea caught our eye. The first is a growing business card by designer Jamie Wieck that acts as a mini-houseplant, blooming when the packet is dipped in water.

Next up is a card design that isn’t just green and eye-catching, but perfectly sums up what the business is all about. Landscape architecture firm Tur & Partner created this seeded business card that sprouts up a miniature garden when exposed to light and water.

Making it Your Own

What do you do when you make an important contact but are caught without your business cards? Reach for one of the ones you’ve already got in your wallet, scribble out the info and fill in your own. Just try not to hand your ‘recycled’ business card back to the person who gave it to you in the first place.

A Card with Many Uses

This concept, by designer Ji-Young Chun, was intended for use as a credit card, but it could definitely apply to business cards as well. If something has more than one use, people are going to be less likely to throw it away.

Of course, multi-use business cards are greener when they’re made using items that have a smaller ecological footprint in the first place, like secondhand household objects that somebody will actually find handy and keep. Clothespins, like the one seen above, are a great example.

Just Eat It

Okay, so this one is kind of counterproductive. As soon as someone eats it, your contact info is gone. But the concept is definitely an attention-getter, and they’re biodegradable, so that’s worth something, right?

Stamp on Scraps

Perhaps the greenest idea of all, this business card by Fischer Portugal can be created anytime, anywhere on just about any kind of material. A hand-held rubber stamp imprints your important details on scraps of cardboard, flyers, envelopes, receipts or whatever you might have on hand.

America’s Top 25 Green Energy Leaders

Every quarter, the EPA publishes a list of America’s top users of green power, and some of the companies on the list may take you by surprise. These organizations generate their own renewable energy, buy it from suppliers or purchase offset credits to compensate for their traditional energy use.

While no one would bat an eye at Whole Foods clocking in at #5, many of the other high rankers are names you wouldn’t expect. In fact, two Texas cities rank at #10 and #11.

Here’s a snippet from Scientific American:

1. Intel
Santa Clara, CA | Information Technology
1,301 million green kWh, 46% of total power used
Buying the most renewable energy in the country is actually an honor Intel could do without, according to Will Swope, vice president of Intel’s corporate sustainability group. The company’s massive purchase is not just to stay ahead of the curve, he says, but “to give confidence to people who are creating sustainable energy.” Meaning that with increased green power supply, costs will go down for everyone—Intel included. The computer chipmaker buys the eco-sound electricity through offset credits, which pay for greener energy to enter the grid even though Intel can’t isolate it for use directly. The credits can be expensive, but Swope notes that shareholders have been behind the program. “Economics have shown,” he says, “that companies that maintain a more sustainable footprint have done better—even in economic meltdown—than those that don’t.”

2. PepsiCo
Purchase, NY | Food & Beverage
1,145 million green kWh, 100% of total power used
The conglomerate, which is separate from the Pepsi bottling groups, made a splash when its headquarters went all green with its power buys in early 2007. PepsiCo drinks in $39 billion in net revenues through brands from Aquafina to Quaker Oats; it has turned to renewable power brokers to purchase offset credits.

3. Kohl’s Department Stores
Menomonee Falls, WI | Retail
601 million green kWh, 50% of total power used
This chain is already the biggest solar electricity host in the U.S. To soak up rays on 60 (and counting) store and corporate rooftops, the retailer has partnered with Sun-
Edison, which owns and maintains the solar panels and sells the electricity to Kohl’s. The largest setup is the roof of a distribution center in San Bernardino, Calif., where 6,208 panels can crank out a full megawatt of power.

Check out the rest of the list at Scientific American.

Link [Scientific American]
Photo credit: aesrenew

Clean Energy Economy Poised for Explosive Growth

Green jobs are hot and getting hotter, according to a new study by Pew Charitable Trusts. Green collar workers currently constitute a tiny but fast-growing sector of the U.S. economy, and that growth is going to explode in the coming months.

From The New York Times:

The “clean-energy economy” grew 9.1 percent between 1998 and 2007 to 777,000 jobs. While that is just half a percent of all U.S. jobs, the clean-energy economy is poised to grow significantly with financial support from the public and private sectors, the Pew (pdf) concludes.

“The nation’s clean-energy economy is poised for explosive growth,” said Lori Grange, the Pew Center on the States’ interim deputy director. “The trends include surging venture capital investment … a critical growth rate in clean-energy generation, energy efficiency and environmentally friendly products.”

About 80 percent of venture capital investments in 2008 were in the clean energy and energy efficiency sector, broadly known as “cleantech.” And while cleantech slumped with overall venture capital in the first quarter of 2009, the sector outperformed telecommunications, media and other sectors, according to an analysis of Thompson Reuters data by PricewaterhouseCoopers and the National Venture Capital Association.

The Pew report cites Obama’s $787 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act as the driving force behind the clean energy economy.

Oregon has the nation’s strongest clean energy economy on a per-capita basis, but California, the nation’s most populous state, had the most clean energy jobs last year with about 125,000.

The report’s lead researcher even says that the numbers are on the conservative side. Growth may be even bigger.

Clean energy jobs FTW!

Link [The New York Times]

How to Properly Greenwash Your Packaging

This hilarious cartoon by Lunchbreath provides an easy-to-follow guide for companies to come up with a quick way to call themselves ‘green’ and hope for the cash to start rolling in.

Plus, the consumer gets to put this packaging in their recycling bin so everyone who passes by their home sees it and thinks, wow, that guy is such a goddamn hero! It’s a win-win.

Link [Lunchbreath] via [Treehugger]

Activist Nuns Convince Chevron to Track its Carbon Footprint

As it turned out, after years of resistance, all it took to get Chevron to track its carbon footprint was a threat from activist nuns. A group of faith-based investors, including the Sisters of St. Domenic, filed a resolution to force Chevron into being more environmentally responsible.

After the oil giant agreed to comply, the resolution was withdrawn. Chevron will now become the largest oil company to track its carbon footprint, something another competitor – ExxonMobil – has yet to do.

From GreenBiz.com, via Digg:

“As shareholders, we appreciate the difficulties that Chevron management faces in the long-term in confronting the task to reduce GHG emissions,” Sister Patricia Daly, executive director of the Tri-State Coalition for Responsible Investment and a member of the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility (ICCR), said in a statement. “The recent advancements Chevron has made in reducing its carbon footprint and preparing the company for viability in a low-carbon business environment cannot be ignored.”

Daly made the announcement the day before San Ramon-based Chevron’s annual stockholders meeting, where reports suggest it may address concerns about a legal case in Ecuador that could lead to a multi-billion dollar judgment against the company. The case stems from alleged environmental violations committed by Texaco, which Chevron later acquired.

In the corporate world, money talks, and if your investors want you to do something you do it. It’s no surprise that money was the only reason Chevron agreed to pay any attention to their carbon footprint at all.

Link [GreenBiz.com] via [Digg]

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