LL:  How did the idea for Exygy first come about?

ZB: There was no “ah-ha” moment.  Exygy happened because we all wanted to do what we’re great at — build kick ass technology — for important things we care about like sustainable enterprise, changemakers, innovators and entrepreneurs.

LL:  Why did you decide it was important to incorporate sustainability into your business practices?

ZB: It was easy to take the first step and incorporate sustainability into our business practices: our servers are green, the whole team bikes to work, and we make sure our old hardware gets re-used rather than dumped.

Taking our sustainability practices to the next level — by becoming B-Corp certified, sponsoring the Green Chamber, and becoming a founding member of The Hub — was all about being able to announce our values loudly and clearly.  The clients we want to work with — change makers and social innovators — want to work with us not just because we build great product, but because it’s clear we’re in business for the same reasons they are and so our goals are aligned.

LL:  What does sustainability look like to you?

ZB: For Exygy, sustainability is about empowering change makers to fulfill their visions.  There are so many innovative folks out there with powerful ideas around sustainability and social impact.  Our goal is to work with innovators to build transformative technology and empower you to be more effective at making the world better.

LL:  Did you face any obstacles along the path to becoming a sustainable business and what challenges do you still face?

ZB: No.  It has been easy and fun. We hire folks who already care about what’s going on.  They are working here because they don’t just want to be technologists, they want to empower social innovation.  It’s been easy because there’s no resistance since people are here because this is what they care about.  As a simple business, it’s less about the materials we use and more about our process and the people we choose to work for.  We can be geeks for good by choosing clients who are doing good work and who share our values.  So working with these innovators and organizations like the Green Chamber allows us to build a business network of people who are in business for all the right reasons.

LL:  Can you tell us more about specific sustainable business methods that your business practices?

ZB: Our servers are green, the whole team bikes to work, and we make sure our old hardware gets re-used rather than dumped.

LL:  What advice do you have for other businesses who are trying to adopt green business models?

ZB: Talk to others.  Have big goals and start small.  Think about how you can make changes that are good for the environment and good for your business.  Do those things first.

LL:  Do you see any trends in your industry emerging around conservation and sustainability?

ZB: Lower power consuming hardware is good not only for the environment but also for your data center’s pocket book and for your users who get longer device life.  To this end, a lot of our clients in the developing world are working with custom charge controllers to make batteries last longer and be discarded less often.

LL:  How did you find out about the Green Chamber and what made you decide to join?

ZB: Melinda Cheel and Luke Fretwell.  Exygy immediately became a Green Sponsor of the Chamber because we knew that the Green Chamber was an idea whose time had come, and we saw it as an opportunity to both support an important new organization as well as get in early with an exciting group of innovators.

LL:  Is there anything else about Exygy that you want GCC members to know?

ZB: We are more than a typical software vendor: we are a technical partner, a kind of CTO for hire.  Our clients are visionaries and our job, before we begin building anything, is to first help shape the vision by identifying the interplay of business requirements and technical requirements.  For startups and social innovators time to market and executing on a budget is always important so together with our clients we shape multi-phased project plans that get core functionality built quickly in order to cost effectively prove the model, build traction, generate customers and revenue, and then we dig deeper.

Here are some examples of the clients we have worked with recently who are doing great things:

The Story of Bottled Water

We built this website, supporting a highly publicized video targeted at radically altering consumer behavior, and it has been a huge success.  Featured in the New York Times, the Colbert Report, and more.

http://storyofstuff.org/bottledwater/

VeeV

Website for world’s first carbon neutral spirits company. Flash AS3 front end + custom content management backend.

http://www.veevlife.com/

MyPlastiki

Website supporting the epic sea voyage of adventurer/environmentalist David de Rothschild.  Featured on Oprah, CNN, and more.

http://myplastiki.com/

Skoll Foundation and Social Edge

Widgets for finding and connecting with social entrepreneurs funded by Civic Ventures, The Draper Richards Foundation, PopTech, The Schwab Foundation, The Skoll Foundation, Ashoka, GSBI, and more.

http://exygy.com/social-entrepreneurs-search-widgets/

EurekaFund

Crowdsourced Fund Raising platform to fund early stage scientific research, specifically solar, wind, water, transportation, and energy storage.  A “Kiva for Science”.  Featured in the New York Times in February this year.

http://eurekafund.org/

GreenLeafSF

GreenLeaf has been committed to the local, sustainable model of food distribution for decades, long before it became a trend.

http://www.greenleafsf.com/

NomadsLand

A video publishing platform for nonprofits, social enterprises and responsible companies.

http://nomadsland.com/

PharmaSecure

Counterfeit medications are an urgent public health menace in the developing world.  PharmaSecure is a venture-backed company with offices in the United States and India.  We built for them secure sms based infrastructure to print and validate codes on medical packaging.

http://www.pharmasecure.com/

HowYouEco

A social networking site and business directory supporting a sustainable lifestyle

http://howyoueco.exygy.com/

The Brand Accelerator

An equity-funding source that brings together entrepreneurs, consumer goods companies, and capital to build and grow the next generation of innovative and healthy consumer brands.

http://www.brandacceleratorinc.com/

BeRewarding.com

An innovative platform to educate about and raise money for important social issues including water, climate change, energy, poverty, health, human impact, education, biodiversity, and human rights.

http://berewarding.com/

Resilient Cities Initiative

RCI invites Cities and their Business, Civic and Government colleagues to create positive climate change, now.

http://resilientcitiesinitiative.org/

Exygy Web + Mobile

576 Natoma, SF, CA, 94103

415.992.7251

http://exygy.com/

LL:  How did the idea for Direct Dental first come about?

JC: I was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay area and went to UCSF Dental school where I became very aware that San Francisco is a thought leader when it comes to building transformative business practices that benefit the greater good. Early on in my career I became very involved with the American Dental Association as a national spokesperson for the value of self-funded dental plans to improve patient benefits and save money for employers. As a practicing dentist in Marin, I was seeing that patients with quality dental plans maintained better health and were more likely to complete dental care necessary to remain healthy.  And it has been proven that oral health has a powerful impact on heart health and overall immune system functioning–keeping clean teeth and gums translates into far more than looking good from the outside, it can save your life!

Unfortunately, many of the dental insurance plans available were full of exclusions, limitations and restrictions that passed costs onto the patient.  Working with the American Dental Association and the California Dental Association, I became a leading advocate for improved dental benefit plans that put more premium dollars into patient care and eliminated the high profit margins found in traditional plans.  These principles of “putting the money where the mouth is” lead to the formation of Direct Dental Administrators and our tagline of Simple. Honest. Benefits.

LL:  Why did you decide it was important to incorporate sustainability into your business practices?

JC: As stated above, our mission was always based on improving health through more efficient use of benefit dollars.  Our plans always returned all excess funds to the employer every year that claim experience was favorable — as often as nine years out of 10 for many plans.  We adopted the idea of “sustainable benefits” because we found that once a client adopted one of our plans, they stayed with it because it worked well and improved employee health.  Sustainability has been in our DNA for quite some time, so joining other like-minded businesses was a natural progression for us.

LL:  What does sustainability look like to you?

JC: In our plans, sustainability is manifest as Simple. Honest. Benefits.  Our simple plan designs have more efficient use of plan dollars to drive the most dollars into patient care.  Returning excess dollars and transparency of how the plan funds were used supported our mission of Honesty.   And sponsoring plans that fit the needs of each client to improve health of their employees and their families brings a real “benefit” to that company.  We are also very committed to our nonprofit community and donate back to our many nonprofit accounts with money and employee time–where they are paid to be a part of helping our community thrive through volunteerism.

LL:  Did you face any obstacles along the path to becoming a sustainable business and what challenges do you still face?

JC: Of course we are always challenged by big insurance companies who dominate the marketplace and do not comply with sustainable practices or transparent plan designs.  The insurance industry is full of wasteful practices and we needed to upset the status quo while remaining competitive.  Becoming a sustainable business was easy.  Being a smaller company, we could get everyone on board and grow into an efficient sustainable business.  We continually meet to review best practices and develop innovative practices.

LL:  Can you tell us more about specific sustainable business methods that Direct Dental practices?

JC: We have developed a practice of eliminated paper reporting whenever possible.   We are initiating a full web based portal for connection with clients, dentists and patients.  Internally, we have eliminated most of our paper and use the electronic methods of data storage that is efficient.  We also do the usual recycling, online meetings, and providing sustainable wages and benefits to our employees.

LL:  What advice do you have for other businesses who are trying to adopt green business models?

JC: Small steps will lead to a sustainable cultural change.  Disruptive change is most likely to reduce employee compliance.  Routine reinforcement and review of practices is essential.

LL:  Do you see any trends in the dental industry emerging around conservation and sustainability?

JC: There are dental offices, like Dr. Nammy Patel in San Francisco, that have been certified as Green Businesses.  Given the chemicals used and harmful waste produced in a typical dental practice, this is an admirable achievement.  As more dentists move to paperless practices, we’ll see an increased awareness of environmental impact and hopefully adoption of more green initiatives.

LL:  How did you find out about the Green Chamber and what made you decide to join?

JC: I found out about the Green Chamber of Commerce from William Acevedo at Wendell, Rosen, Black & Dean Law Firm.  They are a client as well as a certified Green Business.  We already were a certified Green Business and B-Corp member, so it just made sense to expand our support of the organizations with our same business philosophies.   We’ve found that word of mouth and personal contact within the Green Business Community is a refreshingly personal way to do business and builds the base of sustainability in our community.  This is a choice of business practice that fulfills our personal and business goals.

Direct Dental Administrators

P.O. Box 542

San Anselmo, CA 94979

www.directdentalplans.com

415.457.2836

LL:  How did the idea for Vee Horticulture first come about?

VK: I had been apprenticing to a designer and contractor for five years and decided it was time to strike out on my own.  A friend was helping me make business cards and I realized I didn’t know what to call it so he came up with Vee Horticulture. Vee is my nickname and horticulture is my focus so that is where the name came from. I gardened my whole life growing up in New Hampshire.  I came out here to go to California College of the Arts-CCA to study metalsmithing. One summer during school I needed a job and wanted to find something where I could be outside of the studio.  That’s when I started doing landscaping and just completely fell in love with it. I realized I really enjoyed being in the outdoors, working in all the elements with the added bonus of working with living things.

LL:  Why did you decide it was important to incorporate sustainability into your business practices?

VK:As a general rule, folks in the landscaping business are a pretty sustainable bunch. We have to be stewards of the land and take care of it.  At one point I was working with another designer who loved to use pesticides.  I decided I didn’t want that in my business.  My own life practice of taking care of my surroundings naturally extended into my business practice of caring for others’ surroundings as well.  Vee Horticulture has been sustainable since the very beginning in 1997.  As the years have gone on sustainability has become a buzzword, but at the same time it’s become a practice, which is a good thing.  We all need to move in that direction.

LL:  Did you face any obstacles along the path to becoming a sustainable business and what challenges do you still face?

VK: I imagine I could say yes, I have faced challenges, but in reality it was more a matter of sticking to my principles.  It was about saying to clients, “I can’t do that for you.  Here is how we can make this work in a more sustainable, practical way.”  One example, coming back to pesticides, was someone who wanted a huge lawn they would never use.  That just wouldn’t be a part of my design.  So even though folks think they should spray their roses with pesticides and have huge swaths of lawn, I have to stick to my guns.  I have to explain to them that it will not only be more beautiful, but it will cost less in all kinds of ways to you and the environment if we make this a sustainable landscape.

People either come on board or they don’t.  That’s my biggest challenge, to have to edit some of my clients out because they want me to do something that wouldn’t work in a sustainable way.  Being a sustainable business means you don’t cave in to folks just because they think they want a certain thing.  You have to consider that maybe the person isn’t educated about the dry climate of California and why a large lawn doesn’t make sense.

I’ve been working a lot with folks who want to grow their own food. I love cooking and find it extremely satisfying to make a meal out of your own backyard.  I love to help folks put edible landscapes in.  It involves clients in their own garden and gets them excited to see what’s coming up next if they are out there working in it.  Also, an edible garden doesn’t have to be a big hippy mess.  Aesthetics are important to most of my clients.  It can be a simultaneously useful and beautiful space.

LL:  Can you tell us more about specific sustainable business methods that Vee Horticulture practices?

VK: Some of my clients live at the edges of parks and wild lands.  The best practice would be to integrate the native landscape with plants that need less maintenance and water.  I try to choose plants that are also beneficial to local insects and wildlife populations such as bees, birds and all those wonderful things.  We try to plant things that will attract pollinators.

I do a lot of small gardens in urban environments and people often ask for native plants.  Things need to look good all the time in a small urban garden and native plants have rest cycles that sometimes look kind of scruffy.  If folks are up for that, I support them.  But if they want it to look good all the time, I’ll use adaptive plants from other Mediterranean climates like South Africa or Australia to bloom at different times and fill out the look.

One of the main things I do in terms of sustainability is to not use pesticides.  I focus on feeding the soil with compost and mulch to create a healthy garden.  If you feed the soil, you feed the plant and that makes for healthy gardens that do not need pesticides.  If you see a plant is not doing well, then it’s not the right plant for that space.  It doesn’t make sense to poison the whole system by pointing to one thing that’s not doing well in a garden and dumping chemicals on it.

We conserve water by using drought tolerant plants, adding lots of compost and mulch and installing smart water meters.  These meters monitor temperature, humidity and soil moisture to determine proportional watering.  If it’s a cloudy day in spring, the water doesn’t go on.  This can increase the effectiveness of your watering system and reduces the clients need to call you because this technology works automatically from the client’s computer and weather stations to program the system.

We also don’t put in giant hedges that need pruning all the time or huge swaths of lawn. I don’t own a blower or lawnmower.  I design gardens that don’t need constant maintenance so we won’t have to constantly come and haul yard waste away, which saves fuel as well as human labor energy.

I use recycled materials from onsite whenever possible. I’m not a fan of scraping everything away, massively re-grading and basically starting all over.  You have to ask yourself, “What is the land saying?  What is the architecture saying?  How can we come in and integrate the landscape in the least invasive way possible?”  Some of these things are second nature.  It is not as though I think, “Oh, I’ve checked that sustainable practice off the list.”  One thing always leads to another.  One practice naturally seems to make other aspects work.  For example, if I’m feeding the soil properly, I know I can create an edible space without toxic chemicals, without bringing in new materials, and without gas-powered mowers.

Composting on site is also a no brainer. However, people in the city generally don’t have a lot of room for a compost bin so worm bins can be a great alternative.

LL:  What advice do you have for other businesses who are trying to adopt green business models?

VK: Keep it simple.  As I mature in my business and my own life, my aesthetics are moving more toward simplicity.  Of course, simple is never as easy as it looks. In business, you have to have the willingness to try and sometimes fail.  I also recommend just getting out there and getting experience.  Really observe, be empirical and adapt to whatever observations you make.  Move forward in a scientific manner.  Be consistent and persistent.  Don’t be afraid to try and keep on trying and be creative!

LL:  Do you see any trends in your industry emerging around conservation and sustainability?

VK: Growing food is a trend which is wonderful and important and radical considering the level that big business, corporations and even our government is trying to control the source of our food.  For example, people are rejecting the major meat finishing and packing industry’s inhumane way animals are raised, fed and slaughtered.  Folks aren’t wanting any of that and are fighting back with buying locally raised, grass fed animals not pumped full of hormones.  It was exciting to watch Jamie Oliver’s TED Talk where he was discussing food as being this revolutionary idea.  They showed him going to inner city schools and holding up mushrooms and other veggies.   The kids had no idea what it was he was holding in his hands.  So I see gardening as an important way to contribute to this movement.

LL:  How did you find out about the Green Chamber and what made you decide to join?

VK: I heard about the Green Chamber through Pam Evans, Coordinator of Alameda County’s Green Business Program (a part of the Bay Area Green Business Program whose sustainability standards we meet).  She also connected me with another great resource, Bay Friendly Landscaping, which provides tools and resources to grow healthy, sustainable gardens that protect the San Francisco Bay and its watersheds. I like the fact that if I want to install solar panels, dry cleaning, house painting, etc. I can go check out other members of the Green Chamber or the Green Business Program and use them as a resource for green services.

I had always been offered to join other Chambers of Commerce.  The first time I felt really good about it was when the Green Chamber approached me.  I had gone to mixers and events of other Chambers of Commerce and sometimes felt like these aren’t my people. They were all business, and I am not willing to compromise my aesthetics and principles.  And the thing is, with the Green Chamber you don’t have to. It’s kind of nice!  I hope that GCC grows to the point where we can advocate for public policy.

LL:  How did Hutter Designs start?

SH: The business began with the idea of attending to what people needed and providing landscaping services for developers.  I received my degree in Landscape Architecture from Penn State and decided to come out west because the environment is more conducive to landscape architecture.  People have a greater respect for the natural environment and there are more requirements for landscaping, especially in California.

I worked for a few planning firms and got involved in the technical side using computerized design.  Then I began working on a variety of projects from residential to multi-family, small commercial and model homes. Now I also include other specialties such as erosion control, decks, trellises, permeable pavement, lighting, and irrigation design — anything to do with outdoor spaces.  We are work closely with biologists on remediation, revegetation and restoration work which is not exciting but important for the future of our community.

The nice weather in California means that many people want outdoor living areas.  The work we can do in that kind of space is really dynamic with features such as low voltage lighting, nice landscaping, fireplaces, outdoor fire pits and BBQs, putting greens, outdoor dining areas, water elements and beyond. Not only does it increase your real estate value, but also your outdoor usability and appreciation of your natural environment.  The last few years have been pretty tough because commercial and multi-family landscaping have suffered due to the weakened economy.

LL: What prompted you to make Hutter Designs a more sustainable business?

SH: It makes sense to try to be more sensitive to the environment and work with biological requirements, instead of designing things in a geometrical hard-line fashion.  This means not just making something look good, but working to bridge the hard-line engineering aspect with the surrounding environment.  We have to work to create a transitional landscape — from a natural coastal sage or riparian wetland habitat into a developed, ornamental landscape.  The key is not making a sudden change from natural to developed, but keeping the design within the context of the existing landscape.

I see big box stores and strip malls shutting down and leaving behind these monstrous parking lots.  They are an imposition over the land, kind of like concrete jungles, all because somebody wanted the most amount of retail square footage. It does not make sense from a pedestrian standpoint and is not much of a livable space.

As landscape architects, we are beginning to get more involved in the planning stages to help developers actually take into account the environmental impact and utilize geographical information systems.  We do so by working with fellow architects, planners, environmentalists and biologists to determine the best way to design a project or community.  We try to incorporate major residences with commercial spaces instead of just creating large expanses of parking lots. We work with local landscape features and populations in mind to make a project less car-oriented and more useful to people by adding parks, playgrounds and green spaces.  One of the larger goals is to integrate major transportation into our design. It makes sense in a more densely populated area to create space around trolleys, carpools, trains, and buses.

Many landscape architects are taking leadership in environmental design by becoming LEED certified professionals. It’s common sense to look at the whole picture of a community rather than a big chain retailer from across the county running the show. I believe consumers are getting tired of the same strip mall and chain restaurant environment. In San Diego at least, we see some revival of mom and pop type businesses and urban planning that is less cookie cutter.  People seem to be asking for an environment that feels more unique and traditional — spaces where one can connect with neighbors and businesses the way our parents grew up.  They are also asking for more open space, where interaction with nature is seen as more valuable.  Biologists have become more important as agencies like the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Fish & Game have more clout on development standards and requirements.

Another way our business is more sustainable is that we like to use indigenous materials.  If we are in the grading process of a development, we will use the natural boulders on the site. Whether we are doing landscape, hardscape, or softscape we try to integrate native plants, existing stream beds, and natural features of the land so there is minimal disturbance to waterways.  In older spaces, drainage systems work in a way that waste water ends up in the ocean or ruining the local habitat.  We are trying to change those systems by using natural drainage, permeable paving, catch water systems, and other methods which are much more environmentally-friendly and water-wise.

Here in Southern California we also have to incorporate the requirements of brush management.  We choose plants that are buffers to the wild land areas that won’t transmit fire to a property. This can be a struggle for developers because of homeowners’ desire for privacy with dense landscaping.  Unfortunately, that’s the best way to transmit wild fire. However, when we’ve planted natural groupings of trees and ways of maintaining the understory with the correct distances and spacing of plant material to give homeowner’s the privacy they desire, yet harmonize with the overall environment.

LL: What’s your advice to other businesses on a path toward sustainable practices?

SH: Many developers think of losing money when they think of sustainable design.  While it may be more costly up front, it is less expensive in the long run.  I think it’s critical to really examine our habits as an industry from the placement of developments to the materials we traditionally use.  As landscape architects, we are supposed to be stewards of the land more than anything else.  You don’t want to dictate to the client, but you can guide them in that direction — to have more sensitivity in the design and for whatever your climate is, for the natural environment.  Use “place making” design by asking yourself as a landscape architect, “What makes a place unique?  Are there grasslands, boulders, hills?  How can we integrate these elements?” There are all kinds of opportunities to make a design unique to the area instead of treating every project in a traditional, unsustainable manner.

LL: What do you see as current trends in sustainable landscape architecture?

SH: For the landscape architecture industry, xeriscaping is becoming more prevalent. Xeriscaping or xerogardening is essentially a way to landscape or garden that reduces the need for additional irrigation systems.  Changing the mindset of the customer on this is tough because they have the misperception that this means zero landscaping and that all they will end up with is a cactus garden.  So there is a client education that has to occur.

I’m seeing a lot more usage of drip and low flow irrigation systems as well. From a homeowner’s standpoint, people have become big on creating outdoor rooms.  As gas prices go up, instead of spending money to fly, people are making their own retreat and healthy recreational spaces. Families want space that gives them peace of mind.  With all the hustle and bustle in everyday life, each of us needs a rejuvenating space. Having a landscape with elements of water and shade gives a naturalized comfort that is very conducive to relaxation.  This is very apparent in public park spaces.  Can you imagine New York City without Central Park? Can you imagine San Francisco without Golden Gate Park?  It maintains our sanity.  Right now, we can all use a little more sanity and green space.  Landscape design, for those who can make the investment, provides unique private space while increasing your home values and feeling of well being.  These spaces provide us with a personal connection to the environment within our own backyard.

I also see area nurseries adding more local materials with low water requirements rather than just selling traditional ornamental plants.  It’s great for landscape architects as we don’t have to transport items from far away.  Other trends I’m seeing are vertical wall planting, vertical gardening, green roofs, and more raised vegetable beds.  As people see fuel prices go up and realize that means produce prices will go up as well, they begin thinking about growing their own food.

LL: Did you face any obstacles in the process of adopting more sustainable business methods and what challenges do you still encounter?

SH: In general, change always encounters opposition.  That’s the hardest thing about sustainability. It’s moving in the right direction, but it takes time.  People may ask themselves, “natural landscapes, low flow irrigation, recycled grey water?  What’s that going to do to my current way of living?” Right now it is especially difficult due to the economic pressures.  I think people want something better but are afraid of the cost.

When projects are done in an environmentally sensitive way, they feel and look more comfortable and natural.  People will spend more time in those spaces.  As more sustainable projects and homes appear, I think people will adjust their traditional ways of doing business and demand sustainability. As I mentioned before, our society seems to be tired of the “master plan community” where everything looks the same.  Now it’s time for another cycle.  Hopefully, now we are becoming more in tune with nature.

Change is tough, though.  I did a project two years ago where a developer got good returns on their dollar to build a high density housing project.  But there were no recreational spaces, all just boom boom boom — traditional two story townhomes one after another.  I asked if we could leave off one lot for a playground and the developer said, “No, kids don’t need playgrounds.  They can just go play in the street.” You can gain a fast buck by neglecting the recreational aspect.  However, it’s important to take into account the long term impact.  What will be the mental health of occupants and what does it do to kids to be on the computer, in front of the TV or involved in street activity all day instead of being outside?  I believe that naturally, people want to be able to explore their environment — walk places and be outside rather than just being in cars or inside on technology all day.  The most successfully designed communities are ones that incorporate pedestrian aspects that encourage people to interact with the natural environment.  Our national rate of obesity makes another compelling reason to incorporate natural spaces within our communities.

I envision that in the future, some of the big box spaces will be transformed into trolley/train stations. Huge parking lots will open up into parks and more naturalized, useful spaces. Nature is a strong force and you have to work with it.  There is a type of design called “mimicry” that recognizes this force.  You design based on natural forms such as the lines in leaves or structure of stone and honor the natural systems which have been in place for millions of years.  Hopefully, sustainability will prevail so that our resources will be enjoyed by many future generations.

LL: Why did you join the Green Chamber?

SH: My wife found out about the Green Chamber online and thought it was a great idea. Having been bitten by the sustainability bug, I really appreciated the whole concept of a Green Chamber of Commerce and had to join right away.  I think Margaret Mead was right when she said, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world.  Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”  Together, we can change things by helping people see the beauty of the natural flow of our environment and incorporating it into our daily lives.   Sustainability is here to stay.  We can’t continue doing the same old thing.  If the same old way was working, we wouldn’t be having this conversation. Keep it green!

Hutter Designs
2660 Camino del Rio South, Suite 107C
San Diego, CA 92108
619.283.4421
www.hutterdesigns.com
steve@hutterdesigns.com

LL: How did Arterra first begin?

KS: My business partner Vera Gates and I had both come from large landscape architecture firms right out of school. We were practitioners working on large scale planning projects which often we never saw built because big projects can take years to permit. We met about 16 years ago when we both left firms to work independently on residential projects. We started working on each others’ projects and bartering time. Ten years later we realized we were great business partners and that it would be less confusing if we just formed one entity. Arterra has officially been around for six years, even though our body of work is 16 years in the making.

LL: What prompted your decision to be a sustainable business?

KS: Having the background we did in large scale land use and site planning, we already approached residential work with a lot of knowledge about grading, natural systems and honoring the land. It’s interesting because we have been doing sustainable work for a long time, but it was never called that. We look at design in a holistic way. What is the ecosystem we are working with on a site? What unique systems are already in place? Then we figure out how to translate that into a design for our clients that tries to maintain the natural landscape and integrity of a site. This is the hallmark of our work. We choose planting that is ornamental and also supports the site’s habitat and living creatures. Thus, we try to use low water, drought tolerant planting. 

Ten years ago we didn’t have many resources. We had native plant nurseries that provided a range of materials you could find in small quantities. But when you are talking about high end residential sites, the materials just didn’t exist — especially native trees. It used to be that a client would specify a stone. You would know that it was coming from the East Coast, but that was your only option if that was the stone they wanted. Now people are much more interested in how far materials have to come, a phenomenon that didn’t exist before. As designers now we have many more resources — landscape, hardscape materials, low voltage lighting, native plants, etc. in larger quantities.

We work hand in hand with collaborative teams on larger projects with structural engineers, civil engineers to plan a site with passive solar and grading to capture rainwater and use it for irrigation. This work has also changed in the last couple of years because now there are municipalities that will let us use the grey water, whereas before they said grey water was not up to code. There has been a real revolution in how we approach things as an industry, and we are excited to see areas like this where we are able to push the envelope even more.

LL: So not only have more local, sustainable landscaping resources become available to you, but municipal policies are changing?

KS: Exactly. What happens often is that state law says you can reuse grey water but then a local municipality says no. So there is this dance you have to do that emphasizes to the municipality that it’s legal according to state law. It is not the fault of those issuing the permits, but there is an educational process that has to occur on the policy side to teach them that it’s the right thing to do and their citizens are requesting it.

LL: Your bio on Arterra’s site describes how you believe sustainability is a design principle, not a buzzword. What design elements would a potential customer look for to know that a project will be designed in a way that is authentically sustainable?

KS: At Arterra, we are not just looking at a portion of design with sustainability in mind, but as I mentioned, taking a holistic approach to each site. We are really examining what systems are already in place. What can we use so we don’t have to offhaul unnecessary material that will go to the landfill? What low maintenance, waterwise plants can we use that don’t have to be trimmed, thus cutting down on waste and maintenance time? How do we utilize existing features of the landscape? These are the questions designers are asking if they are really serious about sustainability.

Where you get LEED points from on a project is a good standard for customers to look at. For example, you get points from categories such as plant selection, innovative design, impact on site, grading system, etc. There are a number of clients who come to us and ask what is the difference between having the project LEED certified or not? The complete LEED process can add as much as $10,000 to a project. Some people simply want to have that LEED documentation no matter what. But most clients are mainly interested in making sure sustainability standards are met and that our design matches up with their ideals.

LL: Speaking of using existing features of a landscape, can you talk more about your designs in the Sunset Idea House that was featured on the cover of Landscape Architecture in 2009?

KS: Sunset does these pilot projects, where they have builders create a spec home to showcase new design ideas using mostly donated materials. This house in San Francisco was the first city idea design house. They wanted to do the most sustainable design project possible, which is where we came in. Rainwater, catchwater and grey water systems were designed where water could be stored in cistern tanks and brought back into house to use for toilets as well as onsite for an irrigation system. The house also included a wind turbine, solar panels, vertical garden elements and green roofs.

One element of this project was our use of an old fence that was originally going to be replaced. It contained vertical fence boards that spoke to the originality of the site, and more importantly it was an existing resource. We decided to retain and use the existing fence boards in a way that was in keeping with the contemporary design proposal by using them in a horizontal fashion interspersed with a few newer fence boards. This meant we didn’t have the cost of offhauling the old fence and reused an existing feature of the site.

LL: Your company tag line is leaving a “sustainable landscape legacy.” For businesses who are working toward more sustainable practices, what advice do you have for them?

KS: We come from the point of view that it is not just about being “green,” but in practicing what you preach and finding the right way to do it in your own industry. My experience has been that if a business takes the time to research the healthiest, most sustainable way to offer their services and they truly believe in it, then people can see that. It’s the walk and not the talk. We spend a lot of time researching and talking to people in order to be on the cutting edge of our industry. My advice is that businesses should research their industry. It is very exciting right now because there is a lot that’s happening on sustainability. If they are up to speed on current innovations in their field, they can start to see what limits are being pushed and how they can start pushing those limits themselves.

Finding out the services that support your product so it can be successful is also very important. For our industry, the Bay Friendly Landscaping & Gardening Coalition puts out a guideline similar to Build It Green for best practices.

LL: Did you face any obstacles in the process of becoming a sustainable business and what challenges do you still face?

KS: It used to be that you had an idea but no support services or materials. One good example is what we’ve done on lighting. We recently went to a lighting manufacturer and said, “We love this light, but can you do this light in LED?” And they said yes. We have to work with suppliers and dealers and explain that this is an interest of our customers and if they have this product it will do really well. Everybody gets it now, but five years ago they were more likely to say no. Having resources be specified to support our clients request for sustainable materials has been a big change.

An issue we are also finding is that so much water is wasted on poorly managed irrigation controllers. There now exists new technology to address this issue. evapo-transpiration (ET) controllers or “smart” sprinkler controllers measure how much water a plant needs. The watering time is based on soil and local climatic conditions. We have gone back to older clients and done energy audits and made suggestions so that they can take advantage of current technology that didn’t exist when we installed a system. So going back to advice for other businesses — if you are looking to start a green business, there is a great market in trying to offer expertise to clients who have already received certain services that need revamping to meet current sustainability standards.

Another challenge we have faced is that often on larger projects, contractors are used to having the full site to use. When the only area that they don’t use has been fenced off for tree protection, the soil and native habitat is often destroyed. This causes it to lose its original soil structure, which requires us to have to bring in a lot of soil amendments. We are trying to change this so that the amount of disruption to the soil is as limited as possible. The goal is to leave the soil as an intact resource so that it does not have to be regraded, reseeded, etc. A number of cities are requiring residential projects prove they have met a minimum number of points based on Build It Green’s Green Point Rater system to obtain a building permit. They are trying to do it in a way that doesn’t shy people away from getting a permit, but which provides incentive and helps them to build their project in the best way possible.

LL: Are there any current trends in sustainable landscape architecture that you see coming around the corner?

KS: I just took a seminar on natural pools. It’s a great example of how things are evolving over in Europe. We work with amazing clients who buy all organic food, use solar/geothermal energy, install ventilation systems to prevent noxious air from being in their homes, and at the same time some want a pool filled with chlorine. It’s going to take municipalities time to come around to natural pools. The issue is not that they wouldn’t approve them, but that they are not being asked. How a natural pool works is that the water is filtered through natural wetland ponds and the plant material cleans the water so there are no chemicals used at all. The water clarity is surprisingly really good and doesn’t look like pond water.

They have been doing natural pools in Europe since 1990, the first being in Germany. There is all this data from the health and safety standpoint that finds natural pools are perfectly safe. In fact, in Europe they have even made some public pools natural. No natural pool has ever been shut down due to health issues. It just seems like a natural segway that if you are buying organic cotton for clothes to keep chemicals off your body that you would want a pool free of chemicals as well. Those really interested in green and sustainable living in the healthiest environment possible will be interested in this.

There is also a new trend we see where people are starting to have their plumbing designed to use grey water. This will become more widely available, but right now it is still a fairly new concept.  Green roofs and vertical walls have been built in Europe for years. Now green roofs are much more understood in terms of waterproofing. It’s just a matter of them becoming more commonplace, of people being more educated and less fearful.

To me, the green movement is really about education — not necessarily in the classroom, but people talking to other people until it becomes a part of society’s vocabulary. Each individual type of business who has experience in their field has the ability to identify how the green movement can expand for them. If they follow through, they can help advance it step by step by talking to each other.

At these seminars I attend, there is always a contractor who is looking for the next big thing to make a buck on. At the pool seminar one skeptical contractor was trying to understand what kind of market there was for this product. I think that if you believe truly in what you are promoting and are doing your work sustainably, you will sell it. This man was coming to natural pools from a business opportunity standpoint and didn’t understand the importance behind the concept. Being compassionate and finding the best way to structure it, makes it easy to have a successful business. You cannot come at sustainable business concepts from a skeptical standpoint because your clients will figure it out pretty quickly that you are not being genuine.

LL: Is there anything else about Arterra Landscape Architects that you want Green Chamber members to know?

KS: I want to mention our philosophy with clients.  All our work comes through referrals — a friend who has seen their friend’s garden that we designed as well as architect and contractor relationships over the years. We pride ourselves in being really good listeners and translating our clients goals and wish lists. We design using what we call the “spirit of place.” Whether it’s a city garden or large estate, each place is completely unique. We’ve worked on many special places where we feel a real connection to the land. We value spending the time trying to figure out what that connection is so we can bring out the best in that particular place for our clients.

LL: Why did you join the Green Chamber?

KS: Every time we do a program, attend a seminar or lecture, the Green Chamber has been a great resource of information and support. It has also been helpful trading stories with other members about how they got started and what other support systems are out there. We found out about GCC from an architect we work with who told us it’s a great group we needed to get involved with. This is especially true in this current time when there is so much new information being generated. You gain contacts within and outside your industry. There is always something to learn form other businesses’ green practices.

According to The New York Times, Goddard Claussen, a public relations firm out of Sacramento has been hired to gather the 435,000 signatures necessary to put this measure on California’s November ballot.  The firm is ironically calling the campaign the California Jobs Initiative, arguing that there will be significant job losses if AB 32 should pass.  This recent Huffington Post blog gives a solid debunking of such claims, pointing out that in fact the New Green Economy has been doing quite the opposite – creating jobs, spurring innovation and improving Californians’ quality of life.  Using this tactic of pitting the economy against the environment, the goal of this ballot initiative is to delay AB 32 until California’s unemployment level drops from its current 12.5 rate to below six percent.

Until June, there is no certainty that this initiative will end up on November’s ballot.  However, be sure that this will be a bloody battle in the months ahead as the Governor’s race heats up around the issues of unemployment and climate change.  Stay tuned for updates and in the meantime check out these recent editorials:

Repealing AB 32 would be a disaster for California
AB 32 foes are slick – and predictable
Landmark California clean-air measure deserves fair chance to succeed

LL:  Can you tell Green Chamber how Andean Naturals was created and why you aimed to become a sustainable business?

SN: I am from Bolivia and studied here in the United States.  I always had the goal of going back to Bolivia and doing something to help the development of the country.  My passion has been to alleviate poverty while using sustainable resources.  I used to work in venture capital and the issue of the market has always been there.  It is tough to produce something and then look for a market for it.  I moved to the U.S. to start a quinoa company and used my knowledge of the quality, volume and other specifications of the product.   By being here, we could capture the demand for quinoa.  Now Andean Naturals works with about 2,500 family farmers in Bolivia.  What’s really cool about quinoa is that there is no large scale agriculture. Each farmer has about three to four hectares.  Most are Indigenous families who plant quinoa in high altitudes that sometimes exceed more than two miles above the tree line.  Here there is very little rainfall and no irrigation.  It is currently the only crop these families grow — one crop per year.   We buy it, clean it, bring it to the U.S. and offer it to different companies such as Seeds of Change, Eden Foods, and large food manufacturers such as Kellogg’s.  Our product makes its way to the shelves at Trader Joes, Costco and the bulk bins at Whole Foods.  We are the largest importer of quinoa to the U.S.

LL:  What is sustainable about your business and what made you decide to become sustainable?

SN: Quinoa is a seed from 4000 years ago grown in the Andes.  It has been a main staple for Andean civilization for 4000 years and we wanted to keep it that way.  To be sustainable, we are taking from that same system, the same seeds that local farmers have been using for thousands of years.  We are using this idea of adoptive technology.  For instance, the farmers have llamas that pasture in the fields.  They want to keep expanding their farms, but this is a challenge because we want them to keep growing forever and for the land to stay viable.  The first element was that we would buy only organic quinoa – no genetically modified seeds, no pesticides that are synthesized, no new elements coming into the mix. We adopted organic from the very beginning.  The second element was that we wanted to pay a fair price for quinoa.  So inside that was realizing we need to become fair trade certified.  Last year when the U.S. adopted fair trade guidelines for quinoa, we were the first along with Alter Eco to adopt those principles.  This contributed to our quest for sustainability, but reality is very different and we’ve fallen short.

LL:  Can you describe how you’ve fallen short and what kinds of challenges have arisen in your quest for sustainability?

SN: We’ve grown so dramatically. Increased demand for quinoa has meant increased pay for farmers.  Thus, the farmers have more incentive to grow more and to grow faster.  The grain surface area has increased for quinoa and farmers are starting to grow it in places where quinoa has never grown.  They are using more tractors and yields per hectare are decreasing.  There are not enough llamas to go around fertilizing the fields and there is not enough land rotation.  This is causing an imbalance to happen on the field level, and we are seeing plants be much more susceptible to mold and attack.  We are also seeing more erosion of the soil.  Farmers used to plant more on the hillsides since hills are less likely to get frost.  But due to global warming, they can now grow lower down and therefore can now use tractors to plow.  So much more land is overturned and the high winds cause more erosion of the top soil layer.  This is happening in a way contrary to what we ideally had conceived in the beginning.  We wanted cultivation based on the system that had been used for centuries and have ever-sustaining production.  But we are finding that because of the great success of quinoa, we are actually causing unforeseen issues.

LL:  How are you addressing these issues?

SN: Thankfully, since we are there in Bolivia we can see the solutions.  We had to admit that being organic and fair trade doesn’t necessarily make us sustainable.  “What will it take?” we asked ourselves.  It will take collaborating with the field workers, working with agronomists.  These field specialists tell us we need to do things in our farming practices like create wider rows.   They also told us that, although we know that the market prefers larger, light-colored seeds, the reality is that we’d have to introduce different types of quinoa.  You need smaller seeds on the outside to protect the larger seeds from high winds.  The problem is that these heirloom seeds are increasingly lost because smaller seeds are often returned to the farmer and can’t be sold.  So the farmers think they need to plant larger seeds to make money.  We need to reinsert biodiverse fields where there are many more varieties and broader crop rotations.

We also might have to do the unthinkable, like selling llama wool and llama meat byproducts in order to give farmers incentive to have llamas.  If there are no llamas, the original ecosystem is broken.  Some sort of artificial fertilizer will be needed if there are no llamas.  The land will become so poor they will move out to other areas and the area will become a desert.  Desertification of land because of quinoa is a serious issue because again, farmers have incentive to plant more now and plan more intensively.  I don’t think anyone in the U.S. has any idea what’s going on in Bolivia, but it’s pretty severe.

So initially we had market success, poor Indigenous farmers were making three times more than they used to.  But then the other side of the coin is that this picture didn’t exactly mean sustainability.  There is always an ecosystem you have to keep in mind, and there is never just one item to tackle.  As a company, we’ve made a commitment to sell sustainable quinoa by 2012.  We have to define exactly what guidelines we want to undertake.  There has to be llama rotation, certain periods of fallow, non-hybridized seeds, biodiverse fields where large and small seeds are all grow together, prices have to be paid at fair trade, etc.  We must create our own guidelines.

LL:  What’s your advice to other businesses trying to be more sustainable?

SN: “Sustainable” is a bit of a daunting task for many companies.   First of all, you have to define what sustainable means for your industry.  For us it means we want them to be planting quinoa in way that it can be grown for thousands of years to come.  It may mean something else depending on your line of business.  You must figure out your key components.  Organic, fair trade — they aren’t enough. In and of itself, sustainability can seem unreachable.  So I suggest that in order to not get discouraged, break it down into bite-sized goals.  For example, taking on the llama aspect of the business is totally scary to us because it’s a different industry.  But we have to move in that direction.  You have to work together with other companies.  We found there is another company called Indigenous Designs that makes sweaters out of organic cotton. So we thought, what if we provided the llama wool to those women?  The answer is never simple, but it’s important to realize that you are never alone in this quest.  There are always other companies on the same journey to find synergies.  You have to create that ecosystem amongst yourselves.

LL:  It seems that you can tackle multiple issues at once if you are able to find synergies with other businesses taking on different, but related issues.  In your case, not only are you working on sustainable agriculture, but also poverty, labor rights and women’s rights.

SN: That’s exactly right.  In fact, women’s rights are a huge factor in what we do.  That is a much deeper issue that we know we are going to have to tackle as well.  What is important about sustainability is that there is more than just one single activity that you have to do.   Defining your ecosystem can help you find a balance.

LL:  Do you see any trends happening in sustainable agriculture?

SN: Sustainability is going to be a strong trend in the coming years, much like organic has been.  You are starting to hear more about sustainability than we used to.  I’ve seen that progression with food – people wanting to know where their food is coming from, realizing that maybe it’s not so good to be pumping our agricultural fields with chemicals — not good for me or the environment.  The organic market has taken off from the year 2000 on.  Three years ago we started seeing fair trade seals in chocolate, bananas and coffee.  With fair trade, people are realizing the importance of the choices they make in the supermarket.   Are we exploiting people because there are kids who can’t go to school since they are working in the field instead?  This is a conscious choice and people are becoming aware of that.  To me, sustainable means asking, what do we have to do to get the system back into balance?  There is going to be a new niche market where products will be branded as sustainable.  This means you will see some guidelines for what sustainably harvested food means.

LL:  Why did you join the Green Chamber?

SN: We joined the Green Chamber because of our quest to be sustainable.  It is the same reason why we decided to become fair trade certified, because we knew the Green Chamber would put us in a network that has a similar mindset and synergy.  By joining, we also want to be recognized as a company that is on its path to sustainability.

LL:  Is there anything else about your business that you want Green Chamber members to know?

SN: I am available if someone is interested in discussing their business plan, especially if they need help looking at sourcing products from sustainable companies in Latin America.  I have experience working in sustainable forestry with Forest Stewardship Council certified wood doors and furniture lines, shrimp farming, organically harvested acai berries, palm hearts, etc.  I have had the opportunity to look at a lot of different products when working in venture capital.   So I have knowledge of several products if anyone needs advice.

LL:  So tell me about the vision for Sustainable Industries and how you decided to start the company?

CW: Sustainable Industries originally started as a trade journal in Portland and grew naturally through the demand for more information on sustainability.  Our audience base grew wider by meeting this demand with a full service website, a webinar series and our annual Economic Forums.

BB: For me it all started with my background as a journalist.  I was working in mainstream media as a reporter for big daily newspapers. In doing so, I ended up in Portland as a business reporter for a major business publishing company. I became interested in businesses pioneering sustainable industries, as this was an inherent component of the Pacific Northwest business ethic. This was around the 1999 time frame, when there was a lot of environmental sustainability interest and research coming out.  It all clicked for me. I approached editors at my paper about starting a sustainable business beat, which was kind of a crazy idea at the time.  Through this new beat, I learned a lot about what sustainable business pioneers were doing up and down the West Coast. Then a new publisher came in who very publicly said he had no idea how sustainability would bring economic development to the region. I quit the paper and decided that there were lots of people to serve in this space.  In 2002, I met with a small publisher in Portland named Nik Blosser, a true thought leader in the space, and within a few months, we had Sustainable Industries up and running.

LL:  Growing from a small trade journal in Portland to a large subscriber magazine that serves major industry leaders nationally — did you ever imagine that it would get this big?

BB: I had hoped so.  We also, for better or for worse, jumped in without a map. Initially we didn’t think beyond the Northwest, but now we are thinking nationally. I still feel everyday like we are just getting started in growing and getting better.  We are our own worst critics. We’ve come really far, but we still have so much further to go. 

LL:  What challenges did you face as a small green business in the beginning?

BB: Certainly we faced challenges, and we still do. Early on, the most challenging thing was figuring out who we wanted to be, because the idea of green/sustainable was still very new and taking shape.  We were trying to be everything to everyone.  There was a groundswell of interest, and we got swept up in some of the consumer aspects before realizing our sweet spot was in B2B.  That process helped refine who we are. We had good support from the people we did business with in Portland and Seattle – places where we had our roots planted. Growing into the Bay Area with limited resources proved challenging, and this came without support from the Mayor, the City and its economic development department. Of course the Bay Area is saturated with fly-by-night sustainability entrepreneurs and events, so you have to work hard to elbow your way in. Our team has done just that. There is still nothing like us out there. Starting a media company out of nothing and growing it organically with no investment is unheard of. We could’ve started a few years ago and gotten investment and made it on the deep pockets of mainstream media players, but we didn’t.  I am very passionate about independent media and proud of where we’ve come amidst those challenges, because it is extremely difficult, and bordering on impossible, to do it on your own. It is a true testament to the will and talent of our team and the many stakeholders who have supported us along the way.

LL:  How did you find out about the Green Chamber?

CW: We attended Green Chamber events and knew board members who started the organization.  So it was a natural decision from the start to be a member, support their mission, and gain support from them. We have written about many Green Chamber companies and CEOs.  Their membership is our audience.

LL:  What’s green about your business?

CW: We are a media company that has always and only reported on sustainability news – the latest cross sector analysis of west coast news and trends.  We have led the industry in paper and printing practices, for seven straight years using 100% post-consumer recycled paper processed chlorine-free and offsetting our printing and paper production process with 100% clean energy. This earned us the Aveda Award for Environmental Leadership in 2005, as well as a BEST Award for Sustainable Product Development from the City of Portland. Our paper comes from what many regard as the most sustainable paper mill in the world, and 100% of production residuals are used in building materials, fertilizer and energy production. Our many live events also meet aggressive and industry-leading environmental criteria. In 2008 we earned B Corporation certification for meeting social and environmental performance standards. We have always operated a green office and green space. It has also been all about our voice, and the service we provide inspiring and supporting sustainable industries at large.

LL:  Tell us about the Economics Forums and how Green Chamber members can get involved?

CW: The Economic Forums are a gathering of sustainable industry leaders.  The goal is to get all cross sector leaders in one room together so the green building pioneers can talk to the solar folks, and the water people can chat with waste management experts. Attendees tend to be highly influential executives.  The format is a three hour breakfast – first a keynote speaker, next a panel of executives from different industries (who speak about the role of the practitioner, current trends, and the realities and responsibilities of being a leader in a sustainable industry) and finally an hour of networking.  The forums take place in cities all across the west coast.  Soon we will be hosting one in Denver for the first time.

LL:  What is your advice to other green businesses and businesses trying to become sustainable?

BB: If you are interested in the green universe, without a doubt, never use the words “We’re going green.” I would advise businesses to be really bold, to leap frog others.  In order to help reach the new frontier, businesses need to be serious about the quality and authenticity of their work.  It’s not just about taking advantage of the green opportunity.  It’s about taking sustainability a step further than your peers. This is the only way new companies coming into this space can succeed.  You have to know the competitive landscape intimately, and then be smart about how you differentiate.

CW: As a member of the Green Chamber, we are in a position to learn from everything that other green businesses are doing, be it certification programs, workshops, etc.  So I recommend getting involved as a business because the Green Chamber brings people together to learn, practice and share.  Also, our audience depends on Sustainable Industries to be a knowledge toolkit on the practicalities of doing business in a sustainable manner.  They expect us to provide a “noise free” analysis and clear picture of what is happening in this field of work — who are the companies doing it, how did those businesses come to the decisions they did, who is surviving, what is the thought process of leading CEOs, etc.  So I would say for those businesses which are in the process of being sustainable, Sustainable Industries can provide them with useful information on how to be change agents.  We are cognizant that people are using us as a “how to” guide of sorts because we serve top leadership in this field.  Reach out to us as a resource in order to help make that happen.

LL:  In terms of leaders in sustainability, who do you recommend that Green Chamber members follow?

BB: We are extremely blessed to serve that audience and I would tell people to follow the leaders involved in our community.  I am so impressed by the thought leadership of those who show up at our events. They’ve been leading the charge for years, can speak at a more sophisticated level, and the intellectual capital at the Economic Forums is incredible.  Our client base has brought in this amazing quality of local, regional and national businesses that are on the leading edge of sustainable business.  They are at the top of the pyramid and that’s why they are coming to this community.  Also, if you take a look at Sustainable Industries advertisers and sponsors, you’ll notice that we serve real deal companies and not greenwashers. We are actively approaching these leaders.  People should also follow the podcast series we are launching this year which will showcase one-on-one interviews with sustainable industry leaders.

LL:  What do you see as upcoming trends in sustainable business that people should be paying attention to?

BB: I tend to think less about the state of the union and more about what’s coming around the pike.  Each year we come out with TrendWatch, which embodies what our whole editorial team looks at all year. A hot button issue for me — we aren’t nearly there yet, but we are on the verge of major breakthroughs — is the extension of the smart grid.  We are boldly looking at the full on democratization of energy.  This will be 10-20 years out if things go well.  It will be similar to the way the internet democratized information for people.  We will see a revolution in terms of big energy utilities quickly becoming, like newspapers, institutions of yesterday, trying to hold onto the top-down power of an amazingly inefficient and systemically flawed energy grid.  We are destined to democratize the energy grid with innovative technologies, and people will be able to control the energy they use very intimately.  There are countless environmental and social benefits.  It empowers consumers as well.

LL:  Is there anything else about Sustainability Industries that you want Green Chamber members to know about?

BB: I want to continue to improve the way we serve Green Chamber members, whether through inviting them to events or offering discount subscriptions to access the best news, tools and analysis out there. They are leading the charge in what is possible for the New Economy, and we are well matched to the type of communities that they serve.

CW: Sustainable Industries invites Green Chamber members to become a part of our community.  They can do so by being involved as a reader, joining our web conferences and following our podcast interviews.  This new podcast project really gets behind the mind of industry leaders.  For those who already are involved, thanks for all the support.  Sustainable Industries is open to hearing ideas, especially about the latest new trends that leaders are seeing within their own companies.

Were you surprised to win the Green Business Leadership Award? 

We were shocked to win the Green Business Leadership Award.  There are so many amazing companies in the Green America Green Business Network that we admire and are inspired by.  We felt honored just to be nominated and had no expectation of winning.

What do you think set you apart from the competition? 

We seek to make a strong and supportive personal connection with all of our clients, and have the good fortune of doing that with many of the other Green Business Network members.  Also, we have a bit of surprise factor around offering a green alternative for merchant services, which is not something people expect and makes us unique.

How did the award make you feel and how do you think it will impact your business? 

Gratitude was the primary feeling following the announcement.  It meant so much to us to be recognized by the peers we admire, work with (Vital Hemptations was also a nominee and is a current client) and seek to serve. 

The impact on the business was a wonderful sense of affirmation and appreciation for the support.  We hope it will lead to more people working with us, and more people being inspired to make sustainable choices in all aspects of their business.

What’s green about your business and what made you decide to be green?

We consider the environmental impact when making all of our internal product and service choices.  This means choosing everything from recycled paper, soy-based inks, fair-trade coffee and planet-friendly cleaners for our office, to banking with New Resource Bank, hosting our website with a solar powered hosting company and using Better World Telecom for our internet and phone service.  We post all of the things we do on our website and actively solicit ideas from clients, partners and colleagues.

We decided to take this approach as soon as we sat down to design the company.  Dharma is a Sanskrit word that means “right action” and we saw operating with concern for the environment as a natural expression of that.

What’s your advice to other green businesses? 

Make sure you offer value to your customer beyond just being green, so that customers are able to choose you as a sound business decision.  We can’t expect our customers to pay any extra for our environmental practices.  Above all, we have to be an excellent merchant service provider so that our client is able to choose to work with us.  Only then can we offer the additional benefit of being green.  So make sure you are a great choice from a pure business decision standpoint, and then offer the added benefit of sustainability.

For businesses that aren’t green, what advice do you have for them?

If operating more sustainably seems daunting, break the approach down into small pieces, and recognize that every effort, no matter how small, makes a difference. 

Also, seek support in going green from networking groups and associations that focus on sustainability.  Leveraging the experience and education offered by those communities will prevent not knowing where to start and reinventing the wheel.  A great example is the Green Chamber of Commerce.

Finally, recognize that more and more companies, in every industry, are operating sustainably.  This increases the potential to choose green product suppliers and green service providers for all aspects of your business.

Did you face any obstacles in the process of “going green”?

We didn’t face any significant obstacles in going green, as we have plenty of control over our operations.  The downstream process is another story, where there are still BPA chemicals in credit card receipts, and terminals aren’t being recycled properly.  We’re looking into possible alternatives to this method of printing with some of our paper suppliers next year.  We use refurbished terminals whenever possible, but we also want to start a recycling program for non-functioning terminals.

Why did you join the Green Chamber?

We joined the Green Chamber to be a part of a like-minded business community and show our support for green policy initiatives.

Is there anything else about Dharma Merchant Services that you want Green Chamber members to know?

In addition to being green, we also have a socially-responsible aspect to our business: we donate 10% of the profits we make on each account to a charity that the account owner chooses.  Like Working Assets or Give Something Back office supply, we’re using a commoditized service to redirect money to non-profit organizations and back into the community.

What’s green about your business and what made you decide to be green?

The overall mission of the store really has to do with what I call a broad definition of green, not just the personal but sustainability in general and all its methods: culture, history, where we came from and where we are going. The idea is that it’s a green bookstore. For building material, I used sustainable wood, paint and found lots of used and recycled products. I sell books on the environment, but also books on food, production, labor, justice. All of these subjects overlap and work together to show what sustainability looks like. Previously, I was a buyer for Cody’s Books. As the official bookstore of the Green Festival in San Francisco, I was responsible for putting together books for the festival. I came up with a distillation of the cream of the crop books on sustainability and everything connected to that issue. People at the festival would ask, “Wow, all these books are in your store? I didn’t know you had these books.” That’s when I decided I would use this selection of books as the model for The Green Arcade. I didn’t want to try to represent every type of book, but rather have a specialty store.

I understand you host events at the bookstore to create a sustainability community. Are there any upcoming events readers should know about?

Yes, we have lots of great guest authors come in to speak. For instance, Fritjof Capra, a founding director of the Center for Ecoliteracy will come in December to talk about how the organization is trying to bring sustainability into Berkeley’s public school curriculum. In the past, we’ve had people like Ned Sublette who wrote The Year Before the Flood: A Story of New Orleans as well as Novella Carpenter, author of Farm City: The Education of an Urban Farmer. Carpenter started an urban farm in West Oakland and there is a huge upsurge in urban gardening right now. We have an extensive gardening book collection and it is one of our best-selling sections.

What’s your advice to other green businesses?

What’s working for me and what I think is most important is connecting with your immediate community, your neighborhood and who your community is at large. For me, that means places like the Center for Ecoliteracy. Find agencies and people involved with your specific mission. For my business, those people are educators, organizers and activists. Let people know you are there and try to create partnerships.

For businesses who are not green but want to head in that direction, do you have any tips for them?

It seems to me that for all aspects of greening your business, there is a lot of great advice out there in books. For green branding, I suggest reading The Gort Cloud: The Invisible Force Powering Today’s Most Visible Green Brands by Richard Seireeni. On the topic of a business trying to go green, I would read Auden Schendler’s Getting Green Done: Hard Truths from the Front Lines of the Sustainability Revolution which tells the story of his efforts to green the ski industry in Aspen. There are many people who’ve written on this subject that can help aspiring green businesses.

It sounds like people should just come to your store and find the right books for advice. Did you face any obstacles in the process of going green?

The hardest part is definitely getting the financing right. Credit is pretty high. We were very lucky because we started when the economy was down and we are still here. We celebrated our one year anniversary in October.

That’s exciting. Your existence shows that there is a niche market for a store that caters to sustainability issues, especially as we see society becoming increasingly aware and interested in this topic. Tell us why you joined the Green Chamber?

I joined the Green Chamber because I wanted to see what other businesses were doing, and I thought it would be a clearinghouse for that. Being a member is a great way to catch up and learn about the language of business. Also, the protests against the U.S. Chamber of Commerce made me want to join because I think it’s crucial to get behind this kind of group activism. What happened was a groundswell and I believe it is up to us to participate, to create what will make this world be a new and better world. It’s about transforming the classic model of doing business. The comments that the U.S. Chamber made about how climate change legislation will hurt business represent such a dinosaur, old school way of thinking. We need to supplant the old order. This is what citizenship is about. We can’t just say we voted, we have new administration so now we are done with our job. We have to participate.

Is there anything else that you want Green Chamber members to know about The Green Arcade?

One of the interesting things is that a lot of members probably have what I have — a brick and mortar store. A lot of people shop online, but e-commerce is not representative of my store. There are many people who are still a part of “Main Street” with small storefronts. I encourage people go out into their community and visit storefronts to see what it really means to invest in your immediate community and support local businesses.