And, as a semi-official blogger and Sustainable Brands alumni, I have been granted special dispensation to offer a 20% discount code to any of my legions of loyal followers. So if you want the ultimate green brand networking experience, let me know. It’s going to be an amazing week.

Here is the link to the official program so far. Speakers include representatives from:

• National Geographic
• Lush
• Ford
• Intel
• BASF
• World Wildlife Fund
• Safeway
• Patagonia
• Interface Floors
• Earth911
• Molson/Coors
• 1% for the Planet
• North Face
• REI
• Neutrogena
• Unilever
• 3M
• Volcom
• WalMart

Just as a reminder, here’s the Green Briefs Unofficial Road Trip Video from Sustainable Brands 2011.

Riding your bike and putting the blue box out every week is one thing. Deciding to lay your retirement investments on the thin green line is quite another matter.
As a publicly ‘out’ green person, I felt it was time to get my investments more in line with my values. What I found was, it’s not as easy as walking down the aisle reading the ingredients on bags of organic granola.

The Generic Options
Every bank and financial institution seems to have a product (or at least an ad campaign) designed to soothe the conscience of the wanna-be green investor, from the obviously-named ‘Ethical Funds’ to more obscurely-branded options like the SUMMA SRI Canadian Fund. The basic layer of screening for these funds usually excludes the usual suspects in the Merchants of Death lineup – weapons, tobacco, nuclear and (for some) alcohol. Beyond that, they can vary greatly in their content, and you might be surprised to learn that some of these funds hold stock in such tree-hugging enterprises as Athabasca Oil Sands Corp and the Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan. Now some of you may be saying, “Hey wait a minute, hippie, there’s nothing wrong with those companies!” And if that’s what you believe, then you would be right. Because in order to invest with your values, you have to define what’s ‘green’ for you. And there is more to green investing than simply what the portfolio holds.

Finding an expert – Meet Tony Edwards
Howe Street isn’t exactly chock-a-block with green investment companies. Through Google, I found Tony Edwards at Portfolio Strategies Securities in the bustling Vancouver Island burg of Courtenay, BC. On his website, Tony says, “When building a socially responsible investment portfolio, I look for companies that don’t cause me to lose sleep at night thinking about dead birds, or slave labour, or nuclear meltdowns.” On that quote alone, I thought it was worth a few kilos of highway carbon and ferry boat emissions to meet him.
We sat in Tony’s small office, on a sunny Friday afternoon, sharing a few cups of herbal tea.
“Companies aren’t ethical, or not,” Tony began, “It’s all in their behaviour. In order to make change happen, you can’t just throw up your hands and divest. You’ve got to have a seat at the table.” He showed me a report from Ethical Funds, (Make Money, Make a Difference.™!) showing how their shareholder activism process had led to positive changes in environmental policy with companies like Suncor and Enbridge. “These discussions happen before the shareholders meeting,” he continued, “Companies are a lot more responsive to their shareholders than they are to protestors.”
In one recently successful example, shareholder activist group As You Sow introduced a shareholder proposal in 2011 asking McDonald’s to consider stronger environmental policies for its beverage containers, such as setting recycled content and post-consumer cup recovery goals. McDonald’s now says they plan to test a new hot cup in 2,000 of its U.S. stores that could replace the polystyrene foam cups currently in use at all locations.

Who are today’s green investors?
“Many Canadians are not that financially literate. They think they can get all of their information from the big banks. Then, for some, something changes.”
“My average customer is an educated woman, or couple, between ages 55 and 65, who are fed up with the same old solutions, have done some research and just want to better align their investments with their values.”
Tony starts with the sort of due diligence and financial fact-finding you would expect of a certified financial planner, but then includes more in-depth discussions around sustainability as well, getting to know each client’s values as well as their overall financial picture.

How do you market the Green Market?
“People don’t want this stuff marketed to them,” Tony says, “They come in pre-disposed to a sustainable investing solution, usually through word-of-mouth. It’s a category that doesn’t seem to appeal to younger investors as much.”
“I’m a positive person, and I like to keep the whole tone positive.” Tony continues, “I sponsor local events like the Music Fest, the Film Festival, and sometimes write articles for the local paper.”
I couldn’t help but think if Tony could combine more of the information from his years of web articles with his positive tone and passion, and get it out there in the rich-media world, he would probably engage a whole network of very interested followers.

The Bottom Line
“People tend to think you can’t make any money in Socially Responsible Investing. That’s just old, in-the-box thinking. Some investments, like clean energy, may be too long-term for the average investor, but there are opportunities.” Turning his monitor toward me, Tony pointed to a stock curve that climbed like an Al Gore temperature chart. “This is a company I’ve been watching that makes denim fabric from flax. They just cut a deal with Levi’s.”
Want to do some research on SRI Funds? Here’s a list.
Want to go deeper? Here’s a link to Tony Edwards’ website and article archive.

Happy green reading!

That’s the essence of an article I wrote for SustainableBrands.com – creators of the annual Sustainable Brands Conference.

Read the whole article here…. (or be prepared for the consequences!)

Not too long ago, print was the pariah of the green movement. Piles of catalogues and reams of newspapers destined for landfill seemed fated to be replaced by the electronic word. The paperless office of the future beckoned.

Well, print’s place has certainly changed. That you are reading this on your digital device is proof of that. But ink on paper has also come a long way.

Hemlock Printers recently asked Unicycle Creative for a simple brochure to remind people of the more sustainable side of printing. As one of North America’s most environmentally conscientious printers, they have some good backup for this claim, including carbon-neutral certification and a program that even lets you buy carbon offsets for you print project. And new digital technology means more precise quantities and much less waste.

The symbol we chose to deliver this message was the humble beaver. Hard-working and rooted in nature, yet certainly a consumer of fiber. In the most sustainable way.

Choose the right technology, the right paper and the right printer, and using print in your communications mix need not be a blemish on your sustainability report.

If you want to find out more about where, when and how to use print strategically, drop me a line. For more on the sustainability of print, recycled stocks and digital technology, talk to Hemlock.

If you have a tree you need taken down on your property, we have a connection for that, too.

But this investment could (and should) go beyond green labeling. LEGO could do a whole lot more to promote their sustainability, while helping to create a new generation of green energy engineers at the same time.

The Vestas LEGO Wind Turbine Set 4999 was originally released in 2008 with wind company Vestas. Unfortunately, it required batteries to operate. (?) Some diligent Googling revealed this obscure Renewable Energy Add-On Sets from LEGO Education  featuring a real WORKING turbine and Solar Power Kit. Come on, LEGO, time to get these off the back pages of your catalog, make the package design more action-packed and put them on the shelves at Toys’R'Us and WalMart.

Bringing renewable energy to the playroom is only the beginning. I would love to one day be able to snap full sized solar panels on to the LEGO roof tiles of my home. And replace them just as easily. As once I wrote in a blog for Sustainable Minds, If I was King, I would Make the Whole World From LEGO.

Thanks to Apple, I now carry more computer in my pocket than all of NASA had to work with when they sent meat puppets to the moon in 1969. I take photos and video anytime, anywhere. I blog, I tweet and I have my own contacts database in ‘the cloud’.

So why, when I am attending a 21st century business networking function, would I want to exchange slices of printed, dead tree-skin just to introduce myself?

Is the business card dead?

The geek-inventors of the world have certainly tried to make it so. On my iPhone is an app called ‘Bump’ that lets me butt phones with other bump-enabled cybernauts to automatically exchange information. Attendees at technology trade shows gleefully scan each others’ coded badges, presumably so they can send them a bag full of pdf brochures. I can even buy clothing emblazoned with a QR code, allowing anyone with a smartphone scanner app to instantly price-check me like a 160lb bar-coded ham.

But I don’t see the technology really catching on yet. It’s hard to scan anything in the dimly-lit beer-soaked after-hours events where I prefer to network. I’m not sure I would look too good in QR checker patterned sport coat. And I can’t remember the last time I bumped someone (other than my wife).

In fact, just the other day I was at a PowerPlant 10 Green Leaders event at the Tiki Lounge in Vancouver’s retro-glam Waldorf Hotel, swapping business cards like Fred Flintstone at a Water Buffalo convention. One designer showed off a card she thought was particularly sexy, even though it wasn’t hers. We mused over whether flower-seed-infused super-sustainable paper business cards would grow if planted (see below for the answer). I handed out my usual assortment of stamped recycled rubbish from my blue-bin, which most always seems to start a conversation. And the next day, I dutifully went through my pocket full of paper, entering names and emails and following up on the many interesting conversations I had between beers.

Frankly, I don’t know if I would have taken that extra step to reach out and touch someone if, upon meeting them, their email address had magically morphed itself into my database.

So I believe the death of the business card has been greatly exaggerated. In fact, there is more opportunity than ever to create an introduction piece that goes beyond mere digital efficiency. It will never end up in a Rolodex, but if a card starts a conversation, encourages someone to remember your brand, and respectfully biodegrades afterwards, its future is secure.

Yes, the seed-paper-business card will grow if planted, but apparently you need to water it occasionally.

Last night I attended Vertality2, a sustainable business networking event put on by Vancouver’s Board of Change. It’s part of my 2012 Resolution Pak™ to attend more of these things and network a little more effectively. Which sounds good until I am really too busy to go, and find myself looking around a room full of people I don’t know and thinking I should just get back home to catch up on work.

Fortunately, beer came to the rescue. I had one, which caused me to hang around long enough to spot someone I did know. Chris Livingstone, the Director of All Sorts Of Things at Globe (including the EPIC Vancouver show) and a guy who can put more names to faces than anyone I know. So I had another beer (Thanks, Chris) and before I knew it, I was talking to more people I didn’t even know.

The best part is, these were really good conversations. Green building standards, sustainability in the oil patch (?!), entrepreneurial ventures, sponsorship, yoga, car co-ops… smart people sharing lots of good ideas. And of course, more beer.

Mercifully quick speeches from representatives of Saltspring Coffee, Vancity and Hollyhock reminded me of just how human the successful corporate face of change is in this city. Monika Marcovici and Sonny Wong folowed up with the announcement of the one-thousand and first member of the Board of Change.

As I had another beer, I began to feel invigorated. Maybe we are building a critical mass of positive green thinking. Maybe the Rebel Alliance can muster a charge against the Empire. Maybe the changes I am working to make in my life and work are part of something greater.

Thanks, Board of Change. Thanks, Beer.

“OK, team, here’s the brief. We have a planet. Beautiful blue ball. Happy inhabitants threatened with a global emissions crisis that could cook the whole thing like an egg. We need to brand a planetary climate treaty. A deal that will galvanize everyone from CEO’s to little old ladies into international action to save the day! It’s the pitch of a lifetime!! So what do we call it? I need ideas, people!”

“Uh… how about Kyoto…”

“Kyoto?? What the hell does that have to do with anything? Who in their green mind is going to rally behind the name of an obscure Japanese town that doesn’t even have a Whole Foods™ market? You’re FIRED! And I need a drink…”

I know branding can’t solve everything, but it’s no surprise that the headline ‘Canada withdraws from Kyoto’ is met with a shrug. Sounds like a failed minor military campaign from WW2. “Sorry, chief – we pulled out. It was just too boring there.”

It would have sounded much more dramatic if Canada had to announce they were pulling out of the “Save-Our-Planet Agreement”. Or that Harper moved to block the “Global Disaster Aversion Treaty”.

Nothing against the fine people of Kyoto, but even they must be feeling the backwash from the negative press the name of their fine city is receiving.

Now we have Durban. (“Rhymes with turban! Could be catchy….?” No?”) And yet another deal in the making. Next year, negotiations will begin on a new, legally binding accord that will be signed by 2015 and come into force by 2020.

So we have about 3 years to come up with a better brand to save the world.

Don Draper, where are you?

Why should I risk my fingers rinsing out locally line-caught albacore tuna cans when some steel-toed doofus can mindlessly chuck his big mac wrappers right on top of the perfectly-recyclable cardboard, steel, and wood waste he spent the morning mixing together in a landfill-bound dumpster? How hard would it be to invent a materials separation system that is as easy as chucking it in the bin?

Well, the answer turns out to be, not very difficult at all. If you have Photoshop.

It’s a little more challenging to do in real life, but the City of Vancouver and Metro Vancouver appear to be taking it on. Under the Zero Waste category of Vancouver’s Greenest City Action Plan, a section called Enhance Construction, Renovation & Demolition Recycling tackles this very issue, with a series of proposed projects and legal amendments. A bit more Googling led me to this Metro Vancouver PDF, asking for feedback on mandatory construction and demolition  recycling regulations.

No doubt many trades and developers will be howling like scorched cats at this latest affront to the easiest possible path to profit. But it really has to happen. And when it does, the recycler that can bring the easiest most intuitive system to market should be able to really clean up.

And all us happy home recyclers won’t feel quite as duped.

An Emily Carr Art Student Installation I think

Biking the Greenway to a meeting in East Van, I spotted this news box outside the Emily Carr University of Art campus. Nice work, whoever. You got it in one.