Green Your Business
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Benefit companies: They're (almost) here
Last week, Gov. John Kitzhaber signed into law House Bill 2296, which creates a new form of business entity called the “benefit company.” A benefit company is a business that, in addition to its principal…
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In the trenches: Wendy Carhart on Ecova's 'Princess of Energy'
Editor’s note: Over the next several weeks, Sustainable Business Oregon’s bloggers will be exploring the roles of workers in sustainability’s trenches. Send your ideas for profiles to Andy Giegerich…
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Blazers/Burgerville marketing campaign honored for sustainability sizzle
The Portland Trail Blazers have parlayed a sustainability-driven partnership with Burgerville into a top NBA sponsorship award. The Blazers won the 2013 NBA Team Sponsorship Activation of the Year Award,…
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Q-and-A: New Seasons' Wendy Collie on not wasting one's efforts
Wendy Collie, New Seasons Market’s president and CEO, is understandably excited about the grocer’s zero-waste designation, confirmed after a successful Portland State University Community Environmental…
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Future Energy Conference: Four tips on reenergizing your building
Chris Smith's company Energy 350 focuses on managing the energy demand of buildings. It makes sense, then, that Smith, speaking at Wednesday's Future Energy Conference, offered a set of rapid-fire pieces…
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The Oregon Resilience Plan: A call to expand the sustainability conversation
Resilience and sustainability are not the same, but they have a lot in common. Resilience tends to be concerned with the capacity to withstand and recover from disasters, both natural and human-caused. Both…
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Natural Grocers plans more Oregon locations
Natural Grocers, which just opened a location in Medford, has announced plans to open a Salem location in May. The company, technically known as Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, also said it will open…
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Struggling to sustain an industry's identity
Ecotrust, the groundbreaking Portland-based environmental and economic development nonprofit, is in the business of backing disruptive innovations that help the planet. Astrid Scholz, Ecotrust’s president,…
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'Worst polluters' tour targets noted Portland businesses
Cyclists took to the streets March 18 to call attention to Portland businesses they say have ties to pollution. The businesses include such Portland mainstays as ESCO Corp., David Evans and Associates…
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Nike seeks to ferret out non-green biz partners
Nike Inc. officials said Monday they’ve reached an agreement with a Swiss company that will help the local company procure more sustainable materials and chemistry types. Nike (NYSE: NKE) will work…
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Chez Marie unveils new eco-friendly packaging
A bustling area food manufacturer has added sustainable touches to its new retail packaging. The Chez Marie company's re-branding effort includes recyclable biodegradable containers for such goods as…
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Rocking the Cradle: Puma gets green designation
At the risk of stepping on my colleague Erik Siemers' Threads & Laces-covered toes, I couldn’t let this little item pass without a cursory mention. The Puma shoe company announced this week it has…
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Online 'eco-florist' teams with Kathy Ireland
Online florist Organic Bouquet has added some of supermodel Kathy Ireland's designing talents to its fold. Maitland, Fla.-based BLP Commerce Inc., Organic Bouquet’s parent company, and Ireland’s Kathy…
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Put down the bottle
Most Oregon businesses would not intentionally choose to increase costs by up to 2,000 percent, needlessly participate in a landfill catastrophe, and jeopardize employee and client health. Yet many do…
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Sustainability adds to profit for one-third of companies
More than a third of U.S. companies say their efforts to boost sustainability have, in turn, generated profits for their businesses, according to a report from Bloomberg. Roughly 37 percent of the executives…
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Portland startup Byngo marries sustainability with gaming
Lewis & Clark College is among several colleges and companies teaming with software startup Byngo to test-drive the Portland-based company's new cloud gaming software this week. Despite its name, the…
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Waste Management, Arizona State partner on sustainability forum
Waste Management Inc. and Arizona State University are partnering on the third annual Executive Sustainability Forum next week, providing business leaders with ideas on how to implement sustainability…
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Columbia Sportswear distributes $80,000 in grants for conservation projects
A program led by Columbia Sportswear Co. that issues grants to notable outdoors conservation projects grew by more than 50 percent in its second year. The Washington County-based outdoor apparel and footwear…
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How companies can get started on a greener path
In business, “sustainability” used to have a simple meaning, referring to a company’s ability to maintain and grow its operations and profits. Today, the term is much more worldly — often applying…
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Newsmakers: Herman D'Hooge on what makes smart cities tick
Herman D'Hooge wants cities to get smarter. Take Portland, for example. D'Hooge sees it as a system of systems — economy, housing, education, public safety, transportation, health care, government services…
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It's time to fix the pricing problem
Editor's note: Mason Walker serves on the Oregon Environmental Council's Emerging Leaders Board. At Sustainable Business Oregon I'm lucky to enjoy a front-row view of sustainability trends. In three…
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Portland's Skylab Architecture sees green potential in prefab
Jeff Kovel is having a big week. The principal at Portland-based Skylab Architecture is hosting on Friday an open house at the first installation by Homb, a joint venture between Skylab and Seattle-based…
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Emeryville Public Market's 'green living room' showcases sustainability
The Public Market in Emeryville features an international food court, shops, office space, coffee places and now, a “green living room.” San Francisco’s Exploratorium partnered with the property’s…
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Green marketing: Consider the righteous return
The store will remain unnamed, but I will mention that the item was non-perishable, expensive, organic and surrounded by fantastic customer service that included a free head massage and tea. As we often…
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What's the big deal about B Corps?
An effort is on to pass legislation in Oregon during the upcoming session that would create a legal framework for a new kind of company, one that bakes into its founding principles the idea of providing…
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