Partners
-
BetterWork Featured at Capitol Clean Tech EXPO
On April 20, Rep. Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), Federal Communications Commission Chair Julius Genachowski and Sprint CEO Dan Hesse were on hand for the first ever Capitol Clean Tech EXPO in the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington, D.C. The Clean Tech EXPO was held in honor of Earth Day and to showcase energy companies, non-profits and telecommunications organizations are showcasing advances in clean energy and environmentally friendly products and technology.... -
Seventh Annual William James Foundation Sustainable Business Plan Competition
This past weekend, we had the great fortune to help sponsor and attend the latest installment of the annual William James Foundation (WJF) Sustainable Business Plan Competition. Right out front we want to give out props to Ian Fisk who has been the driver and organizer of this competition as it has grown up over the past 7 years.... -
YPO Social Enterprise Networks 2010 CSR Award Winners
The Social Enterprise Networks of YPO (Young Presidents’ Organization) announced the winners of the 2010 Corporate Social Responsibility Award, recognizing YPO members and graduates for their contributions toward making a difference through their companies and charitable organizations. Awardees were recognized in the categories of Economic Justice/Community Impact, Leadership, Employee Impact, Sustainability, and Philanthropic/Non-Profit Organization.... -
The Eighth Annual Sacramento JAMMIES a Huge Success
The Mondavi Center A huge shout out to publisher Jeff vonKaenel, Morelle Ellison and the Sacramento News and Review (SN&R) team who were a major force in organizing and holding the eighth-annual JAMMIES Awards in Sacramento this past weekend. The Crest Theatre in Sacramento was the site for young contemporary musicians on Friday night and the beautiful UC Davis Mondavi Center played host on Saturday for the young classical musicians competing for the annual award & what has become a major launch pad for young musicians emerging from the Sacramento scene.... -
The Dream is Alive Fundraiser, Van Jones in the House
We were fortunate to catch the Art in Action – Oakland Green Youth Art and Media Center Dream is Alive fundraiser at the BetterWorld East Bay home, the Brower Center in Berkeley, a few days back. The turnout was amazing and the event raised over $20,000 for the new Oakland center.... -
We Can Lead!
Yes, we can lead. BetterWorld was fortunate this past week to be invited and, attend for the second time in the past six months, the Business Advocacy Day for Jobs, Climate & New Energy Leadership. The advocacy day was hosted by a number of organizations including our partner and customer, the Clean Economy Network (CEN).... -
Sustainability Up and Down the Left Coast
This past week, the BetterWorld team was fortunate to attend some great events and meetings up and down the west coast, seeing many familiar faces as well as many new ones. Here are some quick highlights of all the great customers, partners and new orgs that we met and saw: B Corp Portland and San Francisco Events: PremGroup’s hip HQ office was the scene last week where many existing Portland-area B Corp companies and some prospective B Corps gathered to share their own stories and learn more about the history and foundation of B Corp from co-founder, Jay Coen Gilbert.... -
Criterion’s Joy Anderson on Shaping Markets
BetterWorld customer and friend, Dr. Joy Anderson, was the featured speaker at the latest Hanson Bridgett Sustainable Business Leadership Forum, held this past Thursday in San Francisco. Joy is President and Founder of Criterion Ventures and a co-founder of Good Capital and had a full room considering the process and dynamics on how firms/organizations can move and shape markets, from a historical, modern and post-modern perspective.... -
Art in Action Launches New Youth Center in Oakland
As featured in today’s San Francisco Chronicle, BetterWorld customer and donation recipient Art in Action will be opening the doors next Thursday the 14th in downtown Oakland on its latest project, the Green Youth Arts and Media Center. An excerpt from today’s Chronicle: “The walls are freshly painted in blues, browns and whites, the bamboo dance floor is polished, and the sound equipment has been tested again and again.... -
Our Visit with Recovery Cafe
Last Friday I had the honor of meeting with David Coffey, Executive Director of Recovery Cafe — an inspirational person who runs an amazing organization serving men and women who are homeless, addicted, and/or suffering from mental illness. Recovery Cafe is a Seattle-based non-profit recovery support center that utilizes an alternative therapeutic community model.... -
Our Visit with Care2
Last week we had the pleasure of catching up with Randy Paynter, CEO an founder of Care2, a long -time BetterWorld customer and fellow B Corp company. Care2 and Randy require little introduction but in case you have been trapped under a rock for the last 10 years, Care2 has over 12.... -
Sustainable Industries Economic Forum – San Francisco
The BetterWorld team was out in force at the Sustainable Industries Economic Forum in San Francisco. JP, Jim, and Jacob represented at the BetterWorld sponsored table, alongside our guest representatives from Care2, Sun Light & Power, RSF Social Finance, Mother Jones Magazine, Social Venture Network, Give Something Back, and Hanson Bridgett.... -
Green Festival – San Francisco
This was my second year attending the Green Festival in San Francisco. As a fledgling in 2002, San Francisco started with only 50 speakers and a handful of special events. Last year, the San Francisco Green Festival boasted 3 days filled with the best in green, and continues to expand in size and scope.... -
Environment as Economic Engine Summit
We were fortunate this week to participate at the Nokia Siemens Networks' Environment as Economic Engine Summit, which was held at the Newseum in Washington, D.C. November 9-10. Speaking at the event were leading academics, trend analysts, as well as government and communications industry experts who were discuss and debating the wealth of opportunities offered by a sustainable business approach in the Information & Communications Technologies (ICT) sector.... -
The First B Corporation Annual Report
Just taking a moment to observe a great signpost in the road: B Labs released its First Annual B Corporation Report in the past week and we congratulate them on their amazing progress in helping to define a new class of corporation. In less than five years years, B Corp (B = “For Benefit) has moved from idea, to concept, off the drawing board and now to the first annual report is a great testament to the progress that has been made.... -
Washington D.C. GreenFest a Hit Again
The BetterWorld team was out in force this past weekend to visit with friends, customers and partners at the 6th Annual D.C. GreenFest – there were over 120 speakers, 350 exhibitors and tens of thousands in attendance again! We saw so many great folks, including our friends from Theo Chocolate (see pic of Dana from Theo, Ali and Asya to the left).... -
West Coast Green 2009 Wrapup
West Coast Green was the place to be last Thursday through Saturday, and Matt and I were sure to be there. We connect with many current and met many new friends, partners, and customers at the largest conference on green innovation for the built environment. Held at the Fort Mason Center in San Francisco, 14,000 thought leaders and forward thinkers convened to engage in dynamic, big-picture, systems-thinking to reinvent business, laugh, make connections, affect policy, and create meaningful and lasting positive change.... -
Our Visit with the Seattle Lighthouse for the Blind
In a word, wow – we are so fortunate to visit every day with organizations that are affecting positive change in the world, but every once in awhile, our perception of what can be is shifted for sure. Our visit with the the Seattle Lighthouse for the Blind last week was a lesson in what is possible if a community and some really committed people come together to help others in need.... -
Sacramento Sustainability Forum – September
We had another successful forum last week with Cecilia Jensen, Sacramento County’s Sustainability Program Manager, as our speaker. We’re continuing to grow our supporter base and bring in lots of new faces, agencies, businesses, and organizations. The venue this month was wild! We held it at Jon Affonzo’s Railbridge Cellars, and his second daughter had just been born that morning.... -
Green Your Theme Seattle
Fresh off a great meeting with EcoTextiles this afternoon, the BetterWorld train is tonight at Seattle’s eco-friendly indoor venue, Sodo Park — It’s a party, a fashion show and a B2B event sharing local resources for greening events. We’ve been sampling great organic, local food and wine from the Seattle and western WA area – all with the main goal of kicking off the necessary conversations to produce the greenest events in the United States.... -
PCC Natural Markets, Leading the Way
If you have been lucky enough to see Food, Inc. at the movie theaters, then you need look no further for a solution to the myriad of problems affecting our national food system than Seattle-based PCC Natural Food Markets. We were fortunate to visit yesterday with PCC, truly one of Seattle’s great treasures for over 55 years.... -
Adam Werbach at Hanson Bridgett
We had the pleasure of visiting our friends over at Hanson Bridgett LLP for one of their on-going Sustainable Business Leadership Forums this past Thursday to hear BetterWorld customer Adam Werbach, CEO of Saatchi & Saatchi S, talk about the future of sustainability. Hanson Bridgett is a fellow Founding B Corporation and green certified firm providing legal counsel to purpose-driven businesses.... -
Sustainable and Social Visits in Sacramento
We have been spending more time and energy in Sacramento lately, and are particularly excited about the Sacramento Sustainability Forum that we have put together with Rick Noss of Greenvision and Sacramento Green Drinks. We’ve got a great line up of speakers for the next four months, with David Mogavero, Senior Principal Mogavero Notestine Associates kicking it off for us.... -
Craiglist Foundation Bootcamp
“Imagine 1500 passionate people gathering together to change the world. That’s Boot Camp – a fun, intensive one day gathering where people learn how to bring their ideas for stronger communities into reality.” Salem and I had the great pleasure to serve as volunteers at Craigslist Foundation’s Boot Camp last Saturday.... -
Sustainable in Portland
We were in Portland yesterday and had the good fortune to meet with Desiree Williams-Rajee (who helped author the BGI-BetterWorld BetterWork white paper) with the City of Portland Bureau of Planning and Sustainability. It’s amazing to see first-hand the level of commitment that the City of Portland is making to many areas of sustainability, going far beyond the lip service that many municipalities are paying to the area of sustainability, administering mature programs from recycling to compositing, energy efficiency and weatherization....
