Sustainable & Responsible Businesses - 2008 Recap

Each week we highlight a "Sustainable & Responsible Business of the Week." We want to give you a broad picture of for-profit companies pursuing positive economic, environmental, and social impacts. Fortunately, the list is growing of companies that are models for success and of companies leading change in this new era of sustainable business.

If you are not familiar with these companies, read our posts and visit their websites! We look forward to highlighting more Sustainable & Responsible Businesses of the Week in the upcoming year and we hope you'll pledge to make your business more sustainable in 2009. "Because sustainable business is good business!"

To recap from 2008, here are our picks for Sustainable & Responsible Businesses of the Week:


Alaffia/Agbanga Karite

Asha Imports

baabaaZuZu

Better World Club

BetterWorld Telecom

Brilliant Earth

Boutique Mix

Burgerville

Clean Air Lawn Care

Clean Green Collision

Durango McKinley Paper Company

Earth Tones

ECO Car Wash

Fair Trade Sports

FIO360

Frog's Leap Winery

Gaia Napa Valley Hotel & Spa

Galactic Pizza

Greyston Bakery

Great Lakes Brewing Company

Green Microgym

Greenway Maid

Higher Grounds Trading Company

Hopworks Urban Brewery

IceStone

Immaculate Baking Company

Indigenous Designs

Izzy's Ice Cream

Juice Peddler

LJ Urban

Massanelli's Cleaners

Mom's Best Naturals

Natural Fusion Hair Studio

Newman's Own

Palm Theater

Pinehurst Inn

Pizza Fusion

sweetriot

SunNight Solar

Tropical Salvage

VerTerra

White Bear Racquet & Swim Club

White Dog Cafe

Zambezi Organic Forest Honey

Happy Holidays from your friends at Sustainable Business Design Consulting.

Sustainable & Responsible Business of the Week: If they can do it, so can you!

Our Top Stories of 2008

In case you missed them the first time around, here are our most read 2008 posts (judged by number of hits). We hope you enjoy reading them (again).

1. Where to Get a Business Degree in Sustainability



2. Educate to Escape



3. Four Day Work Week Gains Popularity



4. Holiday Cards With A Purpose



5. Research: How Green Are Biofuels?



6. Chicago Green Business Conference



7. Dr. Seuss Lorax Challenge Winners



8. The Sustainability of Corn-Based Products



9. IceStone- Sustainable & Responsible Business of the Week



10. Richard Branson's Latest Eco-Ventures

Mighty Green Paper: Sustainable Business Design Does Carbon Consulting Right

Thanks to Olga Orda (Equo3 Strategies, a sustainability public relations, writing, and research firm) for the following great write-up at Green Options.

When companies make the shift to reduce the carbon footprint of their supply chain, paper is one of the first – but perhaps most overlooked – ways to shed those office carbon pounds.

But the carbon, environmental and cost savings benefits of switching from virgin paper to more sustainable paper didn’t escape Sustainable Business Design - a consulting firm that provides carbon footprint, greenhouse gas audits and “The Low Carb Corporate Diet” ™ service.

Nancy E. Landrum, Ph.D., of SBD demonstrated that a local, multi-site client who had not thought about paper purchasing as a way to “go green” experienced “immediate environmental and financial success in their quest for green” by simply making the change to recycled paper.

But how big of a success was it exactly?

“The final combination of paper choices recommended to the client represented a 10% cost savings, 13% fewer carbon dioxide emissions, and 35% fewer trees when compared to their previous product,” says Landrum.

And, if offering climate change and carbon strategies that work wasn’t enough, Landrum oversees a blog worth reading at http://www.sustainablebusinessdesign.blogspot.com/, check out the January 30 post for a list of useful webinars like “A Guide to Green Purchasing (Feb. 20)”. It’s like attending a green learning conference across the country minus the across country flight emissions – we are loving it.

Sustainable Business Design Featured on GenGreen Network

GenGreen™ has named Sustainable Business Design as the Featured Business on the GenGreen Network, http://www.gengreen.org/ in Little Rock AR. GenGreen chose Sustainable Business Design for their outstanding efforts in green business practice and for their promotion of sustainable living through their consulting services.

GenGreen selects businesses that they feel set an example for their communities. They choose these companies to acknowledge them for their efforts in environmental stewardship. Being named one of The GenGreen “New Green Leaders” is a highly sought after title that GenGreen is pleased to give to Sustainable Business Design.

GenGreen, a company headquartered in Colorado, created its’ network to help people throughout the United States live their sustainable lives more easily by finding the “green” companies, organizations and people on a local level. Businesses can post green jobs and events on the website. Community members can participate in the dynamic nature of the website by connecting to different groups, blog and find eco-friendly resources in their area.

For more information go to http://www.gengreen.org/, or email info@gengreen.org.

For more information on Sustainable Business Design, contact info@sustainablebusinessdesign.biz.

Tell Us What You Want: Help Us Improve Our Site

Do you have suggestions for what we should include on our site? We have put a brief survey on our site asking what items you would like to see increased on our site in 2008.


More "Sustainable & Responsible Business of the Week" features? Posts notifying readers of upcoming sustainability- and CSR-related webinars? More about the links on business education programs in sustainability and CSR? Keep you posted on upcoming conferences in sustainability and CSR? More coverage of the research on sustainability and CSR? More sustainability and green tips for businesses? More coverage of news items related to sustainability and CSR? More coverage of news and items related to the base of the pyramid? Other items (use the comment feature to suggest other items)?


Your votes will help us increase items of interest to our readership and decrease items of less interest. Hurry and get your voice heard! Voting ends January 30th.

Our Top Stories of 2007

In case you missed it the first time around, here are our most viewed stories of 2007:

1. Keen Footwear & Simple Shoes - Sustainable & Responsible Businesses of the Week



2. One Laptop Per Child Goes BOGO



3. Green-Collar Jobs are Good Jobs



4. Have an Idea for a Solar-Powered Router for the BOP?



5. Richardson's New Energy Revolution to be Presented at GreenXChange Conference



6. What Toxic Chemicals Are Inside Your Cell Phone?



7. New CEO for Coca-Cola



8. Earth Class Mail - Sustainable & Responsible Business of the Week



9. 100 Most Influential People in Business Ethics



10. GLOBE 2008 Trade Fair and Conference on Business and the Environment

Thanks for your readership and support in 2007! And here's to more sustainable business in 2008!

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