208-596-6500 | It seems last week’s post On Beyond Kiva is getting read by a lot of people — Kiva.org itself started following EcoSector’s twitter tweets!
Ecopreneurs
21
Nov 08
How green is your biz card?
I guess I’m just in a bloggy mood today. I got a nice note just now from Ely Fall of Biz Card, a Portal member, and that reminded me I’d wanted to mention what they do.
Having been in green business for 25 years, it’s been constantly aggravating that I couldn’t find a fast easy card printer that used post-consumer waste stock, and other good things. Seems like Biz Card is working hard at bridging that gap. On their environment page, they make a pretty bold and fascinating statement:
“Aside from the moral aspect, green printing can be the cheaper alternative for businesses aiming to reduce operational costs and to make do with limited capital.”
That’s an important message for people to hear, especially in this economy. They say they’ll plant a tree for you too, if you buy from them…
21
Nov 08
Compostable gift packaging
I was inpsired by todays’ new public profile by Eco-Friendly Market. They make gift baskets and other items out of natural and organic materials.
When you’re done enjoying your holiday basket, you can just compost the basket itself along with your banana peels!
That’s an idea that really makes sense. Years ago, in India, they used to serve tea on the trains in clay cups. You threw the cup out the window and it turned to soil.
The Market’s “commitment to nature” is a great example of how a company doing seemingly conventional work can express and accomplish a significant benefit to people and the biosphere.
16
Aug 08
Back to green business, who’da…
Back to green business, who’da thunk you could sell solar-panels to the poor? http://tinyurl.com/6zv37l Meredith did!
16
Aug 08
I love to backpack, but couldn…
I love to backpack, but couldn’t find a light, thin wallet, so I invented my own: http://butterflywallet.com. What do you think?
21
Jul 08
Tony’s tacos are greener than …
Tony’s tacos are greener than the chiles! http://tinyurl.com/67q4zd
14
Jul 08
Sorensen’s “bubble pump” flows…
Sorensen’s “bubble pump” flows your solar shower without electric power: http://tinyurl.com/62hgbu
1
Jul 08
this is cool – Zach turns sewe…
this is cool – Zach turns sewer grease to fuel: http://tinyurl.com/63jqmm
2
Jun 08
Beyond clean-tech and green-tech
Words make a big difference in how we perceive things. For example, the regular use of the word “biodiversity” today reflects a common understanding and shared philosophy regarding the workings and the importance of nature that didn’t exist a few decades ago.
The hot buzz-words “clean-tech” and “green-tech” have been on my mind lately. Nothing wrong with either — I like “clean”, I like “green”, and I even like “tech”. While the economic growth associated with these words is exciting, let’s take a moment to recognize the limitations of the underlying philosophical concepts these words describe.
A Public Profile posted by Pangaea Ecological Solutions over the weekend neatly says what I’ve been thinking, so I’d like to showcase a snippet of their listing…
“We use ecology, not technological products to meet the demands of human living systems. This means we are committed to treating ourselves as part of the ecosystem. Our “product” is the natural world, and has been proven for billions of years!”
Pangaea is pointing at something fundamental as we consider the future of society and the economy. “Tech” implies the continued heavy involvement of human effort, where “ecology” as used here implies allowing nature to do more and more of the work for us. As a result, ecological approaches can be even better for the economy and even more effective in accomplishing goals than technology-based solutions for today’s mega challenges.
4
Jun 09
This should prove we mean business!
One of the biggest challenges I’ve faced in growing EcoSector is the tired old notion that protecting the environment is just for charities. This new article should prove we mean business: Can Ecosystem Restoration Businesses Lead the Green Economy?