EcoSector Blog » Ecopreneurs

This should prove we mean business!

admin — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 17:31:08 +0000

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?

Kiva.org is following EcoSector’s tweets!

admin — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 15:00:03 +0000

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!

How green is your biz card?

admin — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 00:05:45 +0000

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…

Compostable gift packaging

admin — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 17:50:31 +0000

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.

Back to green business, who’da…

admin — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 19:59:17 +0000

Back to green business, who’da thunk you could sell solar-panels to the poor? http://tinyurl.com/6zv37l Meredith did!

I love to backpack, but couldn…

admin — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 19:55:49 +0000

I love to backpack, but couldn’t find a light, thin wallet, so I invented my own: http://butterflywallet.com. What do you think?

Tony’s tacos are greener than …

admin — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 16:52:07 +0000

Tony’s tacos are greener than the chiles! http://tinyurl.com/67q4zd

Sorensen’s “bubble pump” flows…

admin — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 17:43:52 +0000

Sorensen’s “bubble pump” flows your solar shower without electric power: http://tinyurl.com/62hgbu

this is cool – Zach turns sewe…

admin — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 18:11:40 +0000

this is cool – Zach turns sewer grease to fuel: http://tinyurl.com/63jqmm

Beyond clean-tech and green-tech

admin — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 18:06:53 +0000

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.