BE Green has gathered folks from all over to help you make sense of sustainability. Our presenters know what they're talking about. After attending BE Green, you will too. These are the people who will offer their expertise, inside knowledge, and awareness of local resources to help you BE Green. We're honored to have them. Cick on links below to learn more.
Session One -
12:00 p.m. to 12:45 p.m.
Mary Rose, Co-Director of the Network for Business Innovation
and Sustainability, will moderate a panel of business leaders who
are going "beyond green" to take a strategic approach to
sustainability. Learn why strategic sustainability is a competitive
advantage, how internal advocates have promoted and implemented
initiatives and how documenting and reporting builds success.
Mary Rose, Co-Director
NBIS
Network for Business Innovation and
Sustainability
Mary Rose is a member of the Bellevue College
Advisory Board for the new Sustainable Business certificate and AA
programs. For two years, she provided staff support for Governor
Gregoire's 2010 Task Force, conducting business development and
tourism initiatives to maximize opportunities and address
challenges for Washington State in connection with the 2010 Winter
Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia. Her background includes
more than 20 years in education and community relations with
positions at the University of Washington, Lakeside School and
Columbia University. She holds a Master of Divinity degree from
Union Theological Seminary in New York City and BA from Earlham
College.
NBIS convenes a diverse membership that spans
industries and supports and highlights innovative companies and
best practices. NBIS members are passionate, dedicated people with
much talent to be shared. By providing a hub for this talent and
opportunities for people to meet for social and professional
networking, NBIS creates valuable links between companies and the
technical assistance and expertise provided by its members. Members
include academic institutions, government agencies and the
collaborative resources of individuals and businesses charting the
path to sustainability.
It's not enough to appear green anymore. Consumers don't buy it.
These days, green marketing must coincide with sustainable business
practice, transparency and accountability. We'll teach you about
greenwashing, what it is, how to spot, how it can hurt your
business, and how to avoid it. We'll help you debunk myths and
common misconceptions about marketing green products. And we'll
teach you the difference between building buzz and developing a
marketing strategy that delivers sustainable results for your green
products and initiatives.
Paul Schrag and Mary K Johnson
ISIRIS
Design | Marketing | Consulting
Paul Schrag
Paul is an award-winning journalist, novelist, marketing and
business consultant, photographer and musician. He spent most of
the past decade covering health care, communications and
environmental business beats at the Business Examiner newspaper.
Schrag also is co-founder of Environmental Aesthetics, a residency
program that invites sound artists from around the world to compose
and perform experimental works in an abandoned nuclear cooling
tower in Satsop, Wa. His first full-length non-fiction work,
The Suppressed History of America, will be available in
June from Inner Traditions - Bear & Co.
Mary K Johnson
Mary K is an award winning graphic designer with a background in
print graphics. She got her start in packaging design with a
wholesale toy distributor, creating new packaging, extending
existing line looks, and assisting with catalog development, layout
and photography. From there, she joined the design team at Costco
Wholesale, where she worked in package design, developed various
Kirkland Signature products, directed photo shoots and won national
awards.
Isiris is the difference between a shot in the dark and a friendly hand reaching out. Trust us when we say it makes all the difference in the world. Marketing isn't a numbers game anymore. It's a people game. It has to be.
Isiris combines comprehensive branding services with
unique communications techniques to create unrivaled promotional
platforms for its clients. From journalism to psychology,
neurology, sociology, sacred geometry, color theory, in-depth
market research and digital design, Isiris combines proven methods
with emerging, unconventional disciplines to supercharge your
communications strategies.
Like most of our clients, we take a holistic approach.
If you want to learn how to reach the people who need you -
quickly, effectively and affordably - we'd like to help. We offer a
full range of innovative marketing plans, products and strategies
that have been created for people just like you.
Finally, we only do work we believe in. We love what we do. We believe in what we do, and we believe in what our clients do.
Choose to work with us, and you'll see what a difference
that makes
Session Two - 1:00
p.m. to 1:45 p.m.
IERE will present the basics of Life Cycle Assessment. Carbon foot printing, one aspect of LCA, will be addressed by TacomaACTS and demonstrate how and why businesses should use a carbon footprint calculator as the first step in their sustainability efforts. TacomaACTS will recognize the businesses in Tacoma who are using the carbon footprint calculator and summarize their successes and challenges.
Rita Schenck and Stephanie Gowing
TacomaACTS and
IERE
Rita Schenck holds a doctorate in oceanography
(concentrating on ecotoxicology and biogeochemistry) and many years
experience in industry, managing environmental programs. Rita
represents the US in negotiating life cycle standards under the ISO
14000 standards (Environmental Management Systems). She is also a
consultant to the US EPA Science Advisory Board. Rita has been
working developing the Agricultural EMS Program, and doing research
on Biodiversity/Land Use indicators.
Stephanie Gowing, M.ES, LEED AP, CSBA has more than
5 years experience in sustainability planning and environmental
compliance.
Steve Seroshek
Avaunt Technologies
Steve Seroshek,will provide an overview of some of the latest developments in GreenIT. He will also discussGreenIT actions businesses and organizations can taketo dramatically increase productivity and generate significant bottom-line savings.
Steve Seroshek is a former Microsoft product manager
whose company provides a full range of IT services for more than
200 clients in healthcare, law, finance, manufacturing and service
companies.
Session Three -
2:00 p.m. to 2:45 p.m.
What are the green checkboxes on Northwest Multiple Listing Service
Stats? How do green homes preform against non-green homes? Who are
the green home buyers? What motivates them? Community focused
development - is it the next trend in housing? Energy Retrofits -
is it the next trend in resale housing? These are just a few of the
questions that will be answered. If you buy and sell homes, this is
your glimpse into the future of real estate.
Ben A Kaufman
Greenworks Realty and Development
http://www.greenworksrealty.com
Ben Kaufmann is the Founder and Designated Broker
of GreenWorks Realty, which manages more than $60 Million in real
estate transactions. Ben uses his vision and passion to promote
GreenWorks Realty's mission to improve the livability and
sustainability of our community. Ben co-founded Co-Opportunities
Northwest, a 2001 conference to identify and advance emerging
trends in sustainable community development in Puget Sound and
participated in the Governor's Sustainability Roundtable in
2002.
Ben's recent achievements include drafting the Environmental
Certification checkbox additions to the Northwest Multiple Listing
Service, and authoring the first study using MLS data to compare
environmentally certified homes to non-certified homes in the
United States. Ben also helped develop GreenWorks Realty's 14
clock-hour state approved class, Green Agent Essentials, for local
Real Estate Agents. The Master Builders Association of King and
Snohomish County recently awarded Ben with a "Built Green™ Pioneer
Award" at the 2009 Built Green Conference in Seattle.
Shorebank Pacific will explain why and how businesses and
organizations can achieve their financial, environmental and
community supportive goals using case studies and examples.
Kathleen will provide a brief introduction on how The Natural Step
framework is used as the basis for her work with clients.
Kathleen Sayce
Shorebank Pacific
Kathleen Sayce, ShoreBank Pacific's Science Officer, uses a sustainable assessment system to review potential loans and to assist customers. Sayce helped develop this process, which is guided by principles based in the Natural Step, including ecology and thermodynamics, and community relations, to help businesses improve profitability. Other aspects of her work include participation in stewardship activities, consulting on wetland delineation and mitigation, and endangered species management issues.
The economy and the environment are linked. In this session we will examine scales of process improvement to drive sustainability. We no longer have to choose between the largely social benefits of sustainability and the financial cost of doing so. More than ever, organizations are doing more with less. By using Lean to drive innovative behavior, we can deliver customer value such as reduced cost, increased quality and risk allocation.
Tien Peng
GreenPlum Street
A strategic planner dedicated to equitable and sustainable
solutions, Tien Peng started GreenPlum Street in 2010 to
focus on increasing organizational productivity through Triple
Bottom Line profitability. Experienced in lean transformation and
product development, GreenPlum Street seeks to grow organizations
by doing good.
Case studies and examples will be featured about Simpson Tacoma
Kraft's investments and exploration of new technologies aimed at
building a sustainable business model and includes green energy,
carbon sequestration and green house gas reduction, water
conservation, habitat preservation and restoration, and the
Sustainable Forestry Initiative.
Dave McEntee
Simpson Tacoma Kraft Company
Simpson Tacoma Kraft Company, LLC manufactures recycle
content bleached and unbleached Kraft pulp and linerboard at its
mill in Tacoma, Washington. The mill employs advanced paper
recycling techniques and recycles 500 tons of waste paper and boxes
every day, turning it into high-quality packaging paper while
improving the environment. In 2009 the mill began manufacturing 50
Mega Watts of green renewable energy from renewable biomass fuels.
This new business line provides enough carbon neutral green power
to light up over 40,000 homes.
Return on Sustainability (ROS) process simplifies the complex
job of creating a prioritized sustainability implementation plan.
Examples of finding fun, cooperative project ideas, evaluating
their cost and payback, brand value, ease of implementation and
sustainability benefits show that return on sustainability is not
only profitable - but it's also FUN.
Kevin Whitlam
Sustainable Consulting
http://www.sustainablebizconsulting.com
Kevin Wilhelm founded SBC five years ago with two ideas in mind: to help businesses create sustainable prosperity and to be a fun and great place to work. Since 2004 we have been helping all kinds of organizations shift the way they operate to tackle the big problems facing our world while also becoming an award-winning workplace.
Sonia Jewell will share how she and her husband transformed a
desiccated retail space on Tacoma's Sixth Ave. into an
award-winning day spa using green building techniques and
materials.
Did you know that in 2010 the citizens of Pierce County disposed of
approximately 375,000 tons of waste? Did you know that more than
25% of that could have been recycled? What should we do? What can
you do? This presentation will take a look at some of these
questions along with how the region as a whole can take steps to
reduce our carbon footprint and take practical steps to move from
waste to resources.
Jody Snyder
Waste Connections
http://www.wasteconnections.com/
As an environmental service company with a large presence in the West Coast, sustainability is not a new concept for Waste Connections. Over the years, WCI has recycled a significant portion of the waste stream on the West Coast, with diversion rates in some markets in excess of 70%. WCI's recycling efforts recover valuable materials for reuse, and include the composting of organic materials for reuse as a soil amendment. In addition to recycling and recovery, WCI also harvest methane gas from its landfills to generate renewable energy to power homes, small industry and, eventually its own fleet.
Everything WCI does today is with an eye towards the
future.
Climate Solutions
Ross manages Climate
Solutions'
Business Partnership program, which helps build support in the
region's corporate community for strong climate and
energy policy and private investment in solutions. He
was selected by peers as a "2010 Pivotal Leader", which recognizes
a few individuals who are have the skills and experience to drive
the region's clean energy economy. Ross is active in promoting good
climate and energy policy - he was one of the lead
drafters and advocates for the 2008 Washington
Climate Action and Green Jobs bill, and has
worked extensively with the region's federal delegation.
Ross Macfarlane brings more than 25 years of experience
working on public policy and environmental issues. He was a partner
at Preston Gates & Ellis (now K&L Gates) where he managed
the environmental law practice and represented a wide range of
public and private clients. He was recognized as a "Superlawyer" in
the areas of Environmental, Transportation and Public law. He also
served on the management team for an agency working to build urban
mass transit. He has served on numerous boards, including
Washington Conservation Voters, and is currently on the Advisory
Boards for the Northwest Energy Angels and Three Degrees. Ross was
a founding member of the Clean Economy Network.
Downtown: On the Go! and Pierce Transit will present the why's and how's of sustainable transportation in the workplace, including specific examples of how these two organizations have worked one-on-one with Pierce County employers to create transportation programs that encourage employees to use more sustainable commute options.
Katrina Bloemsma & Julia Peterson
Pierce Transit and Downtown on the
Go!
Pierce Transit works with businesses of all sizes
across Pierce County to develop worksite transportation programs in
an effort to reduce the drive alone rate, improve air quality, and
encourage community growth and development. Pierce Transit helps
coordinate county-wide campaigns, commuter education and
encouragement, and works with businesses to provide transit passes
to employees.
Downtown: On the Go! is the transportation advocate for
anyone whose daily life is downtown. They fulfill this role by
educating about transportation choices other than driving alone;
encouraging use of transit, ridesharing, biking, walking, and
flexible work arrangements; and advocating for transportation
choices and land use policies that promote a vibrant and integrated
downtown. DOTGo! is steered by a board of directors representing 21
downtown businesses, organizations, and agencies committed to
leveraging their resources and relationships to reduce the downtown
drive alone rate by 11% by 2015.
Did you know that the State Dept. of Ecology offers programs that could show your company how to save thousands of dollars per year? Ecology offers free or reduced cost assessments for industrial facilities in Washington state that can help business owners assess lean manufacturing options; find ways to save money with compressed air, thermal loss and other energy efficiency screening assessments; target water waste with water use reduction assesments; and manage toxins and other chemical and hazardous waste generation with reductions plans.
www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/hwtr/lean
Hugh O'Neill grew up in the Geddes Brook watershed near
Syracuse, NY and now calls Olympia home. Hugh has worked on
pollution prevention & waste reduction issues for the Ecology
for over two decades. He currently supervises the Toxics Reduction
Unit in Ecology's Southwest Office. Hugh has helped to develop,
support and manage several business assistance services at Ecology
including: the Energy Efficiency (and greenhouse gas reduction)
Team, in partnership with WSU Extension Energy Program, UW, and
utilities; and the Lean and Green Assistance Team, in partnership
with Impact Washington.
Lynn Coleman is an engineer with expertise in hazardous
waste reduction and water use efficiency. For the last 10 years,
she has worked with various industrial facilities to reduce
resource use. Lynn co-leads Ecology's Technical Resources for
Engineering Efficiency (TREE) Team.
The Department of Ecology has technical assistance and
enforcement branches. Staff working on these assessment come only
from the technical assistance branch. We have worked with 100's of
industrial facilities on pollution prevention planning and
implementation. Ecology partners with Impact Washington and WSU
Extension Energy Program to provide services. Impact Washington is
the Washington State Manufacturing Extension Partner. They provide
lean manufacturing assistance through value stream mapping, kaizen,
and other lean methods. WSU Extension Energy provides detailed
energy assessments for industrial facilities.
There are many different ways to reduce energy consumption and costs at your business. This presentation will focus on the technical services offered by Tacoma Power's conservation team. In addition, there are financial incentives and zero interest financing available from Tacoma Power to make your project a reality. Case studies of successful projects will also be presented.
Tacoma Power
Peter Meyer is the Commercial-Industrial Conservation Manager at Tacoma Power. He is a Certified Energy Manager with the Association of Energy Engineers. He is a former Board Member of the Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance. He has developed, managed and implemented a variety of energy conservation programs over the past 20 years. Peter graduated from Hampshire College with a major in Energy Studies.
NBIS convenes a diverse membership that spans industries and supports and highlights
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