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Tip of the Week | Blog | Upcoming Events | What's New | About | Subscription
Welcome to the Green Career Tip of the Week
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Online Version of this Issue Green Career Tips Archive
Ever wonder how the green movement started? Wonder if it will last? Read this week's tip to learn about people and companies that changed the way the world does business.
Carol will be guest speaker at SolFest XIII in Hopland, CA this August 16th. Check out the Upcoming Events section below for more information.
Did you get a f.r.e.e month on the Green Career Central site this week? Scroll down to see if the beginning of your email is next to the treasure chest. We do this every week!
Highlighted Event
Interview with Green Industry Expert Danny Beesley - Register Now!
Members and Green Career Tip Subscribers: Mark Your Calendar!! GCC has a series of new interviews coming to you and the first one is now booked! We are proud to present a live phone interview with:
Danny Beesley
Green Building Industry Expert
We'll be talking about trends in the green building industry
and tips for entering this industry.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
6 pm Pacific Time
If you are interested in getting into the green building industry, register for this f-r-e-e event - open to members and Green Career Tip subscribers.
Members, learn more about Danny and his coaching services.
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Tip of the Week: 20 Ideas that Changed the Way the World Does Business
The world as we know it is transforming: the push toward local and organic food, the desire to monitor and reduce one’s environmental footprint, the spread of renewable energy and the move toward sustainability.
The changes appear to be happening so fast we wonder if we are seeing solid change or a series of fads that will fade as fast as they appeared.
A History of Change
I recently ran across Social Venture Network’s list of 20 ideas that have changed the way the world does business that gives us a bit of historical perspective on today’s popular trends.
As I read through the ideas, I thought of the following quote by Margaret Mead:
"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful,
committed people can change the world.
Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."
Social Venture Network
The Social Venture Network is a “peer-to-peer network of CEOs, founders, nonprofit leaders, investors, and senior executives of some of the most socially and environmentally progressive companies in the world.” SVN members continuously demonstrate their passion for creating socially responsible and environmentally sustainable businesses that touch the way we all do business.
Their tagline is “Transforming the way the world does business” for good reason. Over the last few decades, SVN members have pioneered and strengthened some of the cornerstone trends of the new green/sustainable/socially responsible economy.
A Timeline of Ideas
Each of the ideas listed below was conceived of and nurtured by one or more of the Social Venture Network Members. (Due to space limitations we couldn’t include all 20 ideas in this article. Members: click through to the article on the site for the full list of 20 ideas.)
This list of ideas may hold an important clue to your passion and future career. As you read, ask yourself these questions:
1973 – Social Finance – A Chicago based ShoreBank created a financial institution that makes a profit while transforming inner city neighborhoods through loans and education. Now other organizations continue to advance social finance--RSF Social Finance, UNC Partners, Condor Ventures, MicroCredit Enterprises, Underdog Ventures and Renewal Partners.
1976 – Clean Technology - Physicist Amory Lovins, co-founder of Rocky Mountain Institute, wrote a controversial paper suggesting that more power plants were unnecessary and unaffordable. Thirty years later, in 2006, investors committed $71 billion in green energy. 1977 – Green Building - William McDonough designed and built the first solar-heated house in Ireland in 1977 and the first "green office" for the U.S. Environmental Defense Fund in 1985. McDonough's product and process design firm, McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry (MBDC) now offers a Cradle to Cradle Certification, which gives companies and consumers a way to measure products and production methods that are sustainable.
1978 – Natural Beauty Care - Founded by Horst Rechelbacher, Aveda has been at the fore of natural beauty care. Other companies such as Dr. Hauschka Skin Care, Dr. Bronner's and Warm Spirit continued the revolution of the beauty industry by offering products with a health and social mission.
1980 – Social Entrepreneurial - Bill Drayton, founder of Ashoka: Innovators for the Public, focused on providing social entrepreneurs with an entire web of resources to help them develop their visions into enterprises that fuel long-term social change. Today, this organization provides financial support to more than 2000 leading social entrepreneurs in over 60 countries
1982 – Educating Consumers – Co-op America was born of the belief that it was possible to build an economy that works for the people and the planet. Other organizations such as Rugmark, Global Exchange, Bioneers and the Rainforest Action Network continue in this tradition of educating consumers about crucial environmental and social issues.
1983 – Local Living Economies - Wicks and Hammel co-founded the Business Alliance for Local Living Economies (BALLE) at the 2001 SVN Fall Conference to support organizations in working collaboratively to decentralize business ownership, food production, and energy production into self-reliant local economies to restore the planet.
1983 – Organic Revolution – The Stoneyfield yogurt company has always held their values of environmental sustainability at the core of their business. Now other companies like Organic Valley, SPUD, Kopali and the Vermont Bread Company continue to thrive.
1987 – Socially Responsible Investing - SRI has also emerged as an important vehicle for consumers to demand that corporations operate ethically. Since 1987 Trillium has filed or co-filed over 200 corporate resolutions. In 1991 socially responsible investing started Domini Social Investments. (More here?)
1988 – Tread Lightly – Seventh Generation cleaning supply company, and later Clif Bars, and New Leaf Paper, developed their business in a way to minimize the footprint on the earth. Now other companies, such as Ecologic and Carbonfund.org, focus on reducing our carbon footprint.
1988 – Business for Social Change - Ben and Jerry’s used their Peace Pops to market their 1% for Peace Foundation to redirect 1% of the national defense budget to fund projects to promote peace, demonstrating that it was possible for successful businesses to address social concerns through their businesses. Working Assets, the telecommunication company, is following this model.
1998 – Fair Trade - Paul Rice launched TransFair USA which is the only US certifier of Fair Trade products. This critical move uses the power of business to eliminate exploitation in the global supply chain.
1999 - Natural Capitalists - Paul Hawken, Amory Lovins and L. Hunter Lovins wrote Natural Capitalism: Creating the Next Industrial Revolution to show how business needs and environmental needs overlap.
A New Respect
Clearly these ideas that are now seen as hot trends did not happen overnight.
We owe a great deal of gratitude to those who saw a path before there was one and who committed themselves to doing whatever it took to make their vision real. Those highlighted on this page are true pioneers that laid the foundation for the green economy that’s blossoming around us.
Member, scroll down to What's New at Green Career Central for information on how to download a document with career opportunities with the companies listed in this article.
Copyright © 2008 Transition Dynamics Enterprises, Inc.
Upcoming Events:
SolFest XIII –
Solar Living Institute
Hopland, California
August 16-17, 2008
On August 16th at 11am, Carol will be a guest speaker at SolFest, the world's premier two-day celebration of renewable energy and sustainable living. In her presentation entitled "What You Need to Know to Find Your Green Career," Carol will share tactics and strategies you can use to plug into the green economy.
For more information and for tickets check out the Solfest website.
"GCC's process was incredibly helpful in getting me started in a new career direction. The worksheets and brainstorming exercises in the What's Your Green Niche ebook helped me realize I already had the skills to launch a new green career. Today, less that four months later, I have a terrific salary doing business development for energy and environmental projects. Thanks to Green Career Central, my dream of merging my personal conviction with professional life came true."
-- Kelly Fergusson
Menlo Park Councilmember (Mayor, 2007) turned Business Development Manager of Energy & Environmental Solutions
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Are You Searching for Your Green Niche?
You know you want a green career, but do you know what you want to do in the green economy?
The key to discovering your green niche is pinpointing how to leverage your skills, passions, talents and experience to plug into the green economy.
When you know what part of the economy you want to target, you’ll have an entirely new level of clarity. With that new clarity, your current level of overwhelm and confusion will decrease.
The What’s Your Green Niche eBook eBook takes you through a step-by-step process to determine your green niche. Here's a list of some of the things you'll gain as you work through this eBook. You'll:
- Create your personal definition of success.
- Discover how you know what you are drawn to.
- Develop a list of your 40 favorite skills and interests with the help of checklists.
- Brainstorm over 40 career ideas based on your favorite skills and interests in an hour or so.
- Narrow your career ideas to your top two ideas.
- Develop a plan to achieve your green career goals whether you want to return to school, launch your job search, or start your business.
Members - Download (part of membership)
Non-Members - $55.00
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Green Career Central Blog:
Check out all the recent postings on the Green Career Central Blog.
Read the posts and add your comments
Membership Has Its Advantages!
The discussion forum topic, audios, ebook, and articles listed below are available to members of GreenCareerCentral.com as a part of their membership. If you're not a member and would like to have immediate access, we'd love to have you join us now!
Green Career Central is a membership site with a comprehensive set of easy-to-use programs, resources, and events to help people achieve their green career dreams whether they want to find a green job, start a green business, or get a green education.
  
"Carol, thanks for your first Tip of the Week. Connecting with what I'm drawn to brought tears to my eyes and made me feel happy and excited. I now know what I'm looking for in my green career. I will continue to look to you and yours for support as I make my way forward. Thank you." -- Cheryl, Chicago, IL
Read what other members are saying about Green Career Central here....
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This Week's Drawing for a
30-Day Trial Membership: geckolecko
If this is the beginning of your email address, contact us with a subject line of "Trial Membership" and we'll tell you how to get signed up for your 30-day trial membership to GreenCareerCentral.com. You must reply within 2 weeks of the date of this newsletter.
Current Members...you didn't think we'd leave you out, did you? If you see the beginning of your email address, we'll add one more month to your membership.
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What's New at GreenCareerCentral.com
New Job Listings Added This Week
Click here to see our latest job openings added to our Job Listing area this week!
New Downloadable File
If you want to work for a company that is sustainable and socially responsible, you'll be interested in our new list of green companies. This list includes companies mentioned in this week's Tip of the Week, as well as other companies that are run by members of the Social Venture Network.
In this downloadable document you'll find a list of companies, a description of their main business, their location, where they have job openings, and a link to their career page.
Cool Green Career Interviews
One of the best ways to learn what's possible in the Green Economy is to hear from people who have green careers.
Listen to interviews with our Green Career Experts
Articles
Thinking of owning your own green business or greening a business you already own?
Check out the articles to help you Go Green!
Did You Know...
...if you missed a Tip of the Week, you can read the archived publications?
Green Career Tips Archive
About Us
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Green Career CentralTM is a membership site for people who want to transform their passion for the environment into a prosperous green career.
Carol McClelland, PhD, founder and managing editor of this site, has helped thousands of people discover their dream career through her book Your Dream Career For Dummies and her work with individuals, groups, and students. Together with her team of experts, researchers and writers, Carol has pulled together sixteen years of experience into a broad collection of how-to articles, resources, support, and teleclasses to help you find your way to make a difference and prosper.
Why not have the green career you've been dreaming of? You can struggle on your own or gain support throughout your journey. The decision is obvious ... Join Us Now! |
Copyright (c) 2007-2008. Transition Dynamics Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Green Career CentralTM is a trademark of Transition Dynamics Enterprises, Inc
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