Green Business: Building Your Foundation

Building Your Foundation I am blessed to work everyday with innovators and entrepreneurs committed to following their passions. What's even more exciting is that many of these amazing folks are working on green and environmentally friendly innovations and it's my job to help them to be successful. Perhaps you have been interested in pursuing an entrepreneurial passion, there are lots of resources available to improve your understanding of what's needed to be a successful businessperson or social entrepreneur. I attended a session today on entrepreneurship that was organized by the Cleveland chapter of the Black MBA's. The knowledge today that is being shared is phenomenal! Looking for resources in your community? Start with the business departments of your local university, chapter of Black or Hispanic MBA's, economic development organization, Senator's office (see the Write Your Rep section of this blog), the Urban League or Small Business Administration. If you are interested in starting a business that will benefit humankind, checkout this article and this one on social entrepreneurship. No luck there? Shoot me an email at BN2G00@gmail.com. Some of the recommended books to read to prepare your mindset for the world of leadership, per the panelists and a few I tossed in:

Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill
Seven Habits of Effective Leaders by Steven Covey
The Art of The Start by Guy Kawasaki
The Lean Startup by Eric Ries
75 Green Businesses You Can Start to Make Money and Make a Difference

So there you go, and I don't have to tell you to incorporate sustainable business practices into your business model and operations.

Peace.

Pan African Movie: Official Movie Trailer for Lucky (2011-2012)

Official Movie Trailer for Lucky (2011-2012) It pays to give, often in unexpected ways. I am a volunteer for a fair trade retailer called Ten Thousand Villages (one of the World's Most Ethical Companies), which promotes and markets products made by artisan groups in over 30 countries. I was invited to help out at our table prior to the showing of a movie called Lucky at the Cleveland International Film Festival today. Not only did I meet some really cool and interesting people (Hi Mel from Brazil), but I had the wonderful experience of enjoying a wonderful and and emotional movie about an evolving relationship between a young Zulu boy mourning the loss of his mother and a bigoted Indian senior citizen. Click on the link above for a preview. If you have never attended an international film festival, don't miss out. Get your tickets early and enjoy an eclectic range of movies and be carried away - which was the theme of our festival by the way. I understand why.

Outreach and Development Manager, Neighborhood Farmers Market Alliance

Outreach and Development Manager, Neighborhood Farmers Market Alliance

National Public Health Week 2012: How to become engaged in National Public Health We...

National Public Health Week 2012: How to become engaged in National Public Health We...: National Public Health Week is a great opportunity to show your commitment to public health. So, just how can you get involved in this aware...

Earth Friendly Green Easter Ideas

Easter or Resurrection Day is around the corner! Since my baby is a little to old for Easter baskets these days, I'm sharing some of my old posts on greening your Easter for those of you with little loved ones who celebrate the holiday. Here you go!

Use God's garden gifts to grace your baskets

Fair Trade Chocolate is a great way to celebrate the Resurrection

Purchase unique gifts and Easter fashions from vintage or thrift stores

Amazing Vegan Recipes: Pistachio Butter

I subscribe to a blog called "A Profound Hatred of Meat" by Carly Crisisx and it really should be labeled "A Profound Love of Vegetables and Grains", because you will go broke wanting to try all of her delicious and relatively recipes! Her pics of the goods are so enticing and the food takes vegan cuisine up a few notches. I am sharing a pistachio butter recipe, that also happens to be raw, that she posted recently here.

Green Jobs: 2012 Paid Internships, International Council on Clean Transportation

2012 Paid Internships, International Council on Clean Transportation

Lisa P. Jackson: Call In Day on Clean Air Act

Feel free to join this call:


EPA Proposes First Carbon Pollution Standard for New Power Plants

Today the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed the first Clean Air Act standard for carbon pollution from new power plants. EPA’s proposed standard reflects the ongoing trend in the power sector toward building cleaner plants that take advantage of modern technologies to limit harmful carbon pollution to help provide the critical health protections American families deserve.

EPA is taking another step to address greenhouse gas pollution from the largest uncontrolled sources. On Wednesday, March 27nd at 1:00 p.m., you are invited to participate in a special stakeholder briefing with Administrator Lisa P. Jackson and Assistant Administrator for the Office of Air & Radiation, Gina McCarthy for this important Clean Air Act regulation announcement.

Please see the information below for joining this call.

Join Us…

Date: Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Time: 1:00 p.m. EDT

Toll-Free Dial-In Number: (877) 290-8017

Conference ID: 66377125

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) & Environmental Sustainability Communications Professionals, Powell Tate

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) & Environmental Sustainability Communications Professionals, Powell Tate

Nestle Easter Eggs’ 100% Recyclable Packaging Saves 726 Tons of Plastic Waste · Environmental Management & Energy News · Environmental Leader

Nestle Easter Eggs’ 100% Recyclable Packaging Saves 726 Tons of Plastic Waste · Environmental Management & Energy News · Environmental Leader Happy Easter! Great first steps, primarily driven by NGO and shareholder activism. Now let's work on eliminating child labor in chocolate products. Buy Fair Trade chocolate for Easter!

Green Mountain College and the Ultimate Closed Loop System

http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/03/19/green-mountain-college-to-buy-back-its-own-recyclables-under-closed-loop-system/ Very cool.

Chicago: Green Jewel of the Midwest

Green Chicago: Green Restaurants Hey Black and Into Green People! I'm in the amazing city of Chicago for a few days and loving it! I'm pretty proud of myself, because I took the Megabus here for a really green and cheap transportation option.You could not ask for 60 degree weather and sunny days in March in ChiCity and expect to get, but I got it! Spending time hanging out with my wonderful son, who is just maturing so nicely into the young man that I prayed for. He just finished finals for winter quarter at DePaul U. (one of the greenest colleges in the country) and we are going to hang out for a bit. On the agenda so far (very fluid):

• Dine at some of the restaurants on the Green Chicago list
• Enjoy some raw food at Karyn's
• Vintage clothing shopping (more for him as I can only get so much back on the Megabus)
• A trip to the Field Museum of Natural History
• Go for a run to the lake

Have you been to Chicago? What suggestions do you have for cool and green activities?

I hope you are doing something fun to enjoy spring this week.

Au revoir, mes amies!

Charity goes after African rebel leader with ’KONY 2012’ video

Charity goes after African rebel leader with ’KONY 2012’ video Now this is where art meets activism.