I decided to test my Creative Suite skills (or some semblance thereof) and concoct a quick infographic on some green business tips.  Thinking about greening my company, I considered areas specific to our operations as an advertising agency. I came up with a hefty (but not exhaustive!) list of areas, and then simplified and color-coded according to the following categories:

• [waste trimming]: Much of the office’s waste is similar to most companies’ and includes paper coffee cups, printed paper, electronics waste, etc. However, our industry in general–and certainly our office in specific–generates some very special waste in preparing for client presentations. I can’t even begin to imagine how many 2′X3′ foam core storyboards and 11″X17″ spiral-bound decks end up in landfills.
• [energy downsizing]: Since we lease our space, we’re limited a bit in our energy choices, but with renewable energy credits, for example, we can make some difference.
• [travel]: Once more, the carbon-spewing results of our transportation habits are as much from client presentations as they are from daily commutes. We have an exciting amount of room to innovate in this area.
• [green money]: Any green initiative should prioritize to ethically maximize profit and integrate into a company’s overall strategy. In addition, money spent on 401K programs can be leveraged to support clean tech and other socially responsible ventures.
• [thought leadership]: The opportunity to impact our industry, and broader, is thrilling and invaluable.  Successful in-house transformation deserves to be lauded and can serve as a model outside of company walls.

I didn’t go into depth about the “tips”, but if you have any questions or additions, drop them in the comments section.  Or if you would like a larger copy of the graphic for your own purposes, email info AT returnongood DOT com.

Over the past week, Whole Foods has got its share of press and blogosphere coverage on its discontinued practice of offering plastic bags at checkout. Slated to take effect by Earth Day (April 22), the company’s move has received a fair amount of criticism along with acclaim, since plastic bags take less energy to produce than paper bags (to be offered alongside Whole Foods’ reusable bags) and generate less waste.

The New York Times and Treehugger examine these issues and conclude that the announcement is still positive and noteworthy. The reasons cited are the paper bags Whole Foods uses happen to be made of recycled paper and the influence the grocer chain can yield to encourage mega-marts to reconsider the bag issue. Hopefully, it can also encourage more of us to remember to do the shopping version of BYOB.

Now I’ve done a quick summary of the recent buzz, I want to consider another green move Whole Foods has made which seems to have received less fanfare. Upon my recent visit, I noted the Bowery (NYC) location was also using hot foods and salad containers made from compostable materials.

I’m actually not familiar with “fibers of cattails” (not to be confused with “cat tails” since that might not be so animal-friendly) as an eco-friendly material. I am, however, impressed with the refridgerator- and microwave-safe properties of these to-go containers.

The boxes actually remind me of a similar product I was introduced to at the Columbia Social Enterprise Conference in October (2007). The product, VerTerra, is heat-resistant, disposable (but reusable), biodegradable dinnerware made from fallen, dried, organically-grown palm tree leaves. At the conference, I spoke to the founder, Michael Dwork, who at the time was only targeting the catering and event planning market due to the more favorable margins. I have since looked forward to VerTerra’s mass market debut, not only because the dinnerware is environmentally-friendly and healthy (free of bleach, plastic, wax, and chemicals), but because the company is committed to creating fair labor jobs and conditions for its craftspeople in south Asia. VerTerra is truly a triple bottom line company.

I’m not sure where Whole Foods has sourced its takeout containers, but I would be curious to know. I’d also like to know how the cattails’ fiber stacks up against other touted green materials. I’ll save the answers and accompanying research for another post…

Imagine my surprise when I learned Gusto Grilled Organics, the first green- and organic-certified restaurant, had opened its doors nearly two weeks ago in New York. I was shocked because I hadn’t heard one peep about it from my extensive list of blogs and email newsletters that cover foodie destinations, green innovation, city culture, and trendwatching. In fact, I only found out about the new eco-friendly organic eatery because a Google Alert brought this to my attention.

After surprise, came curiosity. I had to check Gusto out. Unfortunately, satisfying my curiosity only led to unsatisfying disappointment.

I was definitely excited about a restaurant boasting 100 percent organic cuisine, environmentally friendly packaging, green certified cleaning products and processes, and a sustainable space using recycled barn-wood furniture and efficient LED lighting. My enthusiasm remained high as I walked through the door and encountered a waste container with separate compartments for food composting and paper/plastic/glass recycling. I became more elated as I perused the menu made with 100% recycled paper and soy ink. I also devoured the companion piece detailing the reasons to consume “organics” and listing the green virtues of the restaurant. Things were looking good.

It was downhill from there. It must have been an awkward time of day; no server clarified whether we should expect counter or table service and patrons appeared to be enjoying both within the same dining area. The owner chastised me for taking photos (which startled me since my friends take food porn shots all the time) and refused to engage in friendly conversation about the restaurant. And though my intentions did not include reviewing the food, I found the oregano-heavy Fugazzetta & Champignons pizza tasty and the Capresse empanada far less inspiring. While I was happy to see yerba mate on the menu and bottles in the takeout fridge, the Mate Latte should have been called “Mate and Latte” since the tea arrived separately from the foamed milk.

Granted, I was so ecstatic about the eco-eatery’s concept, I was completely willing to forgive and forget my negative impressions of the two most important parts of a restaurant experience: food and service. After all, I expect a new restaurant to have some kinks. What I didn’t expect was to find a $4.99 bottle of Windex sitting beneath the restroom’s trough sink. For a restaurant that claims its “cleaning products and processes are green certified and biorenewable,” it makes me question what other Windex-like dirt is being swept under a questionably organic rug.

My criticisms aside, I do appreciate Gusto’s efforts and look forward to emulators of the concept with more, well, gusto.

Some blended value news picks of the week:

Green may be the latest shade of Apple, but green isn’t gold for MBAs, a new study finds. Speaking of Apple, after my recent (and virginal) trip to San Francisco, I could definitely see how San Fran had been leading the way to sustainability, but it’s nice to know New York is getting credit too.

On a triple bottom lined note, academics have named a new approach to sustainable business called S²AVE (Shareholder and Social Added Value with Environmental Restoration, emphasizing the importance of incorporating a triple bottom line into a company’s strategy, rather than tangential activities. And for those concerned with their own personal triple bottom lines, there are more socially responsible investment (SRI) mutual funds and products than ever.

Drawing on cause marketing tactics, MSN launched a new portal WhatOnEarthIsGoingOn, tapping into MSN’s existing user base to create an online community where members can learn about and act upon social issues, and receive targeted information from “like-minded brands.” While some cause marketing effort is directed at helping consumers connect to brands, another social marketing site has been created to help consumers evaluate marketer’s eco-friendly claims.

When I came across NuWire Investor’s article on socially responsible investing, I thought it was an accessible introduction to the subject. Trevor Winnie gives a great overview of the benefits, as well as critiques, of this increasingly popular and influential field.

What particularly stood out to me was the breakdown of the three fundamental approaches socially responsible investment managers use to “invest in a more sustainable and humane society.” I began to think beyond the socially responsible investing of financial capital, and thought about applying these strategies to evaluating investments in human capital. More to the point, I thought these same strategies might be useful to anyone interested in a more socially responsible career.

With that in mind, I’ve listed the approaches and how they could be applied in a career context.

Screening is the practice of filtering possible investments through evaluation of a company’s compatibility with criteria used by a specific fund. Some funds focus on environmental issues and others on labor conditions, while many use a wider scope and require a general history of corporate social responsibility. It is still the job of the manager to achieve desired returns while managing risk, but some promising investments will surely be omitted if they can’t meet the relevant standards.

When making a next step along your career path, you (hopefully) already do a bit of “screening.” For many it’s a matter of evaluating location, salary, benefits, vacation days and work-life balance, among factors. If you’re interested having a career with a triple bottom line, then once salary and the above are considered, you may want to decide to don a socially responsible, green collar career.

Shareholder advocacy takes a proactive line of attack to responsible investing. In contradiction to screening strategies, those practicing shareholder activism often invest in unethical companies, hoping to bring about positive change through shareholder resolutions. This process can raise awareness of specific issues and create dialogue with management that otherwise would be nonexistent.

Maybe you’re already invested in your office, enjoying your role and your colleagues, but the fact your company isn’t working toward a triple bottom line disheartens and maybe even upsets you. If you’re up for a challenge, creating changes toward sustainability for your company can have an even greater impact than finding a job with an existing and exemplary blended value organization. Applying a “shareholder advocacy” approach moves beyond preaching to the choir to spreading the sustainability gospel to those most difficult to reach. With professional relationships already in place, you have greater potential to influence your company, particularly if you can back up your green-colored views with data that preserves or improves the financial bottom line.

Community investing is an effort to direct capital into neighborhoods often overlooked by traditional financial services. This approach focuses on issues such as affordable housing, small business creation and development of community facilities. For individual investors, holding cash with financial institutions dedicated to community development—such as credit unions, local savings and loans and development loan funds—can provide competitive returns while helping support economic growth in areas shunned by capitalism. For institutional investors, participation could come in the form of venture capital funding or ownership of real estate, such as low income housing.

I’ll take some liberty in applying this last strategy. I interpret SRI “community investing” in the career context as starting up your own enterprise where, as a social entrepreneur, you take an innovative approach to solving social and environmental problems. These new and untested ideas often face trouble getting support from traditional philanthropies. With such social ventures or venture philanthropy, you intend to make a return that makes a difference, yielding greater results than more conservative philanthropic efforts.

The strategies of screening, shareholder advocacy, and community investing are representative of different types of workers, which I would classify as green collar workers, sustainability change agents, and social entrepreneurs, respectively. Don’t get caught up in the “green” versus “sustainability” versus “social” terminology–for simplicity within this post, I view all as working toward a triple bottom line. The real distinction among the three is the decision to change a job, a company, or an industry (and community).

Out of curiosity, what kind of a worker are you or do you aim to be: green collar worker, sustainability change agent, or social entrepreneur?

With even the Times Square New Year’s Eve ball going green, I know quite a few forward-thinking folks will devise eco-resolutions for 2008. As I also look forward to a year filled with green intentions, in keeping with the spirit of this site, I have triple bottom lined promises to keep.

My 2008 Triple Bottom Line: Improve my financial situation, using eco-savvy and socially conscious strategies.

• Go beyond, or change entirely, my job duties so I can increase my income and influence my company to work toward a triple bottom line.
• Limit restaurant, take-out, and grocery food decisions to options that reduce my overall carbon footprint and are socially responsible.
• Improve my home environment, by encouraging my roommates to switch to cleaner energy alternatives, reducing my junk mail intake, and making more sustainable (and overall fewer) purchases.

So, any thoughts on what you might do? There’s a good chance you might not be reading this on New Year’s Eve, but don’t fret! You can create some intentions right now that will take you throughout the rest of the year.

Though I had witnessed New York eco-fashionistas at ungodly hours snaking around the Whole Foods on Bowery, I decided Anya Hindmarch’s bag was not for me. Fortunately, I stumbled across the perfect paper-versus-plastic-bag-alternative, Envirosax, at Flight 001. Rocking the female lifestyle means I end up swapping my handbag daily to match my itinerary. With Envirosax, you can choose a multi-pack of five to roll down from the sack’s two-grocery-bag size to a small pouch, great for fitting into several handbags or coat pockets.

Aside from fitting into an international movement to discourage the use of plastic bags, the bag’s benefits include being waterproof, strong, and portable. Envirosax extends beyond a commitment to producing an eco-friendly product to ensuring fair labor conditions and supporting sustainability education in its business model–a true triple bottom line company.

I have decreased my plastic bag contribution to landfills, since I snagged my set. My only complaint is that it sometimes unravels out of its pouch-like mode. Dealing with this annoyance gave me another portable, and nearly free, idea based on the Envirosax product.

1. Take a canvas tote (I’ve been getting these free as promos from events)
2. Roll it from left to right (or right to left, for the lefties) into a strip
3. Roll that strip from bottom to top
4. Secure with a large safety pin

When you need to use the tote, just unhook and unravel, attaching the safety pin to the inside of the sack.

Did you try this or the Envirosax? If so, lemme know.