After looking forward to it for several months, the Opportunity Green Conference is now just around the corner. To be held November 17 at UCLA, the conference’s organizers are asking a question that seems to be on everyone’s lips: “Is green the new gold?”

The conference will bring together those involved in all aspects of green business, from visionaries and entrepreneurs to executives and investors, all of whom are dedicated to building socially conscious, sustainable, and profitable enterprises.

Organizers have put together an impressive list of speakers, all well-known in the socially-conscious world of business, including

• Kevin Wall, Founder of Live Earth
• Jonathan Greenblatt, Co-founder of Ethos Water
• Josh Dorfman, Author/Producer of “The Lazy Environmentalist”
• Max Schorr, Publisher and Founding Editor of GOOD Magazine
• Graham Hill, Founder of TreeHugger.com
• Gunther Lie, Director of Interactive Media for Method Products
• Ellen Strickland, Founder/Owner of Livingreen

The agenda features a panel discussion entitled, “Real World Green Business: Challenges, Mistakes and Opportunities” moderated by sustainability consultant and visionary John Picard. In addition, the schedule provides many options for break-out sessions, including Green 2.0: Connecting to Our Community, The End of Cars: The Future of Mobility as We Know It, and Venture Capital in the Green Marketplace.

There are also significant opportunities for networking, most notably before the event even starts. Through EventVue, registrants receive a login that allows you to upload a short bio, picture, etc. Once in, you can see who else will be at the event, including their areas of expertise and what they are “seeking”. A bit like a personal ad, but perfect for networking – you can even contact other registrants through the system before the event.

With more than 500 expected to attend, this conference is certain to help business people learn how to make gold from their green.

I’ve heard of many things being "the new black" but now the question seems to be, "Is green the new gold?"

At least that’’ the question posed by the organizers of the upcoming Opportunity Green Conference. Developed through a partnership with UCLA’s Sustainable Resource Center, the conference is also sponsored by many well-known names, including Clif Bar and Treehugger.

The conference will bring together those involved in all aspects of green business, from visionaries and entrepreneurs to executives and investors, all of whom are dedicated to building socially conscious, sustainable, and profitable enterprises.

To be held on Saturday, November 17 at UCLA, the conference features several speakers well-known in the socially-conscious world of business, including:

• Jonathan Greenblatt, Co-founder of Ethos Water
• Josh Dorfman, Author/Producer of The Lazy Environmentalist
• Max Schorr, Publisher and Founding Editor of GOOD Magazine
• Graham Hill, Founder of TreeHugger.com
• Gunther Lie, Director of Interactive Media for Method products
• Ellen Strickland, Founder/Owner of Livingreen

The "emerging agenda" (I love it!) features a plenary session on Marketing and Trends plus many options for break-out sessions, including Green 2.0: Connecting to Our Community, The Clean Tech Revolution, Opportunities for Green Investment Capital, and Business Blogging 101 (you can bet I’ll be at that last one). There are also significant opportunities for networking, including the Wrap-up Party, billed as a "spectacularly green event."

Organizers have developed an aggressive list of objectives and learning points for the conference. Of course, connecting those working within the sustainable community is key — there is much to learn from each other. Thus, the conference will provide a forum for collaboration on how to grow a profitable company that is focused on the Triple Bottom Line.

This is of particular interest to me. The profitability piece of the Triple Bottom Line is easily measured, having always been a staple of business metrics. And as the saying goes, "What gets measured gets done," but the measurement of the people and planet aspects tends to be more difficult. I’m curious to see how others approach this challenge.

Also, participants will discuss what has and hasn’t worked in growing socially conscious businesses, including viral marketing and growth tactics, plus tools you can use to build and scale your business, like online networks.

With more than 500 expected to attend, this conference is certain to help business people learn how to make gold from their green.

Suggs Exhibition at the Maltz Gallery

If you’re a business person in the Los Angeles area with an interest in sustainability, there’s a new non-profit designed specifically to help you improve your profits, your community, and the environment.

The Sustainable Business Council (SBC), headed by business executives, was created with one goal in mind: establishing Los Angeles as a leader in the sustainable business sector. To further that cause, the SBC holds quarterly events, each dedicated to a specific topic related to sustainability. The summer event, to be held on Thursday, June 21st, will focus on issues related to the health and wellness sector.

So, what is a sustainable business? According to the SBC, a sustainable business takes full account of the environmental consequences of economic activity and uses resources that are renewable, replaceable, non-depletionary or regenerative. Sounds like a good goal for all companies.

As with past SBC events, a panel discussion is the featured event of the evening, followed by a Q&A session. Since the attendees at each event are business people involved and interested in sustainability, the questions are generally right on-point and make for an interesting discussion.

In addition to the panel, there will be plenty of time for networking. Thanks to the decidedly business focus of the SBC, the events are well-attended by professionals from all industries.

Prior events have also featured raffles - at November’s green building event, I won a basket of green goodies from Livingreen. The bounty included Mrs. Meyers cleaning products, a Klean Kanteen (replacing all of those bottles of water) and even a doormat made out of recycled flip flops! At the spring event, one lucky winner won a free pass to the LOHAS conference.

Sponsored by Valcucine and VeeV vodka, and held at the Otis College of Art and Design, the event begins at 7pm and has a $20 entry fee. As a bonus, the Maltz gallery's current exhibit, a survey exhibition spanning 35 years of the work of Los Angeles-based artist Don Suggs, will be open during the evening.

Lately, I’ve been hearing about a lot of investment going into green companies and technology, which has me wondering: Is “green” the new tech boom? GE is “doubling down” on clean tech investments. According to Cleantech Network, last year’s 4th quarter saw $600 million in venture capital investments. So, if the opportunities are ripe for budding entrepreneurs and you have a great idea, how do you get started? The 2nd annual California Clean Tech Open might just be your ticket to success.

Sponsored by Acterra: Action for a Sustainable Earth, a non-profit based in Palo Alto, the competition seeks to solicit business plans from new clean tech companies. According to Acterra, the competition serves to, “…create economic growth and environmental sustainability by sparking a clean technology cluster in California. By giving winners early-stage capital and expertise, the competition speeds clean technologies from lab to market. The goal is to foster innovative new businesses.”

The best of these new businesses will each win prize packages valued at $100,000. These “startup in a box” packages include business essentials, designed to help the winners take their ideas from the planning phase into operation. For starters, winners in each of the competition’s six categories will receive $50,000 in cash from their category’s sponsor:

• Transportation, sponsored by Lexus
• Smart Power, sponsored by AMD
• Green Building, sponsored by Google
• Air, Water and Waste, sponsored by ENVIRON Foundation
• Renewables, sponsored by PG&E, SCE and SDG&E
• Energy Efficiency, sponsored by PG&E, SCE and SDG&E

Winners will also receive one year of free office space, as well as a range of free services, including legal, accounting, and public relations. Additional prizes will also be awarded to all finalists.

Last year’s Open garnered 156 entries, but this year the competition is expected to be tougher, with double the number of entries received by the June 30th deadline. Winners will be announced in October.

To help you fine tune your entries, an Executive Summary Workshop will be held on June 14th at the Palo Alto Research Center (PARC). This event will provide information about the application requirements and judging criteria for the required three-page executive summary. It will also include an overview of the sustainability judging criteria, and some sustainability best practices.

With all of this support and incentive, what are you waiting for?

Always on the lookout for new green events, I’m excited to have found something that promises to be more than just networking (not that there’s anything wrong with that!) On Thursday, June 7th, the Los Angeles Net Impact chapter, in partnership with SustainLane, is hosting an event dedicated to sustainability.

The event features guest speaker Gillian Christie. As founder and CEO of Christie Communications, a communications and public relations firm, Christie works to promote the products and services of ethical companies. She will discuss her perspective on environmental messaging and the opportunities and challenges of differentiating green products in an increasingly crowded market. Christie will also share examples from Sri Lanka and Sudan, detailing how her company gives back in its global quest to promote sustainability and human rights.

Though Net Impact is one of the sponsors, you don’t need to be a member to attend. Both professionals and students are welcome, though there is a fee for entry ($25 for professionals, $20 for students). Dues-paying professional and student members receive discounts ($22 for professionals, $17 for students). Drinks and light snacks will be served.

In case you’re not familiar with Net Impact, it is a nonprofit organization whose mission is “to make a positive impact on society by growing and strengthening a community of new leaders who use business to improve the world.” With more than 10,000 members, the organization spans five continents. Members include leaders in CSR, social entrepreneurship, nonprofit management, international development, and environmental sustainability.

At the event, co-sponsor SustainLane will officially launch the Los Angeles version of its online, community-powered directory of green businesses and products. On the site, you can find and review eco-friendly resources, recommending your favorites to others.

In addition to the directory, the site offers some cool extras. Check out The Unsustainables, an original animated series featuring a family that “stumbles toward the future in an attempt to live green.” Also, you can see where your city ranks in sustainability, thanks to SustainLane’s US City Rankings. Angelenos, we’ve come in at a dismal #25 – we have some work to do to catch up to #1 Portland, OR.

The event is to be held at epOxybOx, an art gallery in Venice that features artists who work with recycled, reclaimed and renewed materials. I’ve been hearing about epOxybOx a lot lately, so I’m excited to check out the space. The event begins at 7pm, and since food and drinks will be served, it seems like a great way to start the evening before heading over to the Green Drinks in Culver City.

A whole night of green – I love it!

Last week, on the second anniversary of the launch of GE’s ecomagination initiative, the company held a massive press conference in Los Angeles to announce its many new partnerships. Since this was a press conference, I was skeptical of the information to be provided…was this just going to be one big GE commercial love fest? And perhaps more importantly, would I drink the Kool-Aid?

The answer on both questions? Yes and no. My skepticism of the motives of corporations aside, I must admit a bias in favor of the impact that businesses (especially businesses the size of GE) can have on the climate crisis we currently face. However, companies must be able to make a “business case” for green initiatives. In other words, going green has to be profitable for the company. Remember, the three elements of the triple bottom line include profit. Yes, it would be nice if companies made changes to improve their footprint out of a concern for people and the environment, and a few companies do just that, but the business world is not designed to reward such behavior. To get a critical mass of companies on board, profit must be achievable.

Apparently, GE Chairman and CEO Jeff Immelt feels the same way. His new mantra is “green is green,” meaning that green business equals green money. This could not be more true for GE. According to their May 24th press release, “Revenues from its (ecomagination) portfolio of energy efficient and environmentally advantageous products and services surged past $12 billion in 2006, up 20% from 2005, while the order backlog rose to $50 billion.”

Wow.

Immelt goes on to say, “These extraordinary revenues and orders are the initial payoff from directly aligning our product portfolio with our customers’ needs and evolving trends, while ‘doubling-down’ on investments in leading edge technology and innovation. Ecomagination is growing beyond our expectations, evolving into a sales initiative unlike any other I’ve seen in 25 years at GE.”

Though skeptics will point to the fact that ecomagination represents a small piece of GE’s business, this growth can only be good news. A company the size of GE can have a huge impact with their investment in new technologies, as well as in spreading the word through their visibility.

Immelt announced at the press conference a series of new partnerships and investment in many divergent industries, including:

• Water desalination: slated to open in 2010, the Carlsbad Seawater Desalination Plant will draw water from the Pacific Ocean for use in San Diego County. The facility will use GE’s ZeeWeed® ultra filtration technology.
• Hydrogen energy: GE, along with BP, is forming a global alliance to develop and deploy 10 to 15 hydrogen power projects.
• Wind energy: GE Energy Financial Services will invest in its biggest wind farm to date, the 241-megawatt Sweetwater 4 facility and a sister project, both in Texas.
• Transportation: efforts here include the first hybrid locomotive with Union Pacific, and investment in A123’s work toward the next-generation battery technology for hybrid electric and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles.
• Lighting: Wal-Mart, the largest individual electricity user in the country, will be installing motion-activated LED lighting in its refrigerated cases. In addition to using less energy for lighting, less heat will be generated reducing the amount of energy used for refrigeration.
• Housing: RWO Acquisitions is retrofitting an old Air Force base in coastal South Carolina into a green community, featuring energy efficient homes and GE’s first energy-efficient mortgage. Homes will offer the GE SmartCommand™ Dashboard, which provides current and historical data on water and electricity usage.
• Carbon emissions offsetting: with AES Corp., GE will invest in projects to capture and destroy GHG emissions from agricultural waste, landfills, coalmines and the like. The partnership will then sell the resulting offsets.
• Entertainment: NBC Universal has launched “Get On Board,” a program to improve the environmental impact of its operations by reducing greenhouse gases, raising awareness about green issues, and stimulating change in the media and entertainment industry.

After the press conference, we had time to view examples of some of the new technologies in the exhibit hall, before returning for a discussion on sustainability with Immelt and California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. Though the questions posed by NBC’s Lester Holt were pretty much softballs, it was an interesting discussion. The gist? From the Governor’s point of view, in finding ways to balance environmental initiatives with economic concerns California can lead the way for the rest of the nation, including the federal government. Keys to success include giving industry enough time to meet new standards, and the realization that new technology brings new jobs.

Immelt’s answers did not waiver from his earlier message: GE is into green as a business initiative. When asked about GE’s biggest areas for growth, Immelt responded that taking these new technologies to India and China, where they are needed most, would be a coup for whoever delivers them affordably.

Both agreed that the US must provide leadership for the rest of the world by first cleaning up its own act. The US remains the world’s biggest polluter, representing just 5% of the population while being responsible for 25% of greenhouse gas emissions. The US must remedy this situation to have credibility when offering help to developing nations.

After a long day, I left the event with the sense that we’ve turned a corner. If companies like GE and Wal-Mart can make tons of money with green initiatives, while communicating the message that greening doesn’t cost money but makes money, other companies will follow their lead. This offers real hope, without the Kool-Aid.

As a resident of Santa Monica, California, I’m proud of my city. Thanks to its comprehensive Sustainable City Plan, Santa Monica continues to take big steps towards its goal of becoming sustainable. And, since businesses have a large part to play in reaching that goal, it makes perfect sense that Santa Monica offers businesses a way to contribute: Green Business Certification.

By partnering with the non-profit organization Sustainable Works, the city encourages businesses to use resources more efficiently – benefiting both the company and the environment. Sustainable Works’ Business Greening program helps participant companies “green their bottom line” by assessing current policies and practices, then recommending new, greener options. To help ensure the adoption of new practices, the organization also assists the business in implementing the options they choose, and then tracks the outcomes.

Free for Santa Monica businesses, the program focuses on:

• Reducing and diverting solid waste,
• Becoming water efficient,
• Eliminating toxic chemicals,
• Minimizing transportation impacts,
• Reducing energy use, and
• Improving purchasing choices

Did I mention that the program is free?

In addition to their certifications, several businesses were awarded Sustainable Quality Awards (SQA) at a luncheon held last week. With SQA Grand Prizes going to businesses including Wilshire Restaurant, ECOLIMO, and marketing firm The Phelps Group, the diversity of the winners shows that any business can benefit from the program.

For individuals, Sustainable Works offers a similar Residential program. Designed to help people reduce their environmental impact, participants are grouped into “crews” of 10-15 for a series of six weekly meetings. Beginning with a self-assessment, the crews learn the concepts of sustainable living, including specific ways to live a greener lifestyle.

If only every city had these programs, what a wonderful (green!) world it would be.

One of the ongoing challenges of the Internet seems to be the ability to provide specific, local information. Case in point: I can find the GDP of Uzbekistan ($10.78 billion, in case you’re wondering) more easily than I can find an eco-friendly dry cleaner open past 7:00 in my neighborhood. Go figure.

Luckily, companies around the country are stepping in to fill this void. Here in Los Angeles, Greenopia is definitely the leader of the pack. Billed as “the urban dweller’s guide to green living” the Greenopia guide is available for $12.95 in a portable paperback version. The listings include just about every category that you can imagine, including service providers (my dry cleaner, at last!), restaurants, retailers and other green resources.

You can pick up a guide at many locations throughout LA, including area Whole Foods Markets. The company also offers a San Francisco edition, launched last month, along with a new website that includes searchable listings for both cities. And, according to Greenopia’s Hannah Davey, the company has plans to expand to New York within the next year or so, followed by Chicago, Seattle, Portland, and Boulder/Denver.

Unlike a typical Yellow Pages model, like Co-op America’s National Green Pages, businesses are strictly local. Perhaps more importantly, businesses cannot pay to be listed in Greenopia – they have to qualify. The results of this screening process are included in the guide as Greenopia’s own “leaf award” rating system. Representing each business’s commitment to sustainability, the ratings are based on considerations specific to each category. For example, restaurants are rated primarily based on the percentage of organic, locally grown, sustainably produced food on their menu.

This qualification process sets Greenopia apart, as it provides assurance that a business has earned the right to be included in the guide. Though the boom in environmentally-friendly products and services is definitely a good thing, who has the time or ability to investigate every “green” claim? Thank you, Greenopia, for helping us act locally, while thinking globally.

Well, if you’re reading this, you probably are.

LOHAS stands for Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability. Representing an estimated 50 million American adults, the name LOHAS is now synonymous with the “Cultural Creatives” segment of the population originally identified in 1996 by sociologist, author, and market researcher Paul Ray, Ph.D. Ray, along with psychologist Sherry Ruth Anderson, described the segment in their 2000 book, The Cultural Creatives: How 50 Million People Are Changing the World.

So what’s so special about the LOHAS segment? Usually, market segments are identified using things like lifestyle, buying behavior, and demographics. But here’s where the LOHAS consumers diverge: they are distinguished solely by their values, as they care strongly about issues like the environment, social justice, sustainability, and health. Is this starting to sound familiar?

As the segment grows, more and more businesses have begun to take notice – the marketplace for LOHAS consumers is now valued at over $220 billion. This means that more products and services, meant to serve our needs, will be coming to the market. Good news for anyone tormented over having to buy a product that is no friend of the environment, due to the lack of an alternative.

I got to learn about and even sample some of these alternatives this week at the 11th annual LOHAS Forum, held in Marina del Rey, CA. Though some established brands, like Burt’s Bees, were in attendance in the exhibit hall, many were new to me. I especially liked Green & Black’s Organic Chocolate and VeeV, a spirit made from Brazil’s açai fruit and billed as “a better way to drink.” Count me in!

Of course, the Forum wasn’t all about food and drink. The program featured a variety of speakers and break-out sessions designed to educate and inform LOHAS companies. My favorite session, “Giving Sustainability More SIZZLE”, focused on the shift of the LOHAS segment from a small niche to the mainstream, and some of the keys to making that jump as a company. Not surprisingly, communicating with authenticity was at the top of the list. LOHAS consumers can see through greenwashing a mile away…even through a chocolate haze.

For those unable to attend the conference, session videos will be posted on the website: www.lohas.com

Everyone's talking about the potential of green business to reshape the planet, but what does "green" really mean in the business world? If you've talked with any green entrepreneurs lately, or are one yourself, you know that vision and passion are in abundance. The question is how does a green start-up turn personal commitment into sustainable profit?

To find out the answers to these and other key questions, listen in when Linda Feinholz of Feinholz & Associates interviews green business expert Jeff Hayes, Principal of The Vector Group, on Thursday, May 17th at 10am (PDT). It's a free conference call, but you do need to register in advance (registration link is at the bottom of the page).

They will spend the hour discussing topics of importance to this growing segment, including the "gotchas" for emerging green businesses, such as how to seek the right kind of investors. They will also talk about how business service providers like CPAs and attorneys can intentionally attract a green clientele. One tip: green clients expect you to walk-the-walk. Just being able to spout the latest green catch phrases won’t cut it.

Having served small businesses since 1968, The Vector Group now helps their clients improve all three elements of the triple bottom line: profit, people, and planet. The company boasts experience in many varied industries, from a skateboard manufacturer to a beer producer to an exotic surf travel business.

Some of The Vector Group’s clients have seen revenues jump 40% in less than 12 months, and are now singing the company’s praises. Tony Guido of the industrial design firm grow-design calls Hayes "a personal trainer for green business" and Caroline Duell of Elemental Herbs just calls Hayes "my boss". If these testimonials are any indication, one hour of your time might just make a big difference in the success of your green business.