Like many people I know, I constantly struggle with the feeling that I’m not doing "enough." Not that I know how much "enough" is, or whether I could actually achieve it, but still. So, to try to simplify things for myself, I’ve decided to use some very crude true cost guess-timating, along with Reduce-Reuse-Recycle as my guide.

What is true cost? It’s most commonly defined as an economic model that involves including externalities into the pricing of goods and services. These externalities are most apparent in harm caused to living beings, including the environment as a whole. True cost includes everything from the depletion of non-renewable resources to pollution from shipping the product to you. Toothpaste from China may be cheap in price, but if it has anti-freeze in it, your true cost just went way up.

I love the concept - it applies the old adage of "you get what you pay for" in a new way. More importantly, it also allows us to calculate the real impact of our choices. For an everyday, real-world example, if I need to run an errand and decide to drive, at a minimum it will cost money for gas, add mileage to the car, and emit CO2. Even though I can’t really put a specific dollar cost on the CO2, at least I can recognize that there is a clear cost to the environment. If I walk, it only costs a little extra time, which I usually have. The better choice becomes clear.

The Reduce-Reuse-Recycle hierarchy comes in to play most often when considering purchases. I say "hierarchy," because this really is how it should be used: the best choice is reducing consumption. So, although I’ve been feeling pressure to have the coolest green products, it’s actually better not to buy anything new. At all.

To see how this felt, a week ago I decided not to buy anything new products (not including food, of course). This eliminates the use of resources in every stage of a product’s life cycle, from raw materials to disposal. It actually wasn’t too hard where I was concerned, but a baby shower broke my resolve – surely, it’s tacky to take used merchandise to a baby shower!?! I suppose I could have made something, but Martha Stewart I ain’t!

Gifts aside, this experiment felt really good, and not just for the sense of reducing consumption and saving money. More than that, it has taken the pressure off - I don’t have to have a new organic cotton shirt, because I don’t need another shirt, much less a new one. Whew! And I’m actually greener for it!

Of course, a complete ban on stuff can’t go on forever. But there are plenty of great options for reusing merchandise – the second level of the hierarchy – including thrift stores and garage sales. Check out Google’s new maps tool, which allows you to find all garage sales listed on craigslist near you. Cool events like swap-o-ramas are also popping up all over. Who needs bamboo underwear? OK, bad example.

Image credit: www.swaporamarama.org

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?

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.

Let’s face it: networking is hard. Striking up conversations with total strangers can be uncomfortable. But, if you’ve ever been to an industry-specific networking event, then you know that it always helps to have something in common with the other folks in the room.

That’s why the monthly Green Business Networking event in Santa Monica is such a great place for the shy among us to break out of our shells and meet like-minded people.

Designed to serve the Los Angeles area’s ever-growing green business community, GBN provides a forum for connecting the owners and decision-makers of socially- and environmentally-conscious businesses. Like another well-known event, Green Drinks, GBN attracts a wide variety of people from a range of industries. At recent events I’ve met people from almost every industry imaginable, including real estate, entertainment, advertising/marketing, energy, printing, hospitality, event planning…the list goes on and on, which always makes me wonder who I might meet next.

Having recently celebrated its one-year anniversary, GBN meets the second Tuesday of every month (this month’s GBN falls on May 8th) from 6-9pm. The event is hosted by several local business people who are active in the green business world in industries ranging from organic food to socially responsible investing. The hosts themselves are fun to talk to, and they also go out of their way to help connect people and make everyone feel comfortable – signs of expert networkers!

Of course, it’s easy to feel comfortable at the Ambrose Hotel, where GBN is held. As Santa Monica's only award-winning, sustainable hotel, it is a fitting locale for the green community. And though there is a $10 entry fee for the event, it gains you access to the wine bar, which features tasty organic wine along with organic snacks and non-alcoholic beverages. Maybe networking isn’t so hard after all.

For more information, email greenbusinessnetworking@gmail.com.

With the eyes of much of the world focused on China these days, even a cursory review of the news reveals two themes. First, the country is experiencing enormous economic growth accompanied by a massive urban migration. Second, China has a long way to go towards protecting the environment and the health of its people, and will encounter many roadblocks along the way.

To address these two conflicting issues, UCLA’s Sustainable Resource Center is hosting a panel discussion, “China’s Urban Sustainability Challenges”, on Wednesday, May 2nd. The event features four speakers who will discuss the difficulties of reconciling China’s tremendous growth with the protection of health, environment, and quality of life. They will also focus on the role of the U.S. and the rest of the world in this crisis. The speakers include:

• Woodrow Clark, Senior Foreign Energy Advisor from the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, PRC
• Todd Maurer, Managing Director, Sinica Advisors, LLC
• Perry Wong, Senior Economist, Milken Institute, and
• Michael Woo, LA City Planning Commissioner and Professor of Urban Planning

The Sustainable Resource Center, housed on the UCLA campus, was established “to promote sustainability through facilitating the provision of resources, information, and education to the graduate student body, campus and community.” The Center focuses on building connections and collaboration between business, government, and nonprofit sectors. Services include a library, online resource site, educational events, and career services.

The panel discussion will be held at the UCLA Anderson School of Management in Korn Hall at 7:30pm. The session is free and open to the public, though an RSVP is required. Coffee and desserts from Organic to Go will be provided after the panel.