The groundswell to live greener in the face of global warming and other environmental scourges presents opportunities and challenges as more money pours into sustainable businesses.
This week's Sustainable Enterprise 2008 conference at Sonoma Mountain Village offers workshops for both entrepreneurs hoping to turn green ideas into reality and companies looking to expand environmentally friendly ventures.
"If there's a pain in the marketplace, that's an opportunity to take advantage. Global warming has opened up this whole wider conversation about how we live sustainably," said Michael Newell, executive director of the technology and sustainable business incubator at Sonoma Mountain Village.
More than 300 business leaders, entrepreneurs, university experts and nonprofit organizers from throughout the Bay Area are expected to attend Friday's third annual event on the Rohnert Park business campus.
This year's edition features workshops targeted to more specific needs depending on business size, product development and other factors. Large companies can tap into case studies in operations and product design, for instance, while entrepreneurs can dare to think big in developing products or services.
"We put those together so people could quickly find where they could get their needs met. We know everybody is scratching their heads, saying 'We've heard about sustainability and the melting icebergs, now what can I do in my own business?' " said Genevieve Taylor, a conference organizer.
Speaking at a panel for entrepreneurs and small businesses will be Matt Reynolds, chief executive for Indigenous Designs, a fast-growing Santa Rosa designer of high-end organic clothing handmade in Guatemala, Ecuador and Peru.
"Everyone's vying for position and trying to get into this movement," he said.
A pioneer in organic, fair-trade apparel when launched 14 years ago, Indigenous Designs was the brainchild of retail professionals seeking a market niche and to make a difference in the lives of artisans in developing countries. Similar companies have sprung up in food, beverage and other industries.
"It's a shift that's happening. It can be profitable," Reynolds said.
Yet even an established green company with a projected $5 million in sales this year must continue seeking investors and developing new products to hold onto and expand market share, Reynolds said.
"You have to be savvy. You're not getting any favors for being green," he said. "You have to play the game with the same type of professionalism and top-level marketing that you would in a mainstream industry. But you have the costs of being fair-trade and organic. So it is a little more challenging now if you are a startup because there are a lot of people getting in with a lot of money. And the pool of talent is larger than it used to be."
One workshop series provides assistance to help businesses with strategic thinking in going green, while another concentrates on environmental practices such as energy savings and waste reduction.
"You can take advantage of low-cost opportunities for greening your business," Taylor said.
Even with the economy in a downturn, business opportunities can abound for entrepreneurs and companies with environmentally friendly products and services. That is the topic of a keynote address from John Harrington, president of Harrington Investments, a socially responsible investment adviser in Napa.
The thinking is, how businesses and individuals spend and invest their money can make a difference in supporting businesses with environmentally sustainable products and operations.
You can reach Staff Writer Michael Coit at 521-5470 or
mike.coit@pressdemocrat.com.
