Keeping on top of current green energy related legislation, Sustainable Business Alliance Executive Director Mark McLeod writes in to say this is one of the best pieces he has seen supporting full implementation of AB32 on the California November ballot:

According to a report released last month from the state's Economic Development Department, there are more than 500,000 clean-tech jobs in California. Most of them are in the manufacturing and construction sectors. Unlike the biotech belt in San Diego or the high tech industry centered in Silicon Valley, these high-paying jobs are spread across the state.

Recent economic studies show that the clean-job sector is also the fastest-growing in the state. The number of California green businesses has increased 45 percent and green jobs expanded by 36 percent from 1995-2008 while total jobs in California expanded only 13 percent.

But economics are not the only reason to oppose the dirty energy proposition. This initiative will let the Texas oil companies and other polluters off the hook for reducing their pollution – drastically increasing air pollution and public health risks.

Making matters worse, by killing AB32 and keeping us dependent on fossil fuels, this initiative will increase household electricity costs in California by 33 percent. (Low-income families already pay more. Households in the lowest income bracket must spend more than twice the share of their total income on electricity than households in the highest income bracket).

Read Full Article

Our allies at the American Sustainable Business Council are hosting an event featuring Jeffrey Hollender, Chief Inspired Protagonist, Co-Founder, and Executive Chairperson of Seventh Generation:

The time has come for business to lead in building a vibrant, just and sustainable economy.

For years, major business groups like the U.S. Chamber of Commerce have defended economic principles that tear the fabric of our democratic society, threaten environmental collapse, and the stability of our economy. A new, collaborative effort is needed so that sustainable businesses, social enterprise, and other forward-thinking business leaders can provide their perspective and power to advance the policies that America needs today.

The American Sustainable Business Council is building the foundation, framework and political influence for a transition to a new economy grounded in principles of sustainability and equity. Join us for a stimulating discussion of how business groups like the U.S. Chamber have controlled the debate thus far, and how you and other forward thinking business people can make a crucial difference. 

Jeffrey will also share insights from his new book: The Responsibility Revolution: How the Next Generation of Businesses Will Win.

Register

ASBC Partners: Association for Enterprise Opportunity, B Lab, Business Alliance for Local Living Economies, Business for Shared Prosperity, California Assoc. for Micro Enterprise Opportunity, Green America, Green Chamber of Commerce, Green Chamber of the South, Investors Circle, Responsible Wealth, New Voice of Business, Social Enterprise Alliance, Social Venture Network, Sustainable Business Alliance, and Wealth for the Common Good

"Over the years, we have failed to reinvest in the social and physical infrastructure that make life possible in a modern economy. Politicians of both parties have by and large chosen to prioritize tax breaks for multinational corporations and the wealthy over the rest of us—that is, anybody who has to work for a living.

As a result, the human, social, and physical capital that once made California and our nation great have deteriorated along with our ideals of equal opportunity and fairness.

There is much need throughout the state, and although it’s clear that our people need help, that we as a state have the moral responsibility to provide that help, there is none to be had. All that seems to have been offered to the legions of homeless we encountered in Fresno are port-a-potties. In the meantime, the local government has fenced off the area, imparting a concentration camp feel to the entire project."

Full article via California Progress Report

San Francisco based Books Inc. has become a model for survival in a world where bookstores are vanishing and new technology is changing the way we get our information.

"The recipe adds up to what Hut Landon, executive director of the Northern California Independent Booksellers Association, calls "the Books Inc. model" of success. He noted that the company has been a leader in the burgeoning "shop local" movement, which other independents have also been quick to jump on. "It's why they're doing better than other local retailers," he said. (A local example of the movement is the San Francisco Locally Owned Merchants Alliance, at www.sfloma.org.)"

Read full article

Focus: This program will address the following questions – with a focus on Transportation and Energy:

• Does my business qualify for stimulus funding?
• How do I apply for stimulus funding?
• To whom do I apply?
• What are the deadlines for application?
• What are the bottlenecks?
• What forms of stimulus funding are available?
• How soon will the funds be disbursed?
• What are the oversight requirements?
• What are the sanctions for non-compliance?

Agenda:

• Opening Remarks by Jeff Hoopes, Swinerten Incorporated
• Energy and Transportation Focused Presentation by Keith Casto of Shook Hardy & Bacon and Stacie Kowalczyk of Burr Pilger Mayer
• Q&A and case studies with guest panel

Date:    Friday, March 5, 2010

Time:    8:00am to 10:00am

Where:    Swinerton Incorporated
260 Townsend Street
San Francisco, CA 94107

RSVP Here

Today - Wednesday February 17th - is the last day to get the discounted rate for the 2010 Annual BALLE Conference. After today all rates will go up by $50.

Join us in Charleston, South Carolina - May 21-23, 2010

Charleston is world renowned for its warm hospitality, historic architecture, outstanding local food, and beautiful waterways. But did you know that the lowcountry of South Carolina and the Southeastern U.S. is also a hotbed of innovation for community economic development?

Forgotten mill towns are rising anew, tobacco farmers are converting their fields to sustainable local foods, local commodities like cotton are finding fair prices among socially minded consumers, family farms are being reclaimed, local businesses are learning sustainable practices to improve their bottom line - and the ties that bind communities and citizens together are being restored in the process.

Join us as we explore opportunities for your community to step forward as a leader in the new economy.

See you in Charleston!
The BALLE Team

Registration Here

An excellent article on the uniqueness of all regions, and the opportunity to achieve greater sustainability by keeping it local.

"Each region should embrace its unique food producers and cultures. In Vermont the local food system plays out something like this: There are lots of old dairy farms, and milk and cheese production is still an important part of the modern agricultural community. Recent efforts have been made to keep milk and cheese processing and consumption localized, rather than sell to larger, more removed processing companies. AT the same time, dairy farmers are looking to diversify their income. Some start vegetable farms, local meat operations, the all important grass farm, or, most innovatively "cow power," a system that converts cow waste into usable energy. Meanwhile, vegetable growers also use cow waste for fertilizer and rent pasture space with a neighbor's grazing livestock. They sell to local restaurants, schools, and markets and are aided by local mechanics that can repair tractors and local farm supply companies or equipment cooperatives. Together they create a system, supported by the local government, which has launched an initiative to strengthen the regional food system as an important and re-emerging sector in Vermont's economy."

Read full article

Katovich Law Group organized a round-table discussion on new innovative ways small businesses can raise capital. While most small businesses are restricted from making a public offering, the Oakland based law firm is pioneering in this field by developing a legal platform to achieve this goal. Join the continuing discussion at the Cutting Edge Capital Raising ning site.

Cutting Edge Capital Raising for Small Business

In the United States today, small businesses constitute about one-half of the private economy in terms of output and jobs, but they receive almost no investment from the nation’s pension funds or from mutual, hedge, venture, or any other kind of investment funds.  In a well-functioning financial system, roughly one-half of the investment should go to roughly one-half of the economy.

We begin the evening with a presentation about one of the primary causes for this market failure: the legal barriers to raising capital that disproportionately burden small businesses.

Next we discuss some cutting edge strategies that have been used to overcome these barriers.

We conclude with a discussion of legislative changes needed to address the barriers to capital-raising for small business and the formation of a working group to move the agenda forward.

Participants include:
Thomas Greco, Author of The End of Money and the Future of Civilization

John Katovich, President of Katovich Law Group, Presidio School of Management Professor, and Chief Legal Officer of the Boston Stock Exchange

Don Shaffer, President and CEO of RSF Social Finance

Leslie Christian, President and CEO of Portfolio 21 Investments

Derek Huntington, President of Sonoma County Go Local

Mike Leung, Worker Cooperative Credit Union Organizer

Jenny Kassan, Managing Director of Katovich Law Group and President of Community Ventures

Organized by Katovich Law Group

Bob Schildgen was the speaker for the SBA Speaker Series in November and we're finally getting around to posting the video of his talk and a summarized transcript.

SBA Speaker Event of 110309
Guest Speaker:  Bob Schildgen, “Mr. Green”

I grew up in rural Wisconsin. We heated our house by burning logs in a  wood-burning stove. Since the supply of logs was limited, we built a fire only when absolutely necessary. This is an example of how we behave when there is a direct and visible link between our energy source and the amount of that energy resource that we use. Our perception of our resource was very direct. We had a very personal relationship with the resource we had available.

This memory leads me to think that today we are failing to pay sufficient attention to our resources. Today, we are far more focused on how to meet our rising demand than on how to conserve our limited resources.

As a people, we have come to love technology, quick fixes, innovation and innovators – from Ben Franklin to Steve Jobs.  But, I suggest, we often have too much faith in technology.  Sometimes we have an almost religious belief in tech fixes.  Instead of fixes, we should sometimes think about limiting our use of resources.

We think that we are superior to medieval religious believers who bought indulgences to assure that they were permitted to travel the path to Heaven.  But tech fixes play something of the same role as  medieval indulgences in our contemporary lives.  Both are a way of avoiding real issues.  Both are illusory.  Driving a Prius allows me to reduce my carbon footprint only if I refrain from upping the number of miles I drive.

Many people think today that “energy” is the main issue, perhaps due to Al Gore.  Not enough people are talking about resource conservation.

There has to be a way of delinking price of a commodity from the actual use of that commodity.  If a commodity appears to be inexpensive, it does not necessarily mean that it is abundant.  A government or an industry can artificially conceal the true cost of the commodity in order to get citizens to consume more of that resource in the  short run.  This is the case, of course, with oil.

I like to think of this kind of behavior as “magical use.”

Another example of this “magical use” is electricity.  Electrical consumption in US today is 30% higher today than in the 1980’s.  No matter how efficient today’s electrical networks are, if we are using electricity a great deal more now than we were thirty years ago, we are still using more electricity than we should be, since we do not have the natural resources which makes this level of usage supportable in the long run.

Today, we hear lots of enthusiastic talk about “the smart grid”, but we are failing to realize that part of the need for a smart grid is that we are engaging in “dumb consumption.”

Bob notes that some environmental columnists criticize conservations for “confusing acts of personal consumption and conservation for significant political action.”

Bob admits that this fixation on individual conservation behavior can be dangerous if we do not simultaneously figure out ways of creating public policy that addresses the critical sustainability issues.

A very important piece of the solution, as suggested in an article in recent Atlantic Monthly, is “understanding incentives.“

In conclusion, I support any legislation that succeeds in making energy use more effective and efficient.

“Renewable power” is a risky concept.  Instead of leaning on it, we need to figure out how we can cut resource consumption “to the bone.”  Only when we have done that does it make sense to think about using “renewables.”

We must remain aware that there are many contradictions  built into our contemporary energy industry.  For example, the only way that we can keep energy sales high, while simultaneously increasing energy efficiency, is by increasing consumption.  But this is not a sustainable long-term strategy.

Bob’s personal admonition:  “Heed the bigger picture.  Focus on lowering consumption of resources, rather than on increasing natural resource inventory.  Get back to that fundamental message of conservation!

Our partner BALLE (Business Alliance for Local Living Economies) announced today that they have extended the deadline for the discount pre-registration rate for next year's annual conference to be held in Charleston, South Carolina. Click here to take advantage of the discounted rate which will end December 18th!

From the makers of Story of Stuff, The Story of Cap & Trade looks at the proposed solution and exposes the devils in the details. More on Cap and Trade.

So you want a green career? looks at the current green jobs boom that's happening in our backyard!

Even before the recession, the green-jobs market was growing at a faster pace than overall employment in most states, with California leading the trend, experts say. The growth rate of green jobs nationwide was 9.1% from 1998 to 2007, compared with a 3.7% increase for all jobs during the same period, according to a recent report from the Pew Charitable Trusts.

A UC Berkeley study concluded that "the renewable energy sector generates more jobs per megawatt of power installed, per unit of energy produced and per dollar of investment, than the fossil fuel-based energy sector."

SBA member Justin Martello will be giving a free workshop on December 1st from 6PM to 7:30PM about green investment opportunities.

Green: The New Color of Investment Opportunity

From greenhouse gas emissions to the use of dwindling natural resources, the new economics of scarcity and abundance could soon become one of the more important factors in formulating a sound investment strategy.  However one sees opportunity — changing consumer attitudes and behavior, higher long-term energy cost efficiencies, risk management, environmental improvement, or an attempt to satisfy the rising demand for scarce resources —the convergence of green trends in business, politics, and our personal lives, is expected to create a wealth of opportunity for investors savvy enough to recognize them.

Green investing simply means investing in companies that develop, produce or deliver products, services or technology that serve consumer needs and improve the quality of our lives without placing undue stress on the environment or using natural resources inefficiently.  Come and learn how the world’s increasing focus on climate change and green living represents an emerging megatrend that is likely to drive investment opportunities for years to come.

In this discussion and Q&A session we will discuss:

• Four key drivers that make “green” a strong investment opportunity
• How green companies are outperforming during the financial crisis
• The green investing process and the impact on financial performance
• How to structure an investment portfolio that will maximize opportunities in a green economic renewal

Our sponsor and guest speaker will be Geoff Ashton, Senior VP for Calvert Mutual Funds. A leading investment firm for 30 years, Calvert offers a broad range of products, from expertly managed bond funds to the nation's largest array of sustainable and responsible mutual funds. Presented by Effective Assets, one of the Bay Area's most trusted financial services firms specializing in sustainable and socially responsible investing for over 22 years. At Effective Assets we help you Invest to Change the World.

Refreshments and hors d’oeuvres will be served.

Free registration

For questions please contact:

Justin Martello, CFP®
Office: 510.549.2525

From our friends at Sustainable Industries:

This year's Forum features keynote presenter Paul Hawken, who draws from his wealth of expertise and vision to address both the triple-bottom-line opportunities and frank economic realities of these extraordinary times. Expert panelists will highlight the multi-sector economic development potential of sustainable business here in the region. This event is sure to "re-inspire" the inspired and connect attendees through high-caliber networking with the purpose of getting business done!

November 19th, 2009

The St. Regis San Francisco
125 Third Street
San Francisco, CA 94103

Register Here

Event Details:
8 am | Registration
8:30-8:45 am | Welcome
8:45-9:30 am | Keynote by Paul Hawken
9:30-10:15 am | Speaker panel discussion - Panelists: Phil Williams, Webcor; Peter Rumsey, Rumsey Engineers; Lisa Michelle Galley, Galley Eco Capital & Matt Cheney, Renewable Ventures. Moderated By: Colin Wiel, Keiretsu Forum
10:30-11:30 am | Networking

Companies attending:
Adobe
Architectural Energy Corporation
Autodesk
B Lab
BBMG
CH2M Hill
Dominican Green MBA
FairRidge Group
GlobeScan
Global Citizen Center
Hewlett Packard
HOK
KMD Architects
Microsoft
Morrison Forestor
New Resource Bank
Parsons PR
Perkins Coie
Presidio Graduate Institute
Sabre Holdings
The Home Depot
Triple Pundit
UC Berkeley
USGBC Northern California
Webcor

From our friends at BALLE:

Join us in Charleston, South Carolina - May 21-23, 2010

Charleston is world renowned for its warm hospitality, historic architecture, outstanding local food, and beautiful waterways. But did you know that the lowcountry of South Carolina and the Southeastern U.S. is also a hotbed of innovation for community economic development? 

Forgotten mill towns are rising anew, tobacco farmers are converting their fields to sustainable local foods, local commodities like cotton are finding fair prices among socially minded consumers, family farms are being reclaimed, local businesses are learning sustainable practices to improve their bottom line - and the ties that bind communities and citizens together are being restored in the process.

Join us as we explore opportunities for your community to step forward as a leader in the new economy.

See you in Charleston!
The BALLE Team

Registration is now open!

Check out Bay Localize's newest resource for local organizers, community builders, and the public sector: the Community Resilience Toolkit! The Toolkit's designed for groups to prepare their communities to weather tough times. Get your FREE copy today!

The Toolkit is designed for groups to prepare their communities to weather tough times. It places a special emphasis on economic and climate instability. The Toolkit provides resources to evaluate a community's relative strengths and vulnerabilities, and take action to build resilience. It covers the topics of:

• Food
• Water
• Energy
• Transportation and Housing
• Jobs and Economy
• Civic Preparedness and Social Services

Here's a video from the recent toolkit launch party:

Green for All has produced a dramatic new video for promoting the green economy. To learn more and take action to build the green economy, visit Green for All.

This is a documentary made from the first Financial Permaculture summit in Hohenwald, Tennessee. The week long workshop is a dynamic educational experience of greening the American community. You'll learn how to map the financial ecosystem of a community, apply permaculture principles to business design, design a regenerative business, and create ecological and socially responsible investment oppertunities.

The next Financial Permaculture summit will be from September 22nd through the 26th.

New Study Highlights Need to Build Community Health and Prevention Into All Policies

Today, the California Center for Public Health Advocacy released a study of the economic cost of obesity in California. In just six years, reported economic costs of adult overweight, obesity and physical inactivity have nearly doubled and are now costing California an estimated $41 billion a year.

In addition to this new statewide figure, today’s study provides an accounting of obesity costs by county.  While it is not surprising that the largest counties have the largest costs, the numbers nevertheless are staggering: Los Angeles County -- $11.9 billion; Orange County -- $3.3 billion; San Diego County -- $3 billion; Alameda County -- $2.2 billion; Santa Clara County -- $2.1 billion; and Sacramento County -- $1.7 billion.

Strategic Alliance believes that this study further emphasizes the need to build community health and prevention into public policies at every level, giving all Californians a fair chance to eat healthy food and be more physically active. From national health reform and the state’s use of federal stimulus funding to local infrastructure projects, land use planning and community redevelopment, the implications on the public’s health must be at the core of every political decision.

We urge each of you to continuously monitor and respond to local media coverage of this important new study or other news stories that address environmental issues that affect diet and physical activity.

The talking points below have been prepared for general guidance and can be used in several ways:

· Pitch a story to your local reporter that ties your county’s cost of obesity data to local efforts to improve food and activity environments
· One or more of the talking points can be the basis of a letter to the editor or op-ed in response to your local coverage

Give California residents a fair chance at health.
The community environments in which we live, learn, work, and play shape our behaviors and our health.  When communities lack accessible fresh food and opportunities for activity, it is difficult for families to be healthy.  We must give our communities a fair chance at health by incorporating prevention into all policies.

Policy promoting community prevention is win-win.
By enacting local, state, and federal policies that improve community environments to support healthy living, we can save money and lives, and reduce the burden of chronic disease.

Small changes can make a big difference.
This study shows that by reducing obesity/physical inactivity by just 5 percent, California could recapture $2 billion every year.

We can’t afford to not to.
With a $24.3 billion deficit and $53.3 million in IOU’s printed, we cannot afford paying for such a preventable loss in productivity and money spent on treatment.

It will work.
We know from years of public health work in tobacco that when you create healthy environments people can change their behavior. We also know that education by itself does not create lasting change. We have an obligation to advocate for what public health and common sense tells us: create healthy environments and health will follow.

We welcome you to share any letters or op-eds that get published with the rest of the Strategic Alliance membership by sending them to sana@preventioninstitute.org

Colorado First made this excellent video examining how the multiplier effect of buying from local businesses strengthens a community and makes the local economy more sustainable.

A new book released today examines the history of corporations and how they went from a convenient legal vehicle to the dominant fact of contemporary life. Life Inc., written by author and documentary filmmaker Douglas Rushkoff, illuminates both how we’ve become disconnected from our world, and how we can reconnect to our towns, to the value we can create, and mostly, to one another. As the speculative economy collapses under its own weight, Life Inc. shows us how to build a real and human-scaled society to take its place.

"This fascinating journey reveals the roots of our debacle, from the late Middle Ages to today. From the founding of the chartered monopoly to the branding of the self; from the invention of central currency to the privatization of banking; from the birth of the modern, self-interested individual to his exploitation through the false ideal of the single-family home; from the Victorian Great Exhibition to the solipsism of MySpace; the corporation has infiltrated all aspects of our daily lives. Life Inc. exposes why we see our homes as investments rather than places to live, our 401k plans as the ultimate measure of success, and the Internet as just another place to do business."

Rushkoff will be speaking about Life Inc. at the Booksmith in San Francisco on Tuesday June 9th.

Life Inc. Dispatch 01: Crisis as Opportunity from Douglas Rushkoff on Vimeo.

UC Berkeley researcher: Climate change hitting poor in the U.S. hardest

Climate change is disproportionately affecting the poor and minorities in the United States - a "climate gap" that will grow in coming decades unless policymakers intervene, according to a University of California study.

Everyone, the researchers say, is already starting to feel the effects of a warming planet, via heat waves, increased air pollution, drought, or more intense storms. But the impacts - on health, economics, and overall quality of life - are far more acute on society's disadvantaged, the researchers found.

"Climate change does not affect everyone equally in the United States," said Rachel Morello-Frosch, associate professor at the School of Public Health at the University of California, Berkeley and lead author of The Climate Gap. "People of color and the poor will be hurt the most - unless elected officials and other policymakers intervene."

Read full article

The East Bay Green Corridor got the attention of the SF Chronicle:

East Bay tries to take lead in green economy
Charles Burress, Chronicle Staff Writer
Wednesday, April 8, 2009

More than a year ago, four East Bay mayors joined the heads of UC Berkeley and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laborat...

SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS ALLIANCE

presents

Operating LEAN & GREEN in a MEAN Economy!

A speaker panel moderated by Joel Makower of Greener World Media, joined by local Green Business Leaders:

James Duffy, Alonzo Printing Company
Ina Pockrass, Transcendentist, Inc.
Heidi Crouch, Mechanics Bank
Mike Hannigan, Give Something Back

How are green businesses doing in this economy? The economic downturn challenges us to work smarter and more efficiently.

Our panelists are using effective strategies not only to stay in business, but to develop a marketing edge and emerge stronger as the economy improves!

Panelists will share ideas and resources to help you operate leaner and greener!
AND
Green Business Program recognizes newly certified businesses in Alameda County!

THURSDAY, APRIL 30TH, 2009
5:30 to 7:00 p.m.

Bort Metro Building Auditorium
101 8th Street, 1st Floor, Oakland
at Oak Street, near the Lake Merritt BART Station

$15 pre-registered SBA & Green Chamber Members
$20 non members
$22 at the door

SPACE IS LIMITED!
Pre-registration ends April 29th at 6PM
Register here

Co-Sponsors: Alameda County Green Business Program,
The East Bay Express, The Green Chamber of Commerce, Stop Waste, Oakland Recycles, Association of Bay Area Governments

The National Geographic Traveler blog attended a recent East Bay Green Tours excursion:

Learning about successful eco-businesses is a large part of the tour, but the overarching goal of East Bay Green Tours is to demonstrate how the Berkeley area works as a community - something many other cities could learn from.

Click here for full article: Channel Your Inner Greentrepreneur.

Next tour is April 29th. Learn more about East Bay Green Tours.

SBA Board Member Sue Kearney wrote a recent article on one's relationship toward money for 360boom:

Like all humans—now in the post-Bush economy more than ever (thanks, George!)—you spend a significant amount of time thinking about money: Having enough. Not having enough. How much to spend? How much to save? Debt. The economy. Your financial present. Your financial future.

You wonder and worry (that little voice inside is almost certain) that you’ve paid fees that you don’t understand—that you didn’t have to pay—when you bought your house or your car, or monthly to your cell phone/cable/internet providers.

Read on

BALLE, along with several others, have drafted a letter of shared priorities to send to key contacts in the Obama Administration. To review and sign this letter, please click here.

Our work together is part of a long-term collaborative process that builds our collective voice as well as our ability to work with each other and the Administration to create an equitable and sustainable economy.

Our letter is a synthesis of priorities and recommendations developed by leading mission-driven business executives, social entrepreneurs, and network leaders who have recently formed a collaboration called the American Sustainable Business Council.

The letter and the ideas represented in them will be among many tools for engaging a national dialogue and building broader consensus for creating a just and sustainable economy. We realize that this communication is only a beginning and that some items are not adequately addressed in this letter. We see this as an initial document that will be part of a series of communications and dialogues with the Obama Administration.

In addition to the Business Alliance for Local Living Economies, the following networks and organizations have already signed on in support of this letter: Social Venture Network, New Voice of Business, Green America, Social Enterprise Alliance, Fourth Sector Network, and B Lab.

Brewton Alabama pharmacist Danny Cottrel came up with his own economic stimulus plan to boost his local economy by giving his employees a bonus paid in cash with $2 bills. He asked them to donate 15% to a charity of their choice and spend the rest locally in the downtown area. The $2 bills have been popping up all over town since then.

Read article

Fresh from the editing room: Bill Roth's presentation from the February SBA speaker event. Bill talks about the converging trends that signal a Green Economic Revolution where the environment takes center stage within our economic growth and sustainability.

Bill Roth is the Green Business Coach for Entrepreneur.com with a regular column. He is also President of NCCT, an East Bay firm that has participated in the development of the first hydrogen fueled Prius and in-grid, non-thermal solar peak power plants. As a professional economist Bill published in 2008 his critically acclaimed book, On Empty (out of time) that provides compelling documentation and layman language economic explanations on what Bill has labeled the Green Economic Revolution.

The Media Education Foundation has produce a timely DVD on capitalism and why it is failing to address the needs of people and the market.

With breathtaking clarity, renowned University of Massachusetts Economics Professor Richard Wolff breaks down the root causes of today's economic crisis, showing how it was decades in the making and in fact reflects seismic failures within the structures of American-style capitalism itself. Wolff traces the source of the economic crisis to the 1970s, when wages began to stagnate and American workers were forced into a dysfunctional spiral of borrowing and debt that ultimately exploded in the mortgage meltdown. By placing the crisis within this larger historical and systemic frame, Wolff argues convincingly that the proposed government "bailouts," stimulus packages, and calls for increased market regulation will not be enough to address the real causes of the crisis, in the end suggesting that far more fundamental change will be necessary to avoid future catastrophes. Richly illustrated with motion graphics, this is a superb introduction designed to help ordinary citizens understand, and react to, the unraveling economic crisis.

Richly illustrated with graphics and charts, this is a superb introduction that allows ordinary citizens to comprehend, and react to, the unraveling crisis.

Available in two different versions (57 mins and 34 mins) on the same DVD. More information available here.

Join us this Tuesday for a presentation by Bill Roth:

SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS ALLIANCE

presents

THE GREEN ECONOMIC REVOLUTION

Learn How This Mega-Trend Can Transform Your Life & Work

Bill Roth is the Green Business Coach for Entrepreneur.com with a regular column. He is also President of NCCT, an East Bay firm that has participated in the development of the first hydrogen fueled Prius and in-grid, non-thermal solar peak power plants. As a professional economist Bill published in 2008 his critically acclaimed book, On Empty (out of time) that provides compelling documentation and layman language economic explanations on what Bill has labeled the Green Economic Revolution.

Bill will outline at our February 10 meeting his statistical analysis and business case studies that document how Sustainability has now merged with Globalization and the Information Age to create a transformational mega-trend that will impact how we live, redefine our core business systems and provide the basis for renewed economic growth. And most encouragingly, Bill holds an optimistic perspective that the American consumer will be the enabling force that drives the adoption of solutions to unsustainable energy pricing, Energy Independence and Global Warming. Don't miss his insights on how we in the Bay Area have a unique opportunity to capitalize upon what Bill estimates will be a $4 billion U.S. annual revenue market by 2020.

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 10TH, 2009
5:30 to 7:00 p.m.

Tilden Room, MLK Student Union
University of California, Berkeley
(near downtown Berkeley BART)

Register here

Co-Sponsors: Alameda County Green Business Program, The Daily Californian,
The East Bay Express, The ASUC Auxiliary, Downtown Berkeley Association

SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS ALLIANCE

presents

THE GREEN ECONOMIC REVOLUTION

Learn How This Mega-Trend Can Transform Your Life & Work

Bill Roth is the Green Business Coach for Entrepreneur.com with a regular column. He is also President of NCCT, an East Bay firm that has participated in the development of the first hydrogen fueled Prius and in-grid, non-thermal solar peak power plants. As a professional economist Bill published in 2008 his critically acclaimed book, On Empty (out of time) that provides compelling documentation and layman language economic explanations on what Bill has labeled the Green Economic Revolution.

Bill will outline at our February 10 meeting his statistical analysis and business case studies that document how Sustainability has now merged with Globalization and the Information Age to create a transformational mega-trend that will impact how we live, redefine our core business systems and provide the basis for renewed economic growth. And most encouragingly, Bill holds an optimistic perspective that the American consumer will be the enabling force that drives the adoption of solutions to unsustainable energy pricing, Energy Independence and Global Warming. Don't miss his insights on how we in the Bay Area have a unique opportunity to capitalize upon what Bill estimates will be a $4 billion U.S. annual revenue market by 2020.

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 10TH, 2009
5:30 to 7:00 p.m.

Tilden Room, MLK Student Union
University of California, Berkeley
(near downtown Berkeley BART)

Register here

Co-Sponsors: Alameda County Green Business Program, The Daily Californian,
The East Bay Express, The ASUC Auxiliary, Downtown Berkeley Association

Set in the newly renovated historic Fox Theater in downtown Oakland, this is an opportunity to listen in and interact with the Honorable Mayors of Oakland, Berkeley, Emeryville and Alameda as they opine about retail development/redevelopment in their respective cities.

Moderator Phil Tagami, California Commercial Group, Fox Theater Redeveloper, California Transportation Commission Commissioner, Past Port of Oakland President, Past Oakland Planning Commissioner, will steer this esteemed panel as they wind-down the path of retail development/redevelopment opportunities, city services, strategic planning, economic impact and the big box/chain store controversy to name a few.

The Alliance Program is an ICSC forum for the public and private sectors to network, share ideas and discuss development issues and mutually desired retail projects.  Positive relationship building is paramount for successful development. ICSC Alliance meetings are both time and cost effective opportunities for public officials, developers, retailers and other industry leaders to grow their relationships and learn from one another.

Meet the "Bay Bridge" Mayors
Boxed Luncheon at the Historic Fox Theater

Thursday, January 29, 2009
11:30 AM - 1:30 PM
Fox Theater
1912 Telegraph Avenue

Register here

We strongly encourage your participation in this important discussion of retail development. This forum will provide the perspectives of elected leaders of these four cities in the context of the economic and development climate in the East Bay. This is a great chance to discuss how to create a business climate that promotes retail activity and share ideas with cities, retailers, brokers and developers.

NPR's Spencer Michaels examines the Green Revolution here in the San Francisco Bay Area and how venture capitalists are funding green tech startups (mostly business related to energy) in what they call the next economic boom. Watch the video here.

In her latest DVD, Catherina Austin Fitts, former U.S. Assistant Secretary of Housing and Federal Housing Commissioner, warns us of the consequences of a "Slow Burn" economic scenario. Catherine explains in a recent post:

The "slow burn" is a political culture and economy managed through principles of economic warfare in which insiders systematically protect themselves and centralize control and ownership of resources by using:

• Central Banks
• Currency and Lending Systems
• Taxation
• Regulatory and Enforcement Policies
• Controlled Media and Entertainment

Why is this important for community based businesses? Catherine goes on to explain:

Insiders use these means to drain the time, resources, and life of people on the outside. Although insider cartels compete and jockey for power, they are able to settle their squabbles by increasing control and draining everyone and everything else. This is why the bubble economy continues to deplete the real economy. It is likely the reason why Dick Cheney said, “Deficits don’t matter.”

For more information on the slow burn and Catherine's work, visit Solari.com.

Propagating the concepts of local self-reliance, Peak Moment TV covers a wide variety of topics concerning energy, climate, and the economy. They maintain a video blog of interviews with experts and community leaders. It's an essential guide for surviving in challenging times.

Here are a few selects:

As reflected in his weekly Financial Sense Newshour, Jim Puplava has been factoring peak oil into his financial picture for several years. In this interview, Jim talks about the “crisis window” opened by the current 2008 global credit crunch, and deepening over the next several years as oil supply begins its permanent decline.

Drawing parallels with the current financial meltdown, Matthew Simmons expresses his alarm about gasoline stocks being the lowest in several decades and refinery production down following recent hurricanes. He warns that if there were a run on the “energy bank” by everyone topping off their gasoline tanks, the U.S. would be out of fuel in three days, and grocery shelves largely emptied in a week.

As the volunteer garden manager, Patrick affirms gardening isn’t just for leisure — it helps build community. It creates bonds among people from diverse social spheres — through shared work, classes, potlucks and, most of all, shared passion.

Two timely articles from the BALLE newsletter.

Notes From the Leading Edge of Social Finance
By Don Shaffer

The era of Wall Street domination is over.

It may take ten years, or fifty years, but the signs are clear. A relative few committed investors are driving the shift to an entirely new approach to working with money.

If today's capital markets can be described as complex, opaque, and anonymous - based on short-term outcomes, we are beginning to see more and more financial transactions that are direct, transparent, and personal-based on long-term relationships.

• Exotic hedge funds - out.
  
• Investments that contribute directly to community health and self-reliance - in.

In the years to come, there will be significant growth of…

• Small-scale community banks
  
• Holding companies for privately held, triple-bottom-line businesses
  
• New funds that re-define venture capital and the notion of "exit strategy"

And much more…

Read on...

Table For Six Billion, Please

Judy Wicks On Her Plan To Change The World, One Restaurant At A Time

Kupfer: What exactly is a “local living economy”?

Wicks: It’s an economy in which basic needs are produced close to home in ways that are sustainable and don’t harm the environment. This requires a cooperative mentality, because there’s no such thing as a stand-alone sustainable business — it must be part of a sustainable system. Individuals, or individual businesses, can’t provide for all our basic needs by themselves. We need a local food system, a local energy system, local clothing manufacturing, and green building methods. In the face of climate change and peak oil, our survival depends on community self-reliance.

In local living economies, goods we can’t produce at home, such as coffee or sugar or bananas, are traded for fairly, so that the exchange benefits both our community and the community where those products originate. We can still have a global economy, but it will be a network of thousands of sustainable local economies that trade in products that improve our quality of life. If we create products that are unique to our region — whether it’s a style of clothing, a type of cheese or wine, or a unique invention — they’ll be sought after in the global marketplace. So this movement is not anti-trade or antiglobalization; it’s about creating security at home and not depending on foreign trade for our basic needs.

Read on...