2005 Conference Presentations

Summaries of selected presentations from our 2005 conference.

Dominique Conseil, President of AVEDA, presents a case for how environmental and economic goals are not mutually exclusive. Conseil engages in a profound discussion of what a sustainable company will look like in the future—and how competitiveness and social responsibility can work together. He also addresses the impact of size and growth of a company on its culture as well as the role of the corporation in society today and in the future.

Paul Ray, Founding Partner of Integral Partnerships, presents findings from his soon-to-be-published book on the "Authenticity Factor" which reveals the enormous consumer demand for authenticity in marketing, product development, retail advertising and PR. He is the author of the book that first identified the Cultural Creatives, the consumer base of the $230 billion LOHAS industry.

Paul Ray's presentation (pdf 1.5MB) »

Gwynne Rogers of Natural Marketing Institute, provides a compelling analysis of the LOHAS industry—as labels for Fair Trade, Organics, and Hybrid appear in the mainstream—she provides businesses with specific fact-based insights to consumer attitudes, awareness and usage of a range of green and socially responsible products. Based on the Natural Marketing Institutes fourth annual LOHAS survey she examines which messages will be most meaningful, and how to best communicate with current and potential consumers.

Gwynne Rogers's presentation (pdf 2.8MB) »

Gil Friend, CEO of Natural Logic on the Sustainable Business Rating System, presents the start of a new system of rating for Green Businesses, one that would combine the qualities of the LEED system for green building with universal applicability across sectors that would rate businesses on the different elements of sustainability in a restorative way. The conference session generated input to ensure that the system will meet the needs of small green businesses.

Gil Friend's presentation (pdf 135KB) »

Seth Goldman, COO of Honest Tea, tells all in his presentation, "Failing our Way to Success- How Honest Tea Learned Enough from its Failures to be Successful." Sharing his company’s failures he examines the importance of being a learning organization and letting your company’s failures take you to success. Honest Tea is the nation's best-selling brand of organic bottled tea, but the company almost went out of business several times along the way.

Seth Goldman's presentation (pdf 45KB) »

John Abrams, founder of South Mountain Company, describes his company’s commitment to creating both structures and a company designed for the long haul. Abrams examines how business, when it takes the long haul view, can use shared ownership and commitment to bring meaning to our work-lives and life to our communities. Abrams book, Thinking Like Cathedral Builders, Workplace Democracy and Local Commitment for the Long-Haul Business Success is available from Chelsea Green Publishing (2005).

John Abrams's presentation (pdf 179KB) »

Melissa Bradley, founder of Reentry Strategies Institute and Co-op America board member, offered startling facts on how formerly incarcerated persons are likely to be chronic offenders if not given employment opportunities. Bradley emphasized the role of green businesses in providing the jobs to reverse this trend.

Melissa Bradley's speech and resources (pdf 87kb) »