Podcasts about american sustainable business council

We speak with John Salzinger founder and Seungah Jeong CEO of MPOWERD, about their company mission and passion to give back.  In 2012 MPOWERD created Luci, the first inflatable solar light with the goal of making an affordable clean energy product that people could use in any situation. They create sustainable, affordable, and thoughtfully designed products that suit the needs of the many. The belief that everyone deserves access to clean, reliable and affordable energy, no matter how or where they live has driven them to create their sustainable products.  For over 3 billion people, everyday tasks are made more difficult (and dangerous) than they should be. Access to clean energy can improve health, create education equality, economic empowerment, all the while combating climate change.As a B Corp, they use the power of business to build a more inclusive and sustainable economy. As a social enterprise, they reinvest a majority of their gross revenue to achieve sustainability, increase their reach to enable them to fulfill their mission. Aside from the Give Luci Program - which donates lights to their partners - their sustainable business model means that the more they sell here at home, the more affordable they can sell to emerging markets and nonprofits. As a member of the American Sustainable Business Council along with other members like Patagonia, Ben and Jerry's, Greyston Bakery, Avocado Green Mattress, advocate for policy change and inform business owners, policymakers, and the public about the need and opportunities for building a vibrant, broadly prosperous, sustainable economy.  Listen to their journey in this episode. https://mpowerd.com/https://www.mindfulbusinessespodcast.com/podcast-links

You cannot switch on the radio, TV or online news any day  without a mention of sustainability or climate change. One of the early thought leader in this field is Jeffrey Hollender, co-founder of Seventh Generation. We enjoy always to listen to his words and thought process and decided to re-air this classic episode. Take a listen.--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Jeffrey Hollender, co-founder and Board Chair of the American Sustainable Business Council (ASBC), which through its national member network represents more than 250,000 businesses in a wide range of industries. He was co-founder and CEO of Seventh Generation, which he built into a leading natural product brand known for its authenticity, transparency, and progressive business practices.As an early thinker and adopter of sustainable practices, Jeffrey brought to market several green products. He talks about how and why is a living wage important. He talks about the impact of a living wage on an individual and societal level - both emotionally and financially. What sustainability means is far more than just doing no harm - we have to be a net positive. Do more good through regenerative practices. AT ASBC, he leads and lobbies for policy changes in these issues which he is passionate about. Listen now only on Mindful Businesses. https://www.asbcouncil.org/https://www.mindfulbusinessespodcast.com/ 

This week we have the co-founder of Seventh Generation (purchased by Unilever in 2016) and of the American Sustainable Business Council (with over 200,000 members), Jeffrey Hollender. Jeffrey has been a leader in the sustainability field since its early days, as an entrepreneur and co-founder the first successful environmentally focused home products Seventh Generation.  Hear about his journey and the difference he is trying to make now with the ASBC as the chamber of commerce for the environment. ** If you enjoy this podcast, would you consider leaving a review on Apple Podcasts/iTunes? It takes only a few seconds and greatly helps us get our podcast out to a wider audience. Please subscribe on Apple Podcasts / Spotify / Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts. For transcripts and show notes, please go to: https://www.theconsciouscapitalists.com Thank you for your support! Timothy & Raj

Devin: As you reflect on your career and include the work you’re doing today and the success you’re having and have had, what do you think of as your superpower?Jeffrey: Wow, that’s that’s an interesting and challenging question. Certainly one thing that I reflect on. And by the way, reflection is part of that superpower. I think we don’t do enough of it—as is staying in the moment and living in the present. But what I would say is my willingness to take a hard look at myself in the mirror and see the way in which I’m contributing to the problem myself. It’s always easier to point fingers at other people. It’s much harder to see how we are sometimes at fault. And that kind of honest, humble way of reflecting on yourself and your behavior to me makes me a better leader, makes me a more compassionate and humble person. And as challenging as it is to do, I think that it is helped me succeed and accomplish much of what I’ve accomplished so far.Jeffrey Hollender is CEO, co-founder and Board Chair of the American Sustainable Business Network, which comprises the former American Sustainable Business Council and Social Venture Circle recently combined in a merger completed this month.Jeffrey was co-founder and CEO of Seventh Generation, which he built into a leading natural product brand known for its authenticity, transparency, and progressive business practices. In other words, he is kind of a big deal.And I was thrilled to host him on the show to talk about the recent merger, Seventh Generation and his superpowers.“I couldn’t be happier with the fact that we’ve come together, that we will be one organization in the future, and we will have a stronger and more powerful voice in making the world a better place,” he said of the merger.Having participated in the discussions at the outset, he shared how the merger came about.During the tenure of Valerie Red-Horse Mohl as executive director for Social Venture Circle, Anand Giridharadas, author of the bestseller Winners Take All, spoke at the annual conference. Jeffrey quoted him as saying, “We’re not going to deal with the social, economic and environmental challenges we face unless we really change the rules by which all businesses are operating.” At that moment, Val leaned over to Jeffrey and said, “Wow, I bet you guys could help us do that.” Thus began a two-year process that culminated earlier this month in the completed merger of the two organizations.Jeffrey points to several political victories over the 11 years since the founding of ASBC. One is the success in passing the JOBS Act in 2012, which has helped democratize pre-IPO investing. At the same time, it is helping to level the playing field for accessing capital for underrepresented populations, especially women and BIPOC entrepreneurs.ASBC also worked to help pass the infrastructure package that became law earlier this year, with the White House acknowledging the organization’s role in building consensus for it. ASBN is now pushing for passage of the Build Back Better bill recently passed by the House and pending consideration in the Senate.Jeffrey called it “Critical, critical must-pass legislation.” He noted, “This Build Back Better bill is a once in a lifetime opportunity to make critical investments socially and environmentally—very importantly, the biggest investment that the country has ever made to fight climate change.”“We’ve got to put a price on carbon,” Jeffrey says. “Putting a price on carbon will be totally transformational for our businesses and our economy, and it will really reward those companies that have been committed to internalizing those externalities instead of dumping them into the environment and onto our society.”“Then we’ve got to move beyond just putting a price on carbon, and we’ve got to move towards this notion of full cost accounting so that we really have a true price when we buy and sell services and products that really is representative of what it costs us to make and use products,” he continued.Jeffery is a big deal whose work matters. He is changing the world. He has a clear and humble view of his superpower, the ability to reflect on his role in creating the problem he wants to solve.How to Develop the Ability to Reflect on Your Role in Creating the Problem As a SuperpowerJeffrey can see how his superpower makes him a better leader. “That kind of honest, humble way of reflecting on yourself and your behavior to me makes me a better leader, makes me a more compassionate and humble person. And as challenging as it is to do, I think that it is helped me succeed and accomplish much of what I’ve accomplished so far.”He notes that it is easier to point the finger at other people, but authentic leadership requires introspection. “The honest way in which I try to see myself, I think, really inspires other people to do the same. And, you know, no one, no one’s perfect. We all have faults. We’re all on a journey to continually learn and become better human beings.”Business success comes from leadership that takes responsibility for one’s own role in the problem.“When we create the opportunity for people to grow, when we create the opportunity for people to learn and unleash the power they have within them, that really enables businesses to accomplish extraordinary things.”From our conversation, I conclude that there are three essential steps to effective reflection.Define the problem. Business and life present problems from giants like climate change to everyday issues like internal office conflicts. When you are working to solve a problem, start by defining it.Identify your role. The heart of Jeffrey’s superpower is to assess his role in the problem honestly. In the context of climate change, you could look at your personal carbon footprint, your company’s and the impact of your example within your sphere of influence. With respect to interpersonal discord, it can be even more challenging to see how your behavior contributes to it. An honest assessment is essential.Make appropriate changes. Jeffrey notes, “It’s hard to change.” He suggests a virtuous cycle of intentionality and reflection, constantly becoming a better person and a better leader. Set out to make the change and then reflect on how it’s going. Adjust and focus your intention, and then periodically reflect on your progress.By following these steps Jeffrey suggested, you can become a better leader. You can make reflecting on your role in the problem a superpower to help you change the world. Get full access to Superpowers for Good at devinthorpe.substack.com/subscribe

It's the penultimate episode of A Little Green and it's time to talk policy. Christina gets up to speed on the latest climate action in Washington. What's on the table? And who's at the table?What becomes clear is that it's going to take bold, transformational climate action to steer us toward a livable future, and the Green New Deal has come to symbolize just that. Christina talks with fellow podcaster Georgia Wright about what this Green New Deal is all about.Jade Begay of NDN Collective and Ali-Reza Vahabzadeh of the American Sustainable Business Council join Christina to shed light on the Biden administration's approach to climate change and how they're incorporating those important environmental justice principles we've learned are so vital to climate action.Christina brings things back to New York to dig into one amazing example of a bold, just, and intersectional initiative with Anthony Rogers-Wright of New York Lawyers for the Public Interest. It's called Renewable Rikers.With so much great work being done by these organizers in the climate movement, Christina wonders why we haven't made bigger strides on the national and global scale. It turns out that we're dealing with a “leadership crisis.” Christina looks at the ugliest manifestation of this leadership crisis with Sarah Jaquette Ray, and Katharine Wilkinson explains who needs to take the wheel if we're going to move forward.Highlights:What is the Green New Deal? (2:24)Understanding President Biden's Build Back Better agenda and how climate factors in (5:14)What intersectionality looks like in action (14:50)Why the climate crisis is a leadership crisis (18:09)The dangers of moving forward without taking justice into account (21:03)What transformational climate leadership looks like (23:05)Terminology:Green New DealCivilian Climate CorpsGrassroots advocacyEco fascismResources:Read more about the Green New Deal and Civilian Climate CorpsMobilizing an Indigenous Green New DealHear from Inherited podcast's Green New DreamersLearn more about the White House Environmental Justice Advisory CouncilCheck out Renewable RikersA sinking jail: The environmental disaster that is Rikers Island (Grist)Climate Anxiety Is an Overwhelmingly White Phenomenon (Scientific American)What We Like (and Don't Like) About the Biden Climate PlanThis is What Supporting Climate Justice Looks Like

We make decisions about what to buy (and who to buy it from) every day. Choosing environmentally-responsible products and brands is important to many of us, especially in light of what's happening with our climate. But these choices can be difficult to make when we're surrounded by persuasive advertising and most of us don't have the time to research every bottle of detergent or pair of shoes. In this episode, Christina focuses her attention on greenwashing. It's one of those big bad words of environmentalism, and it can be kind of tricky to spot. Many of the products we use in our daily life are subject to greenwashing -- even bank accounts! So, how do you avoid greenwashed products? How much does your dollar actually matter? And what are companies really doing to act on climate change?Christina brings these questions and more to a few people who are determined to combat greenwashing. First, she catches up with Avocado's Director of Sustainability and Impact, Bri Decker, to hear about how Avocado is communicating its impact to customers.Bri shares that there are legitimate, rigorous certifications and labels that brands can pursue to verify and convey their environmental practices. So, Christina chats with representatives of these certifications to learn more. They include Climate Neutral, 1% for the Planet, and B Lab's B Corp certification.Going beyond specific certifications, Christina talks with Raj Aggarwal of the B Corp Climate Collective about how business leaders can and should be approaching climate action, specifically through climate justice. Ali-Reza Vahabzadeh of the American Sustainable Business Council also shares how the organization is advocating for these priorities legislatively.Highlights:What is greenwashing? (3:04)Trusted certifications we can look for when shopping (5:38)What's the difference between a stakeholder and a shareholder? (8:35)Going climate neutral (10:52)What 1% of sales can do for our planet (16:04)Avocado's journey to B Corp certification (19:59)Defining climate justice (21:56)8 questions to ask yourself as you move toward climate justice (25:03)How values-driven organizations are advocating for change on a national scale (26:33)Terminology:GreenwashingStakeholder capitalismB CorpCarbon NeutralCarbon offsetNet zeroClimate justiceResources:Climate Neutral Certified brandsBrands that are donating 1% for the PlanetCertified B CorpsAmerican Sustainable Business Council member brandsLearn more about the B Corp Climate CollectiveRead their Climate Justice Playbook for BusinessThe Truth About GreenwashingConscious Living 101What are Carbon Offsets?

Aria McKenna on storytelling and world-changing for the climate and the environment This episode is brought to you by Brain.fm. I love and use brain.fm every day! It combines music and neuroscience to help me focus, meditate, and even sleep! Because you listen to this show, you can get a free trial.* URL: https://brain.fm/innovativemindset If you love it as much as I do, you can get 20% off with this exclusive coupon code: innovativemindset It's also brought to you by Gloria Chou's PR Starter Pack. If you want to get featured in the media, this is your best first step. I've used these techniques to get featured in magazines, newspapers, and podcasts. They work! https://izoldat.krtra.com/t/so6Aw0yCuva4 Aria McKenna is an actress, writer and producer turned climate advocate. She founded Global Cooling Productions and is in development with several mission-driven projects. She trained with Al Gore as part of his Climate Reality Leadership Corps and has studied, worked, and presented with organizations such as The American Sustainable Business Council, Citizens Climate Lobby, American Renewable Energy DAY, EarthX, and the Cooperative Impact Social Innovation Conference. She is currently working with the Healthy Climate Alliance and the Planetary Restoration Action Group to advocate for an emergency three-pronged approach to restore the climate to safe levels. Connect with Aria Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/revolutionearth/ Website: https://www.ariamckenna.com/index.html Petition on Climate change  Global Cooling Productions' Patreon  Episode transcript [00:00:00] Aria McKenna: I feel like there is an incredible power in storytelling and that the media can be used to help pull people along and to engage them long enough to get them to have a deeper understanding of the situation. And to care deeply about changing it. [00:00:29] Izolda Trakhtenberg: Hello and welcome to the innovative mindset podcast. I'm your host Izolda Trakhtenberg on the show. I interview peak performing innovators in the creative social impact and earth conservation spaces or working to change the world. This episode is brought to you by brain FM brain FM combines the best of music and neuroscience to help you relax, focus, meditate, and even sleep. [00:00:49] I love it and have been using it to write, create, and do some of my deepest work because you're a listener of the show. You can get a free trial head over to brain.fm/innovative [00:01:00] mindset. To check it out. If you decide to subscribe, you can get 20% off with the coupon code, innovative mindset, all one word, and now let's get to the show. [00:01:13] Hey there and welcome to the innovative mindset podcast. My name is Izolda Trakhtenberg, I'm your host, and I'm thrilled that you're here. I'm also thrilled and honored and think this is so important. So you need to know that to welcome my guests this week. Aria McKenna is an actress writer and producer turned climate. [00:01:32] Catnip to me, as you know, she founded global cooling productions and is in development with several mission-driven projects. She trained with Al gore as part of his climate reality leadership core and a studied work and presented with organizations such as the American sustainable business council. [00:01:49] Citizens' climate lobby, American renewable energy day, earth X, and the cooperative impact social innovation conference. She's currently working with the healthy climate Alliance and the [00:02:00] planetary restoration action group to advocate for an emergency three pronged approach to restore the climate to safe levels, such important work aria. [00:02:09] I'm so glad that you're here. I'm so glad that you're doing the work that you're doing. Welcome. [00:02:14] Aria McKenna: Thank you so much. It is great to be here. I have really been enjoying doing my research on you and seeing what amazing work you're doing and the commonalities we have with the voiceover background as well. I really love your, oh, [00:02:31] Izolda Trakhtenberg: thank you so much. [00:02:32] And we have another commonality. I worked for years for the globe program, which was a, it's a joint NASA NOAA NSF program. K through 12, designed to teach students all about, uh, the environment, the earth. And it was, the idea was started by Al gore in his book earth in the balance. So we sort of have Al gore in common as well. [00:02:53] Oh, [00:02:53] Aria McKenna: wow. I love that. Yeah. I know you've been doing some education. I also did some educational outreach [00:03:00] with the Cleo Institute. Ah, fabulous. [00:03:04] Izolda Trakhtenberg: It's such important work. It really is. And, and, you know, I want to just, I want to jump right in and I mean, obviously this is important work and we know that the G 20 summit is happening at the end of the week in Rome. [00:03:19] So I want to talk to you about what, what importance you think the these countries can play in bringing the climate back to safe level. [00:03:31] Aria McKenna: Yeah, no, thank you. Um, it is absolutely huge and so important that we get countries on the same page together to create a collective action plan that actually has the power to restore the current. [00:03:53] Um, as part of a healthy climate Alliance and the political, the planetary [00:04:00] restoration action group, we are working to help forward the mission of educating people about the difference between climate restoration and reducing climate change to less than two degrees, which right now is what the United nations has agreed to. [00:04:21] So we know that there has been some work in, in this direction. It's wonderful to get countries on board, agreeing to a goal, to deal with the climate. First of all, you know, let's just say that first. Um, but right now their goal is to reach net zero by 2050. And we know that carbon dioxide and methane do not just automatically disappear from the atmosphere on their own. [00:04:55] So we are continuing to put greenhouse gases [00:05:00] in the atmosphere. And so it's going to keep on warming and we know that warming is leading to extreme weather. Uh, what happened with hurricane Ida caused $95 billion. Just that one. So we need investments in turning this around. So what we're advocating for is a three-pronged approach to restoring the climate to safe levels. [00:05:31] Those are levels that are pre-industrial levels that humans have lived safely within for, for some time. So if we actually brought carbon dioxide down to 300 parts per million, then that is actually known to be safe. Uh, right now we've got, uh, three 50 has been a goal where we know that if you go [00:06:00] beyond three 50, it's not safe. [00:06:03] So we actually have the power, not only to reduce our carbon footprint and to reduce the amount of methane we put in the atmosphere, but we actually have the power to draw those greenhouse gases down. And as we draw them down, we help reduce warming. So those are two major steps that need to happen to move us toward climate restoration. [00:06:30] And then the planetary restoration action group has introduced the third step, which is the emergency mitigation that we need to do in response to how quickly the Arctic is melting. So right now we're looking at massive sea level rise, which is a serious environmental injustice situation, especially when it comes to small [00:07:00] nations of Florida is, is, you know, half of Florida is going to be gone. [00:07:05] So we need to deal with sea level rise as well. So if we just have goals to reduce warming, we are not doing anything to reverse sea level rise or to. Or to deal with the, uh, massive injustice that is thrust upon small countries around the world. So we are advocating for a three pronged approach that deals with the emergency situation of an escalating crisis that has completely disrupted our weather systems and led to flooding, uh, droughts, fires, uh, all around the world. [00:07:51] So, um, you know, we really need to change that goal, create a positive vision for the future and to really pull, [00:08:00] pull ourselves up by the bootstraps and create a plan to turn the situation around so that we can have a safe planet for our children. [00:08:12] Izolda Trakhtenberg: Wow. Um, I'm taking all this in. Cause it's it. And here's the thing I've worked in earth science when I worked at NASA for years. [00:08:24] And so I understand all of this and I, and I get it and yet it's still, it's still overwhelming. And so the thing that I come up against, whenever I'm talking to anybody about climate change and the climate crisis is how do we get people to think long-term about this? Because we can look at today's weather and go, oh, it rained today, but it didn't rain yesterday and it's not going to rain tomorrow. [00:08:50] Those changes are easy. But when we're looking at the climate, we're looking at long-term trends and patterns and how do, how do we come up with, and, [00:09:00] and what are your thoughts on this? How do we come up with innovative ways? To get people to understand the causality there that the climate changing is what's causing some of these extreme weather events and, and wildfires and all of these other catastrophes that you mentioned just a minute ago, how do we get that causality to connect in people's minds? [00:09:27] Aria McKenna: I think that's an excellent question. And I have so many different things that pop into my mind in response to that. Uh, one of them is the importance of keeping these things in people's mind, because exactly what you say. We have these disasters and when it's on the news, people go, oh my God. Wow. Oh, I can't believe that. [00:09:53] And of course, if you're personally affected by it, that that's, that's, uh, affecting you on a whole nother level. Right. [00:10:00] But once it goes away, You go on to other things, you start thinking about other things you think about, you know, what am I going to eat? How am I going to take care of my kids? What am I going to do about these immediate things that are right in front of me? [00:10:16] So we need that kind of long-term engagement that helps to educate people and emotionally charged them to take the kinds of actions that will actually make a difference in the world. Right? So for me, personally, my personal approach to this is that I feel like there is an incredible power in storytelling and that the media can be used to help pull people along and to engage them. [00:10:58] Long enough to [00:11:00] get them to have a deeper understanding of the situation and to care deeply about changing it. So, you know, I've got some projects that I'm working on. I'm not going to go into full detail, but I do want to say that I think that when we tell stories, people, people care about people and they care about their children. [00:11:29] And, and so many people care about the planet that we live on. Right. And that's across political divides. Unfortunately, the issue of climate has absolutely been politicized. There has been a lot of misinformation propagated by the fossil fuel industry and, and other industries that, that gain to profit. [00:11:55] Right? So we're fighting a lot when it comes [00:12:00] to focusing on climate, some people are gonna hop a board, they're gonna get the connections and they're going to take action in response to those connections. But there are other people who might not get the connection ever, honestly, It might take them a lot longer. [00:12:23] And the good news is that I think there are multiple ways in because the same things that are affecting the climate are also affecting our drinking water. They're affecting the air that we breathe. They're creating childhood cancer. They are, uh, affecting people's breathing asthma emphysema. There are so many direct causalities and environmental injustices tied to [00:13:00] the fossil fuel industry. [00:13:02] That I do think that when we educate people about these issues as well, we end up getting double benefits. So I think that the, one of the things that's difficult with us when it comes to the news cycle is you talk about how many people are affected when it's a statistic. And when it's an overwhelming statistic, we shy away from it. [00:13:26] It feels overwhelming. There's nothing we can do about it. But if you tell a story about one person and how they're affected, and people care about that person and they can make connections to their own lives and how they're being affected that I think has more power when it comes to. Energizing people and inspiring people to make personal changes. [00:13:55] Does that make sense? [00:13:57] Izolda Trakhtenberg: It does. It does. Absolutely. It's [00:14:00] just the thing that, the thing that I'm concerned about as I think about what you're saying, and as I take it in is, again, that notion of, if somebody is going through surviving through a hurricane, are they going, oh, well this is due to climate change or are they going, oh, let me get to higher ground or lower ground or whatever it is I need to do to protect myself and my family. [00:14:24] Right. And then later that connection that you're talking about has to be restated or reinforced because they might not know. And so what do we do? Oh, hold on one sec. [00:14:44] I had to cough there for a second. Didn't want to cough. What do we do? To, I don't want to say befriend, but to align with these industries that traditionally either don't [00:15:00] care or don't see that, that the work that they're doing is causing. These grave and big changes on a planetary scale, right? The fossil fuel industry, isn't going anywhere for the foreseeable future. [00:15:15] Is there a way in your mind to get them to change their practices? I mean, I know farmers who are stopping doing dairy production, cow, you know, keeping cows and cows are some of the biggest methane producers. And there've been new farmers in the news recently that have said, you know what, I'm going completely vegan. [00:15:37] I'm just going to go to plant farming, things like that are happening. Do you think it is possible for the fossil fuel industry to pivot? And if so, what would it take for them to start looking at new ways, more sustainable ways of treating our home planet? Kind of. [00:15:56] Aria McKenna: Well, I think that's where the [00:16:00] international community comes in for one thing right now. [00:16:04] So many governments are subsidizing the fossil fuel industry to the tune of billions and billions of dollars. Right? [00:16:11] Izolda Trakhtenberg: So, [00:16:14] Aria McKenna: and they're not giving the same kinds of funds to clean energy in general, you know, at least in this country, it's not par or it hasn't been in the past. So those are things that we need to change. [00:16:29] And fortunately, the cost for electric, uh, you know, uh, solar energy, wind, energy, electrification, all of these things, the costs have gone down so much that right now, there is so much financial incentive to actually change their ways. So it's actually, I'm trying to remember where I had read this. Oh shoot. [00:16:58] There was, um, [00:17:00] a recent, there was, there was a meeting and it had to do with the fossil fuel industry and they actually ended up coming to the conclusion. There were some, oh, I don't know if I tell the story properly. I'm sorry. Um, but, but the bottom line, I'll just say that they had come to the conclusion. [00:17:21] They realized that it was no longer in their financial benefit to continue business as usual. And there were some stakeholders who actually drew a line and said, no, we have to change. [00:17:35] Izolda Trakhtenberg: I love that I, that gives me some hope. It really does, you know, and you know, it's interesting what you were saying about, I have so many questions. [00:17:43] Uh, well, you were saying about storytelling is so true that if that, if we talk about, uh, climate change on a, on a global scale, or even on a city scale, when I work with kids and we'll talk about, uh, Cape town and then breaching getting very close to date day zero, where they [00:18:00] have no more water supplies and they, they keep pushing it back because the rain comes just enough. [00:18:07] The kids themselves, I was working. Remember I was working with a bunch of sixth graders. They got it. And then they went, can we ship water to. And it was a really interesting question, because then we talked about what it would take, the, the resources it would take to ship water from at this point, this was Washington DC to Cape town, South Africa. [00:18:28] And could we ship enough and all of that. And, and so talking about these stories, got the kids really interested in what they could do. They're tomorrow's decision makers. And I know that you, as you said, love stories and you started as an actor and you've transformed your mission. It sounds like to tell stories about the planet about climate. [00:18:52] And I'm just wondering, how did that happen? What made you go from I'm a performer [00:19:00] on stage or screen to I'm an advocate and an activist on behalf of the planet and the. [00:19:07] Aria McKenna: Yeah. No, thank you. Um, I'm I'm glad you asked that. Um, I'll just say to, to start off, I'll say that I grew up in Florida and Florida is absolutely beautiful. [00:19:24] I'm I'm I'm partial. Okay. We've got these incredible beautiful crystal clear Springs. We've got these incredible lakes. It's, it's a water place. Obviously we're a peninsula. I grew up in the water, swimming in the Gulf of Mexico. Uh, so these things are really important to me. I've always loved nature. Uh, it it's been a solace to me, so I actually was, you know, play, uh, down in key west. [00:19:54] I was playing Betty in summers in, in, uh, Betty summer vacation [00:20:00] and I was Snoopy diving. Um, and a, a diving, Snoopy diving. It's amazing. You don't have to get a scuba diving certificate. All you, you can be in your bathing suit and you put a snorkel on and the snorkel goes all the way up and it connects to a boat that's filled with oxygen. [00:20:25] So you just breathe the air and the boat just, it's like a little raft and it floats above you. So you can go way down. And I was exploring, uh, the world's third largest coral reef there. It was so beautiful. It was one of the most incredible experiences of my life to be down there and to feel like a fish. [00:20:47] It was, it was incredible. And I was down for about a half an hour. And when I came up, I just was like, oh my God, I'm so affected by this. This was so beautiful. [00:21:00] So incredible. And the guy. Told me that the water, her warming, he's the first person who told me about global warming. And he said that those coral reefs were dying because of the warming oceans. [00:21:20] And it just devastated me. I couldn't believe that something like this was going to be wiped out and I'd always wanted to have a daughter. It was just one of those things that was in me. And I remember that was one of my first thoughts was someday when I do have a daughter, is she going to be able to experience this? [00:21:46] This is something I would love to share with my kids, but this, this could be gone by that. So that just affected me a lot. And, but I, I went on, I did the [00:22:00] play, I moved to New York city. I started my career and moved there right before September 11th, which was a pretty intense time. Um, but the entire time I was up in New York and I remember there was the Gulf oil spill that happened, and that was absolutely devastating. [00:22:22] And meanwhile, being up in Brooklyn, I found I was having a lot of difficulty breathing, uh, because of all the traffic and, uh, you know, just the, the air pollution. And there was an oil spill up in the Queens area and I was living in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, and every time I went over to the water, I struggled to breathe just because of that. [00:22:47] So I had health repercussions and. I also simultaneously was seeing the Gulf of Mexico be absolutely devastated and destroyed. And that was my childhood [00:23:00] playground, you know, so just seeing so much, you know, my health being robbed by the fossil fuel industry, uh, the devastation and the goal, knowing, you know, seeing sea turtles that I knew were, were being devastated by, uh, the, the horrible oil spill. [00:23:20] So just the passion kept building in me. And, you know, after I moved to New York, I also had my daughter, my daughter Phoenix was, was born, um, after I moved to New York. So of course, as a mom, your sense of responsibility for the world that they're living in. Just becomes so much greater. So it, you know, it was a struggle back and forth for some time. [00:23:51] And I just, it just, I was getting work in TV and [00:24:00] I just started feeling like, what is the impact of the work that I'm doing? This is not having the impact that I want to have. I felt like I was being cast in things that just perpetuated fear in people and that didn't really have lasting redeeming value. [00:24:20] And then what was most important to me was to have a safe planet for my daughter into the future. And I felt like I just needed to stop standing on the sideline and I needed to get involved and I needed to figure out what it was that I could do. And so in that process, that's when I had this epiphany and I was like, you know, what, what if I created a TV series that. [00:24:48] Uh, dug into these issues that focus on the issues that matter to me and give me that opportunity to create work that I could [00:25:00] really be proud of. And so, but I didn't know nearly as much as I know now then. And so that started a process of, okay, I've got a research, I've got to learn a lot in order to be able to create the series. [00:25:16] And the series that I was working on is, is very much focused on what could that beautiful future world look like if we could turn this around. And so I had to do research into what would it take in order to. Transform this horrible trajectory that we're on right now and turn it into a much more positive trajectory. [00:25:47] So that's when I started, uh, trained with Al gore, I did the climate reality leadership Corps and that just led to all kinds of other things. And I think one of the things that has been, [00:26:00] uh, really inspiring and taught me a lot is working with the American renewable energy day. It's like a week long summit. [00:26:09] Uh, I went there, I had been invited to be on a panel, um, and. There are so many people they're doing incredible work. People who really need to be supported as well. And that's really where I learned what it would actually take technologically scientifically all the fat. Um, and then of course, we've got the cultural and the society, uh, aspects as well in order to support the types of leadership decisions that we need. [00:26:43] Um, and the industrial decisions that we need. Um, you know, sorry. So I've learned a lot in the process, so that's, that's basically where that started. [00:26:55] Izolda Trakhtenberg: Wow. I, you know, those kinds of things, [00:27:00] those kinds of epiphany's obviously it changed, it changed the trajectory of your life and it's changed how, how you're working in the world, which I, which I think is incredible and amazing. [00:27:13] And I love and. I keep coming back to this. How do we do it? You know, you're a storyteller. What, what role do you see? Art storytelling, music playing in change, opening minds, changing minds. I'm not sure exactly what the right way of asking the question is, but I mean, music makes me cry on a regular basis. [00:27:39] It can also inspire me. How can, how can music do it? How can storytelling do it? How can art do it? How can we use them to inspire people, to look at the earth and the climate in a different way than they otherwise might? [00:27:59] Aria McKenna: I think the [00:28:00] important part of it is that they help us to reconnect with our humanity and that ultimately caring about the planet, caring about the next generations, caring about other people on the planet. [00:28:16] You know, we need to be connected to our humanity, to our hearts in order to care enough, to do some lifting, you know, to understand that, you know, honestly, our, our personal choices are connected to this, but also what's really important is who we vote for. Um, You know, we, we need leadership. That's going to take us in the right direction and we need an educated populace in, in that. [00:28:53] So, you know, my, my part of it, when it comes to storytelling, um, I'll just talk about, without going into too [00:29:00] many details, I'll say that I have a character in, um, one of the main stories that I'm really looking for, that I, that I started working on back then, that I'm in development process with, uh, that character, first of all, is a conservative. [00:29:19] So that is, you know, a party that, uh, unfortunately there are some people within the conservative party who have been spreading a lot of climate denial. And so she starts the story off this as being really uncertain. She doesn't know what to believe and, and what to think, but she's an intelligent, compassionate, human being. [00:29:44] And so as that character gets educated, that also educates the public. Um, and I'm, I'm hoping that we've created a character that a lot of people are going to be able to identify with as [00:30:00] well and care about. Um, I think when people can see themselves in somebody else, then that helps open their heart up to another way of thinking and having some compassion, uh, getting over their prejudgments. [00:30:22] And so. I feel like that's really important to me in the storytelling as well is to create characters that both sides can identify with and not to paint people of the conservative party, for instance, in a bad light to, to understand that we're all human beings and that we all have our strengths. We all have our weaknesses and we all have room to grow. [00:30:59] You know, [00:31:00] we have opportunities for redemption. And so, so, so that's, that's one way in that I really personally identify with, and that I'm really looking forward to getting out there and being able to move to fruition where I can have some, some deeper, more public conversations about the details of the story that I've, that I've been building. [00:31:26] But I do think that also on a personal level, the more individuals start having those conversations about their own experiences, the way they're effected by the climate prices, the way they are affected by pollution, et cetera, and the things that they are personally doing in order to turn this around, hopefully that also will help give people that impetus and help bring people together at a time where people are unfortunately incredibly divided. [00:31:58] Izolda Trakhtenberg: Yeah, absolutely. [00:32:00] They, they, they, there is this incredible division. Among, uh, people who believe one way, people who believe in other way, but, but the sort of looking at it, it's funny coming back to Al gore and inconvenient truth, looking at the objective truth, we can look at the numbers and save things have been happening. [00:32:18] They've been happening, especially in the last 50 years. Looking at the global mean temperature change since 1870 to today is that it's the numbers tell a very stark story. And yet if you say to me that, uh, the UN or the G 20, whoever it is said, oh, we're going to be okay with a two degree, uh, rise in temperatures where we're looking at it for that. [00:32:48] Then how, because I, if I'm, if I'm somebody who doesn't know two degrees doesn't seem a lot, but it is right. It changed so much changes even with that two degrees. [00:33:00] So how do we get that? Notion across that, that any change going up is going to make a lot of difference, not only to us, but to the plants and, and the animals and all of the ecosystems on the planet. [00:33:21] Aria McKenna: That is an excellent question. I really appreciate that. I think that, well, for one thing, you know, let's be clear, it's not two degrees Fahrenheit. It's two degrees Celsius, which is a bigger number, but also unfortunately there have been. So many natural disasters that we've been seeing lately. And fortunately, they are finally starting to talk about it on the news. [00:33:55] It has taken so long to get them to this point where they're [00:34:00] actually speaking about it in solid terms for so long, we've had, you know, 98% consensus on manmade, global warming, and yet they've been presenting it as if it's a 50 50 concept. And we're really not sure let's talk someone who thinks this and someone who thinks that and give them equal weight in the discussion. [00:34:22] And, and of course they don't have equal weight. So we know that. Um, so fortunately some of the mainstream news narrative is finally starting to change. I really wish they had done this a long time ago. Sure. But I am hoping that that does make an impact. I think that the awareness and the concern about these issues definitely is on the rise. [00:34:49] And as more people are affected by it, and mainstream news media is starting to have more conversations about this. Hopefully that's definitely going to help people [00:35:00] understand, okay, we're starting to experience this right now. You know, I have a crop. This crop is dying because it's not getting enough water. [00:35:08] Or I have a crop it's completely devastated because we experienced this flooding. I mean, the flooding up in New York city that happened recently, I could not believe how quickly that came back came, came down. Hmm. I mean, it was insane to watch a video of someone who started filming outside their window, just as it kind of started. [00:35:38] And within a matter of minutes, they had cars just starting to float away on the street right next to them and bang into houses next to them. So I think that unfortunately it is taking a real life, wake up call in order to get people to pay attention. [00:36:00] So they're going to need to start connecting the dots with who they vote for the policies that they support and start taking some more responsibility in how people show up to the voting polls in order to make a difference for their children's future for one thing. [00:36:16] But, you know, let's be clear. It's not just our children's future. Our future, it's our present. It's our, now it's everything. It's our food systems. It's our health. It's, [00:36:29] Izolda Trakhtenberg: uh, [00:36:31] Aria McKenna: you know, when you have people, you have, you know, I read some time ago about a bacteria that because of the warming started affecting these cows and they just keeled over. [00:36:48] I mean, just, I will check it, remember the exact number. It was like hundreds or thousands of cows that just died because of the heat. So these types of things are happening. [00:37:00] And we just need to shine more of a light on it. My friend, Betsy Rosenberg, uh, actually has something that she's working on called green TV. [00:37:12] Uh, just wanna throw that out there too, because she's been trying for years and years to get the mainstream news media to pay more attention and start covering climate on more of a regular basis. And now she's having the opportunity to have those conversations to start shining a light on the things that are happening and on the. [00:37:32] Solutions that we have at our fingertips and the people and the companies who are working to forward those solutions. So you may just need to put a lot more support behind those solutions, stop funding and fueling and supporting all of the things that are contributing to the problem. Start voting for politicians who are actually gonna make a difference. [00:37:53] And then people who are into agriculture. This is one of the things that I love so much [00:38:00] is that regenerative farming and getting rid of industrial agriculture has. Enormous potential for being able to draw down carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere. And then it has the by-product of making the soil healthier, making them more resilient to droughts and floods, uh, helping to regulate our weather systems. [00:38:32] I mean, it's, it's like a miracle, but the other thing that it does is when you're not using the industrial fertilizers, then you don't have this, this runoff with. So what happens is with industrialized agriculture, they're using. These chemicals that actually contribute to global warming just through the creation of produce even is [00:39:00] contributing to global warming because of industrial agriculture. [00:39:03] But if you have regenerative farming techniques, then when we are growing our produce, not only are we reducing our carbon footprint, but when it rains, we don't have as much runoff. And the runoff that occurs is not putting fertilizers into our waterways. Those, the fertilizers that go into our waterways, then go down into the oceans. [00:39:25] The Gulf of Mexico right now has fish kills thousands of miles long. Because of industrial fertilizers that have made its way from agricultural systems into the waterways and created massive algae blooms that have absorbed all the oxygen and killed our wildlife, killed our fish. So that affects fishing industry. [00:39:50] Which affects the economy, which affects people's food supplies. So it's a big circle. And the more we understand that circle [00:40:00] and we understand what the solutions are, the more people will get on board and say, yes, of course, I'm going to switch my farm to being a regenerative farm system. That's more compassionate, more humane creating food that has more vitamins, more nutrients in it. [00:40:19] And that basically makes me happier because it's, it's a system that's more respectful of nature and its systems, and that can take care of itself better. It's it's wonderful. Really, the more we learn. [00:40:39] Izolda Trakhtenberg: Yeah. Before we started, before we started recording this episode, I said that to you didn't I was like, yeah, I'm going to be saying yes. Yes, yes, yes, yes, absolutely. To pretty much everything you say. It's interesting though, the soil is a carbon sink and we get that. I understand the soil as a carbon sink and certainly global climate [00:41:00] change with the permafrost melting. [00:41:02] There's a lot more methane and CO2 being released back up into the atmosphere. So there, there, there, I, your point is well taken that it's a cycle we can look at. Uh, animals versus plants breathing, right? Plants breathe in CO2, breathe out oxygen. We breathe in oxygen and breathe out CO2. So there's a lot of, there are a lot of these systems, these cycles that go on and I make no secret of the fact that I'm vegan. [00:41:25] So thinking about the notion of the fish in the ocean, I want to leave the fish in the ocean there. And I understand that there are that there are industries that, that, um, that slaughter animals and, and have animals as part of the food and eating process. And yet when we're talking about some of these processes, like regenerative, agriculture, and planting for the soil that you have, rather than the soil that you want so that you don't need fertilizer, we're talking about [00:42:00] a real shift. [00:42:01] Right. We, in order, in order to shift our awareness and our focus to looking at the biome, looking at the bias, fear, the whole planet and seeing what needs to happen, what we need to do to make these changes. It takes, it takes a, it takes a massive shift in the minds of everybody, people who farm and people who eat. [00:42:24] And if we're not farmers, we're all eaters. So how do we do that? Right? What can, what can an average person do? And you said vote and that's great. But today, right now, if I am Jane Q public, and I want to start doing something, what's your thought, what, what can I do right now today to make a difference? [00:42:47] Aria McKenna: That's an excellent question. Um, I mean, for me personally, I think the biggest difference you can make is that if you can, uh, switch to solar panels, if you can. [00:43:00] Get off your gas, guzzler and switch to an electric vehicle. Uh, those are the types of things that of course make a really big impact. Uh, you get to dramatically cut your carbon footprint, and I've certainly heard people out there say, oh, but you know, there's problems with, with battery storage. [00:43:23] And there is, there are, it's not perfect. There, there are costs to mining. There are issues, but on the whole, you are still making a dramatic impact, not only on your carbon footprint, but you're also reducing dependence on something that is constantly polluting. So to create that initial device, there can be some costs to that, but then once you've got it made, it's just constantly generating electricity without continuing.[00:44:00] [00:44:00] To add to the problem while that electricity is being generated. So it's a, it's a huge shift in the right direction. Um, I do, I'm going to be perfectly transparent here. I was vegan for seven years and I created, I developed, created, I developed some. Issues. And so I had to stop being vegan. So for me personally, I think they're just, people have different bodies and need different things. [00:44:28] And I hated it so much when I was told I had to start eating meat again, and I, and I fought against it, but I did start feeling better after I made that switch. So that's for me. And so, because of that, I'm so supportive of regenerative agriculture as well, because not only is it much more compassionate to the animals, but it also drastically reduces the carbon [00:45:00] footprint of those animals. [00:45:02] When you do eat. If, if you are a mediator, so you can reduce your consumption and you can also be really conscious of where that food comes from, whether it's produce or whether it is animal and, uh, how that food is treated. It's not, uh, easy necessarily to find all those sources, but grass fed for instance, is definitely better than something that isn't grass fed. [00:45:32] Uh, you know, so that those are the personal choices that I, that I've had to make. Um, so yeah, uh, and also of course, recycling makes a difference. It's not being utilized at the scale that it really should be utilized at. But you definitely just want to have that consciousness, you know, the whole reduce, reuse, recycle, uh, that does make a [00:46:00] difference. [00:46:00] And I'm not sure what else to say there right now. [00:46:05] Izolda Trakhtenberg: It is interesting. Isn't it? When, when, when someone says, Hey, what do you think puts you on the spot? It can be a little bit challenging, but at the same time, if we were to make some of these things habits, it would change today, but it would also change in the longterm. [00:46:21] And one of the things that I advocate for is very simple. When you wash your hands, get your hands wet. Turn off the faucet. Don't keep the water running, you know, simple things like that. Every, I think it's every minute the water runs down the sink. It's eight, it's eight gallons of water. That's crazy to me. [00:46:39] I know it's crazy. We can, we can do the same when we're brushing our teeth. We can water our plants, uh, in the evening or in the early morning before the water will evaporate because of the sunshine. There's a lot of, there's a lot of stuff that you can do today right now. Yeah. That won't make that won't make a, [00:47:00] a huge dent in your time, but will make a huge dent in saving water, for example. [00:47:07] Aria McKenna: Yeah, definitely. Definitely. It's it's that thing or the more, you know, the more you're able to do, and there are so many different areas that are affected by this. So in general, like one of the areas I think is really important is just being a conscious consumer, learning about the companies that. Bye from. [00:47:27] There are some companies that are, you know, have zero waste facilities that are powered a hundred percent by clean electricity when they are operating. Uh, you know, so things like that make a, make a huge difference. Just reading, reading, reading, uh, and buying glass containers instead of plastic, whenever possible, those types of [00:48:00] choices make it make a big difference. [00:48:02] Not wasting papers. You know, things [00:48:06] Izolda Trakhtenberg: like that. Absolutely. There, I mean, there are things, you know, maybe what I'll do is put together a list of certain things and put them in the, in the show notes. So that if you're interested in knowing more about the things you can do right now today to start making a difference, you'll have them in the show notes. [00:48:22] If you're listening to this, I do want to ask you something aria that I, that you mentioned something that I was like, oh, this is so cool because I don't tend to have a very I'm, I'm an optimist, but I don't tend to have a very positive vision for the future, unless things change drastically. And you said that a positive visit vision of the future is something that you want to promote that it's possible. [00:48:43] And so I was wondering how. Can that happen? How can a positive vision, because I don't know if you know who Wendy Hapgood is. She is the co-founder and director of the wild tomorrow fund. And she was on the podcast a few weeks ago, and she was talking about the same thing that, that we want to be [00:49:00] looking at a positive vision for the future, as a way of, of bringing more people into awareness about, about where we are with wildlife and the planet and, and the environment and climate. [00:49:13] What do you think that a positive vision for the future can do to mobilize people and, and to, to sort of bring all of us out of a certain sense of apathy and hopelessness? Excellent [00:49:27] Aria McKenna: question. [00:49:28] Izolda Trakhtenberg: Um, [00:49:31] Aria McKenna: um, well, I mean, I, you, you said it for, at first, I mean, whenever you're feeling hopelessness, that obviously does create a sense of apathy, which disempowered. [00:49:44] Right. And unfortunately the environmental movement for some time in order to make people aware of what a serious situation we're in, the environmental movement has painted some pretty dire pictures of the [00:50:00] direction we're heading, because unfortunately that has been the direction that we're heading. So they've been perfectly honest and they've been trying to mobilize people through fear. [00:50:09] And I think that's very understandable, but unfortunately it hasn't been yet. And I think it's done more to turn people away from the movement because people don't want to be bombed out. We're we're living in a very overwhelming world right now. There are a lot of things to be concerned about and to be afraid of. [00:50:32] I hate to say that, but, but it's true. So when you add one more thing to it, and it's something that seems a little far down the road, it's, it's not going to be as important to you, or you're going to turn away from it because you're trying to protect your health. You know, you're trying to protect your mental health. [00:50:50] So I it's, it's a shame, but I think that has been the direction we have gone. And that's been the reason why we haven't been as successful as we [00:51:00] absolutely need to be. So. It does take some concerted effort to change that dynamic. And so there were two things I'm involved with that I think are helping to move things in the right direction. [00:51:14] And one is the work with the healthy climate Alliance and with the planetary restoration action group, because they are focused on changing the goal of the United nations from let's reduce the devastating warming that we're experienced to something that might be survivable. If we're lucky to let's actually restore the planet, let's restore the climate. [00:51:38] Let's create something that we can be proud of to hand down to our next generation. We have to focus on what we want when we're creating those goals. And fortunately they have enough scientists. They have enough technology to have enough understanding to create a strategy. To actually deal with that. [00:51:59] [00:52:00] And to be honest with what kind of strategy it is that we need in order to turn this thing around. So, you know, so that's, that's one thing, um, I just wanted to say really quickly, uh, Peter for Koski has been such an inspiration to me. He's the one who brought me into the healthy climate Alliance. And he founded the foundation for climate restoration and he's one of the most optimistic, hopeful guys that I know who happens to be in the environmental movement. [00:52:31] And so that's been incredibly helpful to me because I think that being an environmentalist can be incredibly difficult. Sometimes there have definitely been times I've felt that kind of apathy and futility and frustration and fear about the direction we're heading. Yeah. So, um, so, so that's one thing I just wanted to say that I think that the work that they're [00:53:00] doing is incredibly important to it adequately understands the danger of the situation that we're in while also creating a vision for the future by changing our goals. [00:53:12] To let's reduce it from less, let's reduce damage to let's prevent let's restore let's regenerate. Let's get our ecosystems back. Let's focus on the natural systems, the technological systems, everything it is that we can do to help turn this situation around and respect the earth and protect our environment. [00:53:36] So I think that's incredibly important. And then the other thing is that through storytelling, that's what I'm focused on with, with revolution earth, with my TV series is to, uh, have an equal recognition of the dangerous situation we are currently in while also creating a beautiful, hopeful vision [00:54:00] for the future that we can all work [00:54:01] Izolda Trakhtenberg: toward. [00:54:06] I feel like going and seen. Wow. Yes, yes, absolutely. I that's just lovely and I can't wait. I can't wait to, uh, to, to watch revolution earth when it comes out. That's going to be amazing. Uh, thank you, aria. I'm so, so grateful that you took the time to. Beyond the show and to talk about what, obviously to me is a very crucial and critically important subject climate change and, and saving the planet. [00:54:37] Let's face it let's, you know, and, and actually, you know, it's interesting to me is that it's not saving the planet. The planet will be fine for another four and a half to 5 billion years. It's not the planet we're saving. The planet has gone through lots of changes. It's the plants and the animals that live on the planet, including us, that we are working to save. [00:54:55] And that's something that we need to keep in mind. Whenever we say, save the earth. Now the [00:55:00] earth will be fine. I'm selfish. I want the planet for, for me, for my cats, for the elephants, for the tigers, for the dolphins, for the birds, for the plants, for all of us. And, and I want it to be healthy for that. [00:55:14] Cause the planet, the earth will be fine for billions more years. So it's interesting to me that we think about it in those terms and it's important and I'm so glad that you're doing. To tell these stories, aria it's. So it's crucial. And, and I think it's going to be critical to our survival. So I'm, I'm grateful to you. [00:55:34] And I, I, I wanted to, if you wouldn't mind, uh, people learn differently and I know all of the information about where people can find you is going to be in the show notes, but I'd love it. If you would just list where people can find Arya, McKenna, and the incredible work that she's done. [00:55:49] Aria McKenna: Uh, thank you so much is older. [00:55:52] Uh, first of all, really great to be on the show. I'm so happy to meet you so impressed with the work that you are doing. [00:56:00] And, um, so yeah, I would say, please go to global cooling productions.com. You can learn more about the production company that I am launching in order to, uh, produce these projects that I'm working on. [00:56:18] And I would really appreciate it. If you went and supported my. Patrion page as well, which is going to be in the show notes and, uh, yeah. And, and reach out to me on Facebook, uh, you know, just all those links that will be below. Please do I appreciate the follows, uh, any contributions that that can be made would be greatly appreciated to help continue the work and, uh, yeah, just thank you so much for having me on the show and we will be putting together and open. [00:56:59] [00:57:00] As well, we don't have the site up point yet. Uh, but by the time this episode airs, there probably should be an open letter online, uh, to support, uh, that would go to members of the and also, uh, various world leaders at cop 26. So we really would love to get some, some public support for changing the international goals from less reduced, dangerous warming. [00:57:32] To less actually restore the climate and utilize the technology and the organizations that are already out there that are already existing, that are doing amazing work to restore the soil, restore the oceans, uh, through ocean permaculture, to reduce ocean acidification and help draw down downward carbon dioxide there. [00:57:53] Um, you know, there's so much that can be done that is being done by amazing people and [00:58:00] going there and supporting means so much to, to all of us and to our children. [00:58:07] Izolda Trakhtenberg: And that is that. Yes, absolutely. And there's, this is something that you and I talked about before. I feel a little bit like I'm about to shill for you, but I'm going to do it anyway. [00:58:18] You and I talked about this before we started recording the episode and that is that people who do the work that you're doing on behalf of the climate, or about, uh, on behalf of wildlife or on behalf of the plants or whatever it is trying to restore, trying to save, trying to nourish and nurture. A lot of people think, oh yeah, I'm doing it for the love of the game. [00:58:41] And other people will say, yes, you're doing it for the love of the game. Good for you. But honestly, let's, let's be very real. You still have to pay your rent, even if you're doing it for the love of the game, you still got to buy Catlett or at least I do. So, uh, I feel a little bit like this is a telethon, but it isn't so seriously if [00:59:00] it, you know, when you, if you're listening to this and you're kind of going, oh, should I have that latte? [00:59:06] That that latte could go to, uh, to some, to some activists, somewhere who was doing the work that will help all of us. That's something to think about. And, uh, I'm gonna, I'm going to shut my mouth on that now, but it's something that I really I've been thinking a lot more about recently that notion of, for the love of the game does not mean you are independently wealthy. [00:59:27] So anyway, [00:59:29] Aria McKenna: thank you. I absolutely. Yes, this is [00:59:31] Izolda Trakhtenberg: true. Absolutely. I mean, it, it just is we're, you know, those of us, uh, who shine the light, like me and, and other people I know who are in the podcasting space, for example, you know, we ha I have an opportunity to talk to people like you who are doing this incredible work, but I always feel like. [00:59:47] Yay. And you know, you aria and I, and in so many of us, uh, so many other activists in one way or another, still have to buy cat food. Uh, so anyway, uh, but I, I have just [01:00:00] one more question cause, cause you and I could keep talking and talking and talking to you and you'll have to come back after the launch of the whole global cooling productions or maybe when, when revolution earth comes out. [01:00:10] I'd love to have you back to talk about it some more. I have. Oh good. Yay. I have one more question that I ask everybody who comes on the show and it's a silly question, but I find that it yields some profound answers. And the question is this. If you had an airplane, a, an, uh, an environmentally friendly airplane, uh, that could sky write anything for the whole world to see, what would you say. [01:00:36] Oh, [01:00:37] Aria McKenna: bye. That is a fantastic question. How to answer that? Oh my goodness. Um, geez and environmentally friendly airplane. First of all, that would be fantastic. I'm looking forward to that. Um, you know, it's, [01:01:00] it's interesting. This is going to sound, I feel like this is going to really sound [01:01:05] Izolda Trakhtenberg: hokey. I love hope. [01:01:08] Aria McKenna: I just, I feel like what connects all of this, the work that we're doing is, is just fueled by, by love, you know, love for self love for others. [01:01:24] Love for the planet, the, you know, the animals, the ecosystems. If there was a way to just kind of spread that and, and connect people more deeply to, uh, uh, a constant sense of love and appreciation. I don't know if there are three words, you know, words that I could put up there that would just make that magically happen. [01:01:51] Um, but you know, love yourself and, and, and love others, you know, and the more [01:02:00] we can connect with that, I think the more compassionate we are and the more we can hear each other, uh, the more, hopefully we'll be able to come together and start working together again to make the world a better place. I don't know if there are words that magically make that happen, but I do feel like that's what connects all of this. [01:02:23] And hopefully something that everyone can agree on. [01:02:27] Izolda Trakhtenberg: Totally. I, I agree with you and the words that came to me when you were talking were two words and it was just, they were just spread love, spread love, man. Oh yeah. I love that though. That's what I, when, when you were talking, I'm like, oh, I think she's talking about spreading love. [01:02:43] I think that's great. Thank you. Yeah, my pleasure. My pleasure. Normally I don't, I don't come up with these answers, but there are times when they pop me on the head when Edna, the librarian who lives in my head, pops me on the head goes, this is what you were thinking. Okay, great. Thanks Edna. [01:02:59] Aria McKenna: So anyway, [01:03:00] thank you. [01:03:00] All right. So [01:03:02] Izolda Trakhtenberg: REO, once again, thank you so much. I appreciate you being on the show. [01:03:08] Aria McKenna: Oh, thanks. Thank you so much for having such a pleasure to speak with you and also to explore all your wonderful resources that you have. Yeah. Thank you. I [01:03:21] Izolda Trakhtenberg: appreciate that. I, yes, I have many resources go to the website is all the t.com. [01:03:26] You will find them all. This is the innovative mindset podcast. If you've enjoyed the episode and I am sure you have, first of all, remember to turn off your water while you're washing your hands. That's very important. Get involved and. Much more involved and really pay attention to the work that aria is doing. [01:03:46] She's doing some incredible work. She, and those like her are doing some incredible work. So please get involved with that. If you're enjoying the show, tell a friend, subscribe to it, have them subscribe. Let's all. Talk about how we can be innovative [01:04:00] to move into this new and uncertain future stronger and better together until next time. [01:04:06] This is Izolda Trakhtenberg for the innovative mindset podcast, reminding you to listen, learn, laugh, and love a whole lot. [01:04:19] thanks so much for joining me today. I really appreciate you being here. Please subscribe to the podcast if you're new and if you like what you're hearing, please review it and rate it and let other people. And if you'd like to be a sponsor of the show, I'd love to meet you on patrion.com/innovative mindset. [01:04:37] I also have lots of exclusive goodies to share just with the show supporters there today's episode was produced by Izolda Trakhtenberg in his copyright 2021 as always, please remember, this is for educational and entertainment purposes. Only past performance does not guarantee future results, although we can always hope until next time, keep living in your innovative mindset.[01:05:00]

On October 15th, Business Forward, Small Business for America's Future, American Sustainable Business Council, and the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce hosted a briefing with U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo for a discussion on the Build Back Better agenda. After a brief introduction and opening remarks, Secretary Raimondo answered questions on topics ranging from climate to workforce vaccination mandates.

EPISODE 37, SEASON 2: In partnership with Social Venture Circle and American Sustainable Business Council, we explore the growing relevance of sustainable investing, including ESG performance and other impact metrics. Our guest is Timothy Yee- a longtime financial advisor, President of Green Retirement Inc., and an SVC Board Member.ABOUT THE SERIES: Future of XYZ is a weekly interview series dedicated to fostering forward-thinking discussions about where we are as a world and where we want to go. FOR MORE INFORMATION: Visit future-of.xyz and follow on social media... LinkedIn: @lisagralnek, @lvg-co-strategy | Twitter: @lgralnek | IG: @futureofxyz

“You can get a real clean without bringing in toxic cleaning products to your home.” – Jenna Arkin This week on the Gooder Podcast, I had the pleasure of talking with Jenna Arkin, the Vice President of Innovation at ECOS®. We discuss all things ECOS: the natural cleaning trends, innovation, leadership, and science. We also learn about some myths behind bleaching when it comes to cleaning and creating a healthy living environment. Along the way, we get to hear the amazing story of a dedicated and creative leader who continuously spreads the awareness of environmental protection and chemical safety legislation. In this episode we learn: - The history, the story of ECOS and what differentiates ECOS from other competitors in the cleaning category - Jenna's path in her career and her journey to ECOS - About green cleaning product innovation and it's evolution - How the pandemic impacted the disinfecting, cleaning products industry and customers' increasing adoption of green products - Lessons that Jenna has learned professionally and personally during the pandemic and opportunities that came along with it - Trends in the green products industry and the potential of this industry in the next 5 years About Jenna Arkin: Jenna Arkin is Vice President of Innovation at ECOS®, the maker of environmentally friendly cleaning products. Jenna uses her unique background in both chemistry and design to innovate safer, more effective formulations and compelling packaging designs for the ECOS®, Baby ECOS®, ECOS® Pets, and ECOS® Pro product lines. Jenna leads the ECOS® partnership with the U.S. EPA's Safer Choice program, a third-party certification that helps consumers choose products made with safer chemical ingredients without sacrificing quality or performance. She also directs the company's educational outreach program, including ECOScience, in which she partners with local museums to bring hands-on green science education to thousands of elementary school children each year. Jenna brings a novel combination of passionate scientist and creative professional to solve modern green chemistry problems. Her sharp eye for trends has inspired out-of-the-box thinking, connecting seemingly disparate concepts to move the cleaning industry toward a more sustainable future. Jenna joined ECOS® in 2010 as the Northwest Division's senior chemist, overseeing both R&D and quality control. She most recently served as Director of Product Development at ECOS®. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Integrative Biology from the University of California, Berkeley, and she earned a graduate degree in Fashion Design from the Fashion Institute of Design and Technology. Before joining ECOS®, she designed and directed a contemporary fashion line. Jenna holds six U.S. patents for innovations in green chemistry and packaging design. She received the GenNext Award by Progressive Grocer in 2018 for industry standouts under the age of 40. Jenna is a member of the American Chemical Society and has served as an advocate for ingredient transparency and toxic substance reform with the American Sustainable Business Council. She actively supports environmental protection and chemical safety legislation at both the state and federal levels. Guests Social Media Links: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenna-arkin-30202514/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lifeaccordingtojenna/?hl=en  Website: https://www.ecos.com/  Show Resources: National Public Radio, NPR, full name National Public Radio, is a privately and publicly funded non-profit membership media organization that serves as a national syndicator to 797 public radio stations in the United States of America. The University of California, Berkeley is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant university and the first campus of the University of California system. Biochemistry or biological chemistry, is the study of chemical processes within and relating to living organisms. A sub-discipline of both chemistry and biology, biochemistry may be divided into three fields: structural biology, enzymology and metabolism.  The Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising is a private for-profit college with multiple campuses in California. It offers degree programs in a majors including fashion, entertainment, beauty, interior design, and graphic design. Green brands are those brands that consumers associate with  environmental conservation and sustainable business practices. Such brands appeal to consumers who are becoming more aware of the need to protect the environment. A green brand can add a unique selling point to a product and can boost corporate image. Family owned and operated since 1967, Earth Friendly Products® is the maker of ECOS™ Laundry Detergent and over 200 other environmentally friendly products that are safer for people, pets and the planet. Made with plant-powered ingredients, ECOS™ cleaners are thoughtfully sourced, pH balanced, readily biodegradable, easily recyclable, and never tested on animals. The LA Derby Dolls is Los Angeles' original women's quad-skate banked track roller derby league. It was founded in October 2003 by Rebecca Ninburg and Wendy Templeton. The league is composed of more than 120 women divided into five teams who skate on a banked track. The Environmental Protection Agency is an independent executive agency of the United States federal government tasked with environmental protection matters. President Richard Nixon proposed the establishment of EPA on July 9, 1970; it began operation on December 2, 1970, after Nixon signed an executive order. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is a large regulatory agency of the United States Department of Labor that originally had federal visitorial powers to inspect and examine workplaces. Adam Ruins Everything is an American educational comedy television series starring Adam Conover that debuted on September 29, 2015, with a 12-episode. The United States Food and Drug Administration is a federal agency of the Department of Health and Human Services. Episode Sponsor - Retail Voodoo: A creative marketing firm specializing in growing, fixing and reinventing brands in the food, beverage, wellness and fitness industry. If your natural brand is in need of positioning, package design or marketing activation, we're here to help. You can find more information at www.retail-voodoo.com

This week we have the co-founder of Seventh Generation (purchased by Unilever in 2016) and of the American Sustainable Business Council (with over 200,000 members), Jeffrey Hollender. Jeffrey has been a leader in the sustainability field since its early days, as an entrepreneur and co-founder the first successful environmentally focused home products Seventh Generation.  Hear about his journey and the difference he is trying to make now with the ASBC as the chamber of commerce for the environment. ** If you enjoy this podcast, would you consider rating and leaving us a review? It takes only a few seconds and greatly helps us get our podcast out to a wider audience. Please subscribe on Apple Podcasts / Spotify / Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts. For transcripts and show notes, please go to: https://www.theconsciouscapitalists.com Thank you for your support!  Timothy & Raj

Kelly Vlahakis-Hanks shares the birth of ECOS the brand that her father created 54 years ago while being an aspiring chemist and having an interest in protecting humans from chemicals on our planet back in the ’60s by creating safer cleaning products from his garage. Kelly shares the importance of diversity and empowering women in the workplace. In addition, Kelly shares 51% of our population is comprised of women, and how it’s important that more than 50% of ECOS executives are comprised of women.  Kelly is one of the very few women with a diverse background being Greek and African American to run a National cleaning products company.  ECOS is celebrating the 51st anniversary of Earth Day the theme this year for 2021 is Restore - Restoration - now 200 Countries celebrate Earth Day and over 1 billion people celebrate Earth Day. ECOS website in the link below shows you how to read labels and what to avoid. Some topics we cover: As of April 1st ECOS announced they are a “climate positive” manufacturer and partnering up with Green for All Skin issues, eczema, baby skin health, inflammatory responses how our bodies are fighting these toxins.   Leading a company that is environmentally responsible, socially responsible, and focused on environmental justice. So many GREAT insights in our conversation, here are two quick tips for you! Step one, do not buy cleaning products that do not list ingredients. Step two, ingredients that come from nature. We go over and break down simple terms for all to understand the importance of being greener in your everyday lifestyle and we break down the psychological reasons why it’s so important for you and your loved ones. “Committed to creating the cleanest and greenest products in the market place bc we believe everyone has the right to have a healthy home and we all have the right to a healthy shared planet” - Kelly Vlahakis-Hanks, President and CEO of ECOS “Cleaning products are critical to your long-term health.  They’re critical to planetary health but they're critical to your health and your families health and you have complete control.” - Kelly Vlahakis-Hanks, President and CEO of ECOS As President and CEO, Kelly Vlahakis-Hanks leads the strategy and production of environmentally friendly cleaning products at ECOS. She oversees four geographically diverse facilities across the U.S. as well as a European manufacturing platform. She has been widely recognized for her highly effective leadership at ECOS and her influential voice in the green movement, corporate social responsibility, and sustainable manufacturing. Vlahakis-Hanks has led ECOS to become a Climate Positive company and the first company in the world to achieve the sustainability trifecta of carbon neutrality, water neutrality, and TRUE Platinum Zero Waste certification. Her sustainable business practices have made ECOS a model for green business in the U.S. ECOS is a primary manufacturer that has received many awards for its innovations in safer green chemistry, including the U.S. EPA’s Safer Choice Partner of the Year four times. As an African American woman and the daughter of a Greek immigrant, Vlahakis-Hanks has made environmental and social justice a cornerstone of ECOS’s mission. She actively promotes a corporate culture of diversity and empowerment, ensuring that over 50% of her C-Suite and top executives are women. She supports a green economy by creating sustainable manufacturing jobs across the U.S. and offering strong employee benefits and a living minimum wage of $17 per hour, one of the highest in the industry. She also offers financial incentives to employees who make sustainable living choices such as purchasing a low-emissions vehicle or solar panels. Vlahakis-Hanks received her undergraduate degree at UCLA and an MBA at Chapman University Argyros School of Business and Economics. She has been featured on CNN, CBS News, ABC News, FOX News, NBC News, Bloomberg and Marketwatch and in publications such as Fortune, Entrepreneur and the Los Angeles Times. She has received many awards for her sustainable leadership, including Entrepreneur Magazine’s 100 Powerful Women in 2020 and Conscious Company’s World-Changing Women in Conscious Business Award. She is an active member of several boards, including the Environmental Media Association and the Chapman University Board of Governors, where she serves on the Diversity Task Force. She is active in industry councils and public policy advocacy, including the American Sustainable Business Council and the Companies for Safer Chemicals coalition, working to promote higher standards for consumer products to protect human health and the environment. She is also a member of YPO (Young Presidents’ Organization) and Abundance 360, Peter Diamandis’ select community of executives and entrepreneurs using exponential technologies to transform their businesses. Vlahakis-Hanks resides in southern California with her husband, teenage daughter, and rescue dog Mina.   Check out ECOS new website at www.ECOS.com and subscribe today to keep you in the loop and on top of mind on how you can keep creating healthier choices for your beautiful life. 500 chemicals to never put into your products, check out the NASTIES list here.   https://www.ecos.com/the-nasties/   Thrive Global article on Kelly  https://thriveglobal.com/stories/diverse-leadership-empowering-women-with-kelly-vlahakis-hanks/ Dream Corps Green for All https://www.thedreamcorps.org/our-programs/green-for-all/   Follow Kelly Vlahakis-Hanks https://www.instagram.com/kellyfromecos/ https://www.instagram.com/ECOScleans/ https://www.instagram.com/ecosgreece/   Follow Kyriaki Pick up my Poetry Book http://www.aloversfairytale.com A gift for you! A Lover’s Fairytale Spoken Word Music Video Playlist https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6EfPtI9MniE&list=PLQSdVfHrFOMY6B5rH-XQ6FLgUggAc2MD4&index=7   https://www.chonacas.com/ https://www.instagram.com/chonacas/  

“Everyone has the right to a healthy home.” – Kelly Vlahakis-Hanks This week on the Gooder Podcast I had the pleasure of talking with Kelly Vlahakis-Hanks, the President and CEO at ECOS. We discuss the innovations in ECOS and how they ensure sustainability in the company. We also learn about the trends that have come up in the natural cleaning industry, accelerated due to the pandemic. Along the way we learn the story of the transformation of a family legacy into a category champion and hear about an innovative leader who advocates for corporate social responsibility and sustainable manufacturing. In this episode we learn: - About the family history and legacy of ECOS.  - How far green science has evolved and its impact on product efficacy in home cleaning and personal care. - Reasons why consumers resist switching from traditional industrial cleaners to more people/planet/pet friendly cleaning products. - About product innovation and trends in the natural cleaning industry. - The behind-the-scenes efforts of developing one of the most disruptive environmentally friendly supply chains and its net-positive impact for consumers pocketbooks. - How Kelly’s commitment to diversity, inclusion and love inspires a brand that continues to break all the rules on its way to saving the planet. About Kelly Vlahakis-Hanks: As President and CEO, Kelly Vlahakis-Hanks, leads the strategy and production environmentally friendly cleaning products at ECOS. She oversees four geographically diverse facilities across the U.S. as well as a European Manufacturing platform. She has been widely recognized for her highly effective movement, corporate social responsibility, and sustainable manufacturing. Vlahakis-Hanks has led ECOS to become a Climate Positive company and the first company in the world to achieve the sustainability trifecta of carbon neutrality, water neutrality, and TRUE Platinum Zero Waste certification. Her sustainable business   practice has made ECOS a model for green business in the U.S. ECOS is a primary manufacture that has received many awards for its innovations in safer green chemistry, including the U.S. EPA’s Safer Choice Partner of the Year four times. As an African American woman and the daughter of a Greek immigrant, Vlahakis-Hanks has made environmental and social justice a cornerstone of ECOS’s mission. She actively promotes a corporate culture of diversity and empowerment, ensuring that over 50% of her C-Suite and top executives are women. She supports a green economy by creating sustainable manufacturing jobs across the U.S. and offering strong employee benefits and a living minimum wage of $17 per hour, one of the highest in the industry.  She also offers financial incentives to employees who make sustainable living choices such as purchasing a low-emissions vehicle or solar panels. Vlahakis-Hanks received her undergraduate degree at UCLA and an MBA at Chapman University Argyros School of Business and Economics. She has been featured on CNN, CBS News, FOX News, NBC News, Bloomberg and Marketwatch and in publications such as Fortune, Entrepreneur and the Los Angeles Times. She has received many awards for her sustainable leadership, including Entrepreneur Magazine’s 100 Powerful Women in 2020 and Conscious Company’s World-Changing Women in Conscious Business Award. She is an active member of several boards, including the Environmental Media Association and the Chapman University Board of Governors, where she serves on the Diversity Task Force. She is active in industry councils and public policy advocacy, including the American Sustainable Business Council and the Companies for Safer Chemicals coalition, working to promote higher standards for consumer products to protect human health and the environment.  She is also a member of YPO (Young Presidents’ Organization) and Abundance 360, Peter Diamandis’ select community of executives and entrepreneurs using exponential technologies to transform their businesses. Vlahakis-Hanks resides in southern California with her husband, teenage daughter and rescue dog Mina. Guests Social Media Links: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kellyvlahakishanks/   Twitter: https://twitter.com/kvlahakis?lang=en Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kellyfromecos/?hl=en Website: https://www.ecos.com     Show Resources: ECOS’ One-Step Disinfectant - Fragrance Free. ECOSNEXT™ Liquidless Laundry Detergent - Free & Clear. The University of California, Los Angeles is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA traces its early origins back to 1882 as the southern branch of the California State Normal School. Brown + Dutch was founded in 1996 when Alyson Dutch and her chocolate Labrador Rocky Brown found themselves starting a PR agency, quite by accident.  Walmart Inc. is an American multinational retail corporation that operates a chain of hypermarkets, discount department stores, and grocery stores from the United States, headquartered in Bentonville, Arkansas. The company was founded by Sam Walton in 1962 and incorporated on October 31, 1969.    Sam's West, Inc. is an American chain of membership-only retail warehouse clubs owned and operated by Walmart Inc., founded in 1983 and named after Walmart founder Sam Walton.  Costco Wholesale Corporation is an American multinational corporation which operates a chain of membership-only big-box retail stores. As of 2020, Costco was the fifth largest retailer in the world, and the world's largest retailer of choice and prime beef, organic foods, rotisserie chicken, and wine as of 2016.  TerraCycle is a private U.S. recycling business headquartered in Trenton, New Jersey. It primarily runs a volunteer-based recycling platform to collect non-recyclable pre-consumer and post-consumer waste on behalf of corporate donors or municipalities to turn it into raw material to be used in new products.  Whole Foods Market, Inc. is an American multinational supermarket chain headquartered in Austin, Texas, which sells products free from hydrogenated fats and artificial colors, flavors, and preservatives. A USDA Certified Organic grocer in the United States, the chain is popularly known for its organic selections. The Environmental Protection Agency is an independent executive agency of the United States federal government tasked with environmental protection matters. President Richard Nixon proposed the establishment of EPA on July 9, 1970; it began operation on December 2, 1970, after Nixon signed an executive order. Safer Choice helps consumers, businesses, and purchasers find products that perform and contain ingredients that are safer for human health and the environment. Green For All is an organization whose stated goal is to build a green economy while simultaneously lifting citizens out of poverty. It is a DC-based group that brings unions and environmentalists together to push for anti-poverty measures and a clean-energy economy. The Environmental Media Awards have been awarded by the Environmental Media Association since 1991 to the best television episode or film with an environmental message. YPO is a global leadership community of chief executives with approximately 29,000 members in more than 130 countries, according to the organization's 2019 YPO international fact sheet. Women's History Month is an annual declared month that highlights the contributions of women to events in history and contemporary society. Daniel Pink’s Master Class: Teaches Sales and Persuasion. Kellogg Garden has operated as a family-owned and operated company. Established in 1925, they have remained a stable, steadfast family business guided by the core values of their founder, H. Clay Kellogg: integrity, innovation, loyalty, experience, commitment, and generosity. Beyond Green is a Certified B Corp making positive change easier by inspiring everyone to create a sustainable world. Rivian is an American automaker and automotive technology company founded in 2009. The company develops vehicles, products and services related to sustainable transportation. Publix was founded in 1930 in Winter Haven, Florida, by George W. Jenkins. Their mission is to be the premier quality food retailer in the world. Episode Sponsor - Retail Voodoo: A creative marketing firm specializing in growing, fixing and reinventing brands in the food, beverage, wellness and fitness industry. If your natural brand is in need of positioning, package design or marketing activation, we’re here to help. You can find more information at www.retail-voodoo.com

The American Sustainable Business Council has produced a new report: "Creating An Economic System That Works for All." What's surprising isn't that it talks about business or buyouts, economics and the environment--especially in the wake of COVID--but because it's opening line is unequivocal: "There is no going back." Getting down to business, among its talking points are: reparations, universal basic income. and universal Pre-K. Really?! GUESTS: Jeffrey Hollender, CEO & Chief Inspired Protagonist, ASBC; and MaryAnne Howland, Chair, Race & Equity Working Group, ASBC

Jeffrey Hollender is Co-Founder of Seventh Generation, The American Business Council, & Hollender Sustainable Brands. Jeffrey went from dropping out of college and selling skill classes like the “art of flirting” or “how to marry money” to building one of the most successful sustainable product brands in the world, Seventh Generation, which sold to Unilever in 2016 for over $600 Million. Their line of over 100 products is distributed in most leading retailers including: Target, Whole Foods, Kroger, Safeway and Amazon. And for the last 30 years, from its humble beginnings as mail order catalog till now, the brand has been focused on nurturing the health of the next 7 generations.But after being ousted by his own company in 2010, he took his idea of doing good to a whole another level becoming a leading authority on corporate responsibility, sustainability and social equity. He created a coalition of over 250,000 businesses called the American Sustainable Business Council which drives progressive public policy. In 2013, with his wife and daughter, he created Hollender Sustainable Brands, which started Sustain, Sustain Natural, a new brand of female-focused, all natural sexual wellness products that sold. The company has rapidly grown and was acquired by Grove Collective in 2019.Full show notes and worksheets can be found here: evolvethe.world/episodes/jeffrey-hollenderWhat You Will Learn In This Episode:What Jeffrey's first business was after dropping out of collegeThe first business Jeffrey sold to Time WarnerWhy Jeffrey's guilt ended up leading him to Seventh GenerationHow Seventh Generation started from a failing mail order catalogueHow Seventh Generation got it's first customersThe troubles in Jeffrey and Alan Newman's co-founder relationshipWhether it is right for you to have a co-founderThe absolute must haves before entering into a co-founder relationshipHow Jeffrey made a key decision to cut 80% of Seventh Generations revenue sourceWhy educating your customers can have positive effectsHow to create company cultureHow Jeffrey took being fired from Seventh Generation and what he learnedHow Jeffrey practices the art of reflectionWhy businesses need to do good rather than less badHow Jeffrey got into the condom business and built Sustain NaturalsWhy to be truly sustainable we need to implement a whole systems approachHow Jeffrey navigated selling three companiesThe most important lessons he teaches social entrepreneursHow to fuel innovation in your startupHow we can solve major global issuesIf you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts/iTunes? It takes less than 60 seconds, and it really makes a difference in helping to convince hard-to-get guests. I also love reading the reviews!

Tune in to learn the story behind Sustainable Furnishings Council and its #JustOne campaign aimed at creating more sustainable, nourishing spaces. Today with us we have Susan Inglis, the Executive Director of the Sustainable Furnishings Council, an organization that promotes and secures a sustainable future through responsible design choices. Susan has led Sustainable Furnishings Council to work with industry leaders to establish criteria to gauge the sustainability of furniture products and practices, develop programs for educating all sectors of the industry. Drawing on years of professional experience and passion for sustainability, Susan is a leader in today's ecological movement - she serves on the Board of the American Sustainable Business Council and was awarded a 2017 Visionary Leadership award by the North Carolina Business Council. Let's learn what sustainable furnishings are all about? Find the show notes at annachashchyna.com

Listen in as Susan Inglis and I talk about her organization’s mission to merge Health, Environment, and Profitability in the interior furnishings space. SFC advocates for eco-friendly products and educates consumers, retailers, and manufacturers about better practices in the industry. Other fun topics of conversation include: sustainable forestry, regenerative business practices, market-driven solutions to environmental toxins, and the circular economy. Why should we care about a circular economy? Hint: It can often save money! Episode Sponsor - www.sustainablehomesofthefuture.comContact Host - info@shfbuild.com  About Susan: Susan Inglis is Executive Director of the Sustainable Furnishings Council, and resident expert with the organization she helped found in 2006. She has led SFC to work with industry leaders to establish criteria to gauge the sustainability of furniture products and practices; develop programs for educating all sectors of the industry; and attract hundreds of companies to membership. Inglis is also founder and owner of From The Mountain, a company that imports hand spun cashmere yarn from Afghanistan, providing safe income for over 100 women there. Inglis serves on the Board of the American Sustainable Business Council and was awarded a 2017 Visionary Leadership award by the NC Business Council. She lives in North Carolina. Show Notes: Sustainable Furnishings Council - https://sustainablefurnishings.org/High Point Furniture Market - https://www.highpointmarket.org/Forest Stewardship Council - https://fsc.org/enSustainable Forestry Initiative - https://www.forests.org/Architecture 2030 - https://architecture2030.org/

EPISODE 5, SEASON 1: In week 5, guest MaryAnne Howland joins us to explore the 'Future of Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (JEDI)'. MaryAnne is Founder & CEO of the Global Diversity Leadership Exchange, IBIS Communications, and the JEDI Collective, as well as Board Chair of the American Sustainable Business Council and current Chair of their working group on Race & Equity. As a storyteller for social change, she focuses on how supporting people of color, especially African Americans, can create a better world for people of all identities.ABOUT THE SERIES: Future of XYZ is a weekly interview series dedicated to fostering forward-thinking discussions about where we are as a world and where we're going. Hosted by LVG & Co.- an independent strategy consultancy based in New York City.FOR MORE INFORMATION: Visit future-of.xyz and follow on social media... LinkedIn: @lisagralnek, @lvg-co-strategy | Twitter: @lgralnek | FB: @lgralnek | IG: @lisavgralnek

Listen to the President of the 250,000 member American Sustainable Business Council David Levine talk about the exciting progress that businesses are making; doing well by doing good.  From his days as a community organizer to his work with the Obama/Biden Administration to make business a powerful force for good, David gives us his take on America's purpose and how enterprises can lead American progress. Enjoy!    Learn more about the American Sustainable Business Council: https://www.asbcouncil.org/ Connect with Matt on Linkedin. https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-bogoshian-55776b26/

All Things Co-op welcomes back Michael Peck,Exec Director of 1 Worker 1 Vote and former International Delegate (USA) for the Mondragón Co-operative Corporation (1999 –2019), for a fascinating and inspiring conversation about co-ops, union co-ops and other hybrid ownership models, the critical emphasis on ecosystem building, the inequalities revealed by Covid-19 and how the pandemic shows we need a cultural reset, and the promising snowballing effect of the cooperative movement with bi-partisan support. Peck's wealth of experience and knowledge in the cooperative field enables him to give many concrete examples of initiatives, movements, and practical applications of these ideas all across the country, and from the Mondragon Corporation. Michael Peck is the Executive Director of 1 Worker 1 Vote, and describes himself as a movement organizer, dedicated to putting more power on the table for workers and to bringing workplace democracy and equity to frontline populations and economies, pushing back on all the embedded structural inequalities that are driving this nation into the disaster zone. He is also a co-founder of The Virtuous Cycle Collaboratory (tvc2) – a MBE worker cooperative & social enterprise whose mission is to “flatten the curves” with virtuous cycles, former International Delegate (USA) for the Mondragón Co-operative Corporation (1999 –2019), board secretary for the American Sustainable Business Council, and Blue Green Alliance corporate advisory board member

When you're a mom, the responsibilities never end. But then becoming a mom/entrepreneur? That means you need a great team to help you handle those business tasks. I'm excited to have Ashley Armstrong on today's episode. She is going to TEACH YOU how to build that rockstar team that balances your busy life and your flourishing business. After building a successful 7-figure physical product company, Ashley created Amaz Authority, an eCommerce consulting firm. Featured on CBS, NBC, ABC and Fox News, she has shared her expertise with the movers and shakers of the world...consulting for well-known people like tech entrepreneur Naveen Jain and CEO, co-founder and Board Chair of the American Sustainable Business Council, Jeffrey Hollender. Most recently, her innovations have landed her another incredible opportunity; Drag-and-drop product infographic templates for eCommerce. But to create the product she saw in her head, she knew she needed a team. So she did what all resourceful entrepreneurs do. She built one, from scratch. And it wasn't easy. Tune in and listen to Ashley today. Because if you want your business to succeed and flourish, sometimes you've got to hand over the reins and build that dream team. It's certainly not easy, but it's a necessary step to grow. You'll learn the basics on how to do that today! Want more of Ashley? Find her here! http://amazauthority.com/ or here: http://www.ezicommercetemplates.com/ ——— Firebuilders is a scalable way coaches and consultants can keep their clients accountable with daily, personal attention. Visit http://www.firebuilders.io for more info! And if you want to listen to past episodes? Check out the podcast: http://anchor.fm/firebuilders-live

Michael Alden Peck Discusses the Impact of COVID-19 and Next Steps for Recovery. From the paradigm shift that will inevitably occur in how we pay and view essential workers; to the revelations about the inequities that exist in our economy; to the consideration of the need to make the U S Postal Service a Worker Cooperative, and ultimately the resolution to abandon the trickle-down economic structure and create a Gusher-up (Bottom-up) economy. Michael is co-founder of 1worker1vote, and The Virtuous Cycle Collaboratory. In response to COVID-19, he became part of a team that is co-imagining/co-launching the People's Rising Sunshine Exchange (PRSE) - a digital platform for micro PPE purchases on behalf of front-line healthcare, home-care and emergency response workers - helping to save lives at risk of those saving others. Earlier this year, Michael co-founded The Virtuous Cycle Collaboratory (tvc2), a majority-minority, for-profit worker-cooperative domiciled in Alexandria/Virginia, that designs, launches and scales shared-values, purpose-driven and profit-seeking social enterprises and social enterprise ecosystems (start-ups, conversions, supply chains, tax and technology innovation, B2B and B2C platforms) for the emerging Stakeholder Economy. In 2015, Michael co-founded and serves as the executive director of the non-profit 1worker1vote movement (New York), with regional hybrid model, shared ownership ecosystems based in Cincinnati and Dayton, Ohio, and Central Brooklyn. Michael served as the International Delegate (USA) for the Mondragón Co-operative Corporation (1999 -2019 www.mondragon-corporation.com), and for the past decade has served as board secretary of the American Sustainable Business Council, as a Blue Green Alliance corporate advisory board member since its start in 2006, and as a co-founding (2019) board member of Citizens' Share Brooklyn (CSG).

Today's guest is Gary Cohen, President & Co-Founder of Health Care Without Harm.Gary has been a pioneer in the environmental health movement for thirty years. Cohen is President and Co-Founder of Health Care Without Harm and Practice Greenhealth. He was also instrumental in bringing together the NGOs and hospital systems that formed the Healthier Hospitals Initiative. All three were created to transform the health care sector to be environmentally sustainable and serve as anchor institutions to support environmental health in their communities.Gary was Executive Director of the Environmental Health Fund for many years. He has helped build coalitions and networks globally to address the environmental health impacts related to toxic chemical exposure and climate change. Gary is a member of the International Advisory Board of the Sambhavna Clinic in Bhopal, India, which has been working for over 25 years to heal people affected by the Bhopal gas tragedy and to fight for environmental cleanup in Bhopal. He is also on the Boards of the American Sustainable Business Council, Health Leads and Coming Clean.He has received numerous recognitions for his achievements, including: The MacArthur Foundation’s Fellows Award (2015), the White House’s Champion of Change Award for Public Health and Climate Change (2013), the Huffington Post’s Game Changer Award for Health (2012), the Frank Hatch Award for Enlightened Public Service (2007), and the Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship (2006).In today’s episode, we cover:Overview of Health Care Without Harm and origin storyGary's background and path leading up to itTheir initial starting point and strategyProgress to-dateTeam compositionHow they measure successHow decarbonization fits inBiggest levers to bring about decarbonization of health careBarriers impeding progressChanges that would be most  impactfulHow Gary would allocate $100B to maximize its impact on the problemHow you and I can helpLinks to topics discussed in this episode:Health Care Without Harm: https://noharm.org/Practice Greenhealth: https://practicegreenhealth.org/United Nations Development Programme: https://www.undp.org/International Monetary Fund: https://www.imf.org/external/index.htmHealth care energy impact calculator: http://www.eichealth.org/World Health Organization: https://www.who.int/ 

“It takes 706 gallons of water to make 1 cotton t-shirt. That's enough water for humans to drink for 2 ½ years.” Gina Lee  (6:39 - 6:47)   Gina Lee is the Founder of The UPcyclers Network and is a passionate advocate for businesses that are creating value from “waste.”    Gina has over 15 years of experience working in the areas of corporate social responsibility and social impact in the United States, China and Germany with organizations including the Aspen Institute, the American Sustainable Business Council and Mercy Corps.    Gina believes that social entrepreneurs will change the world, and she founded The UPcyclers Network to challenge our reliance on natural resource extraction and build a sustainable economy where waste is simply a resource out of place. Building a sustainable economy is imperative for all industries, especially agriculture. This vision lays the foundation for the circular production model of the future.  What is a Circular Economy?   A circular economy is presented as a system of resource utilization where the elements of reduction, reuse and recycle prevail. The goal is to minimize production to a bare minimum, and when it's necessary to use a resource, to go for the maximum reuse of the elements that can't be reused and recycled.    Gina recognizes that there is no solution for our world's ever-increasing consumption of consumer goods. With the World Resource Institute and Brookings Institute predicting consumer spending to increase three-fold, action from consumers and producers is needed now. It starts with reduction, but we also need to figure out a more sustainable consumption system.    “As consumers/retailers we need to advocate to have more recycled content in our stuff...not just say-is this material recyclable? Because otherwise, this stuff is all just recyclable, but no one's buying that recycled material back. It doesn't work.” Gina Lee (9:29-9:47)   Waste as a resource   How do we create value from waste that we currently send to the landfill? There are numerous ways. For example, recycling aluminum saves 95% of energy and recycling glass saves 34%. When you take a car to a junkyard and they scrap metal, that can reduce greenhouse emissions by a thousand pounds which is equivalent to 400 gallons of gasoline.     Being able to reuse recyclable materials has a huge environmental footprint. When we buy products; furniture, household goods, clothing, it creates a large stress on our planet because you need a ton of resources to consume “stuff.” Landfills are filling up so fast and we need to develop an industry that will reduce the need for landfills and make sustainable products from waste. “While environmental problems are growing, we do each have the power individually and through sharing with our families and loved ones about more sustainable ways to live...” Gina Lee (9:29-9:47) Call to Action   As Gina explained, the earth recently reached a point where our resource consumption exceeds the earth's capacity to regenerate resources.  It all comes back to reduction.    Recycle what you know can be recycled but also lower your personal environmental footprint by purchasing items that are re-used or second hand. If consumers are demanding it, then corporations will follow.    How to get involved Join The Produce Moms Group on Facebook and continue the discussion every week!  Reach out to us - we'd love to hear more about where you are in life and business! Find out more here.  Learn more about Upcyclers Network.   If you liked this episode, be sure to subscribe and leave a quick review on iTunes. It would mean the world to hear your feedback and we'd love for you to help us spread the word!

It’s commonplace these days to see household and personal care products that are designed to be better for you and less harmful to the environment. But not too long ago, those items were few and far between, marketed by just a handful of brands -- one of which was Seventh Generation, a mail order business co-founded by Jeffrey Hollender. Launched in 1988, the company gradually evolved into a pioneering retail brand known for social responsibility and sustainable practices. In 2016, consumer products conglomerate Unilever purchased Seventh Generation for an estimated $700 million.  Despite an acrimonious split with the company in 2010, Hollender eventually returned as a board member in 2017. He’s also currently the CEO and co-founder of the American Sustainable Business Council (ASBC), an advocacy group that represents the interests of socially responsible companies and an adjunct professor of sustainability and social entrepreneurship at NYU’s Stern Business School, as well as a member of the board at Greenpeace.  In the following interview, Hollender spoke about the ASBC’s mission, his initial foray into entrepreneurship, the genesis of Seventh Generation and how the company eventually grew into its own. He also explained why he embraced the nickname “Chief Inspired Protagonist” and what he believes were the reasons behind his ouster. Later, he discussed the ways in which he supports socially responsible companies and progressive causes and why he urges brand owners to confront the reality that their products may be “less bad” rather than truly good. Show notes:  3:16: Interview: Jeffrey Hollender, Co-Founder, Seventh Generation -- Hollender spoke with Taste Radio editor Ray Latif for an expansive conversation about his business career, which began with producing audio educational courses. He also explained why his mission in life is “to fundamentally alter the negative trajectory that our world is on” and how his work with the American Sustainable Business Council fits into that goal. Later, he discussed the creation of Seventh Generation, how he educated himself about the business of consumer products, his rift with co-founder Alan Newman and what sparked a turning point for the brand. Later, he spoke about why he stepped down as CEO and why he was unhappy with his replacement, and urged entrepreneurs to be extremely careful about their investment partners. Finally, he discussed how he evaluates opportunities to invest in early-stage companies, such as organic energy shot brand Kafina. Brands in this episode: Seventh Generation, Ben & Jerry’s, Stonyfield, Patagonia, Lego, Organic Valley, Magic Hat, Sustain Natural, Kafina Energy

[0:55] Experience with family businesses in the hospitality industry [2:45] Discovering B Lab and trying to build the movement in Florida -Becoming the first certified Real Estate Development B corp in Florida -Recently certificatied as the first multi-state resort hospitality B corp [5:40] Using the B Impact assessment as an educational tool, even if you don't plan to certify -Paying living wages, offset carbon footprint of travel, measurement programs for recycling (including re-use for hotel toiletries) [10:55] Educating guests to vote with their dollars in a way that aligns to their values "Our motivations are towards impact first...the assessment just tracks that." [13:15] Building a movement with "Florida for Good" that brings together Conscious Capitalism, B corps, 1% for the Planet and the American Sustainable Business Council [16:15] Building partnerships with other aligned movements [18:15] Barriers to adoption of Conscious Capitalism [19:30] Why to resist "outsourcing" conscious purpose [22:00] Jared's personal evolution as a conscious leader -Reading "The Power of Now," "Awakening the Buddha Within," "Tao Te Ching" Learn more about free resources for measuring your impact and evolving your business at Florida For Good: https://floridaforgood.com/ Take a carbon neutral vacation at: https://www.legacyvacationresorts.com/

Jeffrey Hollender co-founded Seventh Generation on a mission to create home products that are better for the planet. He co-founded of Sustain Natural (with his daughter Meika) to make sex and wellness products that are healthier for women and the planet. But now, he says his product making days are over. Now, Jeffrey spends most of his time as a professor at NYU, the co-founder of the American Sustainable Business Council, and a writer. His career path has been one of a steady zooming out. He started by facing the sustainability challenges of specific industries and products, and now he's working to fix the fundamental systems that are holding companies and consumers back. Jeffrey believes that systems thinking is invaluable, transparency is key in creating trust, and sometimes doing things the old way is best. “Systems thinking is invaluable because it teaches us to anticipate the unintended consequences.” In this episode of Well Made, Jeffrey starts at the beginning, sharing a bit about the teachers that put him on the path of sustainability advocacy (1:17). He talks about how education can create a fundamental shift in how we think about sustainability and how it impacted his kids’ firsthand (11:30). In his decades as a leader, Jeffrey has realized the importance of being a generalist. He shares how he prefers the generalist mentality over the specialist (12:07). Company culture was a huge focus on Jeffrey’s growth as a leader. He shares the importance of transparency and culture when building a business that’s good for people and the planet (19:31). He talks about the how systems thinking is not only a sustainable choice, but a competitive one (34:27). Jeffrey shares how he and his daughter Meika started Sustain (38:26). And finally, he talks about how he started working with Ben & Jerrys and the Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility(47:07). Links and images from this post are on the Lumi Blog.

The American Sustainable Business Council (ASBC) working toward making US business Green We spoke with Hammad Atassi, CEO and John Minor, Policy Manager with the American Sustainable Business Council about their exciting green programs for businesses.

Vernon interviews David Levine, President/CEO of the American Sustainable Business Council, (ASBC). Vernon and David discuss the philosophy and strategies ASBC uses to educate and inform the public and policy makers about the benefits of a more sustainable economy. David is the co-founder and chief executive officer of the American Sustainable Business Council. He has worked as a social entrepreneur for over 30 years focusing on the development of whole systems solutions for a more sustainable society through building strategic partnerships and broad stakeholders' initiatives. Previously, he was the Founding Director of Continuing Education & Public Programs at The Graduate Center, City University of New York. From 1984-1997, David was Founder and executive director of the Learning Alliance, an independent popular education organization. Established in 2009, the American Sustainable Business Council is a network of businesses and business associations that have committed themselves to the triple bottom line of People, Planet, and Profit. ASBC members believe that sustainable business is good business, and a sustainable economy is a prosperous and resilient one. Today, together with the organizations that have joined in this partnership, ASBC represent over 250,000 businesses and social enterprises.

David Levine, President and CEO of the American Sustainable Business Council, on bringing sustainable businesses together to drive policy change.

SHOW NOTES Sheryl is currently CEO of REBBL super herb beverages and loving every minute of it. She is also an author of Killing It which was launched in Dec. 2016. She is an advisor to the Harvest Summit, an annual gathering of innovators in Sonoma County. In 2007, Sheryl co-founded Plum, Inc. (formally the Nest Collective) a healthy food company. As CEO from 2007-2011, Sheryl led Plum to become an industry leader and game-changing company with national distribution. After growing to $100MM in revenue in only four years, Plum was successfully sold in May 2013. Prior to Plum, Inc., Sheryl spent 10 years at Clif Bar & Company, 3 of them as CEO. Sheryl spearheaded the launch of Luna Bar, led the growth of Clif Bar and Company from $100MM to $200MM in revenue, with strong profitability, and drove the company toward operationalizing a deep commitment to sustainability. Following Plum, Sheryl was the Executive Director of the Center for Entrepreneurial Studies at Stanford University supporting students to design and scale new ventures that have a positive impact on the world. Sheryl was a faculty member teaching entrepreneurship at Sonoma State University. Sheryl served on numerous several for-profit and non-profit boards of directors/advisors including ThinkThin natural nutritional bars, SugarBowl Bakery, Rip Van Wafels, nutritious snack waffles, Zukes natural pet treats, Think Thin Nutrition Bars, and the American Sustainable Business Council. Zukes and Think Thin both had successful sales.

If, in the twenty-first century, credit is the new capital , what are the implications for our finances, but also our relationships?  This week, Laura talks with Ivan Ascher, author of a new book on The Portfolio Society, and debt activist Pam Brown, about the implications of a society based on risk rather than labor. And we hear from Mandy Cabot, CEO of Dansko shoes who chose her workers over a corporate buyout. She's joined by Richard Eidlin, co-founder of the American Sustainable Business Council. Be sure to check out the TV Show for more and subscribe to the podcast via iTunes Stitcher TuneIn and more, or simply download the episode. Check out this weeks Fword via Soundcloud "Zombie Economics & Zombie Malls"

If Jeffrey Hollender’s name is familiar to you, it should not be surprising. As the cofounder of Seventh Generation, the author of a half dozen books, and a frequent speaker on using business to do good in the world, he’s a natural fit for a conversation with Social Entrepreneur. But he did not come on the podcast to talk about his past accomplishments. He’s busy taking a systemic approach to his latest business Sustain Natural. Through Sustain, Jeffrey is connecting the dots between condoms, hunger, health care, poverty, and climate change. Yes, that’s right. I said condoms…and lubricants and wipes. All of which are fair trade, organic and sustainably produced. And, Sustain donates 10% of their profits to help poorer women access health care such as STD testing and breast examinations. In this interview, Jeffrey talks about the importance of systems thinking in order to take on some of our most pressing problems. He describes the experience of being forced out of the company that he had built and he gives solid advice from his lessons learned. Key quotes from the interview: “Much of what we consider natural, sustainable products, are less bad rather than good.” “My insight is that we need to move to what I call net-positive businesses: businesses that are providing a net positive effect on the planet.” “If you were going to hire an employee, you would ask the employee for three references and you call up these people and you ask them what it was like to have this person working for you. Well, we don’t do that when it comes to investors.” “If we taught first grade children systems thinking, so that they could anticipate the unintended consequences of their actions, that might the most important thing we could do to create a more just, equitable and happy world.” “It is not easy to be an entrepreneur. You will run across no shortage of challenges and roadblocks. And it is really, really, really important that you choose to do something that you are deeply passionate and committed to. Otherwise there are too many reasons for you to walk away and give up.” “You really have to think, does this business idea help you become the person you want to be?”   Books by Jeffrey Hollender: The Responsibility Revolution: How the Next Generation of Businesses Will Win: http://amzn.to/1ReaOXV Planet Home: Conscious Choices for Cleaning and Greening the World You Care About Most: http://amzn.to/1PjwsUq How to Make the World a Better Place: A Guide to Doing Good: http://amzn.to/1PjxlMM How to Make the World a Better Place: 116 Ways You Can Make a Difference: http://amzn.to/1Reb4WK Naturally Clean: The Seventh Generation Guide to Safe and Healthy, Non-Toxic Cleaning: http://amzn.to/1PjwP1j What Matters Most: How a Small Group of Pioneers Is Teaching Social Responsibility to Big Business, and Why Big Business is Listening: http://amzn.to/1PjwYSC In Our Every Deliberation: An Introduction to Seventh Generation: http://amzn.to/1Pjx64z Resources: eBook: Five Key Traits of Successful Social Entrepreneurs: http://tonyloyd.com/socent Try Audible and Receive Two Free Audiobooks: http://tonyloyd.com/books Jeffrey Hollender: http://www.jeffreyhollender.com Sustain: http://sustainnatural.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/sustain_natural Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sustainnatural Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sustain_natural/ Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/sustaincondoms/ The American Sustainable Business Council: http://asbcouncil.org/

Richard, Eidlin, Co-founder and Vice President of Policy and Campaigns for the American Sustainable Business Council (ASBC), talks this week with Steve Klass of P3 Utah.  Richard and Steve discuss the ways in which ASBC advocates for policy change at the federal and state level to support a more sustainable economy. ASBC (of which P3 Utah is a member) offers programs that educate and inform the public and policy makers about the benefits of a more sustainable economy, and about policies and practices that can help the economy become more sustainable. “If you’re not at the table, then you’re on the menu.”  Listen and be inspired!Learn more about the American Sustainable Business Council at http://asbcouncil.org