DTES

We're in planning mode for Sustainability 2.010 (fall 2010) at the Strathcona Business Improvement Association (SBIA) where I vollunteer on their sustainability committee. Looking back at the last year I found this footage of the 'Shades of Green' panal I sat on talking about sustainable business practices in the Strathcona Green Zone in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside. It's been exciting at the SBIA with the announcement of $50,000 in funding from the Vancity enviroFUND for the development of a materials exchange network so businesses in our community can easily utilize each other's waste materials and save money on disposal and recycling services. An example of this can be seen in our use of off cut paper scraps produced by a local printer as packaging material in our corporate gift basket program. In the near future we'll be looking to hire a full time sustainability coordinator for the SBIA to run with the program and hit the pavement to learn about amd engage all our neighbourhood businesses, helping to facilitate meaningful connections identifying opportunities to save money while reducing environmental impact. Besides materials exchange a community energy challenge is another area of interest, looking at how we as a community can work together to better use resources. Building on the recent success of the SOLE Food Urban Farm project, an initative by United We Can and Building Opportunities with Business, we're finding lots of ways for local businesses, organizations and community members to find meaningful employment while addressing environmental and social justice issues.

The Social Purchasing Portal (SPP) is a tool that's been designed by Building Opportunities with Business (BOB) to help companies source products and services that address social and environmental issues in Vancouver, BC. In concept its a great idea, with the growth in demand in sustainable purchasing programs in many companies and organizations, the SPP has the potential to link up purchasers with suppliers, creating connections that improve our economy while addressing sustainability issues.

It's working!

Every time I get an order from a new client I ask them how they learned about my business as this is one of the ways I use to see how affective our marketing campaigns are. Although it's only happened once in the last couple years of being listed on the SPP it is working! Last week I was told by a client that they were specifically looking for social and environmentally responsible corporate gift options and found me through the SPP. It has a trickle down affect as the gift that was ordered included wooden packaging made by a local social enterprise that trains women in carpentry living in Vancouver's downtown eastside. The gift was sent to a local community leader in the social enterprise space so it was cool how interconnected the transaction became in our local economy.

Just Potters is a social enterprise that provides training and employment for people living on disability insurance in Vancouver's eastside. Located in the basement of Grandview Calvary Baptist Church. It's a quaint opporation that makes great handmade products and provides a fantastic service to the community. After spending the last month in bed from a back injury I can relate to how it feels to be out of commission. I can only image what it feels like to be injured in the long term and unable to work full time. Part time and casual work offered by Just Potters creates amazing opportunities for people to stay active, be creative and create powerful promotional gifts.

Saying more than thank you

It's clear that gifts with a story are powerful for being memorable, meaningful and building relatinships in the long term. Over the years we've worked with them on a variety of projects and our clients have always had good things to say. Let us add a pound of fair trade organic coffee, artisan hot chocolate or fair trade organic tea to make this a great holiday gift package. The mug you see above can be customized with your branding, slogan, saying or logo. To learn more about social enterprise, the value they can bring to your organization and corporate gift, promotional products and business development programs please feel free to get in touch with us as we're happy to help you however we can.

It's no surprise that Eclipse Awards is leading the space in green sustainable recognition items and awards. Their values for community and the environment ring true through all my interactions with them, not only as my landlord but also as compatriots. Building a community of progressive and innovative businesses that see an opportunity to create social and environmental value, while making money, in the Strathcona Green Zone. This line of awards has been in the works for months and we got a sneak peak into these great items the other week at our open house and green roof mojito party.

In the spring I accompanied Eclipse staff to Las Vegas for the annual Awards and Recognition Association (ARA) trade show and was blown away by all the crappy things people give out to recognize people, their relationships and achievements. We knew there was a better way, not only to give things that look nice but also to do so using recycled and reclaimed materials. The products emerged from there and we talked with the awards suppliers about using recycled materials. Working with local woodshops that salvage wind fall trees in the Fraser Valley, finding Walnut, Maple and Fir trees and turning them into beautiful pieces of art, desk top and wall mounted awards, plaques, picture frames, and business card holders. Some of the woodwork is being done by Tradeworks Custom Products, a social enterprise that trains women in carpentry working to improve their lives in Vancouver's downtown eastside. Adding reclaimed glass from local industry off cuts, sand blasting, etching and laser engraving, Eclipse is producing best in class recognition items that tell a story and share values.

Acting as a sales rep for Eclipse we're happy to be able to offer this great line of green awards through Saul Good.

A month back I had an amazing experience. As Alex and I were delivering gifts into the new Woodward's building we met an amazing woman named Annie. As we rode the elevator together with a dolly full of gifts ready for the new homeowners, Annie asked us if the wooden boxes the gifts were packaged in were from Tradeworks. We confirmed and Annie went on to tell us that she had participated in training programs at Tradeworks and that it had helped her get her where she is today, gainfully employed working construction on one of Vancouver's highest profile developments.

The gifts were a selection of green cleaning products and sustainable lifestyle items destined for the suites of new homeowners, with each gift packaged in a an engraved pine beetle wooden caddy made by Tradeworks Custom Products. As I've been writing about for the last year, Tradeworks is a social enterprise that trains and employs women in carpentry living in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside. Besides gaining tradeskills and work experience the program builds participants confidence and self esteem while preparing the women for careers in the trades.

Walking the talk

Woodward's is a landmark development in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside, creating space for not only the privilaged but also providing a range of social housing, for families, single people and also the physically challenged. W2, the community media arts center, will also find home in the Woodward's block. We always thought it was great that Westbank, the developers of the project, wanted to include the wooden boxes from Tradeworks in the welcome gift program for Woodwards but to see that creating employment opportunities for DTES residents is not only a commitment but also a reality was something that really hit home for me. Business is a powerful tool that can improve the world. Gifts can be a lot more than just cool stuff and it feels real good to know the work we're doing is helping to make things better.

Working with social enterprises can be extremely rewarding with benefits on multiple levels.  For the last couple years I've been working with Tradeworks Custom Products, a social enterprise that trains women in carpentry living in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside.  Working with and representing them with my corporate clients, putting together corporate gifts and promotions, has led me to believe that value is generated in multiple ways.  I recently sat down with Mary Sturgeon of Junxion Strategy, a leading consulting firm focussed on the human dimension of sustainability, to talk about social enterprises. By working with social enterprises, beyond providing training and job experience for marginalized people, genuine value and bottom line benefits are built for the companies that support them.

The whole is greater than the sum of its parts

Many corporations have philanthropic giving programs giving out cash and in kind support to non-profits to help them achieve their missions. This type of philanthropy is important as many organizations rely on this type of funding to keep their programs running. However, a hand out is a hand out, well received and appreciated but not empowering. Social enterprise on the other hand empowers individuals directly working to improve their lives. The skills being learned by the employees in social enterprises makes life better for people, opens up new opportunities and builds confidence and self esteem in people working to improve their lives. In many cases purchasing from a social enterprise is more expensive when compared to conventional products or services but the synergistic value is often greater when compared to a purely philanthropic donation. As long as the values are aligned between the corporation and the social enterprise the relationship and value is worth more than a simple donation. It may cost more in your marketing budget but a company can save money and maximize value when looking at marketing and community relationships/philanthropy together as a whole.

Creators vs. victims

Working in a social enterprise builds confidence and self esteem. Empowering marginalized people to have a sense of control over their lives, feeling good about their work and learning transferable skills that open doors and opportunities. At Tradeworks women living in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside, one of North America's most marginalized communities, learn carpentry and woodworking skills, opening doors for careers in the trades. Some former participants have gone on to start their own businesses, further education and training in the trades and gainful employment at other companies in the community. As I've said, donations are important and play a role, but donations do not empower people where social enterprise does.

Making people feel good - HR benefits

More and more research shows that people want to work for socially and environmentally responsible businesses. Attracting and retaining top talent is a profitable sustainable business strategy helping to reduce the costs associated with training and turnover. If employees feel good about the work they do and the companies they work for then profitability, efficiency, quality and customer service all improve instep. By working with social enterprises that have values inline with your company and staff you can empower your employees by feeling good about their work and how it contributes to improving their community and environment.

Top 3 tips for working with social enterprise

1) Find a social enterprise operating in your community that you or your employees share values with. Having the values in line is strategic in terms of the benefits and exposure your partnership will produce. Working together for mutual benefit is a strong value proposition.

2) Go on a tour to meet the people managing and working in the social enterprise. Check it out, shake peoples' hands and look in peoples' eyes. The value I've received seeing smiles of peoples' faces has made my work with social enterprise worth it alone. This is also a great way to engage your employees and get them to see the value first hand that their partnership and work together creates.

3) Be patient and do whatever you can to help social enterprises build capacity. Developing working relationships with social enterprises takes time, resources and patience so take it slow, offer your time and expertise and help however you can. Remember and honour the social element of their operations, there's more than a financial bottom line and we must look at social and financial considerations in equilibrium for social enterprise and long term working relationships to work.

GreenOne Ventures is an amazing local company with deep committments to sustainability. After meeting at Sustainability 2.0 and talking more with GreenOne founder Melissa Blyth I was quick to realize a great opportunity to work together. Not only are GreenOne bags super stylie, fashion forward, and practical but also locally manufactured while supporting the local arts community. Melissa is commited to having a positive impact on the world as seen by the depth of her consideration in sourcing materials and partners in this enterprise. Saul Good is happy to announce that we've started to offer her bags, not only as great gifts on their own, but also as packaging options for our corporate gifts, gourmet gift baskets and boxes.

Supporting the local arts community

To ensure that GreenOne has a positive impact on our local community Melissa founded Give A Shirt, a social venture that hires local DTES artists such as the infamous Ken Foster, Garnet Tobacco and Lauren Javor. Proceeds from the sale of each shirt go directly to the artists as royalties and a portion of profits from the program go into a social venture fund to address social and economic development issues in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside.

Top 5 things we like about Green One

1. Funky designs from local artists
2. Functional, comfortable to carry, even a couple great places to stash a bottle of wine or two
3. Sustainable materials - the conventional cotton industry uses 16% of the world's chemical pesticide use¹, damaging fresh water sources, the health of farmers and our ecology as a whole. Feel good about purchasing organic cotton, it's making Earth a better place to live.
4. Social justice - The Give a Shirt program is rad! Support for local artists and opportunties for residents in the downtown eastside helps to create an inclusive community that empowers people and values diversity.
5. Reusable shopping bags eliminate the need for plastic bags. Every time you use a GreenOne bag it reduces the need for plastic bags by 2. Plastic comes from oil/gas and we're running out of that. GreenOne helps you to be part of the solution, and do it in style!

Yesterday afternoon I had the honor to hear and meet Favianna Rodriguez, an amazing artist living in Oakland, CA where she's been working to develop a vibrant arts community through a community center and social housing initiative.  Art as social media, communicating a story about diversity and issues such as war, immigration, and globalization.  Her prints are captivating and I couldn't resist taking home the Green is Not White one as seen above.  As a white male coming from a place of privilage it's easy to be blinded by all the advantages and oportunities I've been gifted and lack of barriers to make things happen.  I am aware of this as I've seen and felt the experience of people I've been working with, particularly the women of Tradeworks Custom Products and my work in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside (DTES).  I love the art, not only esthetically but also and equally important in the message as a reminder as I grow my Saul Good with vision to improve and address social and environmental issues through business.  The power of visual images to affect peoples' thinking and behaviour is an amazing opportunity to create change and I hope to see the arts flourish as part of the Strathcona Green Zone, the greening of the DTES.  Thanks to our friends at W2 Community Media Arts for hosting this great event and bringing in Favianna!

The Strathcona Business Improvement Association (SBIA) is hosting it's second annual sustainability summit on April 2nd, 2009, 3-7pm at Chapel Arts, and I'm happy to announce that we've secured Majora Carter as our keynote speaker, a leader in the social justice and social enterprise space.  The event is focused on collaboration, how businesses and organizations can work together for mutual benefit and build sustainable communities.  I'm going to be on a panel with along with Toby Barazzuol of Eclipse Awards, Danielle of Frogfile Office Essentials, Tracy Casavant of Eco-Industrial Solutions among others.  The panel is being facillitated by Anita Burke, a leading systems thinker, so we're bound to have some great questions taking the dialogue a bit deeper.  Besides hearing from some great local leaders Majora is a speaker not to be missed.  Registration is free, sign up today to avoid disappointment: www.strathconabia.com/expo2

When given the opportunity to move my business and share space with Eclipse Awards, a leading crystal and glass awards business in Vancouver, BC, I jumped at the chance.  Eclipse has been active working on the Strathcona Green Zone, a hub of sustainable business in the Downtown Eastside, by building green roofs and doing green renos in one of Canada's poorest postal codes.  It definately was a step up, having been running Saul Good out of my house for the last 2 years, and an exciting opportunity to not only scale up our operation but also create a culture for collaboration between businesses, finding ways to work together for mutual benefit.  As I moved in and started to set up shop I was faced with some purchasing decisions.  Did I go green or go home?

Green shelving

I scored some leftover LEED green shelving from Arpac, Vesta particle board shelves made from 100% recycled and reclaimed wood without any added formaldehyde.  Apparently these were leftover from a recent job doing shelving for MEC, membership in the co-op has it's privilages!

Reclaimed wood table & work bench

The next item on the list is a work bench, used to assemble gifts and store empty gift boxes.  Using materials leftover from the Eclipse green reno I'm working with Tradeworks Custom Products to custom manufacture a work bench made from reclaimed parallam beams, originally used to reinforce the ceiling for the green roof.