Eco Business & Conscious Capitalism: What is an eco-company?

I want to thank Julian and the participants of this Zymposium for inviting me to contribute a few words about Eco Business and Conscious Capitalism. I am wholly a student of the 4 folks who have written this week and thanks to their sharing I have learned quite a bit and am very grateful for that.

I am writing from San Diego where I am at The Social Venture Network Fall Conference. I just left the final Q&A of the evening with Priya Haji of World of Good and Chris Van Dyke of Nau. In the world of Eco-Commerce, these folks are serious heavyweights who are walking their talk by applying progressive ideas to business on a daily basis. Their passion is palpable. So inspiring!

These past 6 months I have put most of my energies into creating a new business called the Eco Gift Expo. The response we have had has been overwhelming. This is significant because it indicates that we are now living in a time where there is enough of a demand to warrant a large-scale holiday gift show for eco-conscious consumers. This also means that manufacturers, wholesalers, retailers and other service providers are stepping up to supply this increasing demand for consciously produced goods. A great indication of a positive shift.

The 3 members of our sales team speak with about 20-30 eco-conscious companies daily to learn about them, tell them about us and see if they would make a good fit in our expo. One theme in particular keeps popping up. What is an eco gift and what are the criteria for entry? This has provoked some heated debate in our office and has caused me to examine my beliefs. Consider the following story…

“A woman calls me on the phone to get information about the Eco Gift Expo. She is super cool, positive. It feels good to speak with her and I am truly connecting with what she is saying. She is jazzed about our event, wants to have a booth there, but something is in the way. Her tone changes. “You know, I really want to be there, but I am just not ECO enough,” she says. I say, “Tell me about your company and where you are at.” It turns out that this woman is extremely conscious about sourcing the metals she uses to create her jewelry line, but whereas she is able to get recycled gold and silver, she is unable to purchase recycled base metals at this point in the development of the metal industry. She concludes that she cannot attend our expo because she cannot, in good faith, offer a fully eco product. Interesting! Her principal fear, of course, is that a small band of eco-warriors will find out about her “impurity” and attack her booth at the expo screaming, “Kill the heretic!”, just before burning her at the stake. This brings up some important questions that I am going to be responsible for answering. Why not put it right out there to the Zaadz community to get your opinions on the topic. Here is the main question: If you were producing an event called The Eco Gift Expo, and you had to set criteria for companies and the gifts they sell to be allowed in your event, what would your criteria be? For some, this might be easy to answer. I thought it was pretty straightforward until I started to hear stories like the one from this woman. She gives money to charity, she is an expert host covering environmental topics and she does everything she can to use recycled materials in her work. Should I exclude her company, which produces incredibly beautiful jewelry with positive messages inscribed on the stones, because she works in an industry where it is currently impossible for her to be 100% eco? Pondering this, I look down at my leather shoes pressing down the accelerator in my Subaru Outback and I frown at the realization - Lord have mercy, I am not 100% eco either. I start to think of my hardest core eco-friends. One guy simply does not ride in gas-powered vehicles. Won't even get in one. Pretty hard core I think. Then I remember he wears all kind of leather too and in that way he supports the cattle industry which is responsible for clear-cutting forests and turning them into grazing land, etc, etc. Eventually I come to the realization that no one is 100% Eco. So what standards am I trying to set with the Eco Gift Expo? Who is in? Who is out? Where is that fine line to be drawn? Perhaps I will be burned at the stake, but not without a good fight anyway…. Here goes: An eco-conscious company creates products and services that add true value to people's lives by promoting health, wellness and peace without compromising the wellness of the Earth in its production. Now that last part is really tricky.

I feel strongly about being inclusive. I want to support the companies that are moving in the right direction. They may not be 100% organic, but their products enhance our lives.

LuLuLemon is such a company. I love these guys because of their messaging and the fact that their products encourage yoga and athletics. They do have a growing organic line, but the fact is they are far from 100% organic. I support them, nonetheless, and think they are a great company. Yes, but are they an eco-company? Should they be in the show?

Another interesting situation has to do with one of our beneficiaries, Global Green USA. When we went to sign our agreement with them they made it clear that if we partnered with other companies that were contributing to the global warming problem (like ALL automobile companies that produce gas-powered cars) they would have to break with us immediately. I asked about Toyota as an example of a car company moving in the right direction. And they responded by telling me that Toyota, GM and 7 others were suing the State of California to block greenhouse gas regulation. What do I do with that? I am bummed to hear about this and, at the same time, I want to support the move toward better automotive technology, a virtue that Toyota has demonstrated. Nothing is black and white!

My teacher, Guru Prem, often reminds me that if one wants to change the world, one must only change oneself and the world is therefore automatically changed. In the final analysis, all change takes place at the level of the individual first and then can be seen as a shift at the level of the collective. If we are able to get people to change the way they shop, we will change the world indeed.

In Love and Gratitude,

Tommy Rosen