Small businesses are sources of employment and providers and consumers of goods and services that sustain the local economy. Their operation should support the local ecology, minimize energy use and waste, and utilize recycled products and materials. Examples are in this section.
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RELATED RESOURCES
Business for Social Responsibility (BSR), 609 Mission Street, 2nd floor, San Francisco, CA 94105, Tel: 415.537.0888, Fax: 415.537.0889, Email: bsr-info@bsr.org, Website: http://www.bsr.org. The BSR is a national alliance of companies that develops, supports, disseminates, and advocates responsible business practices and public policies that benefit not only companies, but also employees, communities and the environment.
Center for Environmental Economic Development (CEED), 1630 27th Street, Arcata, CA 95521, Tel: 707.822.8347, Fax: 707.822.4457, Email: ceed@ceedweb.org, Website: http://www.ceedweb.org. CEED's mission is to further the combined goals of environmental protection and social justice by improving the quality of community life throught the creation of environmentally-beneficial businesses and employment.
Co-op America, 1612 K Street, NW, Washington, DC 20006, Tel: 800.58.GREEN; 202.872.5307, Fax: 202.331.8166, Email: info@coopamerica.org, Website: http://www.coopamerica.org. Co-op America, a national nonprofit organization, provides the economic strategies, organizing power and practical tools for businesses and individuals to address today's social and environmental problems by educating and empowering them to make significant improvements through the economic system.
INFORM, Inc., 120 Wall Street, New York, NY 10005, Tel: 212.361.2400, Fax: 212.361.2412, Email: inform@inform.org, Website: http://www.informinc.org. INFORM examines business practices that harm our air, water and land resources and identifies specific ways to improve these practices, focusing on the development of state-of-the-art strategies to prevent waste and pollution at the source.
Institute for Economic Empowerment and Entrepreneurship (IEEE), Village Foundation, 66 Canal Center Plaza, Suite 501, Alexandria, VA 22314-1591, Tel: 703.548.3200, Fax: 703.548.5296, Website: http://www.villagefoundation.org. IEEE's mission is to help impoverished communities achieve new prosperity, primarily inner-city neighborhoods in major metropolitan areas. It publishes Greenprints, a series of papers about innovations to revitalize the economies of these communities.
Minnesota Environmental Initiative (MEI), 527 Marquette Avenue South, Suite 2420, Minneapolis, MN 55402, Tel: 612.334.3388, Fax: 612.334.3093, Email: mei@winternet.com MEI, a non-partisan, educational organization, brings diverse groups together in a collaborative, non-contentious forum to facilitate solutions to contemporary regional environmental issues. Its ultimate goal is to foster improved public policy which benefits Minnesota's environment as well as its economy.
Mountain Association for Community Economic Development (MACED), 433 Chestnut Street, Berea, KY 40403, Tel: 606.986.2373, Fax: 606.986.1299, Email: info@maced.org, Website: http://www.maced.org. MACED provides opportunities and resources to help citizens build sustainable, healthy, equitable, democratic, and prosperous communities in Kentucky and Central Appalachia. It combines research and public policy analysis with technical assistance and financial investments to stimulate development that benefits low-income people.
Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center, 275 5th Street, San Francisco, CA 94103, Tel: 415.541.8580, Fax: 415.541.8589, Email: alexa@rencenter.org, Website: http://www.rencenter.org. The Center assists urban and inner-city small business in the San Francisco Bay area with job development and expansion.
Sustainable Business Network (SBN), Website: http://www.envirolink.org/sbn. The SBN site is a focal point on the Web for a full range of environmental business sectors, from recycling to green building, renewable energy to organic products, and social investing to certified forestry.
U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), 409 3rd Street, SW, Washington, DC 20416, Tel: 800.827.5722, Website: http://www.sba.gov. The SBA provides financial, technical and management assistance to help Americans start, run, and grow their businesses.
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Alexander, Ben. The New Frontiers of Ranching: Business Diversification and Land Stewardship. (Tucson, AZ: Sonoran Institute, 2000). This book profiles ranchers who are successful using niche marketing, guest ranching, or small business development to generate new income and enhance the quality of the natural resources found on their ranches. To obtain this resource contact the Sonoran Institute, 7650 E. Broadway Blvd., Suite 203, Tucson, AZ 85710; Tel: 520.290.0828; Email: sonoran@sonoran.org; Website: http://www.sonoran.org.
Chapell, Tom. The Soul of Business: Managing for Profit and the Common Good. (New York, NY: Bantam Books, 1993). This book gives step by step advice for turning philosophical ideas into practical business strategies.
Cole, Barbara A. Business Opportunities Casebook, 2nd Edition - A Rural Revitalization Program for Community Leaders. (Washington, DC: Office of Business Development, US Small Business Administration, 1988). This publication, written to assist rural communities in their economic development efforts, provides alternatives for local economies and recounts success stories from communities across the country. To obtain this resource contact the Rocky Mountain Institute: Tel:970.927.3851; Fax: 970.927.4178; Email: orders@rmi.org.
Feigenbaum, Cliff. Green Money Journal. This journal promotes the awareness of socially and environmentally responsible business investing and consumer resources. To obtain this resource contact Green Money Journal, West 608 Avenue, Spokane, WA 99205. This resource can be found online at: http://www.greenmoney.com.
JG Press, Inc. In Business. (Emmaus, PA: JG Press Inc.). This bi-monthly journal reports on new opportunities for achieving sustainability in the public and private sectors. It covers information on entrepreneurs, the systems and strategies they use, and initiatives that make them successful. To obtain this resource contact JG Press, Inc., 419 State Avenue, Emmaus, PA 18049; Tel: 610.967.4135.
Kinsley, Michael. Economic Renewal Guide, 3rd edition. (Snowmass, CO: Rocky Mountain Institute, 1997). This manual is a do-it-yourself toolkit for anyone who wants to get sustainable economic development moving in their community. To obtain this resource contact the Institute at Tel: 970.927.3851, Fax: 970.927.3420, Email: orders@rmi.org.
Lyons, Thomas S. and Katherine K. Cornwell. "Microenterprise and Sustainable Community Development". Sustain. Fall 1998, vol. II. (Louisville, KY: Kentucky Institute for the Environment and Sustainable Development). This article discusses microenterprise as an economic development strategy that focuses on bottom-up, community-based business development and gives an in-depth examination of such a program in Louisville. To obtain this resource contact the Kentucky Institute for the Environment and Sustainable Development, 203 Patterson Hall, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY 40292. This resource can be found online at: http://www.louisville.edu/org/sun/sustain/business/new.html.
Materials for the Future Foundation. Manufacturing with Reused and Recycled Materials: 50 Business Opportunities. (San Francisco, CA: 1998). This guide is designed for the entrepreneur or community organization interested in starting a manufacturing business with recycled materials. To obtain this resource contact Materials for the Future Foundation, P.O. Box 29091, San Francisco, CA 94129-0091; Phone: 415.561.6530; Email: mff@igc.org.
San Joaquim Delta College Small Business Development Center. How To Start a Small Business. This web-based book was developed to help prospective small business owners with the often overwhelming process of starting a business. It includes links to many outside resources on the Internet and a Spanish translation. This resource can be found online at: http://home.inreach.com/sbdc/book/index.html.
Simmons, P. J., ed. The Greener Business Guide. (Tides Center/Greener Business Education Project). This is an annual directory of national and local businesses that are environmentally responsible or sell eco-friendly merchandise. This resource can be found online at: http://www.greenerbusiness.org.
Tilden Press. The Green Business Letter. (Washington, DC: Tilden Press). This is a monthly journal for companies, associations, universities, and others striving to integrate environmental thinking throughout their organizations in profitable ways. To obtain this resource contact Tilden Press, 1519 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Suite 301, Washington, DC 20036; Tel: 202.332.1700; Fax: 202.332.3028, Email: gbl@enn.com. This resource can be found online at: http://www.greenbiz.com.
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Investing in the Keweenaw's Future - Moving Toward Sustainable Development, Upper Peninsula, Mich.; An innovative citizen's group has been working since 1989 to preserve the environment in the western portion of the upper peninsula, through economic education and planning activities.
Greenworks, Cambridge, Mass.; Local entrepreneurs have created an ecologically-oriented business and research incubator in an abandoned rubber factory, using volunteer labor and technical consultants.
Meadowcreek Local Food Project, Fox, Ark.; A rural non-profit organizations has worked with a local private college dining hall and helped to organize an organic restaurant and canning facility to promote the consumption of local produce.
Marshall Heights Community Development Organization, Washington, D.C.; A broad-based civic organization has been working for 20 years on neighborhood preservation and revitalization, and has started several profit-making companies to help support the group.
Wai'anae Backyard Aquaculture Project, Wai'anae Coast, Hawaii; A community-based non-profit corporation provides financial and technical assistance to help families raise sunfish as a means of promoting local self-sufficiency and nutrition.
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Sustainable Communities Network (SCN) Revised March 8, 2002