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SBN Newsletter
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November, 2011
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Dear SBN Members and Friends,
This fall the 'Occupy Wall Street' movement has really caught on and has gained remarkable media attention. This movement has tapped into the sentiment shared by most American's--that the economy is suffering and unemployment is high because of abuse of the capitalist system by large corporations and financial institutions.
SBN as an organization has no position on most political issues, but SBN is a major promoter of sustainable economies that are local, green, and fair. This holiday season you have the power to make a big difference by simply shifting the money you spend on holiday gifts from large corporations to locally owned and independent businesses. By doing this you are creating more jobs, supporting local entrepreneurs, and rebuilding our economy. The article below about `Shift Your Shopping' tells the story of how this campaign was started and why it's important.
We hope you all will attend the Annual SBN/WBUR Holiday Party at WBUR. We in Boston are spoiled because we have WBUR, the finest NPR news station in the nation in our community, which is home to many national programs. This year, Robin Young will be back, and this time she'll be interviewing radio personalities Meghna Chakrabarti and Anthony Brooks who host Radio Boston. This is always a wonderful and entertaining party as well as very educational and inspirational. I hope to see you soon!
Thank you for your support.
Laury Hammel
Executive Director, SBN
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| SBN Annual Holiday Party at WBUR
Join SBN for our Tenth Annual Holiday Party at WBUR on Tuesday, December 6th, 2011 from 7-9PM. WBUR host of Here & Now, Robin Young, will interview Radio Boston co-hosts Anthony Brooks and Meghna Chakrabarti!
A Celebration of All Things Local: local food, local drinks, local radio, local businesses and local auction items!
Auction items include gift certificates from local restaurants, gift baskets from local retailers, Celtics tickets and lots more!
For sponsorship opportunities and/or to donate items to the SBN auction please contact Adritha at adritha@sbnboston.org
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SBN's 12th ALLocal Dinner: A Conversation about Localizing Food
SBN hosts "A Conversation about Localizing Food" the 12th installment of the ALLocal Dinner Series on January 23, 2012 at nourish in Lexington Center. Join us for a tasty meal and a thoughtful discussion.
Karen Masterson, founder and owner of nourish has been a champion of environmental and social justice for over 30 years. She is a former board member of SBN and supports local, independent farms, fisheries, and businesses everyday at her restaurant. She will be serving up a delectable three-course meal staying true to her mantra of "Responsibly Sourced, Reasonably Priced".
Karen will speak about what "Localizing Food" means to her and her restaurant along with other guest speakers including JD Kemp. Kemp, an active member of SBN, is founder of Crop Circle Kitchen in Jamaica Plain and Organic Renaissance/Food Ex, an inventive food distribution system with an online platform that allows buyers and sellers to connect over an open marketplace. More guest speakers to be announced.
ALLocal Dinner at nourish 
(1727 Massachusetts Avenue, Lexington Center)
January 23, 2012
6:00-8:30pm
$45 per person, includes three course meal
Click here to Register
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Shift Your Shopping
"Choose Local & Independent This Holiday Season!"
 Shift Your Shopping has gone national! In 2010, SBN, Cambridge Local First, and Somerville Local First joined forces with a number of other local business networks in New England and launched a buy-local campaign for the holiday season we called Shift Your Shopping! This year, BALLE and AMIBA, the two main national groups promoting local economies, joined with the New England Local Business Forum to make Shift Your Shopping a national campaign. Now there are over 120 groups around North America who have joined in the campaign and it's really starting to get some traction--check out ShiftYourShopping.org.
As customers, we are poised to collectively spend a large portion of our annual shopping budget between Nov. 1 and Dec. 31. SBN asks you to join us in shifting those dollars to locally owned, independent businesses, we'll all generate 2-3 times as much economic activity in our community than if we had spent our money at a national chain. Across North America, that could mean billions of dollars of economic impact.
When you make the choice to Shift Your Shopping you are not only getting fine products and services and receiving superb customer service but you are making a big difference and you are also:
- Supporting our locally owned and independent businesses at a time when they need the support more than ever.
- Building a strong local economy by keeping money in our community and you'll be putting the "multiplier effect" into action.
- Contributing to the life and spirit of your local community and our fine nonprofit institutions (local businesses contribute a dramatically higher percentage of their income to local nonprofits).
- Having more fun and pleasure when you make shopping a pleasant and enjoyable experience for you and the whole family.
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SBLP Certifies 33 New Sustainable Business Leaders
On October 25th, 2011, SBN's green certification program, the Sustainable Business Leader Program celebrated the certification of thirty-three new Sustainable Business Leaders. The ceremony that was held at Boston City Hall was attended by a number of the graduating businesses, SBN staff, and City representatives Bryan Glascock, Head of the Environment Department and Jake Glickel, the Environment Department's Chief of Staff.
Graduating businesses underwent a comprehensive assessment, working with their SBLP coordinators to identify areas for change and with the help of their internal "Green Team", implemented a wide variety of actions to green their businesses. On average businesses undertook 30 environmentally sustainable changes to their operations and practices resulting in significant savings and reductions in green house gas emissions.
"The SBLP does a great job of connecting small businesses with environmental programs that are offered by the City, State, and the utilities," said Bryan Glascock. "Massachusetts was recently ranked the most energy efficient state in the country, small businesses that lead by example are critical to this success."
Currently the SBLP has enrolled over 130 businesses and has graduated 95 businesses as Sustainable Business Leaders, continuing to raise the bar for sustainability among small businesses and their communities in Massachusetts.
The program has begun its next recruiting cycle. if you know of a local business that you would like to see become 'greener', or a green business that should be formally recognized for their sustainability efforts , please send us an email at sblp@sbnboston.org
For pictur es from the graduation please visit the SBLP facebook page. See the official press release for a complete list of graduating businesses.
For more information on the SBLP please visit: www.sustainablebusinessleader.org
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| 2011 Boston Local Food Festival a Huge Success!
The Second Annual Boston Local Food Festival held on October 1st, turned out to be an even bigger success than the first. SBN would like to take this opportunity to thank the sponsors, vendors, volunteers and attendees who took the festival to a whole new level and showed us that people do really care about healthy local food for all!
 | | Over 30,000 people attended this years Boston Local Food Festival at Fort Point Channel |
With the help of Save That Stuff and our zealous team of Zero Waste volunteers we were able to surpass last years zero-waste total and divert 86% of waste from landfills! This years Local Craft Brew Tasting was also a huge success with over 600 participants sampling over 30 varieties of great local beer, cider, wine and mead. A big thanks to the brewers, The Daily Catch and the local brew connoisseurs for their participation and support! The 22 non-profits at the festival were key to educating attendees in a fun atmosphere about the importance and benefits of healthy local food for all! The chef-demos generated a lot of excitement and proved to be big crowd pleasers. The local talent, including a wide variety of fabulous musicians and dancers kept festival goers entertained throughout the day! It was a beautiful day for local food and the City of Boston.
Once again SBN would like to thank you for your support in growing the healthy local food for all movement. The Boston Local Food Festival, is a free festival that is made possible through grants, sponsorships and generous donations of time, money and other resources. To make sure we're back even bigger and better next year please consider a donation to SBN: SBN Fundraising Challenge
Visit www.bostonlocalfoodfestival.com
for festival updates and information.
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Preview of SBN's Local Green Guide
SBN is excited to announce the soft launch of it's new Local Green Guide, Massachusetts' premier Green Business Directory!
Businesses featured in SBN's Local Green Guide are all local, and are listed according to their commitment to running an environmentally sustainable business. Tier 1 businesses will feature SBN's Certified Sustainable Business Leaders who have completed SBLP's rigorous six-step program, making measurable changes in Energy Efficiency, Water Conservation, Waste Management, Pollution Prevention, Transportation Management, Local Purchasing & Local Food, and Sustainability Management. Tier 2 businesses are Sustainable Business Network Members that have taken the SBN Local & Green Pledge to find and implement specific actions to green their business and support SBN programs through their membership. Tier 3 businesses are those that have taken the first step towards becoming a more sustainable business by taking the SBN Local & Green Pledge.
For a preview of the directory please visit: http://sbnboston.org/localgreenguide/
For a preview of a Tier 1 profile listing please visit: http://sbnboston.org/localgreenguide/listing.html
To find out how how your business can be listed on the website please contact adritha@sbnboston.org
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| Worcester SBLP enrolls 6 new businesses!
Following the success of their pilot program launched last spring and the graduation of their first cohort of six certified Sustainable Business Leaders, the Worcester Sustainable Business Leader Program is forging ahead in its mission to green Greater Worcester. The Worcester Sustainable Business Leader Program (WSBLP) kicked-off its latest program round earlier this month with six new participating businesses: Abbott Research Laboratories, Digital Federal Credit Union (DCU), KJ Baaron's Fine Wine & Spirits, Penta Communications, Unum and Woobery Frozen Yogurt.
Representing a wide diversity of business sectors, each business will undergo WSBLP's rigorous six-step process to identify and implement opportunities for sustainable change that will reduce their environmental footprint, save money, and demonstrate their commitment to being responsible business leaders. WSBLP is actively accepting new registrants. If your business or a business you know in the Greater Worcester area is interested in participating in the program please contact Patrick Bard at patrick@worcestersblp.org.
For more information on the
Worcester Sustainable Business Leader Program visit: www.sustainablebusinessleader.org
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| CLF Think Local Thank Local Campaign Returns to Cambridge
Cambridge Local First is launching its fifth annual "Think Local Thank Local" campaign for charity. This year, over 41 locally owned and independent Cambridge businesses will donate a portion of their proceeds to the Cambridge Housing Assistance Fund (CHAF). Participating businesses in the "Think Local Thank Local" campaign pledge a percentage of their revenues during the first week of peak holiday shopping after Thanksgiving. The campaign aims to mutually energize both the local charity and the affiliated local businesses.
To support CHAF, please shop where you see a "Think Local Thank Local" sign. The campaign will begin the day after Thanksgiving and runs until Friday, December 2nd this year.
For more information please visit http://cambridgelocalfirst.org/2011/10/think-local-thank-local-2011/
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 "The Business of Innovating"
Green Innovators in Business Network (GIBN) Solutions Lab
On December 8th, 2011, The Green Innovators in Business Network (GIBN) along with the Environment Defense Fund's (EDF) Innovation Exchange, the Pew Center on Global Climate Change, and DIG IN bring together the third annual GIBN Boston Solutions Lab. The event will explore how we conceive of innovation, and its role in addressing key environmental and sustainability challenges, including climate change, while maintaining economic and business growth. The conference is designed to engage business professionals in an ongoing learning community- the Solutions Lab- bringing together hundreds of professionals engaged in making their organizations more efficient, sustainable and leading-edge. For more information please visit the GIBN Wiki To register please visit: http://gibn2011boston.eventbrite.com/ |
 Harvard Thinks Green On Thursday December 8th at 5-6:30PM in Sanders Theatre, Memorial Hall 6 of Harvard's leading environmental faculty will present their big green ideas for 10 minutes each. The event is open to the community and free to attend, for more information please visit: http://green.harvard.edu/thinksgreen |
| Be Healthy Boston
 SBN Member, Be Healthy Boston is putting together a two day urban wellness retreat, right in the heart of Boston! Meant to educate, inspire and empower members of Boston and surrounding communities to live and maintain healthy lifestyles, Be Healthy Boston promises to be a unique experience in a unique environment. The event will offer a wide variety of seminars, workshops and demonstrations, access to local health and wellness vendors and service providers, and tasty local treats!
For more information & to register please visit: http://www.behealthyboston.com/
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| Register for SBN's Small Organization Roundtables
 Don't miss this unique opportunity to connect with and learn from like minded business owners and entrepreneurs who share a passion for sustainable business. The SBN Roundtables are groups of up to 8-10 members who want to grow both personally and professionally while helping support their fellow members with their own challenges in a safe and trusting environment of peers.
Spots are limited, for more information and details on how to participate please click here.
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| SBN's Green Tip of the Month:
Easiest way to save resources? Say no to junk mail!
Each year American households receive a total of 104.7 billion pieces of junk mail or 848 pieces of junk mail per household, requiring 6.5 million tons of paper.
Not only are these a nuisance they are also a tremendous source of waste as trees, chemicals, and water are used during production and printing, and fuel energy is wasted during the delivery and recycling process.
Help save paper, water and fuel resources by stopping the waste at its source - tell these companies to stop sending you things you don't want. Anyone, includi ng businesses, can sign up and create a free account at www.catalogchoice.org and start opting-out today.
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