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Green Business Council: Sustainable Networking Event Weds, Dec 16, 6-8pm

Green Omaha Coalition

Sustainable Networking Event Weds, Dec 16, 6-8pm

Thursday, December 3, 2009

LISTEN, TALK AND ENJOY ORGANIC WINE TASTING AT THE SUSTAINABLE NETWORKING EVENT AT THE PIZZA SHOPPE COLLECTIVE WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 16TH, 2009, 6-8pm, free to all

    Small Businesses and Sustainable Organizations Collaborate! The Greener Omaha Coalition, Verdis Group, The Benson-Ames Alliance, Element Distributing, and The Pizza Shoppe Collective have teamed up to provide faster, more efficient networking for those interested in supporting environmentally-friendly activity
within the Omaha community.
    How we started: After surveying 65 'green' organizations (community advocates, entrepreneurs, non-profits), we have discovered that the challenges of these various sustainable groups were similar, i.e., they all need particular support and connections in order to achieve their goals.  From this we have developed a free, casual networking event, which allows guests to have some assistance with their needs.
    Those attending will have the opportunity to discuss sustainable business practices with our special guest speaker, Kristi Wamstad-Evans, The Sustainability Coordinator for the City of Omaha.  The latter half of the event will be specific 'breakout sessions' to assist those involved with the following areas of focus: 1. Marketing 2. Business planning c. Financing/funding d. Sustainable Solutions
    There will be facilitators representing each component who will be able to direct guests to the proper channels in order to ease and expedite the process of growth for sustainable interests.
    Craig Moody of Verdis Group, states, "This event was created to provide the sustainable community with more of what they need to be successful.  By focusing on these four areas, we are targeting the most common obstacles and hoping to help attendees break free from the restraints that are holding them back."
    There will also be an organic wine tasting with Republic National Distributing Company.

Amy Ryan/Pizza Shoppe Collective
Phone:         402.884.8680
Email:         amy@pscollective.com
Web site:         http://www.pscollective.com

posted by P2RIC @ 9:59 AM

Mission

Create a network of businesses interested in sharing sustainable practices and recognize leading green businesses in Omaha.

Background

In support of the Green Omaha Coalition (GOC),  an alliance of organizations pursuing a common goal of a “Green Omaha,” the Green Business Council (GBC) will establish a collaborative network of businesses implementing sustainability programs to improve the environmental performance of their operations.

Focus

The GBC will engage interested businesses from all industries to improve the sustainability of their operations.  The GBC will address a wide variety of environmental programs, including but not limited to: procurement, resource efficiency (energy and water), waste reduction (solid and hazardous), climate change, and green building.

The GBC seeks to involve two business groups: (1) those already implementing sustainability programs and (2) those interested but lacking the resources to pursue and implement sustainable strategies.  Ultimately, the GBC will become a centralized resource for businesses to share, learn, and promote sustainable business practices.

Alliances

The GBC recognizes the importance of collaborating with existing organizations to more effectively and efficiently reach businesses to provide educational and networking opportunities. The following provides a preliminary list of strategic alliances the GBC will pursue:

  • Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce (GOCOC)
  • Neighborhood Business Associations
  • Flatwater Chapter, U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC)
  • WasteCap of Nebraska (WasteCap)
  • Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA)
  • International Facility Management Association (IFMA)
Objectives

The GBC has identified four primary objectives to establish a coalescing network of sustainable businesses to share environmental best practices and assist emerging green businesses in identifying better environmental strategies through education and networking with other businesses. A detailed description of the objectives described below are including on the following pages.

Interested in joining or learning more about Green Business Council email: greenbusiness@greenomahacoalition.org

Green Business Council Brochure (PDF)

Figure 1 | Objectives of the Green Business Council

Short Term Long Term
Objective 1
Establish a Framework for Ongoing Leadership of the Green Business Council. 		Objective 2
Provide Networking and Education Opportunities to Businesses. 		Objective 3
Develop, Maintain, and Distribute a Green Business Directory. 		Objective 4
Establish an Awards Program to Recognize Green Businesses.
Establish a leadership team and organizational guidance to manage day-to-day functions of the GBC Collaborate with alliance organizations to provide networking and training opportunities to Omaha-area businesses.  Compile a directory of individuals responsible for managing sustainability programs for Omaha-area businesses. Establish a framework for recognizing businesses for exceptional environmental performance.