Opportunity Green gathered for its second annual sustainability conference in Covel Commons on Saturday and Sunday.
The event brought together leaders in the green movement as well as participants interested in promoting sustainability in their own businesses.
The two-day gathering included keynote speakers, panel discussions, interactive workshops and, of course, breaks for organic meals and snacks.
Representatives from some of the country’s most influential companies provided valuable insight into the “green” business world.
When asked why Wal-Mart supported Opportunity Green, Vice President of Prototype and New Format Development Charles Zimmerman said, “We are passionate about efficiency.”
He added that energy is the company’s No. 2 expense and any money that Wal-Mart saves can be passed along to the customers in the form of lower prices.
As the world’s largest company, Zimmerman believes that Wal-Mart has the influence and obligation to positively impact climate change.
Specifically, Wal-Mart has installed daylight harvesting systems in stores built within the last decade. This technology senses sunlight outside and automatically shuts off indoor lighting.
Michael Besancon, senior global vice president of purchasing, distribution and marketing, represented Whole Foods Market, a leader in organic produce.
Although stock prices for his company have dropped, Besancon sees this setback as a “call to action” for all teammates with fewer resources. He urges his company to save money, avoid waste and reduce spoiling.
“Green is the new red, white and blue,” he added.
While companies like Wal-Mart and Whole Foods are established househeld names, new companies are emerging on the “green” scene.
A representative from OZO, the “champion of easy, sustainable living,” is sure that by next year, their name will be commonplace in any “green” discussion.
OZOcar, the first green car service, has been so influential that New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg plans to replace all the city’s taxis with hybrids by 2012.
OZOlife, an online magazine, is the “MTV of the sustainable world” and an outlet for the “unconverted middle America.”
OZOhome’s goal is to sell “lifestyle solutions to change consumer habits,” such as reusable plastic bottles for household usage.
OZOwater is a revolutionary water station, on-the-go container and multi-serve pitcher system to significantly reduce the amount of water bottles in landfills.
Brian Allenby, manager of operations and education for Reverb, is passionate about music’s “green” future.
Revolutionizing sustainability in the music industry, Reverb was founded in 2004 by Guster musician Adam Gardner and wife Lauren Sullivan.
Reverb’s goal is to make concerts “green” by encouraging carpooling, recycling and political involvement.
In terms of Los Angeles, President of Los Angeles Board of Public Works Cynthia Ruiz said, “We want L.A. to be the cleanest and “˜greenest’ city.”
She explained that Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa’s goal is to recycle 75 percent of the city’s waste by 2013. He also plans to introduce a recycling bank in which participants earn rewards points for recycling.
These points could be redeemed at local vendors in exchange for services and supplies.
She also mentioned “Get Your Green On,” a conference of 3,500 youth who are working toward a more sustainable future.
The event will take place Dec. 31 at the Los Angeles Convention Center.
Because of these plans and many others, the Opportunity Green attitude is clearly optimistic.
Jonathan Greenblatt, chief executive of Good Worldwide Inc., summed up the conference best: “We are not talking about problems. We are exploring solutions.”
“In everything we do, we seek to balance the triple bottom line: people, planet and profit,” founders Karen Solomon and Mike Flynn said in the Opportunity Green manifesto.
The first Opportunity Green event gathered at UCLA in 2007 with an enduring mission: “to create innovation, collaboration, and inspiration amongst industry leaders and the next generation of thought leadership in order to facilitate, develop and implement sustainable business solutions.”
“Our belief system lies in the simple word “˜opportunity’ from our name and it conveys the central idea to the platform of this conference and that is we don’t endorse any particular ideology, rather we encourage and foster them all in order to open up opportunity for any and all curious individuals and enterprise to be ethically sustainable,” Flynn, a UCLA alumnus, said.
“We sought to create an engaging, nurturing and egoless conversation around sustainability with the belief that great ideas are transcendent and worth spreading,” Solomon added.