San Francisco EcoTuesday will feature Erica Priggen, Executive Producer at Free Range Studios this coming Tuesday. Please join us to learn from a Bay Area award winning creative agency working towards building a more just and sustainable world.

As the head of Free Range's video and entertainment department, Erica Priggen oversees the creative and strategic development of all of the company's video campaigns. With a Master's in Consciousness Studies, she brings a deep study of sustainability and systems thinking to her work, with a concentration on the importance of storytelling and mythology as tools for cultural transformation. Erica is the producer of Free Range's award-winning The Story of Stuff, as well as other hits such as 350.org, The Good Life, the Alliance for Climate Education's national high school assembly program, and the Autodesk Sustainability Workshop video series.

The mission of Free Range Studios is to enable their clients to communicate key messages and empower individuals to transform society through the innovative use of digital media, storytelling, graphic design and strategy. They amplify the impact of their work by inspiring others through values-driven business practices.

In addition to having Erica lined up as our fabulous speaker this month, we've got a great venue for networking. We are being generously hosted by Adobe at their San Francisco office located at 601 Townsend. This building is the oldest LEED-certified platinum green building in the world and we'll get a chance to hear a few words from the Adobe Green Team. Plus, both Honest Tea and San Francisco's Haamonii Shochu will be there to pour teas and tea-shochu cocktails.

We get started at 6:30, come join us for some great networking, introduce yourself to a room of professionals, and to learn something new!

RSVP here, $5 online or $10 at the door.

Thanks to everyone who joined us on our 4th Anniversary of SF EcoTuesday. We had another great turn out of 50+ people. Nikki Pava, founder of EcoTuesday, described that the power of getting people together to talk about and rally around important issues in sustainability inspired her to create our group. It looks like she was spot on with her intuition as each month we continue to grow with new members and have expanded to multiple cities nationwide!

February's featured speaker was Dharma Merchant Services, long time EcoTuesday friends and former Co-Ambassadors. We all huddled around to listen to father and daughter founders Jeff Marcous and Alexia Marcous as they gave us insight into their unique work philosophy. As a credit card transaction company they operate as a certified green business, donate profits to merchant's charity of choice, and partner with likeminded organizations like New Resource Bank. Jeff recited a quote by Kahil Gibran, "Work is love made visible" and explained it's not only 'what' you do in business that defines who you are, but rather it's 'how' you do it. By operating by a set of principles based on the book Sacred Commerce, they attract clients and partners that reflect similar beliefs and operate on a level of mutual respect. Alexia described one example of how they've applied this to their day to day operations through an exercise with co-workers called a daily "clearing". This allows the opportunity first thing in the morning to get what is going on out of the way, acknowledging rather than reacting to each other. This acknowledgment shifts focus from what might be wrong and onto what is right. The result is working with people who feel good about themselves and with each other. This then feeds into the rest of the day with customer service and other areas of business. Jeff and Alexia generously gave out free copies of the book and stayed to answer questions and talk with our attendees. Nikki pointed out that she highly recommends their newsletter which she looks forward to, and feels inspired and ready to take on her day. A good portion of their merchant newsletter content can be found on their blog, Dharma Talks. You can also connect with Dharma Merchant Services on Facebook and Twitter.

We were also fortunate to be sponsored by Ode Magazine this month. Founder Jurriaan Kamp was present to share a few words about Ode's dedication to "intelligent optimists" and provided everyone the latest issue of the magazine. We hope to have Jurrian back for a full speaker session as everyone was inspired by his words. You can also connect with Ode Magazine on Facebook and Twitter.

This month EcoTuesday was a sponsor for the first San Francisco Green Film Festival, March 3 - 6, 2011. We raffled a pair of tickets to the opening Gala. Be sure to check out the schedule and get a chance to attend some films.

Our beverage sponsors for this month were The20 Wines and Fiore Spirits who poured a great selection of tasty, eco-minded drinks. Cheers!

And finally big thanks to EcoTuesday member volunteers: Jaiya Alamia (telephotopoet.com) for taking photos and to Maureen Cross for being our friendly check-in greeter.

Join us in San Francisco this month to meet Jeff Mendelsohn, CEO and Co-Founder of New Leaf Paper. He will share the story about New Leaf Paper and their commitment to the environment.

New Leaf Paper was founded in 1998 specifically with the mission of leading a shift toward sustainability in the paper industry. They were first to market with 100% post-consumer papers of unparalleled brightness and printing specifications, including the first-ever 100% post-consumer recycled coated papers, book publishing papers and more. Among many awards and distinctions for leading change with environmental practices within the paper industry, New Leaf Paper was one of the first 81 companies to become a certified B Corportation, making them a founding member. They joined this movement to help create a business community that is committed to the highest standards of social and environmental responsibility. With this transparent set of standards and processes, they are excited about the potential for B Corporations to help drive the growth and success of a business community that is accountable for its actions. More info: New Leaf Paper and B Corporations.

Our Sponsor
We are also very excited to have Ode Magazine as our sponsor this month! Ode Magazine is a print and online publication about positive change—about the innovations and ideas that are changing the world for the better. While most media focus on what’s going wrong, Ode looks at what’s going right by telling the stories of people who are making a positive difference in their communities, their countries, their worlds. To this end, Ode focuses on stories about sustainable business and innovation, alternative energy, green finance and economics, leadership and management, and health, healing, and spirituality. They'll be joining us to say a few words and provide magazines for everyone.

Prizes!
We have a great raffle this month: a pair of tickets to the SF Green Film Festival's Opening Night Gala (film tickets not included).

Venue
In the effort to try out a variety of venues, this month Jesse has arranged for us to meet at wine bar and restaurant RN74. Please join us on Tuesday February 22nd!

Please register for the event here.

Last week, we kicked off SF EcoTuesday 2011with an energized room and a fantastic speaker. The W Hotel (Silver LEED-EB) provided a pretty swank set up for us and we're definitely coming back later in the year. We had a strong 60+ attendees ranging from local leaders in our community such as Goodwill, Ghirardelli Square, and Green For All to folks forging new efforts such as Dharma Merchant Services, Green Business Owner, and Blissmo.

The highlight, of course, was our featured speaker Dr. Larry Weiss, Co-Founder and CTO of CleanWell. Weiss brought a witty and unique perspective on how health relates to sustainability. His background in medicine combined with experience in usability, and a navy hygiene research project inspired him to create the over arching vision of CleanWell - to reeducate us about our integral relationship to nature and germs. His challenge was to design the vehicle for changing our behavior, and CleanWell partnered with IDEO to build that brand. Ultimately, Weiss' story is a reflection of what all of us should be asking ourselves. Through our experience, efforts, businesses, projects and initiatives, what are we truly trying to solve and how do we effect positive long term change? He asked us to think of an image when he presented two words, "nature" and then "environment". He asked how many of us had an image in our minds that included humans. None of us did. And that is what he says is our true problem that needs to be solved. This was a great conversation to get us started this year - to inspire us to find the right questions to be asking so we can solve the right problems.

On behalf of all of us at EcoTuesday, we send our sincere thanks and gratitude to Dr. Weiss of CleanWell and W Hotel for their support of EcoTuesday!

One of the best things about organizing SF EcoTuesday is the opportunity to meet and showcase sustainable business leaders partnering with designers to create thoughtful experiences. My hope is to draw more people from the design community to SF EcoTuesday as a place to connect business ideas with design strategy and solutions. This is a chance for designers to directly network with entrepreneurs and be more involved in work that effects change for the common good. As a designer my personal goal is to be more focused on working for and partnering with organizations who’s goals are to build a more sustainable world.

A great example of this is our upcoming speaker, Dr. Larry Weiss from San Francisco company CleanWell. Dr. Weiss and business parter Sam DeAth teamed up with IDEO to create CleanWell, a line of healthy hand cleaners to promote healthy habits. Weiss and DeAth had a compelling mission inspired by a personal story and an all-natural product based in science. Using design thinking to build a business, IDEO brought their expertise to craft CleanWell into a meaningful experience and brand. The combination of CleanWell and IDEO has succeeded in connecting people to a brand that goes beyond a product by resonating with our daily choices in a tangible and thoughtful way. Good hand washing habits with a healthy, enjoyable cleaner negate the need for us to expose ourselves and the environment to toxic chemicals.

Their collaboration resulted in a line of non-toxic, alchohol-free alternative to hand sanitizers and cleaners, produced cruelty-free and made from sustainably grown ingredients. The packaging is considerate in it’s sharp and simple visual design, including low-tac adhesive for easy removal for minimal branding in the home. IDEO designed the packaging and graphics for CleanWell’s line of spray and toweletts, as well as helped build operational and manufacturing capabilities. IDEO’s expertise comes from an interdisciplinary team including industrial designers, engineers, business specialists, and communications and graphic designers who create “multifaceted experiences that connect people to brands in harmonious, meaningful, and emotional ways.” Four years later, CleanWell can be found in Whole Foods, Rainbow Grocery, Walgreens, Target and many other retail locations. Both Seventh Generation and Method sell products powered by CleanWell technology. Through these partnerships the CleanWell logo itself has become a mark of excellence, representing the highest standard in all-natural cleaning quality. You can read more about the IDEO CleanWell case study here.

We hope you can join us this Tuesday, January 25, at The San Francisco W Hotel at 6:30 pm. $5 with online registration ($10 at the door).

We are thrilled to have Dr. Larry Weiss, CTO and co-founder of CleanWell, as our speaker in San Francisco this month. Dr. Weiss will discuss his company's approach to business that is inspired by real life and by people with a common passion.

CleanWell’s mission was born 10 years ago from a family’s need to find cleaning and disinfecting products that were highly effective but also safe. CleanWell is committed to creating natural technologies that offer a way to clean without compromising our personal health and safety, or that of the environment. CleanWell’s all-natural hand sanitizer and line of naturally scented hand washes deliver a variety of environmental advantages because the active ingredient is made from rapidly renewable natural resources that are sustainably grown without pesticides or fertilizer. Learn more at www.CleanWellToday.com.

Dr. Weiss is a widely published physician, scientist, and expert in the chemistry of natural products, infection control and epidemiology. He's a graduate of Cornell University and Stanford Medical School, and has served as a NIH Fellow, clinician academic, and teacher. He and his family, plus three miniature longhair dachshunds wash their hands and paws at least five times a day. He blogs at "A Better Way to Clean".

This month we are being generously hosted by the W San Francisco. W San Francisco recently obtained Silver LEED-EB certification, which makes them one of seven existing build hotels in North America, and the first Starwood and W property to secure this highly sought after (and difficult to obtain) distinction within the green community. W is committed to ensuring that their guests can feel good about their impact on the environment without sacrificing style or substance. We'll be meeting in the The Industry Room.

Big thanks to W San Francisco and CleanWell for supporting us in kicking off SF EcoTuesday 2011!

Please join us on Tuesday, January 25th for this great event. Register for the event here.

What to do when your scheduled speaker falls ill and can't join us? Turn the 'virtual mic' on ourselves!

We hope Jurriann feels better soon and we do look forward to rescheduling him for an upcoming talk because we love what Ode Magazine is doing. This spontaneous turn of events actually gave us an opportunity to hear more from each other. And what do you know...we have an amazing community so varied and full of creativity. I was struck with the potential we had in the room that night - we are making it possible to green our homes and businesses through renewable energy, zero waste, supporting the local community, serving sustainable food, having a healthy sense of ourselves, healthy indoor and outdoor environments, and are able to create and sell our own sustainable products. Pretty fantastic! Let's help spread the word about these folks. Here is a recap of most everyone we heard from:

Albert Hartman / High Tide
High Tide's products provide on-demand reliable power required for remote geographies, emergency situations, and mass adoption of mobile electronic devices. Check out their bicycle mounted USB charger, RollerGen.

Michael "Merc" Martinelli / Verdafero
Verdafero helps organizations understand, develop, and execute successful sustainability initiatives by  offering consulting and software as a service (SaaS) tools for sustainable business development. Their focus is small and medium enterprises (SME) who want to effectively manage their “Triple Bottom Line” - People / Planet / Profit.

Ingrid Ramsay / Closets Van Go
Closets Van Go and Kitchens Van Go is dedicated to helping you make your home a masterpiece — artistically, affordably and sustainably. They have a mobile showroom and a large variety of green woods and finishes.

Susan Wright / Connect the Dots
Connect the Dots consults exclusively for the nonprofit community to reduce their environmental footprint as they continue to focus on their social missions.

Nicola "Nikki" Ferenz / Gamechanger
GameChanger helps both big and small companies build powerful, breakthrough brands with fast, flexible new approaches to growth and innovation.

Bodhi Vela Cole / Style Consultant
Bodhi believes that everyone’s unique beauty should be celebrated and embraced. Image coaching is a process where your internal world is transcribed into a wardrobe that has you feel your best.

Chris Sofis / Sofistry
Sofisty's primary service offering is centered on Modern Cabana, an eco-fabulous spare room (think art studio, guest room, kids' play room, yoga/exercise studio, massage studio, or brand new office space . . . you get the idea) which will fit in the smallest of San Francisco gardens.

David Nuss / Runka
Runka was born from a concern that all of us share in preserving the planet. The site provides options for purchasing both practical and exotic products that promote recycling and the use of sustainable materials.

Linda Delair / EarthSource
EarthSource's mission is to proliferate the use of FSC-certified, sustainable and environmentally healthy wood products by educating architects, designers, woodworkers and contractors about the cost-efficiency and long-term benefits of specifying such materials for their building plans.

David Callicott / GoodLight
All GoodLight Natural Candles are paraffin-free, non-toxic, clean burning, 100% palm wax that contains no additives or blends, and use cotton wicks containing no lead or zinc or other metals. GoodLight works with the Roundtable for Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) and GreenPalm organizations pioneering sustainability in palm farming.

Matt Carreira / I Love Blue Sea
I Love Blue Sea sells the largest selection of only sustainable seafood that is sushi-quality fresh at the best prices. The fish is filleted right before it ships to you. The next day it's delivered to your doorstep in all eco-friendly packaging.

Evan Wynns / The San Francisco Energy Cooperative
The San Francisco Energy Cooperative is a consumer owned cooperative corporation dedicated to providing ownership of renewable energy production to anyone who is interested in investing in our energy future and wishes to have a hand in its growth.