Each time a participant comes to EcoTuesday, learns something new, and then shares it with colleagues, family, and friends - positive change happens. Each time a participant comes to EcoTuesday and shares information with other participants about a new plan, product, or service that contributes to a new way of doing business - positive change happens. Each time a speaker comes to EcoTuesday and shares their knowledge and a few personal stories about the industry they represent - positive change happens.
EcoTuesday
Positive Change Happens
Published on Jun 01 2011 in blog
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Learn all You Ever Wanted about Green Tea in Less than a Week
Published on Jan 21 2011 in blog
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Silicon Valley EcoTuesday will feature Paul Kotta, Owner of Mellow Monk Japanese Green Tea, as our speaker in Palo Alto in less than a week! Want to learn everything you have ever wanted to learn about green tea, then this event should be perfect for you. Paul Kotta will discuss from field to cup, how green tea is made on artisans’ estates in Japan as well as issues associated with small green tea farms.
As many of you know, green tea is thought to have many benefits. The antioxidants destroy chemicals known as free radicals, which speed up cell death and are believed to be involved in the body aging process. Ever wonder why Japanese elders look so young? Maybe it is due to their cultural green tea drinking.
Mellow Monk’s green tea is thought to contain higher percentage of catechins, antioxidants, due to their tea being produced at independent small tea artisans’ estates. Due to their small size, they harvest only what they can craft into fresh tea that day. If harvested but not immediately produced into tea, oxidation and fermentation occurs that can destroy antioxidants.
Mellow Monk’s tea is made by steaming instead of pan frying. In comparison to frying, this is thought to help preserve more of the disease-fighting antioxidants and keep the tea’s natural earthy flavor.
The green tea family farms are certified under Japan’s Eco-Farmer Program, a voluntary local government program that is monitored by Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries to promote environmentally responsible farming practices. Mellow Monk is also certified under Co-Op America as a green business as well as a certified green business under the San Francisco Bay Area Green Business Program.
Paul Kotta along with his wife, Akimi Kotta founded Mellow Monk’s Green Teas in 2004. For more information on Mellow Monk’s Tea go to http://mellowmonk.com
EcoTuesday Kicks 2010 Off in Denver!
Published on Feb 02 2010 in blog
The rave reviews for Denver's first EcoTuesday event of 2010 are still coming in!
Dallas' First EcoTuesday Event Was a Hit!
Published on Feb 01 2010 in blog
What a thrill it was for Karen and me looking around the room last Tuesday during Dallas' first ever EcoTuesday event. A mixture of entrepreneurs, executives, neighbors and all-around eco-enthusiasts, our group numbering over 30 people happily networked, talked and laughed the evening away at Times Ten Cellars. Trading stories while swapping business cards, we opened wtih introductions and closed with new friendships.
Building Community with EcoTuesday
Published on Jan 16 2010 in blog
After five years of studying sustainability and how best to address the critical issues of our time, I've reached a singular conclusion. The best way for any of us to change the world is to devote ourselves to bettering a little piece of it. But in 2005, trying to pinpoint my piece proved more challenging than expected. Was it may neighborhood? Was it my friends? Was it my school or was it my church? No, it turned out to be none of the above.
That little piece of the world I needed to change was me. Only after addressing that did everything else fall into place. Since embarking on this journey, I've made green friends, started a green business, built a green home and written a green book. But one thing was still missing: a way to bring it all together. Enter EcoTuesday. Now I'm taking the most important step of all: forging a green community.
Having done volunteer work in one capacity or another since college, I've always found myself contributing the same skills. Call it volunteer coordinator, newcomer's committee, welcome wagon, you name it. While the title would vary, my role remained the same: the "hostess with the mostest." Today I'm thrilled that I get to channel this natural inclination for connecting people into a community where (finally) my interests converge: green business, entrepreneurship, PR, networking, speaking, and of course socializing.
Fortunately for Karen and me, building communities in the 21st century is easier than ever before. With EcoTuesday, we have an instant set of tools to pull people together. I'm excited to have the means to introduce my friends and a place to mingle on a monthly basis. I'm already imagining the synergy when I introduce the alternative energy consultant and the geothermal entrepreneur to the green builder. This is just one of the many chains I look forward to creating amongst like minds.
Still, for others, creating community is more difficult than it used to be. As the slackened economy forces businesses to fold, many are faced with searching for new jobs. Others have grown weary of the grind and are looking for more meaningful work. With such circumstances, more people are seeking a point of entry to a green career path. I'm gratified to use EcoTuesday as a way to introduce such people to green business owners and sustainable companies in the area.
If we each use our EcoTuesday membership to make new friends and connect with others like us, and we continue to connect on a national level, together we can form one of the large sustainability-oriented communities in America. That's a "little piece" of the world with the capacity to ignite sweeping change.
September 2009 EcoTuesday in Ann Arbor
Published on Oct 17 2009 in blog
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We held our September event at an Irish Pub in downtown Ann Arbor. Our speaker was great and well received. His name is Justin Sutton and he is the founder of a company called the Interstate Traveler.
Justin is a Michigan native who has been working for years on a concept that seems to be right out of the future. It’s a magnetic levitating rail system that will run along with existing freeway infrastructures. The high speed passenger and freight transportation system would be powered by solar panels which are used for hydrogen generation resulting in the production of clean electricity and water for municipalities. As a result, the this mass transportation system becomes a revenue producer (as opposed to a revenue drain like most mass transportation). No financial subsidies are needed to make this system operational. Justin already has over 150 worldwide investors – and Justin is offering a revenue sharing model with hosting states and cities.
So far, some of Justin’s technology is currently being deployed in Middle east cities. However the company is currently trying to make this concept a reality in Michigan. The main obstacle to making it a reality in the state is getting right of way access to freeways so the hyrail system can be built (some 36 feet high) along highway areas. The concept was studied and endorsed by Michigan house and senate and 2002 and is currently being reviewed for another endorsement.
Participants were very engaged with a lot of good questions. Several even gave a standing ovation. Also – there were good networking opportunities for participants as usual.
On October 27, Jeremy and I are planning our first ever panel event with four distinguished speakers. We look forward to seeing many old and new friends there. Please RSVP and join us!
New Ambassador for Silicon Valley EcoTuesday
Published on Sep 09 2009 in blog
I’m really excited about the new ambassador role with EcoTuesday.
10 years ago, I stumbled on the Hi-Tech field unintentionally.
I was fresh out of college, just completed my Bachelors degree in Business Administration, taught marketing for a couple of years (I’m actually still not sure how THAT happened) and then accidentally landed a job in one of Israel’s largest Telecom companies – Tadiran Telecom.
Thus embarking on my new and exciting life in the hi-tech industry. I completed my MBA while enjoying the high pace life of a Marcom (marketing communications manager).
Fast forward some 10 plus years later. I move to the US, start a family and values become really important to me. I learn about issues that I never paid attention to. Certain details like which brand of Cheerios are more nutritious, which foods don’t have food coloring, where to throw my gallon size milk bottles, take over my life.
I couldn’t just keep living as I used to. Speech recognition for telephony doesn’t excite me like it used to. I became passionate about other issues, like organic foods, fair trade, green living, saving energy etc.
I started thinking about how I can combine my new passion, interest and desire to create a better legacy for my children. How can I help make our planet sustainable and how could I help make an impact on people’s lives.
I wanted to combine my interest, strengths an values into my new post motherhood career.
Such revolutionary thoughts brought me to EcoTuesday.
So here I am in my new role as a co-ambassador with Heidi Livingston Eispis, who shares my new passion only she has a lot of knowledge and experience in sustainable industry.
Heidi and I look forward to meeting new people and hope to grow our Silicon Valley chapter of EcoTuesday so more people get a chance to learn about sustainability and get to network with ease.
I believe sustainable industries are essential for the quality of our lives and lives of future generations and I’m very excited to be a part of spreading the word and creating an environment where people can connect.
Reflections From The Past Two Years
Published on Mar 23 2009 in blog
It's been a great two years!
We're very appreciative of all of the EcoTuesday participants who have joined us over the past two years. We're also quite thankful to all of the speakers who have shared their expertise on the different areas of sustainability. The area is constantly evolving and we're proud to have had such amazing speakers at all of the events. We had a really fun anniversary celebration in San Francisco on February 24th - check out our Flickr stream for photos of the event.
Over the past two years, EcoTuesday has grown from one city to seven, and there have been approximately 85 EcoTuesday events in ten cities across the country. That’s 85 speakers who have shared their knowledge about a vast array of sustainability topics to hundreds of participants. These participants have then taken the information they’ve learned at the EcoTuesday events and shared it with friends, colleagues, and family members, creating a ripple effect of sustainability information that is ultimately unquantifiable, yet valuable. We've had great feedback about how participants have established strong relationships through the EcoTuesday network that have positively contributed to their business and personal lives, which encourages us to continue to cultivate EcoTuesday.
There's more to come. As you can see, we're continuously rolling out new site features that will foster strong connections between EcoTuesday participants (not only in EcoTuesday cities, both those who don't have an EcoTuesday event in their city - YET!). We're in conversation with people all over the country who would like to produce EcoTuesday events through the Ambassador Program.
What will EcoTuesday look like in two more years? Stay tuned...
