In Business, Creating Sustainable Enterprises & Communities

IN BUSINESS WORLD

In Business, January/February, 2004, Vol. 26, No. 1, p. 4

GROUPS URGE APPROVAL OF RENEWABLE ENERGY PARTS OF STALLED NATIONAL BILL
In late January, 18 business/consumer/environmental and energy policy organizations urged the U.S. Congress to “enact the broadly-supported energy efficiency and renewable energy provisions in the proposed, but presently stalled, national energy bill.” Almost all the organizations belong to the

Sustainable Energy Coalition (SEC) which brings together more than 70 national and state business, environmental, consumer, and energy policy organizations which collectively represent more than 4,000 companies, municipal utilities, and nonprofit organizations as well as over two million individual citizens.
The SEC promotes increased federal support for energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies (i.e., solar, wind, geothermal, biomass, hydropower) and reduced federal support for unsafe or polluting energy resources. Its focus includes policy decisions on the federal budget, electric utility restructuring, pollution prevention, climate change, and tax policies.
Over the past 12 years, the SEC has successfully led the effort to double federal funding for energy efficiency and renewable energy programs while curbing funding for nonsustainable energy technologies. For more information about the Sustainable Energy Coalition, e-mail Ken Bossong at: kbossong@hotmail.com.

FEDERAL PROCUREMENT OF BIOBASED PRODUCTS
In mid-December, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced publication of a proposed rule to implement the Federal Procurement of Biobased Products program. The provision requires Federal agencies to purchase biobased products that meet price, availability and performance standards; provides for a voluntary labeling of certified “Bio-based Products;” and provides financial assistance for testing of those products by manufacturers. The proposed rule will also define what biobased products are. As explained by the USDA, “Once an item is designated, every manufacturer and vendor producing and marketing products contained within that item are eligible for preferred procurement status by federal agencies. Further details are available from Marvin Duncan, Office of Energy Policy and New Uses at (202) 401-0532 or e-mail:
mduncan@oce.usda.gov.

CREATING AN ECONOMY FOR COMMUNITIES
AND PLANET
Independent businesses and banks, family farms, artists and craftspeople, community newspapers and healthy ecosystems that once flourished in many regions are now struggling for survival. However, independent business leaders and citizens are finding ways to harness the power of business to create a positive future. On May 20-23 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the Business Alliance for Local Living Economies (BALLE) will convene its Second National Conference to increase, prosperity and equity in our society, strengthen local communities, and preserve our natural environment.
Judy Wicks, recipient of numerous awards for responsible business practices, will host the opening night at her White Dog Cafe. “Profit-driven global corporations are increasingly dominating all aspects of society - our media, culture, school, government, food supplies, the character of our hometowns, even our access to clean water,” she states, “By organizing small businesses to provide an alternative where ownership is spread widely, our movement helps to protect democratic freedom.”
Wicks will be joined by an impressive list of national and international entrepreneurs, community leaders, authors and economists - including David Korten, author of When Corporations Rule the World; Miriam MacGillis from Genesis Farm; Jeremy Nowak, President and CEO of The Reinvestment Fund; and Stacy Mitchell from the Institute for Local Self Reliance.
The conference will take a holistic view of how to strengthen local communities, drawing speakers and participants from an array of fields and interests. And while the focus is on local economies, as conference keynote Michael Shuman emphasizes, “Going local does not mean walling off from the outside world, it means nurturing locally owned businesses that use local resources sustainably, employ local workers at decent wages, and serve primarily local consumers. It means becoming more self-sufficient and less dependent on imports. Control moves from the boardrooms of distant corporations and back to the community where it belongs.”
Other conference themes will include best practice business models, education for sustainability, bringing capital back to our communities, public policy for a positive future and organizing business networks. For more information and to register for the event, go to www.livingeconomies.org or contact Merrian Fuller: merrian@sbnphiladelphia.org, (215) 386-9224, ext. 124.
BALLE is a national organization that currently serves 20 networks in the U.S. and Canada including the Sustainable Business Network of Greater Philadelphia, sponsor of this conference.

BIG GAINS FOR NEW URBAN NEIGHBORHOODS
According to the latest survey by Rob Steuteville of New Urban News (NUN), the number of neighborhood-scale new urban communities stands at 648 - an increase of 176 (37 percent) from the year before, Of the total, 369 are built or under construction, while 279 are in planning phases prior to breaking ground.
As defined by NUN, neighborhood-scale communities must cover at least 15 acres, feature an interconnected network of streets and a mixture of housing types, and be organized around at least one central gathering place. It must be possible for residents to walk to shops and other businesses when the project is complete. The placement of parking and buildings, and the design of streets must create a pedestrian-friendly character. NUN is published eight times/year; its website is www.newurbannews.com. Phone number in Ithaca, New York is (607) 275 3087.

WIND POWER PROVIDES INCOME FOR FARMERS
A report in Conservation Volunteer notes that farmers who lease their land to wind developers commonly receive $2,000 to $5,000 per tower per year. Those who install their own commercial-scale turbines stand to do even better.
“This is what's growing like wildfire,” says Lisa Daniels, executive director of Minnesota-based Windustry, a nonprofit organization that provides rural landowners and communities with information on economic aspects of wind energy development.
According to author Mary Hoff, wind energy also brings an economic boon for the community at large. Installation of 107 megawatts of wind capacity supported 150 construction-related jobs and 31 operation-and maintenance positions in a Minnesota rural county. Windustry estimates that installation of a 100-megawatt wind farm brings an added $370,000 in tax revenue over the project's lifetime to support local government services, For additional data, visit the following websites: American Wind Energy Association - www.awea.org; National Wind Technology Center - www.nrel.gov/wind; Windustry - www.windustry.org.

SYSTEMS APPROACH TO FOOD, HUNGER AND FARMING
Rather than tackling problems one at a time, an increasing number of communities are taking a systems approach to confronting the complex issues of hunger, malnutrition, and declining local agriculture through the formation of food policy councils. These councils bring together “stakeholders” representing all facets of state or local food systems, including farmers, retailers, nutritionists, educators, chefs, and antihunger advocates, plus representatives of public agencies such as health and human services departments. The councils are chartered by municipal or state governments to advise policy makers on issues such as preserving farmland, purchasing locally grown foods for public schools, regulating food-based enterprises, or examining the root causes of hunger in the community. The first North American city to establish a food policy council was Toronto, Ontario, followed by Hartford, Connecticut, Knoxville, Tennessee, Berkeley, California, Grand Rapids, Michigan, Portland, Oregon, and Vancouver, British Columbia. State-level councils have either been established or are forming in Arizona, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Utah, and Washington.
The Agricultural Law Center at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa has partnered with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Risk Management Agency in a nationwide program to support the formation of food policy councils. They see local and state level councils as vehicles to create comprehensive approaches to food and hunger issues. “For example,” notes a statement on Drake's food policy website, “if a key objective is to increase markets for locally produced food, a council can be a vehicle to consider how the decisions at all levels of a food system - not just farmers or governmental officials but also food buyers, wholesalers, retailers - must also be considered in the equation.” The website (www.statefoodpolicy.org) provides information on the formation of councils around the country, plus a wealth of resources.
Another excellent resource on food policy councils is the national Com-munity Food Security Coalition (CFSC). Composed of more than 250 grassroots organizations throughout the U.S. and Canada, the Coalition addresses food policy issues on national, state and local levels. The CFSC website (www.foodsecurity.org) provides an overview of the Coalition's policy initiatives and programs. According to the Coalition, “While cities regulate many basic needs, such as water, transportation, and housing, there have been very few comprehensive food system planning efforts at the city or county level - no municipality has a department of food.” Nevertheless, they note, “all cities and counties have numerous policies that affect food production, distribution, and consumption. Examples include zoning restrictions that affect supermarket development and farmers' markets; food purchasing regulations for local schools and other government institutions; and use of city-owned lands for community gardening. Understanding this patchwork of local policies can help community food security advocates be more effective, whether they seek to directly influence local policy or work on projects affected by those policies.”
The Coalition's publication, Getting Food on the Table: An Action Guide to Local Food Policy , provides tools for individuals, organizations and public agencies to foster food security by developing comprehensive solutions to the challenges facing their communities. It includes guidelines for how to inventory city and county programs that affect local food security, case studies on established food policy councils, and an annotated resource guide on research, organizing techniques, and potential funding sources.

PENNSYLVANIA CREATES RECYCLING MARKET CENTER
The Pennsylvania Recycling Markets Center (RMC) has been created to stimulate demand for products with recycled content, maintain timely market trend data and boost continued growth of recycling industries. Launched by the state's environmental protection department, the initiative will be funded as part of a $2 per ton statewide fee on landfilling. The RMC - designed to overcome market barriers and inefficiencies - is the most ambitious part of the state's Market Development Program, providing support to generators, haulers, processors, manufacturers and end-users. The Department of Environmental Protection is soliciting applications from all nonprofit corporations to establish, support and oversee development of the RMC. Grant applications must be submitted by March 5, 2004. As part of the funding, the Market Development Program is offering two additional grants to help increase recycled content in products and for composting infrastructure development. Visit www.dep.state.pa.us. (Keyword - “market development.”)
Pennsylvania's recycling industry - which includes 141 manufacturers of recycled products - has created a $23.4 billion industry that employs more than 81,000 people, announced Governor Edward Rendell last month. The state's recycling programs topped four million tons, based on reports filed by counties. “We have demonstrated that we can create a vast supply of commodities,” said Rendell, “and we're fortunate that many can be processed and turned into new goods right here
in Pennsylvania.” Department of General Services Secretary Donald Cunningham reported that the Commonwealth purchased more than $70 million worth of recycled products in the fiscal year, including all paper used in agency operation, recycled plastic lumber, retreaded truck tires and rerefined oil.