In Business, Creating Sustainable Enterprises & Communities

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENTS

In Business, March-April, 2005, Vol. 27, No. 2, p. 8

AS BENEFICIAL INSECTS GROW, SO GROWS THE FAMILY BUSINESS
In 1959, Joe Junfin - an immigrant from Russia- launched a venture in South Texas because he BUS

wanted to help farmers learn how to use beneficial insects to control harmful insects in field crops. The business - Kunafin Insectary in Quemado, Texas - has steadily grown. According to Joe's son Frank who has taken over the business, more farmers and producers are using beneficial bugs successfully.
After working with insects since age 6, Frank Junfin has earned a degree in entomology from Texas A&M University in 1975. He also named the insectary Kunafin, which is the Russian spelling of the family name.
In 1978, the mass rearing facilities for the production of various species of fly parasites were established. Kunafin supplies fly parasites to cattle feedlots, dairy, poultry, horse, hog and kennel operations in the United States, Canada, and in Mexico, as well as beneficial insects for commercial-scale agricultural operations, greenhouses, and orchards. However, a growing interest on the part of home gardeners looking for environmentally-safe alternatives to pesticides prompted the Junfins to put together an economical, integrated program for small-scale use. In essence, Kunafin created a “benefits package” containing four groups of friendly insects - the ladybug, lacewing, trichogramma, and praying mantis - to debug yards and gardens.
The Junfins can be contacted at (830) 757-1181 or e-mail office@kunafin.com. Website is www.kunafin.com.

CHOCOLATE COMPANY WITH A CONSERVATION MESSAGE
“It is the right time to grow the Endangered Species Chocolate Company, allowing us to reach more people with our conservation message,” says Jon Stocking, founder and president of the Talent, Oregon-based firm. Producing over five million chocolate bars in 2004, ESCC's aggressive plan for growth projects nearly 15 million bars plus other chocolate products. In 2004, ESCC grew 30 percent from gross sales of $3.4 million in 2003 - reaching nearly $5 million.
ESCC donates a minimum of 10 percent of its net profits to environmental organizations around the world. Since its founding in 1993, ESCC has donated more than $250,000 to organizations including: The Jane Goodall Institute, Defenders of Wildlife and the American Cetacean Society. Philanthropists Randy Deer and Wayne Zink, founders of the Back Home Again Foundation, an Indiana charitable 501 C (3) corporation, have formed a for-profit arm. DZ Enterprises, to partner with ESCC. The Midwest-based group is dedicated to the mission of ESCC. “It is time for business to take action and make financial decisions that benefit our environment,” says Zink, who adds, “As Jon Stocking aptly point out: 'What you do for a living can make a positive difference in this world both financially and spiritually.'”
A key in the success of ESCC's ability to dramatically increase its production over the next five years is the development of a 43,000 square foot LEED certified production and fulfillment facility - a move that will enable the company's aggressive growth to take place.

WASTE PAPER FEEDSTOCK FOR ETHANOL PRODUCTION
A technology to create ethanol from waste paper and other organic residuals using a special kind of bacteria is underway by a package material manufacturer in western Japan called Shingoshu Co. According to Japan for Sustainability, joint research is being conducted with two universities and the Energen company that sells biomass energy. Some countries have already been blending gasoline with ethanol produced from such materials as sugar cane. In Japan, a blended fuel containing three percent ethanol was introduced in 2004.
Production of ethanol from sugar cane and corn requires large facilities, and Japan would need to import the raw materials. In contrast, the technology currently under development uses waste paper that cannot otherwise be recycled, which makes it possible to reduce costs and to use resources effectively. The existing ethanol manufacturing methods require much time and involve high costs for the processes of fermenting and distilling starch. Shingoshu is developing the technology, aiming to enter the market in 2007, and is expecting an annual production of 36,500 liters of ethanol by 2012, which would mean an annual reduction of CO2 emissions by about 51,700 tons.

FINANCIERS, BUSINESS LEADERS EXPLORE RENEWABLE ENERGY OPTIONS
“The energy sector, particularly with $50/barrel oil, is seeing some resurgence in the interest in renewable energy, after its slow performance in the past few years,” declares Bruce Woodry, CEO of Sigma Capital Group which has offices in Raleigh, North Carolina and Harbor Springs, Michigan. A 10-year-old investment bank that addresses project finance for both fossil and renewable energy projects, Sigma Capital is concentrating on how Michigan can increase use of renewables since it now only gets one to two percent of energy needs from green sources. Adds Woodry: “We must all pull together, regionally, to overcome any competitive disadvantages with other regions while de-emphasizing our dependence on traditional, price volatile and increasingly scarce fossil fuels. With a strong manufacturing heritage and a focus on Cleantech companies, if we can get everyone pulling in the same direction, Michigan can emerge a national leader.” For further details, visit: www.sigmacapital.net.

SAN FRANCISCO COMPANY HAS MISSION TO GREEN THE WORLD
Virtually every consumer product on the market today has an environmentally preferable alternative, says Lawrence Comras who in 1998 launched a firm in San Francisco with the simple name Green Home. It is described as a complete environmental resource center delivering information, expertise, in addition to green goods and services. According to Comras, several factors have kept the market from reaching its potential, including: poor advertising which focuses on fringe channels; erratic supplies affecting availability; perceived value and image; and “no consensus among the green movement regarding what constitutes a green product.”
The company's website - www.greenhome.com - provides a place for green manufacturers and suppliers, and Green Home advisers, “to build consumer awareness of the brand.” Currently, adds Comras, more than 5,000 products in over 150 categories are listed: “To help alleviate selection and price concerns, Green Home has developed distribution agreements with more than 70 green product manufacturers and suppliers.

LITTLE REDS AND BLUE WRIGGLERS LEAD TO VERMICULTURE “EMPIRE”
Located in the small community of Douglas, Georgia, the Bear Creek Worm Farm is considered by many as the largest vermicomposting operation in the southeastern United States. Owned and operated by Jack and Lucy Brantley since 1992, the farm has been mainly producing red wiggler worms for the fishing bait market as well as many tons of earthworm castings for the nursery industry.
In addition to growing worms, Brantley has been processing some of the highest quality worm casting available in his part of the country. Understanding that it can take years to produce a substantial quantity of castings, Brantley waited almost 10 years before marketing castings from his farm in order to establish a viable stock and supply for demanding customers. Bear Creek Worm Farm currently stocks 5,000 to 6,000 tons of castings with more being produced each day. Brantley can be contacted at bearcreekworms@yahoo.com.

SOARING OIL PRICES IMPROVE ECONOMICS OF MAKING PLASTICS FROM CORN
“When Dow Chemical Co. and Cargill Inc. began a major push two years ago to market a plastic made from corn instead of oil, they thought they were tapping into consumers' growing worries about the environment,” begins a Wall Street Journal article. “As it turn out, makers of the alternative plastic may get their biggest boost from soaring oil prices and fears of global energy shortages.” Evaluating the biodegradable plastic benefits, one Cargill executive says it's a simple choice: “Iowa or Iraq? Nebraska or Nigeria?”
Under the headline, “No Petroleum Needed,” the Journal graphically presents the methods used to refine corn into compostable plastic: Corn kernels are soaked, ground and starch from the endosperm is separated; Enzymes are added converting starch into dextrose; Bacterial cultures are added to ferment dextrose into lactic acid; Water is removed yielding simple molecules called lactides; Result is a small pellet that can be spun into fiber; Cups, containers and bags can be composted.

100TH CASE STUDY DOCUMENTS GREEN BUILDING ADVANCES
Based in Brattleboro, Vermont, BuildingGreen, Inc. which maintains the High Performance Buildings database for the U.S. Department of Energy has published its 100th case study. The study gives details on the Traugott Terrace housing project in Seattle. The database makes available information on energy performance and special design features. Projects can be viewed at www.highperformancebuilding.gov which also links to the DOE website.
For BuildingGreen, Inc., 2005 marks the company's 20th anniversary. Besides a publication on sustainable design and construction, the firm also produces a directory of green building products. It can be contacted at www.BuildingGreen.com.