Introduction to “The Portland Bottom Line” by yours truly, co-edited by Megan Strand.
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Many tout Portland, Oregon as an authority on sustainability: progressive urbanism and land-use; alternative transportation; environmental policy; livability. But what about business? How do local companies measure up on sustainability? What cutting-edge sustainable practices have proven to work in Portland’s small businesses?
As I delved deeper into my exploration of sustainability and marketing, the questions seemed increasingly pressing. In my search for the best way to explore and publicize the issue, I recalled my experience co-authoring mass-collaboration book projects such as “Connect! Marketing in the Social Media Era” and “Age of Conversation 3: It’s Time to Get Busy”. Could I employ the same crowdsourcing technique of co-creation to produce a collection of essays highlighting answers to those burning questions?
“The Portland Bottom Line: Practices for Your Small Business from America’s Hotbed of Sustainability” was born. I presented the concept on January 21st, 2010, at the second “Beyond 2020 Sustainability Unconference, “a series of events I coordinate with Renee Spears, one of the book’s co-authors. Then it was all a matter of project management and, yes, collaboration. Megan Strand has been a project manager par excellence, and the book wouldn’t be what it is without her.
The purpose of “The Portland Bottom Line” is for the city’s small businesses to share sustainable practices with their entrepreneurial contemporaries around the United States and abroad. Organized into 12 sections along the triple bottom line of People, Planet, and Prosperity, the book explores how small businesses can effectively and efficiently shift toward sustainability and thrive. In their short, 400-word essays, 50 small-business people from the City of Roses share their experiences with sustainability in their companies. “The Portland Bottom Line” demonstrates how small businesses can innovate to put people before profit, help restore the ecosystem, and prosper.
“The Portland Bottom Line” is also a community benefit project. Contributors collectively chose a local community organization, which supports the launch and growth of sustainable ventures, to receive 100% of profit from the sales of the book.
Enjoy “The Portland Bottom Line”!
Sample chapter by Marlynn Schotland, submitted in the Green Your Operations section.
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Like many business owners, I am asked to participate in a large amount of meetings. In my years of working in corporate communications as well as being a serial entrepreneur, I’ve discovered that as much as 90 percent of requested meetings are completely unnecessary. While the mid-century American institution known as the business lunch is still alive and well, and the 1990’s insurgence of coffee meetings rages on, my experience is that cutting out a large percentage of in-person meetings greatly improves productivity, reduces cost, and minimizes the carbon footprint of a business. All three benefits are critical in remaining a profitable sustainable business in today’s society, and all are easier to achieve thanks to technology.
When I have a 30-minute meeting, I know to schedule two hours to incorporate time for meeting prep, travel, parking, and time to settle back into the office and regain focus for what’s next on the agenda. That’s an hour and a half per meeting, wasted. With virtual meetings, I can schedule 2 to 4 per hour, often more than doubling my customer reach in the same amount of time. Less travel equals less environmental impact as well as cost reduction, which inevitably all leads to increased profits. What’s good for the environment can, indeed, be good for business.
I won’t argue that sometimes there is no replacement for the in-person meeting. However, ask yourself if the value of that meeting justifies the loss of productivity and the environmental impact of driving or flying. You’ll find most issues can be handled via email, telephone, Skype, or even social media. If you’ve ever been to a conference having never met a soul in person prior to the conference, but having developed close relationships with attending colleagues via Twitter or Facebook, you understand the the relationship power that is possible through technology.
As a native Portlander, I grew up practicing eco-friendly methods, so it was easy for me to transfer a lot of the day-to-day sustainable habits I’ve been doing at home to work. However, I am also a very social person, and let’s face it: I love the social and the food and drink benefits that come with many meetings. So, although it took me a while to get used to this practice, the results speak for themselves: minimizing meetings and maximizing technology leads to a more sustainable, more productive, more profitable business.
Marlynn Jayme Schotland is Owner of Urban Bliss, LLC, President of Mamapreneurs Inc DBA The Power MOB, & Editor of Urban Bliss Life. | Urban Bliss Design | @designmama
