GreenSmith Consulting

10 Ways Geolocation is Changing the World

This post was written by Rob Reed. He is the founder of MomentFeed, a location-based marketing, strategy, and technology firm.

Location technologies are transforming how we experience, navigate, and ultimately better our world. From the global to the local, here are #10Ways geolocation is a positive force for good.

Social media has changed the world. It has revolutionized communications on a global scale, and the transformation continues with every status update, blog post, and video stream. The global citizenry has become a global network.

Since becoming widely adopted just a couple years ago, social media has supercharged social action, cause marketing, and social entrepreneurship. Indeed, the true value hasn't been the technology itself but how we've used it. Today, a second wave of innovation is defining a new era and setting the stage for change over the coming decade.

Mobile technologies will extend the global online network to anyone with a mobile device while enabling countless local networks to form in the real world. We've decentralized media production and distribution. We're doing the same for energy. And we'll continue this trend for social networking, social action, and commerce.

The combined forces of smartphones, mobile broadband, and location-aware applications will connect us in more meaningful ways to the people, organizations, events, information, and companies that matter most to us---namely, those within a physical proximity of where we live and where we are. Can location-based services (LBS) change the world? Here are #10Ways:

GreenSmart Moves Recycled Bottle Based Gear Bar Higher

I've had the pleasure of watching Grass Valley California based GreenSmart make the transition to a green company over the past three years, done with thought and full consideration of the impact of the options they were exploring. With the release of their Bottles 2 Bags messenger bag line, they've truly hit it out the park.

In the video below I'll take you on a little tour or their Baringo bag, and point out some lesser known details that clearly show how a company can effectively balance quality gear while being strongly sustainable. They've clearly hit their stride, and get that it's about meeting people's needs first, then giving them the background of how their purchase is making a difference. Not in a preachy way, but very encouraging and empowering.

The hang tag on the messenger bag says many things - About the contents of the product, how it was made, and the story of the Baringo name (It's the 2nd most endangered Giraffe species, which is why they donate 10% of their profits to the World Wildlife Fund, among others.)  But this sentence says it all: "We're not perfect yet, but we're taking our cues from you."

One thing I left out from the video review: The bag has a sturdy rectangular base, helping keep its shape as you carry your gear around town or on your travels. Youtube seems to have chopped the last 10 seconds, I said, "Go have a look for yourself, I definitely give them my seal of approval. They can be found at greensmart.biz" And ha ha, that screen capture below is something else! No I'm not raging angry, promise.

Readers: What other companies out there have you seen going green in a smart way, with integrity, in a way that consumers beyond the deep green will get? Do you own any GreenSmart gear? What's been your experience?

GreenSmith Sessions #2: Humble European CSR Superstar Fabian Pattberg

Welcome back for the second edition of the GreenSmith Sessions, this time with Fabian Pattberg, a man with a multicultural awareness of business, having lived and worked across Europe and exotic Nashville, Tennessee. The GreenSmith Sessions are an evolving series of dynamic conversations with the key influencers, thinkers and doers in the sustainable business realm, and all the neighboring arenas it touches.

Fabian and I had a far ranging conversation, addressing if and how CSR is and can remain relevant in the days of BP, what the US and EU can learn from each other, who he thinks is doing a good job with their CSR reporting (a shocker, trust me!) and other intriguing nuggets of insight.

You can find Fabian on his influential and resource filled blog and website along with Twitter. As he suggested in our session, searching his name will also show you the expanding range of places he is present online and out in the field, helping companies and their stakeholders effectively meet in the middle. 

What's your take on the current state of CSR? Who's doing it well? Who's falling down on the job, so to speak? What can be done to make CSR reporting and activities more powerful, useful, and effective? 

Download GreenSmith Sessions #2 Fabian Pattberg

Play GreenSmith Sessions #2 Fabian Pattberg

GreenSmith Sessions #1: Joey Shepp of Earthsite

Somewhere amidst the preparation to move my life 12 hours away to Portland, Oregon, an idea took root: Talk to the people that inspire me, and share it with you. My goal is to have brisk freeform conversations with some of the key influencers, thinkers and doers in the sustainable business realm, and all the neighboring arenas it touches. Rather then be a linear Q & A, I want to  see them be a dynamic dialogue that will give you much food for thought.

It's called GreenSmith Sessions.

My first guest is Joey Shepp, who has been involved in the sustainable business realm in some form or another for the better part of a decade, and presenting engagingly about it at innumerable events. Whether it's leading the technology efforts at Green Festival, running web, design, and social media strategy firm EarthSite, Joey has a lot to say on how technology and green meet, and how to do it effectively. 

We had a far ranging conversation, largely anchored in the social media realm, Joey sharing interesting perspectives on privacy, Facebook, how he sees geolocation based businesses being of use to you and I, and more.

So join me please, for GreenSmith Session #1. 

And please, do share your thoughts, on the content, on the overall presentation, on who you think I should be talking to. I'm all ears!

PS: That article I mentioned talking about youth actually being nearly on par with (rather than jaw droppingly open with) their online privacy, is here. 

>>>Download/Listen to GreenSmith Sessions #1 Joey Shepp

Ponoko + Makerbot = The Next Evolution in the Democratization of Manufacturing

It was bound to happen.

Ponoko, the company that’s created a thriving ecosystem of designers, manufacturers and consumers, where you as a designer can get your product made one at a time via a global network of fabricators that use 3D printers, is now working with Makerbot to give people the ability to make/have made a 3D printer for their own use.

What’s significant about this is that it gives people with the creativity and design ideas the ability to both test out these ideas, and make the final product for customers. Or just for their own enjoyment. While the Makerbot at this point has a fairly small size capability at 4” x 4” x 6”, there is probably a lot that can be made by assembling a number of pieces together.

The question some might have is, why would Ponoko, which until this point has derived much of its income from making and facilitating the making of things for people, now enable people to do it themselves? It’s simple: They’re expanding their market, by being the maker of the pieces people will use to make their own maker. Making sense?

And, in line with the rest of their product fabrication offerings, they can make the parts for the Makerbot in any number of materials that the customer wants, including bamboo.

Likewise, if you’re happy with the Makerbot design as is, Ponoko can create everything needed for a basic version, you supply the tools or even send you a kit with absolutely everything, including the tools to make it.

The design plans for the printer are being made available to the public for free, the only requirement being that, should you modify them, you make them public via the Thingiverse site, so that others can benefit from your design thinking, able to further improve (or make look just plain cool) the Makerbot.

While this does entail a certain level of trust that people will follow through on the license agreement, it does mean that Makerbot and Ponoko have the additional income that comes from making the parts from these modified mini factories. And, in creating a wider and higher profile for DIY manufacturing, it will likely then increase the market for their products, as not everybody will want to design and assemble their own 3D printer.

Is this collaborative, iterative, open source model of doing business the way of the future? One way, to be certain, and one that, in these volatile, interdependent economic times we find ourselves in, is a durable, malleable way to go that many other businesses could do to learn from.

Readers: What's your take on Ponoko & Makerbot's collaborative, open source model? Are there any other businesses or business models you're seeing out there that you think we can learn from? Please share below, in the comments.

Time to Stop Talking About Going Local, and Doing It (pt 3 of 3) Eating and Getting Around

You hear so much about the value of "going local," but perhaps not so much on how to go about doing it effectively. Thanks much to Wayne Maceyka for sharing copious resources to do so, first covering the value of and need for localizing economies, then who's doing it, and now for two of the essentials in our modern life: local food and transportation.

One of the basics of life is nourishment and along with that, moving the foods that provide said nourishment around.  Additionally, we move ourselves and other goods around all over the world as part of the economy.  We currently rely upon inexpensive fossil fuels to keep a national and international supply chain running to do all these things.

Industrial food production is garnering a fair amount of attention for the GHG emissions associated with its production (including transportation) as well as the growing awareness of the health consequences of ingesting it.  We derive industrial fertilizers from petroleum, and the machines that sow seeds, harvest plants, and spread the fertilizer depend upon fossil fuels to operate. 

From a popular culture perspective, Michael Pollan's book Omnivore's Dilemma (here's his recent TED talk),  Barbara Kingsolver's Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, Eric Schlosser's Fast Food Nation, and Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution which premiered March 26 (to name a few) have helped raise the public's awareness about where our food comes from and what that means to our collective health.

An inherent danger in relying upon a far-flung and energy dependent food infrastructure is the price of oil.  It skyrocketed to somewhere north of $140.00/gallon in mid-2008, and what did that do to global food prices and basic access?  For those of limited means; they struggle mightily.  A recent post on a food security e-mail list had an interesting comment about the ongoing need for local & regional food infrastructure.  I highlighted the potential for regional & local food,

"[Senate Bill] S 510 (and even more so, HR 2749) will make it almost impossible to get local, healthy food to local people by dramatically increasing the cost of preparing local, healthy food for sale and distribution.  We need new cooperative packing houses, new processors, new distributors and new retailers or our food will only be available to the affluent at a premium price.  Not only the poor (both working and unemployed) but also the lower middle class will be almost entirely dependent upon industrial agriculture"

Personal Scale Manufacturing is Here: Why it Matters and What it Means to You

I've been watching the evolving trend of personal scale manufacturing with interest for some time, and we're about to see that mythical "tipping point." I want you to know about it, and how it may effect your business and our environment.

 It's happening. Much like the computer went from a monolithic room filling device used only by the military and government, to one that can fit in the palm of your hand, allowing you to do something about your surroundings via a geolocation enabled app, manufacturing is fast becoming something you and I can do, literally. And it has the potential to likewise shift the balance of power and control of what and where things get made, and what products do and do not see the light of day.

How?

It used to be that if you wanted to manufacture something, whether it's an entire product or its components, you had to do so at a large scale. After all, for a third party manufacturer or yourself, it was quite expensive to set up the production line to make each part. Changing aspects frequently required time and retooling. Not something for a small scale production, unless you're talking a prohibitively expensive one of a kind.

Then along came 3D printers.

These devices use a laser to shape a piece of raw material, frequently plastic, into an object, layer by layer. At first largely the province of adventurous tech geeks, last year saw the emergence of Ponoko, a company that has succeeded in creating an ecosystem of people with ideas, tools, and desire to buy what's being created.

Basically, with Ponoko if you have an idea for a product, you can find someone to make it for you. One. Or many. You pay a per minute rate for use of the printer that makes it. If you have a printer, you get business funneled to you via Ponoko. If you are a designer, you have the ability to have your product made, at a reasonable cost, no matter the quantity purchased.

This was a definite step forward, and yet you still had the barrier of cost, someone else being in control of the manufacturing.

Enter Makerbot Industries.

It has recently introduced what is the beginning of truly democratized manfuacturing: The Makerbot. It is a $750 open source 3D printer that can create small objects via ABS plastic. And it can make its own replacement parts! While we're not talking automotive manufacturing here, it is a solid beginning to what I predict will swiftly become an increasingly wide spread, widely useful practice.

What does this mean, in terms of sustainability?

Unless you live next door to the factory of what you purchase, and all components are made in one location, your purchase of a product likely logged a lot of miles getting to you. With something made via a Makerbot, you could either create your own design, or download a design from someone else, and make it right where you are. Then, rather than having to buy a new one if a part wears or breaks, you create the replacements yourself. 

You've now skipped the shipping and reduced disposal waste. While this is happening on a small scale now, imagine the impact if repeated millions, billions of times.

The one sticking point at this stage is that objects made in Makerbots are made with plastic, which being  petroleum based material, has the accompanying ecological footprint and in time, may prove expensive as petroleum becomes a scarcer resource. Can bioplastics be used? Can those be supplied at a reasonable cost? What about aluminum, or a temporary liquid, even some other as yet to be created upcyclable substance be used? Let's hope so. Ponoko currently works with everything from felt to bamboo.

But for now, the Makerbot marks a point in time, where the shift began.

Readers: What's your take on the sustainability of micro scale manufacturing? How else can we cut out links of the supply chain? Right now the offerings are primarily machine parts and decorative objects. What would you design and offer?

Verterra: A Green Company Effectively Reaching Beyond “The Choir”

I have the pleasure of working for all clients that I admire and respect, and while it’s typically my role to help get them written and talked about by other people, I have to make an exception here. That exception is Verterra.

Verterra is a rare find: A green company that goes far beyond the expectations for their product category,  even in ways that aren’t apparent to the end user, while keeping it very affordable, eschewing the “green tax” so many companies presume they can get away with charging the mythical idealized green consumer. It goes like this: They make plates, bowls and platters out of fallen Palm leaves, that would have otherwise been burnt as agricultural waste.

They don’t say it on their site, but that’s roughly 15 tons a month. All of it, even production scraps, gets used.

Another thing left out of the spotlight is their reusing 84% of the factory’s water. And they continue to increase that. In a time where water is going to become an increasingly precious resource, this is not only ecologically considerate, it’s a proactive business move.

And please, don’t take my word for it, here’s what Whole Foods recently said, having used Verterra at an event themselves: “So that’s it. No trees are harvested or cut. No glues or dyes. Just leaves and water. VerTerra truly is an authentic eco-friendly line. And if the environmental benefits aren’t enough to convince you, VerTerra boasts unmatched durability and versatility – use the plates for microwave reheat or short bakes in the oven!”

All fine and good, but what’s in it for the consumer?

GreenSmart Shows How to Have a Truly Sustainable Lunch (video review)

If you're looking for something unique, sustainable, and affordable for a Christmas present, or want to make your lunch truly green, I may have found just the thing:

Work or school can be tricky to do sustainably, as my video below will share. But California based GreenSmart sent me some samples of a line of lunchboxes that eschew what you'll learn are often toxic chemicals contained in many neoprene containing reusable lunch boxes. And they've made them both practical and whimsically styled, the material insulating cold and warm food to maintain temperature, and the style adding some fun to what can typically be a more utilitarian meal of the day.

In the video I'll tell you more about the surprising dubious honor neoprene got this year, and how GreenSmart's Neogreene material sidesteps all those issues, to both your and the planet's benefit.

So, dig in to this delicious video and please share your comments, questions, ideas below.

For you last minute holiday shoppers, GreenSmart was kind enough to give me a 25% discount code to pass on to you: Go to their store and enter the code GSTW25, good through December 31st, 2009.

Time to Stop Talking About Going Local, and Doing It. Here's How. (pt 1 of 3)

With gold reaching all time highs in value, and other indicators that our global economy is in serious trouble (or seen more positively, ripe for a reset) money as we know it, and commerce as we know it may well vanish, or drastically change in the not too distant future. So perhaps, now more then ever, it’s time to look at how to build and maintain robust local economies.  

This week’s guest writer Wayne Maceyka takes an interesting, inspiring look at how that can happen. Part 1 of a 2 part series, we encourage your thoughts, ideas, and questions in the comments below.

  Considering the seismic activity that's been rumbling through the global economy over the past few years (it's not over, unemployment here in the United States is over 10%, the highest since 1983 and there are fears that commercial property loans, additional residential mortgages, and energy prices will squash a full-fledged recovery - in the traditional sense of the word), perhaps looking at our economy through a different lens would be interesting.

 For me, that lens has been building local and regional economies as a way to buffer regions from the winds of globalization and perhaps address some of our environmental challenges as well.

Why import items that meet basic human needs (food for instance) when much of it can be supplied from nearby? Of course, “nearby”, “local”, and “regional” are relative terms, the definitions of which are up for debate, but lets leave that discussion for another day Why is “going local” a good idea? It reduces our dependence on long distribution chains that are vulnerable to energy price fluctuations, reduces environmental impact, and perhaps most importantly helps keep financial capital circulating within the region.

 This recirculation of financial capital supports regional businesses and the jobs and value they create, further increasing the region’s resilience in the face of large-scale economic challenges.  Will every city, county or state be self-sufficient in the next 20 years? Probably not, though depending upon your beliefs around peak oil (see Jeff Rubin below) perhaps they’ll have to be.  The point is not to seek protectionist self-sufficiency, but cooperative interdependence on a scale consistent with human needs and natural resources.

U2, Oxfam America, New York MTA: Green Hypocrites?

If you're looking for an example of someone who walks their talk, Mike Lieberman would be your man. Best known as CanarsieBK on the web, this Brooklyn man is a living, breathing demonstration of how one can live sustainably, anywhere. He proves anything is possible, growing a thriving vegetable garden on his fire escape, and demonstrating actionable steps, daily, on how to be personally sustainable. And he's definitely not afraid to speak his mind.

Today Lieberman takes aim at those who don't seem to be walking the talk, balanced with options they could choose to align their actions better with their words. Do you agree with what he says? Have other views? Have other creative solutions for these and other organizations and globe trotting bands? Chime in, below.

With the green movement becoming more trendy, there are lots of high profile companies, organizations and individuals that claim to be green, but are they green hypocrites?



They talk the green talk, but they don't walk the green walk. Since they are in high profile positions they have the ear of people and are saying one thing, but their actions say otherwise.



U2


Arguably the biggest rock band of the past three decades, U2 has been vocal over the years about their stance on the climate and social injustice.



On their current "No Line on the Horizon" tour, their acts have demonstrated the opposite of what they've been saying. Due to the extravagant stage set, requiring 100 trucks, there is a massive crew (200 people) that need to travel with the band.



Carbonfootprint.com has said the tour's carbon emissions are equal to "the four band members travelling the 34.125 million miles from Earth to Mars in a passenger plane".



Coming soon...

I've got something bubbling up inside me, and it's all Chris Brogan's fault. The man who I'm sure has a stunt double or two for all that he does, issued a challenge in a recent video, Overnight Success Part 2 - A Call to Arms.

In it, he said that it's time for us to stop just playing small, playing remedial when it comes to using social media to its full potential. Time to level up, together, as it were.

It knocked something loose in me.

I began to write all sorts of thoughts, not necessarily focused on social media, but instead on sustainability, and how I see people and businesses practicing it and shifting others towards it in a healthier and well, more sustainable, enjoyable fashion than is prevalent now. Social Media definitely plays a part.

What I've been writing has more questions then answers, and when it comes together to something I'd like to share with you, you'll be the first to see. Something big is bubbling inside me, and it's time to let it out. And I want your minds and hearts in on it too.

Stay tuned...

Do You Know Your Community? Does the Community Know You?

I believe that we learn best by hearing from many different voices. And in this case, I'm learning along with you in our latest guest post. Like many of you, I use my deep, broad online resources almost exclusively for getting new business, and with the exception of one client, all are from other parts of the country, or even out of the country. Here we have Victoria Klein reminding us to pay attention to and make best use of what's going on right in our local communities, in terms of business, and gives several excellent resources to best explore it. Please share any we've missed, of which I'm sure you know some gems.

The wide wide World Wide Web has become an indispensable business tool in a very short amount of time. Websites, blogs, social media accounts – the way we do business has forever changed … or has it?

No matter how many virtual meetings we share, nothing can replace the importance of talking and collaborating face-to-face. The same concept goes for promoting and growing your business. You can have clients in all parts of the world, but does the mom-and-pop store down the street known what you do? With their own unique needs and perspectives, local residents and businesses are indispensable source for a business of any size. They are the original world of social networking.

But where do you start? How can you bring your knowledge, experience, and services to those who may need you the most – the folks right in your city? The answer is much simpler than the question: walk and talk. Now is the time to put in the time and effort to call or visit local ventures to, at the very least, introduce yourself and pass on a business card.

I’m not encouraging you to walk into this blind. Nor do I want you to desperately try to sell yourself like a telemarketer. Like any important project, step one is research. Delve into your local business community to find those that would benefit the most from you services. Start with:

BALLE (Business Alliance for Local Living Economies
Yahoo! Local
GenGreen Life Directory

Seek out local business organizations for advertising opportunities and networking events, which are more common than ever. Use your talents to volunteer with  a local non-profit – another networking goldmine. Don’t overlook any opportunity to talk with a real human about your work: hobby meetups, library events, weekly farmers’ markets, high school reunions … the possibilities are endless.

You don’t need to join yet another website to get the word out about your business – just knock on your neighbor’s door. Watch the 6 degrees of separation in action by joining in and sharing with your local community.

Readers: So, what do you think? What other resources do you use to connect with and learn about your local community and its resources, businesses? Let's talk about it below.

Victoria Klein is a writer, eco-consultant, and photographer who uses her creative interests to explore the delight and difficulty of the human experience, and our effect on the planet. You can read her blog here.

image credit: itzafineday on Flickr

Modwalls Green Tiles Video Review - Taking Junk and Creating Beauty

Being on Twitter, I come across a lot of interesting finds. Like Modwalls, that makes some gorgeous, thoroughly sustainable tiles, made from things like recycled car windshields, reclaimed building glass, tumbled soda bottle pieces, and wine corks! They spin gold from these modest sounding origins, as you'll see in the video review I did, below.

I was impressed with the depth of their sustainability, as even their packing materials are these innovative triangle shaped pieces of paper. I suspect they're much more likely by people to be recycled then, say, soy or corn starch based "popcorn" are going to be composted. They take  CarbonFund's advice, reducing what they can, and offsetting the rest.

Enough words, let's see these tiles! If you have some creative, interesting green building finds to share, please do, below. And if you've got a blog on this area that people would enjoy, let us know too!

The Best Feature of Snow Leopard: What it's Missing

In recent weeks there have been several articles on the best and least known features of Apple's new operating system, Snow Leopard. From Quicktime's ability to record and edit audio, video, and screencasts, to its Exchange support, to the small but pleasing ability to minimize documents to their respective app icons in the dock (rather then to the side of the dock in a messy jumble) there has been a lot covered.

But perhaps the best and least heralded feature of Snow Leopard is what it's missing: 10% of its energy use, compared to its predecessor, Leopard.

Among the factors contributing to that are Snow Leopard's fuller use of 64-bit technology, which according to CNET, "…allows application developers to allocate more memory to complete tasks so that the software runs faster and more smoothly."

What does this mean?

How do you turn a Billboard from Eyesore to Treasure?

Did you ever wonder what happens to billboards when they're taken down? The reality is this: These thick, largely unrecyclable masses of material typically get thrown away. On average, 10,000 tons, or 3 million billboards annually in the US alone.

TerraCycle saw an opportunity here, leveraging the material's extreme durability, something that could be considered a liability when seen in terms of waste disposal, with the idea of making backpacks, messenger bags and more, with a lifetime warranty. Not something many other $35 bags can say! 

Each bag is completely unique, as it comes from various parts of billboards, forming an attractive, cohesive design. Rather than wrestle with how to go about making something they'd never attempted, they enlisted the expertise of YakPak, a company with an ideal combination of decades of bag making experience and high integrity in their employee relations.

Instead of writing all about the bag I got to test, I decided to show you, in GreenSmith Consulting's first ever video review. Enjoy!

A bag like this sparks the imagination. Where did each part of it come from? What did this small piece on the front look like from a distance, up there on a billboard? What else could be done with other likewise "unrecyclable" materials?

For kids, and I imagine adults, having something that comes directly from its previous source, rather then something whose original source has been obscured as it's melted, shredded, and otherwise made unrecognizable from its previous incarnation, will be a very satisfying experience, one that they can share with friends and colleagues, serving both as an ego boost for the owner and an educational experience for those asking about it.

Readers: What other interesting examples of upcycling have you seen out there? What other materials that aren't currently being recycled could you see being upcycled into products? Do you own a Terracycle bag? If so, what's been your experience? Comment below please.

It's easy to say you haven't got something in your product. Encouraged even. Petroleum free is a popular one. And yet, what are the consequences of what's used in its place? GreenSmart faced this quandry, and came up with an interesting, evolving solution. Read on...

I have a confession to make: I like the smell of gas. And neoprene too. Yes, two things made from a substance that, as a sustainable business consultant, I should be by default expressing some cartoonish righteous indignation about their being petroleum based products.

And yet, there's something that hits my nostrils in such a pleasant way, I can't help it. But, at least when it comes to neoprene, I'd better.

You see, as I learned from the folks at GreenSmart (client) that neoprene, especially what's used to glue it to other things, is nasty business. Formaldehyde. Toluene. Phthalate. Chlorine. "Hang on, Toluene, what's that," you say? According to Wikipedia,  "It is an aromatic hydrocarbon that is widely used as an industrial feedstock and as a solvent. Like other solvents, toluene is also used as an inhalant drug for its intoxicating properties; however this causes severe neurological harm."

Ah, brain damaging glue. No thanks.

What about neoprene itself? Again, let's tune in to Wikipedia:

This guest post is a collaboration between Mashable's Summer of Social Good charitable fundraiser and Max Gladwell's "10 Ways" series. The post is being simultaneously published across more than 100 blogs. Social media is about connecting people and providing the tools necessary to have a conversation. That global conversation is an extremely powerful platform for spreading information and awareness about social causes and issues. That's one of the reasons charities can benefit so greatly from being active on social media channels. But you can also do a lot to help your favorite charity or causes you are passionate about through social media.

Below is a list of 10 ways you can use social media to show your support for issues that are important to you. If you can think of any other ways to help charities via social web tools, please add them in the comments. If you'd like to retweet this post or take the conversation to Twitter or FriendFeed, please use the hashtag #10Ways.

1. Write a Blog Post

Blogging is one of the easiest ways you can help a charity or cause you feel passionate about. Almost everyone has an outlet for blogging these days -- whether that means a site running WordPress, an account at LiveJournal, or a blog on MySpace or Facebook. By writing about issues you're passionate about, you're helping to spread awareness among your social circle. Because your friends or readers already trust you, what you say is influential.

Recently, a group of green bloggers banded together to raise individual $1 donations from their readers. The beneficiaries included Sustainable Harvest, Kiva, Healthy Child, Healthy World, Environmental Working Group, and Water for People. The blog-driven campaign included voting to determine how the funds would be distributed between the charities. You can read about the results here. You should also consider taking part in Blog Action Day, a once a year event in which thousands of blogs pledge to write at least one post about a specific social cause (last year it was fighting poverty). Blog Action Day will be on October 15 this year.

2. Share Stories with Friends

Another way to spread awareness among your social graph is to share links to blog posts and news articles via sites like Twitter, Facebook, Delicious, Digg, and even through email. Your network of friends is likely interested in what you have to say, so you have influence wherever you've gathered a social network. You'll be doing charities you support a great service when you share links to their campaigns, or to articles about causes you care about.

It's time. Time for me to return. Return to my GreenSmith roots and to writing on this blog.

Since April it's been a wild ride, filled with new hats as Social Media Strategist at 3rdWhale Mobile, becoming a ghost writer for a major green company, getting the world knowing more about the toxic soup that is Neoprene (and what to do about it), and that energy efficiency can be funny. This, along with my existing gigs as a writer for Triple Pundit and Ecopreneurist.

Plus a side of social media rich Inbound Marketing Summit, organized chaos at Green Business Camp, and high level corporate green at Sustainable Brands.

All great and nourishing, but something was missing. This. I knew it was time to write in my own voice, for my own audience, once again. But coming back, my voice has changed. My knowledge broadened and deepened. My network enriched.

So what will I focus here on the newly revived GreenSmith blog?

We are honored to have our friend and fellow traveler of the intersection of social media and green, Max Gladwell grace our blog with a host of innovative ways for each of us, as individuals and collectively to make an impact. Citizen journalism, open government, status updates, community building, information sharing, crowdsourcing, and the election of a President are in the mix here. 

Our children will inherit a world profoundly changed by the combination of technology and humanity that is social media. They'll take for granted that their voices can be heard and that a social movement can be launched from their laptop. They'll take for granted that they are connected and interconnected with hundreds of millions of people at any given moment. And they'll take for granted that a black man is or was President of the United States.

What's most profound is that these represent parts of a greater whole. They represent a shift in power from centralized institutions and organizations to the People they represent. It is the evolution of democracy by way of technology, and we are all better for it. For most of us, social media has changed our lives in some meaningful way. Collectively it is changing the world for good.

Given the pace of innovation and adoption, change has become a constant. Every so often we find the need to stop and reflect on its most recent and noteworthy developments, hence the following list. Please note this is not a top-10 list, nor are these listed in any particular order. It's also incomplete. So we ask that you add to this conversation in the comments. If you'd like to Retweet this post or take the conversation to Twitter or FriendFeed, please use the hashtag #10Ways.

April Fool's Day, for those that don't know, is a chance for you to play practical jokes on people. While the pranks can be quite amusing, one that I did got me thinking...

On April 1st my editor at Triple Pundit invited us to do April Fool's Day posts, the more absurd the better. I was reading the book Revolution in a Bottle by Terracycle CEO Tom Szaky at the time, to be reviewed the next week. Having soaked in all things Terracycle for the past week, I was full of facets of Terracycle to poke fun at.

So I wrote a piece, pleased at how over the top it was, how people would laugh and have a good time with it. This, along with GM becoming a bike company, American Airlines going into the zeppelin flight business, complete with bungee jumping. You get the idea.

Then something happened.

I tend to consult with companies I like. As in I'd do business with them as a customer. Recommend them to friends. Respect what they represent. It's why when I recently worked with Ode Magazine, more then 50% of the blogs I contacted chose to write about them, with great enthusiasm, two even inviting me to write my own content on their sites. My genuine affinity with the businesses I choose to consult with generates better quality results.

Energy Circle, my most recent client, is a home energy efficiency focused business who knows well how to effectively use social media. They are a business I want you to get to know better. Not because they're my client, but because more than likely, they have several ways they can directly benefit you and those in your life, and in doing so, make a collective impact that is substantial. Their business model and how they execute may also be a source of inspiration for your own business.

Energy Circle is an ally to those seeking to make their home more energy efficient, and professionals helping people do it.  During a time of constrained budgets, from personal to institutional,  with a president actively in support of green collar jobs, particularly in terms of home energy efficiency, Energy Circle is a a case of right timing, with a compelling offer.

Solar and other renewables get a lot of press, but the smartest way to green your home is by starting with energy efficiency. Energy Circle is an excellent, assured, friendly resource for anybody to do it. Whereas Google's Powermeter and other technology is still in the works, they've got many "right now" solutions available, including this quick, ongoing, useful article demystifying how and who to go with for home energy audits.  In a nod to the wisdom of their audience, they encourage them to continue filling in the blanks. And it's working.

This week Twitter has been abuzz about the interactive, technology, social media focused component of the South By Southwest conference, or as it's tagged on Twitter, #sxsw. Mark Lovett of Global Patriot was particularly excited about a microfinance organization called OptINnow. Though I thought the name sounded more like a mailing list company, I was intrigued when Lovett said they took donations via cell phone. I'm glad I looked. Read on as we learn about an organization that on the one hand is the new kid on the block, and on the other, has been around for 37 years.

Sometimes being in the business that I am, I presume things to be common knowledge that I'm reminded are not, microfinance being one of them. For those not familiar with it, it's the facilitated process of making small loans, typically to people in developing countries, in order to help them create and grow their businesses, thereby better supporting themselves and their family.

OptINnow does it a differently then I've seen before, for example Kiva, where your loan a one time thing, benefiting one person/business. As in you lend money to a specific person, they repay it, and it gets repaid to you. End of story. You can of course choose to fund others, but the cycle ends should you choose not to lend any more money.

With OptINnow, the money gets repaid to the local partner bank, plus interest, then gets loaned back out to additional entrepreneurs. Hang on, it doesn't go back to you, the original lender? And they charge interest? That might be a hard sell for those used to the typical microfinance model made popular of late.

Today I want to tell you about an amazing find I came across last week, helping greatly accelerate my ability to take in, make use of, and share information, while decreasing my stress about doing so.

Every day I look forward to reading my RSS feeds. Now, lest you think I'm an obsessive information freak, I was much like you: overwhelmed, mostly ignoring the thousands of unread articles, my feeds having become little more than another inbox to check. (Don't know what feeds are? Watch this quick video.)

Flock, the would be all in one social media friendly browser, remedied this to an extent, with its front page that includes a sampling of three each of the most recent articles from your feeds, good to graze on.

But I eventually became immune to it, it too becoming another speedbump to my other, "more important" tasks. But really, as a sustainable business consultant, what's more important than keeping abreast of what's going on in your field, and the many things it touches?

So I was really pleased to learn about Feedly. Why? It takes your feed content, you tell it which is your favorite most frequently read, and it lays it out beautifully (see popup pic, right), almost feeling like a highly polished blog or magazine itself, making manageable and attractive what could easily be a big info dump, as other RSS readers often treat it.

But Feedly is not just a pretty face on the same old same old.

It takes that information, and integrates several tools to do something with it, allowing you to take action directly from the article you're currently reading. For someone like me who's active on Twitter, I can quickly share an interesting find. I could email it to a colleague. I could share it with others who use Google Reader. My Facebook network or Friendfeed subscribers could quickly know about it. I could bookmark it in Delicious, having it handy for when it's useful for my clients. If I just want the link, Feedly is happy to oblige that too.

Now what if something looks interesting, but you don't have time now to read?  Click a little + button next to the article title, and it gets saved for later. Nothing special, right? This is where the genius touches happen:

I love Twitter. Why? Because of conversations like the one I had today. Laura Gomez, aka @lauraisgo, a self described, "latina geek who likes: the planet, food, films, languages, writing, fútbol, web 2.0, travel, riojas and music.....and has a crush on Hugh Laurie" reached out to me about a subject I can honestly say hadn't crossed my mind yet: Why haven't more green cleaning product companies reached out to the Latino market?

She said that in many places, it's they who are doing the cleaning, carwashing, and other blue collar service jobs. Is it a matter of companies presuming that their main market is white LOHAS people who shop at Whole Foods? Perhaps.

But in continuing the conversation, Gomez shared with me an interesting observation: Many Latinos, even well educated ones, don't see the relevance to their lives. She herself practices many green behaviors, and to some of her friends, it seems a bit extreme. I asked, putting it bluntly, do they see it as something white people do (and not them)? Yes.

So how do we shift it to something that people, no matter their background, do?

I sift through a lot of information, opinions, and ideas in the course of my work. Last week two of them dovetailed in an interesting way: One was talking about excess consumption, how it's not about making greener gadgets, it's about making less things to begin with. The old saw of less is more, cut back on your life, it's the only way to save the planet. They even mentioned, as though it was clearly a symptom of things gone wrong, that there's a Greener Gadgets conference coming up.

 I don't think it's about wagging your finger and telling people to change your behavior. It's like expecting a smoker to quit by telling them it's a bad thing. It's about giving consumers a way to look smart, be conscientious, and still meet their needs in an affordable way.

And at the same time, there is value in continuing to educate people on the impacts of consumption, while giving them options to do it differently, allowing for a natural, more durable movement in a more sustainable direction.

So it was ironic that a few days later, I learned about such an option came from the design competition sponsored by the above mentioned baddies the Greener Gadgets conference.

The Recompute is a cardboard housed PC that in a nod to the always evolving nature of personal technology has 8 USB ports, allowing for complete customization and upgrading without needing to get a whole new computer.

In choosing cardboard rather than the energy intensive ABS plastic, giving you the ability to migrate whatever you want from your current computer into it,  and making it capable of being disassembled entirely by hand at the end of its lifecycle, Recompute truly is a "greener gadget."

While no product can claim to be impact free, smartly minimizing it in a way that consumers will positively respond to, green product or not, is a wise move all around.

Readers: What other products, existing or prototype, do you see that are truly greener gadgets, capable of making a positive impact? What's your take on consumerism, electronics, and the greening of them? I look forward to your comments, below.

For those unfamiliar with how social media works, it can be unclear if and how it would apply to your business. Today I'll show you how it can, in an unexpected industry.

Yesterday I had an interesting realization while talking to a potential client, a winery that was built sustainable from the ground up, creates top wines, and is now readying to launch a tasting room with innovative green building techniques embedded. Before the call, they wrote the dreaded words, "I don't think we'll be able to do anything this quarter.  Our budget is way too tight and we'll have to focus energy on more traditional media."

I of course thought otherwise, but it wasn't until our call that the true motivation behind their shift in thinking arose: They did the numbers, and despite all their new school green cred and lack of history to tether them to tradition, their main customers were empty nesters in their 50s.

They said that was likewise confirmed at other wineries they spoke to. Their thinking was that people of that age didn't use the internet as actively as younger generations, and weren't avid readers of blogs or users of social media. So the logical step in their mind was to focus on traditional media outlets and PR avenues, reaching them in the ways they always had.

And then it happened:

I was listening to him, and then I looked over at Twhirl, the client I use for Twitter. On it were not 20 something hipsters, but the C level head of two venture capital companies, an author, and a 20+ year veteran of BusinessWeek, all at or near that age. It was clear to me, and I made it clear to him: Twitter, unlike other flavor of the month social media portals, is used by a broad range of people, and getting broader. People from all over the spectrum are using it to learn about, engage with, and share to others what they find out, are experiencing, and are excited about.

This got his ears.

But what really drew his attention was when I relayed how my own Twitter account has gotten a self perpetuating momentum, with 8 to 20 new followers a day - Really interesting, talented and influential people and businesses, with no effort on my part. He said, "I'd like to have 8 to 20 new people listening to us a day. We get that much in a month." He was beginning to understand.

He also felt that people younger than that bracket, the perceived heavy users of blogs, social media, and other web 2.0 services were impossible to nail down, and prone to straying from brand to shiny new brand. He used himself as an example, saying wines he'd been fanatical about 2 years ago were completely off the radar. Definitely an accurate assessment, under some circumstances. We in our 20s and 30s are much less prone to anchor ourselves to one product, one service, one way of doing things.

But I'd like to propose another scenario: Given a path to get to know who's behind the product they buy, be able to interact with them, know why they do what they do, how they're like you, and how much they are truly committed to creating both a green and quality wine, I see fertile territory for strong brand identification, and deep loyalty.

Yes you have to work harder to gain our loyalty, but once enthusiasts, our ability as brand evangelists is much greater then those that do not utilize social networks, blogging, and microblogging. Whereas their message is spread in person, one to one, at home or events,  the social media user can do that, both in person and online, and also quickly get the ear of thousands. And in the case of Twitter, each of those people likewise has their set of followers who receive, talk about, and "retweet," or pass on their broadcasts to their followers.

So do I think they should continue focusing on the current core customer group?

Absolutely. And they have the capability to build on and broaden that foundation, becoming an even more profitable and sustainable (in the economic sense) brand, with the smart use of blogs, Twitter, and things like the free, SEO enhancing, completely customizable Facebook "fan pages" which allow you to do what you cannot elsewhere on there: Have an account that's more then for an individual. The video on this article makes a compelling case for the value of these online outposts, and shows you how to start.

Are you on there yet?

There's a lesson here for companies of any kind: Don't let the historical trends of your industry dictate or shape what you do in the future. Particularly in challenging times. Just because a certain group of people have been the cash cow and another group appears to not be worth your while, does not mean that will always be the case. In some cases, most I'd wager to say, it just means they have not been reached out to where they are, in a way that is credible, and speaks to what they value and seek in what they consume.

What customers are you missing out on?

Readers: So what's your thoughts? Am I on target, or off my rocker? How do you reach older, sophisticated users of the internet? How do you see creating brand loyalty in younger generations?  Is it even possible, beyond Apple?

Today I want to share with you a creative solution to something many complain about, but frequently don't offer a solution: Deforestation.

So often these days you hear statistics of how rapidly deforestation is happening, wringing of hands over people's shortsightedness, cutting them down so that they can raise cattle, soy, or some other cash crop. But something's being forgotten here: the people.

Like smokers who know it's damaging, but in their lives, don't see another option, these people often don't have another viable way to make a living, and feed their families. Without something as profitable, what reason do they have to take a long term view of things? They're not stupid, they know they're damaging their environment, but to them, what other choice do they have?

Planting Empowerment is fast growing another option for them, starting in Panama:  They partner with people in the area, making deals with them to replant the area with native tree species, plus other plants that would make up a forest,  like there was before. In the case of the indiginous community of Arimae, for every hectare of land they replant, another 5 will be preserved. This agreement is a first between an indigenous community and a private forestry business.

Then what?

How do you find information on blogs? How do you get your company's blog more known? Where do you find inspiration for what you write on that blog? There are many paths to each of these, but one covers all three areas: Alltop.

What's different about it? To start, rather then an arcane algorithm generating the search results, it's a person sifting through submitted sites, choosing the best of what comes their way.

Then, rather than just have a single place where everything jostles for attention, they break things down by category, intuitively, simply. This blog, for instance, is on the green page. There's an excellent social entrepreneurship page, where today I found a great article on web 2.0 trends for businesses to watch for in 2009. Every day I seem to see more new categories being added, the most recent I recall being on cheese. Yes, cheese.

There was much talk at the LA Auto Show about green cars, every maker seeming to clamor for some measure of green cred in their lineup. And yet, something was being missed here, and it was right under their feet and in front of their eyes.

Whether it was the blinding white flooring favored by many of the companies, the concert sized screens, lights, and sound systems, there was a disconnect between the message and the execution.

But I spotted two interesting exceptions:

These LED lights served as the illumination for the displays lining the Smart car area. It's hard to see from this picture, but it had lights of several different colors on, collectively creating a warm, friendly glow to the space. Along with being energy efficient, the ability to use different lights for different moods saved, I imagine, having different rigs for different shows, or set up time to switch out lights.

If you walked up to this large, futuristic Toyota car display platform, done up in metal mesh and wood trim, you may have overlooked this sign:

This, to me, shows that Toyota has a deeper commitment to doing green right then others. After all, many people wouldn't even think to ask about or question what the companies used in their displays. But in doing this, they lead the way, and introduce this area of awareness to people, perhaps sparking other companies to do the same in future shows, or for the individuals seeing this to realize that being green touches many areas far beyond the obvious.

Readers: Where do you see companies doing green measures in areas not previously considered? Where would you like them to do that? If you own/run a  company where could it go further in an innovative way that your customers would appreciate and support?

I was recently interviewed for a piece in Plenty Magazine, about the greening of gas station convenience stores. I'd thought they meant as in AM/PM infusing their product offerings with green options. Actually it turns out it's all about new stations that are green from the ground up. Impressive, inspiring, and I hope to see them succeed and for the trend to spread.

The article is here.

Image credit: Plenty Magazine

Ode magazine saved my life.

Well ok, pointed it in a new direction, more like.

Let me back up.

Four years ago I got West Nile virus. It nearly killed me. After a lengthy recovery period, I found myself in a restaurant with my wife, pondering what to do next. It was clear I was given a second chance, and I wanted to make the most of it. Always a strongly intuitive woman, I asked her what she saw as the next way to go with my life, my work.

She got a distant look in her eyes, then returned my gaze. "Sustainability. And Utne Magazine. And...", she paused, "The orange and green on the walls here."

The next day I found myself experiencing what I call Yellow Karmann Ghia Syndrome: The experience of suddenly seeing everywhere something that wasn't previously on your radar. At first it seems unusual, but it's just you deciding to notice what's all around you, all the time.

It was that way with sustainability. It seemed to show up in every facet of my life, overnight. Honestly, it had not been something I had a strong awareness of...or so I thought. It wasn't until my wife pointed out how often I relayed with great excitement stories from Ode Magazine, that they all had a common thread of sustainability in them.

Yesterday I gave an informal presentation to a group of solopreneurists on social media and online marketing. Twitter, of course, came up.

And I realized just how much it's became a normal part of my life, work and otherwise. And how much it is not, for many others. They kept getting stuck on the question/concern of how much time it would take a day to make use of it, like it was another something to put in a 30 minute box of time, time they didn't think they had, and it wasn't billable.

I could tell this would take much more time than I had to make clear to them the reality of, and what it feels like to use Twitter.

So why Twitter? There are many reasons for many people, but let me tell you about one that happened just last night, that pertains to the green space. A budding green entrepreneur contacted us at Ecopreneurist, one of the green business blogs I write for. They were feeling conflicted that their product, designed green from the floor up, would likely need to be manufactured in China. Would they get grief from consumers for doing that, was it even worth doing? This is definitely not a black & white issue, and the first thought that came to mind is ask on Twitter.

If you're not familiar with Twitter, you have 140 characters to say something, and people can "follow," or subscribe to what you say on there. Here's a great 2 minute primer on what it's all about. At the time of this writing, I have 682 people following me. And many of them are either in the green business realm or make green lifestyle choices.

So I asked, "If you had an otherwise all green product, but could only have them made in China, would you? Or would you be concerned abt criticism?"

Within a few minutes an active conversation had started, 4 responses kicking it off, all very different and thought provoking.

OliverRanch put it succinctly when she said : "If you can stand behind the green, you can overcome the China."

HollyFowler probed deeper, asking:  "Depends on how far the product needs to travel to customer. Is the supply chain for the product all 'green' as well?"

Covering the more business facing sector as well, tomkimmerer said: "There are good manufacturers in China, e.g. Lenovo. Third party certification would establish B2B and B2C trust."

NikkiJade put her foot down in a way that I imagine confirms to an extent that entrepreneur's fears when she said, "No-shipping alone diminishes huge from it's otherwise eco-friendly nature. & there are too many human rights issues with China"

And on it went, with me responding and the conversation taking interesting, unexpected turns. Had this been a client of mine, all of it would prove quite insightful. And this happens all the time. With a good group of followers, you have a built in brain trust, ready to help you puzzle through what you're working on, or quickly get the pulse on things.

So why do you use Twitter? How have you found it helpful? What's your take on the China/green question?

I've used Twitter enough and observed successful uses of it by individuals and companies enough to be able to help companies successfully wade into the waters of Twitter. And I'd be glad to do it for yours.

Yes, at the core of it, it's 140 characters to answer the question "What are you doing?" But it's much richer than that, and with the right tools and foundation of knowledge to start, it can be so many things: A source of publicity, a place to learn about newly developing trends, a chance to interact directly with customers, and for them to get a more 360 degree view of you/your company. All of which can only benefit your bottom line and make the path between you and customers shorter and more fruitful for all involved.

The kid in me likes to think of it as a web enabled Magic 8 Ball. The grown up in me thinks it's a great way to develop robust relationships, 140 characters at a time.

Greetings, and welcome to the first entry of the GreenSmith blog. You have Chris Brogan and Max Gladwell to blame  for this.

Well not entirely.                

I've been wearing the green business blogger hat for the past few years as a weekly contributor to Triple Pundit and Ecopreneurist, in addition to being a green/sustainable business consultant here at GreenSmith. And having a grand time at it. So why start my own? Why now? Great question, and it's one I'm going to answer for myself as I write here.

I'd have to say it's because I see things. No not ghosts and goblins (though those were quite prevalent a few days ago, to be sure!) No, I have a set of eyes and brain that sees things out there in the world, perhaps with a slightly different lens than most. I consider this an asset, as I find possibility and promise in what others may miss, a benefit to both myself and my clients.

And I want you to see it too.

But before I dive into the innovation that comes across my radar, what GreenSmith Consulting is up to, promising future scenarios that I'd like to see realized, and interesting people, I want to stop and ask:

What do you want to see me write about? What's not being covered out there these days that you'd like to see more of? What gems are underneath the muck, waiting to be discovered? Many of you reading this are probably somehow connected to me via Twitter, and you've watched what I've shared on there. What do you imagine me writing about? 

I have many ideas in the cooker ready to be written about, but I want to hear from you first. It's how I work as a consultant, listening carefully to my clients so I can best help them. Now I'm listening to you here. I can't promise I'll write about everything you suggest. But I do promise to listen to what you have to say, and to be grateful for all suggestions.

Some boundaries: I'm not interested in writing straight up environmental pieces. I'm interested in the intersection of commerce and consideration (of environment,  resources, and people). Solutions being created for supposedly intractable problems.  Exuberance over despair.

I'm not interested in polarizing people, or emphasizing what's wrong. I want to shine a light on what's being done to create a more positive, supportive, healthy, and yes profitable world for all. And I reserve the right to go completely off topic, should it have a useful insight or lesson for you and I.

So, what's it going to be? I look forward to your thoughts, below.

I Hate to Break it to You About Neoprene, But....

It's easy to say you haven't got something in your product. Encouraged even. Petroleum free is a popular one. And yet, what are the consequences of what's used in its place? GreenSmart faced this quandry, and came up with an interesting, evolving solution. Read on...

I have a confession to make: I like the smell of gas. And neoprene too. Yes, two things made from a substance that, as a sustainable business consultant, I should be by default expressing some cartoonish righteous indignation about their being petroleum based products.

And yet, there's something that hits my nostrils in such a pleasant way, I can't help it. But, at least when it comes to neoprene, I'd better.

You see, as I learned from the folks at GreenSmart (client) that neoprene, especially what's used to glue it to other things, is nasty business. Formaldehyde. Toluene. Phthalate. Chlorine. "Hang on, Toluene, what's that," you say? According to Wikipedia,  "It is an aromatic hydrocarbon that is widely used as an industrial feedstock and as a solvent. Like other solvents, toluene is also used as an inhalant drug for its intoxicating properties; however this causes severe neurological harm."

Ah, brain damaging glue. No thanks.

What about neoprene itself? Again, let's tune in to Wikipedia:

10 Ways to Support Charity Through Social Media

This guest post is a collaboration between Mashable's Summer of Social Good charitable fundraiser and Max Gladwell's "10 Ways" series. The post is being simultaneously published across more than 100 blogs. Social media is about connecting people and providing the tools necessary to have a conversation. That global conversation is an extremely powerful platform for spreading information and awareness about social causes and issues. That's one of the reasons charities can benefit so greatly from being active on social media channels. But you can also do a lot to help your favorite charity or causes you are passionate about through social media.

Below is a list of 10 ways you can use social media to show your support for issues that are important to you. If you can think of any other ways to help charities via social web tools, please add them in the comments. If you'd like to retweet this post or take the conversation to Twitter or FriendFeed, please use the hashtag #10Ways.

1. Write a Blog Post

Blogging is one of the easiest ways you can help a charity or cause you feel passionate about. Almost everyone has an outlet for blogging these days -- whether that means a site running WordPress, an account at LiveJournal, or a blog on MySpace or Facebook. By writing about issues you're passionate about, you're helping to spread awareness among your social circle. Because your friends or readers already trust you, what you say is influential.

Recently, a group of green bloggers banded together to raise individual $1 donations from their readers. The beneficiaries included Sustainable Harvest, Kiva, Healthy Child, Healthy World, Environmental Working Group, and Water for People. The blog-driven campaign included voting to determine how the funds would be distributed between the charities. You can read about the results here. You should also consider taking part in Blog Action Day, a once a year event in which thousands of blogs pledge to write at least one post about a specific social cause (last year it was fighting poverty). Blog Action Day will be on October 15 this year.

2. Share Stories with Friends

Another way to spread awareness among your social graph is to share links to blog posts and news articles via sites like Twitter, Facebook, Delicious, Digg, and even through email. Your network of friends is likely interested in what you have to say, so you have influence wherever you've gathered a social network. You'll be doing charities you support a great service when you share links to their campaigns, or to articles about causes you care about.

Return of the GreenSmith

It's time. Time for me to return. Return to my GreenSmith roots and to writing on this blog.

Since April it's been a wild ride, filled with new hats as Social Media Strategist at 3rdWhale Mobile, becoming a ghost writer for a major green company, getting the world knowing more about the toxic soup that is Neoprene (and what to do about it), and that energy efficiency can be funny. This, along with my existing gigs as a writer for Triple Pundit and Ecopreneurist.

Plus a side of social media rich Inbound Marketing Summit, organized chaos at Green Business Camp, and high level corporate green at Sustainable Brands.

All great and nourishing, but something was missing. This. I knew it was time to write in my own voice, for my own audience, once again. But coming back, my voice has changed. My knowledge broadened and deepened. My network enriched.

So what will I focus here on the newly revived GreenSmith blog?

10 Ways to Change the World Through Social Media

We are honored to have our friend and fellow traveler of the intersection of social media and green, Max Gladwell grace our blog with a host of innovative ways for each of us, as individuals and collectively to make an impact. Citizen journalism, open government, status updates, community building, information sharing, crowdsourcing, and the election of a President are in the mix here. 

Our children will inherit a world profoundly changed by the combination of technology and humanity that is social media. They'll take for granted that their voices can be heard and that a social movement can be launched from their laptop. They'll take for granted that they are connected and interconnected with hundreds of millions of people at any given moment. And they'll take for granted that a black man is or was President of the United States.

What's most profound is that these represent parts of a greater whole. They represent a shift in power from centralized institutions and organizations to the People they represent. It is the evolution of democracy by way of technology, and we are all better for it. For most of us, social media has changed our lives in some meaningful way. Collectively it is changing the world for good.

Given the pace of innovation and adoption, change has become a constant. Every so often we find the need to stop and reflect on its most recent and noteworthy developments, hence the following list. Please note this is not a top-10 list, nor are these listed in any particular order. It's also incomplete. So we ask that you add to this conversation in the comments. If you'd like to Retweet this post or take the conversation to Twitter or FriendFeed, please use the hashtag #10Ways.

Conserve One of the Most Precious Resources - Trust

April Fool's Day, for those that don't know, is a chance for you to play practical jokes on people. While the pranks can be quite amusing, one that I did got me thinking...

On April 1st my editor at Triple Pundit invited us to do April Fool's Day posts, the more absurd the better. I was reading the book Revolution in a Bottle by Terracycle CEO Tom Szaky at the time, to be reviewed the next week. Having soaked in all things Terracycle for the past week, I was full of facets of Terracycle to poke fun at.

So I wrote a piece, pleased at how over the top it was, how people would laugh and have a good time with it. This, along with GM becoming a bike company, American Airlines going into the zeppelin flight business, complete with bungee jumping. You get the idea.

Then something happened.

Energy Circle Shows How to Effectively Integrate Social Media Into Your Business

I tend to consult with companies I like. As in I'd do business with them as a customer. Recommend them to friends. Respect what they represent. It's why when I recently worked with Ode Magazine, more then 50% of the blogs I contacted chose to write about them, with great enthusiasm, two even inviting me to write my own content on their sites. My genuine affinity with the businesses I choose to consult with generates better quality results.

Energy Circle, my most recent client, is a home energy efficiency focused business who knows well how to effectively use social media. They are a business I want you to get to know better. Not because they're my client, but because more than likely, they have several ways they can directly benefit you and those in your life, and in doing so, make a collective impact that is substantial. Their business model and how they execute may also be a source of inspiration for your own business.

Energy Circle is an ally to those seeking to make their home more energy efficient, and professionals helping people do it.  During a time of constrained budgets, from personal to institutional,  with a president actively in support of green collar jobs, particularly in terms of home energy efficiency, Energy Circle is a a case of right timing, with a compelling offer.

Solar and other renewables get a lot of press, but the smartest way to green your home is by starting with energy efficiency. Energy Circle is an excellent, assured, friendly resource for anybody to do it. Whereas Google's Powermeter and other technology is still in the works, they've got many "right now" solutions available, including this quick, ongoing, useful article demystifying how and who to go with for home energy audits.  In a nod to the wisdom of their audience, they encourage them to continue filling in the blanks. And it's working.

How to Amplify Microfinance Effectiveness: Don't Pay People Back!

This week Twitter has been abuzz about the interactive, technology, social media focused component of the South By Southwest conference, or as it's tagged on Twitter, #sxsw. Mark Lovett of Global Patriot was particularly excited about a microfinance organization called OptINnow. Though I thought the name sounded more like a mailing list company, I was intrigued when Lovett said they took donations via cell phone. I'm glad I looked. Read on as we learn about an organization that on the one hand is the new kid on the block, and on the other, has been around for 37 years.

Sometimes being in the business that I am, I presume things to be common knowledge that I'm reminded are not, microfinance being one of them. For those not familiar with it, it's the facilitated process of making small loans, typically to people in developing countries, in order to help them create and grow their businesses, thereby better supporting themselves and their family.

OptINnow does it a differently then I've seen before, for example Kiva, where your loan a one time thing, benefiting one person/business. As in you lend money to a specific person, they repay it, and it gets repaid to you. End of story. You can of course choose to fund others, but the cycle ends should you choose not to lend any more money.

With OptINnow, the money gets repaid to the local partner bank, plus interest, then gets loaned back out to additional entrepreneurs. Hang on, it doesn't go back to you, the original lender? And they charge interest? That might be a hard sell for those used to the typical microfinance model made popular of late.

Feedly: What Makes it the Best RSS Reader In Existence Today?

Today I want to tell you about an amazing find I came across last week, helping greatly accelerate my ability to take in, make use of, and share information, while decreasing my stress about doing so.

Every day I look forward to reading my RSS feeds. Now, lest you think I'm an obsessive information freak, I was much like you: overwhelmed, mostly ignoring the thousands of unread articles, my feeds having become little more than another inbox to check. (Don't know what feeds are? Watch this quick video.)

Flock, the would be all in one social media friendly browser, remedied this to an extent, with its front page that includes a sampling of three each of the most recent articles from your feeds, good to graze on.

But I eventually became immune to it, it too becoming another speedbump to my other, "more important" tasks. But really, as a sustainable business consultant, what's more important than keeping abreast of what's going on in your field, and the many things it touches?

So I was really pleased to learn about Feedly. Why? It takes your feed content, you tell it which is your favorite most frequently read, and it lays it out beautifully (see popup pic, right), almost feeling like a highly polished blog or magazine itself, making manageable and attractive what could easily be a big info dump, as other RSS readers often treat it.

But Feedly is not just a pretty face on the same old same old.

It takes that information, and integrates several tools to do something with it, allowing you to take action directly from the article you're currently reading. For someone like me who's active on Twitter, I can quickly share an interesting find. I could email it to a colleague. I could share it with others who use Google Reader. My Facebook network or Friendfeed subscribers could quickly know about it. I could bookmark it in Delicious, having it handy for when it's useful for my clients. If I just want the link, Feedly is happy to oblige that too.

Now what if something looks interesting, but you don't have time now to read?  Click a little + button next to the article title, and it gets saved for later. Nothing special, right? This is where the genius touches happen:

Why is There a Disconnect Between Green Products and The Latino/Hispanic Market?

I love Twitter. Why? Because of conversations like the one I had today. Laura Gomez, aka @lauraisgo, a self described, "latina geek who likes: the planet, food, films, languages, writing, fútbol, web 2.0, travel, riojas and music.....and has a crush on Hugh Laurie" reached out to me about a subject I can honestly say hadn't crossed my mind yet: Why haven't more green cleaning product companies reached out to the Latino market?

She said that in many places, it's they who are doing the cleaning, carwashing, and other blue collar service jobs. Is it a matter of companies presuming that their main market is white LOHAS people who shop at Whole Foods? Perhaps.

But in continuing the conversation, Gomez shared with me an interesting observation: Many Latinos, even well educated ones, don't see the relevance to their lives. She herself practices many green behaviors, and to some of her friends, it seems a bit extreme. I asked, putting it bluntly, do they see it as something white people do (and not them)? Yes.

So how do we shift it to something that people, no matter their background, do?

Can Greener Gadgets Really Make a Difference?

I sift through a lot of information, opinions, and ideas in the course of my work. Last week two of them dovetailed in an interesting way: One was talking about excess consumption, how it's not about making greener gadgets, it's about making less things to begin with. The old saw of less is more, cut back on your life, it's the only way to save the planet. They even mentioned, as though it was clearly a symptom of things gone wrong, that there's a Greener Gadgets conference coming up.

 I don't think it's about wagging your finger and telling people to change your behavior. It's like expecting a smoker to quit by telling them it's a bad thing. It's about giving consumers a way to look smart, be conscientious, and still meet their needs in an affordable way.

And at the same time, there is value in continuing to educate people on the impacts of consumption, while giving them options to do it differently, allowing for a natural, more durable movement in a more sustainable direction.

So it was ironic that a few days later, I learned about such an option came from the design competition sponsored by the above mentioned baddies the Greener Gadgets conference.

The Recompute is a cardboard housed PC that in a nod to the always evolving nature of personal technology has 8 USB ports, allowing for complete customization and upgrading without needing to get a whole new computer.

In choosing cardboard rather than the energy intensive ABS plastic, giving you the ability to migrate whatever you want from your current computer into it,  and making it capable of being disassembled entirely by hand at the end of its lifecycle, Recompute truly is a "greener gadget."

While no product can claim to be impact free, smartly minimizing it in a way that consumers will positively respond to, green product or not, is a wise move all around.

Readers: What other products, existing or prototype, do you see that are truly greener gadgets, capable of making a positive impact? What's your take on consumerism, electronics, and the greening of them? I look forward to your comments, below.

Using Social Media to Reach and Build Beyond Your Traditional Customer Base

For those unfamiliar with how social media works, it can be unclear if and how it would apply to your business. Today I'll show you how it can, in an unexpected industry.

Yesterday I had an interesting realization while talking to a potential client, a winery that was built sustainable from the ground up, creates top wines, and is now readying to launch a tasting room with innovative green building techniques embedded. Before the call, they wrote the dreaded words, "I don't think we'll be able to do anything this quarter.  Our budget is way too tight and we'll have to focus energy on more traditional media."

I of course thought otherwise, but it wasn't until our call that the true motivation behind their shift in thinking arose: They did the numbers, and despite all their new school green cred and lack of history to tether them to tradition, their main customers were empty nesters in their 50s.

They said that was likewise confirmed at other wineries they spoke to. Their thinking was that people of that age didn't use the internet as actively as younger generations, and weren't avid readers of blogs or users of social media. So the logical step in their mind was to focus on traditional media outlets and PR avenues, reaching them in the ways they always had.

And then it happened:

I was listening to him, and then I looked over at Twhirl, the client I use for Twitter. On it were not 20 something hipsters, but the C level head of two venture capital companies, an author, and a 20+ year veteran of BusinessWeek, all at or near that age. It was clear to me, and I made it clear to him: Twitter, unlike other flavor of the month social media portals, is used by a broad range of people, and getting broader. People from all over the spectrum are using it to learn about, engage with, and share to others what they find out, are experiencing, and are excited about.

This got his ears.

But what really drew his attention was when I relayed how my own Twitter account has gotten a self perpetuating momentum, with 8 to 20 new followers a day - Really interesting, talented and influential people and businesses, with no effort on my part. He said, "I'd like to have 8 to 20 new people listening to us a day. We get that much in a month." He was beginning to understand.

He also felt that people younger than that bracket, the perceived heavy users of blogs, social media, and other web 2.0 services were impossible to nail down, and prone to straying from brand to shiny new brand. He used himself as an example, saying wines he'd been fanatical about 2 years ago were completely off the radar. Definitely an accurate assessment, under some circumstances. We in our 20s and 30s are much less prone to anchor ourselves to one product, one service, one way of doing things.

But I'd like to propose another scenario: Given a path to get to know who's behind the product they buy, be able to interact with them, know why they do what they do, how they're like you, and how much they are truly committed to creating both a green and quality wine, I see fertile territory for strong brand identification, and deep loyalty.

Yes you have to work harder to gain our loyalty, but once enthusiasts, our ability as brand evangelists is much greater then those that do not utilize social networks, blogging, and microblogging. Whereas their message is spread in person, one to one, at home or events,  the social media user can do that, both in person and online, and also quickly get the ear of thousands. And in the case of Twitter, each of those people likewise has their set of followers who receive, talk about, and "retweet," or pass on their broadcasts to their followers.

So do I think they should continue focusing on the current core customer group?

Absolutely. And they have the capability to build on and broaden that foundation, becoming an even more profitable and sustainable (in the economic sense) brand, with the smart use of blogs, Twitter, and things like the free, SEO enhancing, completely customizable Facebook "fan pages" which allow you to do what you cannot elsewhere on there: Have an account that's more then for an individual. The video on this article makes a compelling case for the value of these online outposts, and shows you how to start.

Are you on there yet?

There's a lesson here for companies of any kind: Don't let the historical trends of your industry dictate or shape what you do in the future. Particularly in challenging times. Just because a certain group of people have been the cash cow and another group appears to not be worth your while, does not mean that will always be the case. In some cases, most I'd wager to say, it just means they have not been reached out to where they are, in a way that is credible, and speaks to what they value and seek in what they consume.

What customers are you missing out on?

Readers: So what's your thoughts? Am I on target, or off my rocker? How do you reach older, sophisticated users of the internet? How do you see creating brand loyalty in younger generations?  Is it even possible, beyond Apple?

How to Address Deforestation, Sustainably, at a Profit

Today I want to share with you a creative solution to something many complain about, but frequently don't offer a solution: Deforestation.

So often these days you hear statistics of how rapidly deforestation is happening, wringing of hands over people's shortsightedness, cutting them down so that they can raise cattle, soy, or some other cash crop. But something's being forgotten here: the people.

Like smokers who know it's damaging, but in their lives, don't see another option, these people often don't have another viable way to make a living, and feed their families. Without something as profitable, what reason do they have to take a long term view of things? They're not stupid, they know they're damaging their environment, but to them, what other choice do they have?

Planting Empowerment is fast growing another option for them, starting in Panama:  They partner with people in the area, making deals with them to replant the area with native tree species, plus other plants that would make up a forest,  like there was before. In the case of the indiginous community of Arimae, for every hectare of land they replant, another 5 will be preserved. This agreement is a first between an indigenous community and a private forestry business.

Then what?

Alltop: One Place to Find, Promote and Get Inspiration for Your Business and Blog

How do you find information on blogs? How do you get your company's blog more known? Where do you find inspiration for what you write on that blog? There are many paths to each of these, but one covers all three areas: Alltop.

What's different about it? To start, rather then an arcane algorithm generating the search results, it's a person sifting through submitted sites, choosing the best of what comes their way.

Then, rather than just have a single place where everything jostles for attention, they break things down by category, intuitively, simply. This blog, for instance, is on the green page. There's an excellent social entrepreneurship page, where today I found a great article on web 2.0 trends for businesses to watch for in 2009. Every day I seem to see more new categories being added, the most recent I recall being on cheese. Yes, cheese.

Where Are Companies Missing Out on Greening Opportunities?

There was much talk at the LA Auto Show about green cars, every maker seeming to clamor for some measure of green cred in their lineup. And yet, something was being missed here, and it was right under their feet and in front of their eyes.

Whether it was the blinding white flooring favored by many of the companies, the concert sized screens, lights, and sound systems, there was a disconnect between the message and the execution.

But I spotted two interesting exceptions:

These LED lights served as the illumination for the displays lining the Smart car area. It's hard to see from this picture, but it had lights of several different colors on, collectively creating a warm, friendly glow to the space. Along with being energy efficient, the ability to use different lights for different moods saved, I imagine, having different rigs for different shows, or set up time to switch out lights.

If you walked up to this large, futuristic Toyota car display platform, done up in metal mesh and wood trim, you may have overlooked this sign:

This, to me, shows that Toyota has a deeper commitment to doing green right then others. After all, many people wouldn't even think to ask about or question what the companies used in their displays. But in doing this, they lead the way, and introduce this area of awareness to people, perhaps sparking other companies to do the same in future shows, or for the individuals seeing this to realize that being green touches many areas far beyond the obvious.

Readers: Where do you see companies doing green measures in areas not previously considered? Where would you like them to do that? If you own/run a  company where could it go further in an innovative way that your customers would appreciate and support?

Green Minimarts? Believe It.

I was recently interviewed for a piece in Plenty Magazine, about the greening of gas station convenience stores. I'd thought they meant as in AM/PM infusing their product offerings with green options. Actually it turns out it's all about new stations that are green from the ground up. Impressive, inspiring, and I hope to see them succeed and for the trend to spread.

The article is here.

Image credit: Plenty Magazine

An Ode to Ode Magazine

Ode magazine saved my life.

Well ok, pointed it in a new direction, more like.

Let me back up.

Four years ago I got West Nile virus. It nearly killed me. After a lengthy recovery period, I found myself in a restaurant with my wife, pondering what to do next. It was clear I was given a second chance, and I wanted to make the most of it. Always a strongly intuitive woman, I asked her what she saw as the next way to go with my life, my work.

She got a distant look in her eyes, then returned my gaze. "Sustainability. And Utne Magazine. And...", she paused, "The orange and green on the walls here."

The next day I found myself experiencing what I call Yellow Karmann Ghia Syndrome: The experience of suddenly seeing everywhere something that wasn't previously on your radar. At first it seems unusual, but it's just you deciding to notice what's all around you, all the time.

It was that way with sustainability. It seemed to show up in every facet of my life, overnight. Honestly, it had not been something I had a strong awareness of...or so I thought. It wasn't until my wife pointed out how often I relayed with great excitement stories from Ode Magazine, that they all had a common thread of sustainability in them.

Why Twitter?

Yesterday I gave an informal presentation to a group of solopreneurists on social media and online marketing. Twitter, of course, came up.

And I realized just how much it's became a normal part of my life, work and otherwise. And how much it is not, for many others. They kept getting stuck on the question/concern of how much time it would take a day to make use of it, like it was another something to put in a 30 minute box of time, time they didn't think they had, and it wasn't billable.

I could tell this would take much more time than I had to make clear to them the reality of, and what it feels like to use Twitter.

So why Twitter? There are many reasons for many people, but let me tell you about one that happened just last night, that pertains to the green space. A budding green entrepreneur contacted us at Ecopreneurist, one of the green business blogs I write for. They were feeling conflicted that their product, designed green from the floor up, would likely need to be manufactured in China. Would they get grief from consumers for doing that, was it even worth doing? This is definitely not a black & white issue, and the first thought that came to mind is ask on Twitter.

If you're not familiar with Twitter, you have 140 characters to say something, and people can "follow," or subscribe to what you say on there. Here's a great 2 minute primer on what it's all about. At the time of this writing, I have 682 people following me. And many of them are either in the green business realm or make green lifestyle choices.

So I asked, "If you had an otherwise all green product, but could only have them made in China, would you? Or would you be concerned abt criticism?"

Within a few minutes an active conversation had started, 4 responses kicking it off, all very different and thought provoking.

OliverRanch put it succinctly when she said : "If you can stand behind the green, you can overcome the China."

HollyFowler probed deeper, asking:  "Depends on how far the product needs to travel to customer. Is the supply chain for the product all 'green' as well?"

Covering the more business facing sector as well, tomkimmerer said: "There are good manufacturers in China, e.g. Lenovo. Third party certification would establish B2B and B2C trust."

NikkiJade put her foot down in a way that I imagine confirms to an extent that entrepreneur's fears when she said, "No-shipping alone diminishes huge from it's otherwise eco-friendly nature. & there are too many human rights issues with China"

And on it went, with me responding and the conversation taking interesting, unexpected turns. Had this been a client of mine, all of it would prove quite insightful. And this happens all the time. With a good group of followers, you have a built in brain trust, ready to help you puzzle through what you're working on, or quickly get the pulse on things.

So why do you use Twitter? How have you found it helpful? What's your take on the China/green question?

I've used Twitter enough and observed successful uses of it by individuals and companies enough to be able to help companies successfully wade into the waters of Twitter. And I'd be glad to do it for yours.

Yes, at the core of it, it's 140 characters to answer the question "What are you doing?" But it's much richer than that, and with the right tools and foundation of knowledge to start, it can be so many things: A source of publicity, a place to learn about newly developing trends, a chance to interact directly with customers, and for them to get a more 360 degree view of you/your company. All of which can only benefit your bottom line and make the path between you and customers shorter and more fruitful for all involved.

The kid in me likes to think of it as a web enabled Magic 8 Ball. The grown up in me thinks it's a great way to develop robust relationships, 140 characters at a time.

Enter The GreenSmith...

Greetings, and welcome to the first entry of the GreenSmith blog. You have Chris Brogan and Max Gladwell to blame  for this.

Well not entirely.                

I've been wearing the green business blogger hat for the past few years as a weekly contributor to Triple Pundit and Ecopreneurist, in addition to being a green/sustainable business consultant here at GreenSmith. And having a grand time at it. So why start my own? Why now? Great question, and it's one I'm going to answer for myself as I write here.

I'd have to say it's because I see things. No not ghosts and goblins (though those were quite prevalent a few days ago, to be sure!) No, I have a set of eyes and brain that sees things out there in the world, perhaps with a slightly different lens than most. I consider this an asset, as I find possibility and promise in what others may miss, a benefit to both myself and my clients.

And I want you to see it too.

But before I dive into the innovation that comes across my radar, what GreenSmith Consulting is up to, promising future scenarios that I'd like to see realized, and interesting people, I want to stop and ask:

What do you want to see me write about? What's not being covered out there these days that you'd like to see more of? What gems are underneath the muck, waiting to be discovered? Many of you reading this are probably somehow connected to me via Twitter, and you've watched what I've shared on there. What do you imagine me writing about? 

I have many ideas in the cooker ready to be written about, but I want to hear from you first. It's how I work as a consultant, listening carefully to my clients so I can best help them. Now I'm listening to you here. I can't promise I'll write about everything you suggest. But I do promise to listen to what you have to say, and to be grateful for all suggestions.

Some boundaries: I'm not interested in writing straight up environmental pieces. I'm interested in the intersection of commerce and consideration (of environment,  resources, and people). Solutions being created for supposedly intractable problems.  Exuberance over despair.

I'm not interested in polarizing people, or emphasizing what's wrong. I want to shine a light on what's being done to create a more positive, supportive, healthy, and yes profitable world for all. And I reserve the right to go completely off topic, should it have a useful insight or lesson for you and I.

So, what's it going to be? I look forward to your thoughts, below.