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SAVE the DATE for GreenBriefs
Make the Most of Green Business and Product Certifications
Pack a "green bag" lunch and join us
Wednesday, November 2, at the Chamber
from 12:00-1:30 pm
Learn from Marin's Business Leaders and Sustainability Experts, Moderated by
Chris Yalonis of Venture Pad
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Steve, Downtown Streets Team
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Another Successful Chamber
Business Showcase @
Peacock Gap on Sept 22!
THANK YOU
Downtown Streets Team
and
Marin School of Environmental Leadership
for volunteering at our
Green Business Committee booth
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B SMART and B the Change! 
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SMART Phase I - 10 stations - 43 miles
S
anta Rosa
Airport Boulevard
Guerneville Road
Railroad Square
Rohnert Park
Rohnert Park Expressway
Cotati
East Cotati Avenue
Petaluma
Downtown
Novato
San Marin / Atherton
Hamilton
San Rafael
Marin Civic Center
Downtown
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The Train is A-Comin'! You've probably heard whistles blowing
during system-wide testing as Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit (SMART) gears up, full-steam ahead (or rather, via clean diesel), to begin service between San Rafael and Santa Rosa late spring/early summer 2017.
Proposed for completion by 2018, Phase II will include "rail with trail" service connecting a multi-use pathway system to the train, servicing a 70-mile corridor between Larkspur and Cloverdale.
"The vast majority of North Bay commuters on Highway 101 are going to jobs in Marin and Sonoma Counties, and the number of commuters to San Francisco is shrinking. The Metropolitan Transportation Commission projects 130,000 new jobs along the Highway 101 corridor in Marin and Sonoma between 2000 and 2025 - none of which will require a North Bay commuter to cross the Golden Gate Bridge."
http://main.sonomamarintrain.org/
The advantages of commuting by train far outweigh the disadvantages. In preparation for
SMART
, you can begin to make changes in your daily routine now. Make a plan - 1x a week, 3x a week, perhaps every day.
WHY?
(2) Efficient, Reliable, Convenient + Safe
(3) Cost + Tax Benefits
(4) Good for You!
What are your biggest obstacles and what are you looking forward to by taking the SMART train?
Tell Us What YOU Think
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REV Sustainability: Celebrating Marin County Businesses
Marin County has long been known as a vanguard of significant cultural movements characterized by iconic figures and institutions who have called Marin home - the Grateful Dead and Alan Watts, Marin Open Space/Golden Gate National Recreation Area (Huey D. Johnson et al), Marin Clean Energy (the 1
st CCA in the country), to name a few.
Today's key movement, many believe, can be summed up in the bucket of "Sustainability" - how do we protect and preserve our
way of life in Marin County while considering our natural environment, wildlife neighbors, social impact, and financial underpinning? Several Marin County organizations - iconic in their own way - gathered recently to explore this question: how can we further our organizations by saving money, preserving natural resources, and engaging our employees and key stakeholders in our core values?
The results were impressive to say the least! The organizations spanned Marin County's character -
San Rafael Airport
, Urban Brothers Construction, MMWD, Sausalito's Driver's Market, the
California Film Institute,
Marin Catholic, Marin Primary & Middle School and San Domenico School. These organizations invested time and money to participate in the
REV Sustainability Circle
- meeting during a 6-month period, learning and collaborating to create a 5-year Sustainability Action Plan.
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Above: reflected across $$$, kWh, H2O, and GHGs, this is the Average Projected Annual Savings for participants
Bob Herbst of San Rafael Airport and San Rafael Chamber Board
Chair summed up the Sustainability Circle experience:
"Our participation in the Marin County Sustainability Circle has provided us with clear and numerous insights into straightforward ways that we can green our business operations while simultaneously improving our bottom line. Participating in one of these circles is frankly a "no brainer" for any business. The average annual savings can easily run into the tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars, while significantly reducing your carbon footprint and improving the quality of your product or service. The expert knowledge, coaching, and systems of REV ensure you graduate from this program with a clear and actionable 5-year sustainability action plan for your business."
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Sustainable, Socially Responsible and Profitable Investing
Socially responsible, sustainable investing may allow you to further
both your own economic interests and a greater good, in whatever
way you define that term.
A key question for anyone interested in socially responsible investing
is whether to invest broadly
or concentrate on a specific issue or area.
A narrow focus could leave you overly exposed to the risks
of a single industry or company, while greater diversification could weaken the impact that you might like your money to have.
Even if you choose to focus on a single social issue, you may still
need to decide whether to invest in a specific company or companies, or
invest more broadly through an investment vehicle that holds
multiple stocks/bonds whose objective meets your chosen criteria.
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As concern about the environment has grown in recent years, investing in green technology has become a prominent element in many socially responsible investing efforts. This concept (also known as "clean technology" or "cleantech") includes renewable energy (or technologies that can improve the environmental footprint of existing energy sources), clean water, and clean air, as well as technologies that can help reduce overall consumption, particularly of non-biodegradable substances.
Such a broad scope can make it difficult to choose among the myriad investment opportunities, especially if you don't have expertise about a particular field or the time or energy to acquire it. Unless you're familiar with the science behind a specific company's product or service, you might benefit from casting a wider net, using investment options that hold multiple stocks/bonds.
Though diversification and asset allocation can't guarantee a profit or eliminate the possibility of loss, these techniques can help you manage the amount of risk you may face from a single source. Socially Responsible investing does not guarantee any amount of success.
J. Patrick Costello, CFP, CLU of Green River Financial Services, along with Stephanie S. Olson, Financial Manager of Morgan Stanley spoke on
August 25 at the Green Business Committee's GreenBrief.
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Learn More About the Green Business Committee
The Green Business Committee's purpose is to provide useful news and tips on green business practices and promote the Chambers' green businesses. Learn more at
SRChamber.com
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Monthly meetings - join us in the Chamber conference room, third Wednesdays from 9:30 -11:00 am. Contact Committee Chair
Jennifer Grenier Selvig
to be added to the Committee Email List or with any questions.
Sponsor an issue of
GreenUP!
You can reach more than 1,800 Chamber members and influential local business people for as low as $95 per ad.
We have a limited number of sponsorship slots, so reserve your space in
the next issue
here
.
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THIRD Weds of Every Month, 9:30 - 11:00 am
SR Chamber Board Room
RSVP @ 415-454-4163
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GreenBriefs: Make the Most of Green Business and Product Certifications
Weds, Nov 2 - Noon to 1:30 pm
@ the Chamber
704 Fourth Street, SR
2nd Tues of Every Month, 5:30-7:30 pm
Nov 8
Hip Green Investments
Yelena Danziger, BVC Fund
Dec13
Holiday Party with Organic Wine and Beer Tasting
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San Rafael Chamber's Women of Industry Luncheon and Marketplace 2016
Weds, Nov 15
Peacock Gap, 10:30 am - 2:30 pm
New Resource:
MCE - SmartCharge EV Pilot Program
In collaboration with eMotorWerks, the MCE SmartCharge program is an electric vehicle (EV) pilot program that adapts
the times when your car is charging in order to help relieve grid congestion and maximize renewable energy capacity in CA.
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