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December 2015 - In This Issue:
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Upcoming Events
December 20 . 10am-3pm
Local is for Lovers Small Business Market
@ Arts at the Armory
January 16 . 7:30am-7:30pm
NOFA Winter Conference
@ Worcester State University
March 8 . 8:30am-1:30pm
Local Specialty Crop & Local Food Trade Shows
@ Northeastern University
Registration Opening Soon
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Dear Members and Friends,
The staff and owners of The Longfellow Clubs were honored to receive the first Massachusetts Sustainable Business of the Year Award at the SBN Winter Gala. I hope that in the future this award becomes a powerful way to honor the good work of the most impactful sustainable businesses in Massachusetts and that this award raises the bar for what is expected for how businesses can contribute to our local and global community.
The Winter Gala was a wonderful experience and it was very meaningful to be with the SBN community, especially during times that are so personally and politically challenging. Our thanks to all of our sponsors, auction contributors, and party-goers for helping raise important funds for the work that SBN does to grow a sustainable economy.
As 2015 comes to a close and a New Year is on the horizon, it is a time for reflection and planning. We encourage you to see if you can find ways to increase our engagement with SBN programs and make an effort to introduce SBN to entrepreneurs and business leaders who might be interested in creating an economy that is local, green, and fair. SBN is beginning a major membership drive in 2016 because the larger our membership the more impact we have on important issues of our time. By working together we can all do more good work and have a larger positive impact.
Sustainably yours,
Laury Hammel
Executive Director
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SBN Celebrates at the 14th Annual Winter Gala!
On Thursday, December 10, over 100 SBN friends and members joined us for a true celebration of all things local at Arts at the Armory in Somerville. The crowd caught up with friends, enjoyed the lively sounds of 2Birds Band, bid on auction items from local businesses and enjoyed delicious local food and drink. Nicola Williams, President of the Williams Agency, shared opening remarks before SBN presented the inaugural Sustainable Business of the Year award to the Longfellow Clubs. Presenters of the award included Glynn Lloyd of the Boston Impact Initiative, Jonathan Rosenthal of Just Works Consulting, Mike Anderson of ThinkLite and Susan Labandabar - SBN board president and owner of TechNetworks.
Thank you to everyone that attended and our sponsors! Sponsors included: The Longfellow Clubs, Basil Tree Catering, Good Egg Marketing, Reinventure Capital, Boston Organics, City Feed and Supply, The Delta Group, Gentle Giant, Neighborhood Health Plan, Pencil One Photography, Red Sun Press, Save that Stuff and The Williams Agency.
View more photos here!
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The Longfellow Clubs Receive Inaugural
Sustainable Business of the Year Award!
For the first time, SBN presented an award that honors one or more Massachusetts businesses that has made extraordinary contributions to our community and to our local economy. This allows SBN to recognize and publicize the good works of sustainable Massachusetts businesses.
The first winner of this award is The Longfellow Clubs, located in Wayland, Sudbury, Natick, and Franklin, MA and Salt Lake City, Utah. Laury Hammel, his partner Myke Farricker, and The Longfellow Clubs have been leaders in sustainability since its inception 43 years ago. Below is a list of some of the major actions they have taken in the community and in their companies during nearly 50 years of doing business:
SBN was founded by Longfellow president, Laury Hammel, on September 29, at the Longfellow Sports Club in Natick.
* SBN was founded by Longfellow President, Laury Hammel, on September 29, at the Longfellow Sports Club in Natick.
* Laury also co-founded and led two influential national organizations--Business for Social Responsibility (BSR) and the Business Alliance for Local Living Economies (BALLE).
* Longfellow was the first graduate of the Sustainable Business Leader Program (SBLP) an SBN green certification program.
* Longfellow is known as the `greenest health club' in the US and has incorporated several innovative green business practices.
Please join us in congratulating the Longfellow Clubs and look for more information about this exciting award to become available in 2016! |
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Save the Date for Local Specialty Crop &
Local Food Trade Shows!
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The Sustainable Business Network of Massachusetts (SBN) is offering our 5th Local Food Trade Shows. The 2016 Local Food Trade Shows are designed to facilitate connections and stimulate business relationships between producers and wholesale buyers of local food, with a focus on specialty crop food products in Massachusetts.
This event is ideal for restaurants and institutional buyers interested in trading with local food suppliers and who desire to buy more locally produced products from growers, fishermen, and value added producers from Massachusetts and New England.
*REGISTRATION OPENS DECEMBER 22*
Local Specialty Crop Trade Show
Exhibitors will include New England based farmers, produce distributors and local specialty crop producers (products made with 50% or more specialty crops also qualify). Please view the USDA definition of specialty crops here. This Trade Show is sponsored by the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources. Exhibition booths are free for specialty crop farmers and other specialty crop producers.
Registration is free for Specialty Crop vendors.
The Specialty Crop Trade Show is made possible by a grant from the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources (MassGrown).
Local Food Trade Show
This trade show is open to all non-specialty crop food producers including meat and dairy farms, fisheries, baked goods and other added value producers. Exhibition booths are $100.00.
Due to the expansion of our program, we are offer two trade shows, taking place the same time and in the same location. Each trade show will feature different types of exhibitors.
Click HERE for a list of 2015 Trade Show Exhibitors and Attendees!
Who should attend?
Any wholesale buyers, who are interested in purchasing Massachusetts or New England-produced food items. These buyers can be supermarkets, co-ops, restaurants, hotels, institutions, schools, food processors in search of ingredients, distributors, or anyone else interested in local purchasing options.*This event is intended for commercial buyers, not individual consumers.* |
SBN Launches Membership Drive!
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From January 1 to March 31, SBN will be running a membership drive to grow our network of sustainably minded and driven local businesses.
Referral Credit:
Current members who refer a new member will receive a $100 SBN Program credit. This can be used for vendor fees for events like the Local Food Trade Shows or Boston Local Food Festival or for individual tickets to event including the Sustainability Leadership Summit, B2B Networking Events, Hyperlocal Craft Brewfest and others!
Benefits for New Members:
* Discounted Rates for SBN Events including:
- Vendor fees for the Boston Local Food Festival
- Vendor fees & Admission to the Local Food Trade Shows
- Admission to the Sustainability Leadership Summit
- B2B Networking Events & more!
* Visibility on the SBN Website, Social Media & Newsletters
* Connect with driven, like-minded entrepreneurs
* Discover best practices for sustainable business
* Access to Exclusive Members Only Events
* One Complimentary B2B
* Listing on the DoneGood App for socially responsible shopping
* & More!
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Welcome to the Newest Members of our Growing Network!
Monster Movers is an innovative moving company delivering local moving services in Massachusetts. You can count on their full-time, trained, uniformed and professional moving crews for your next move! They offer moving, packing and storage services both locally and long distance. Visit their website to learn more!
The
Vanguard Renewables Farm Powered Organics to Energy Lifecycle solves organic waste disposal challenges and supports the American Farmer. Their closed-loop Farm Powered anaerobic digestion process converts the energy potential in farm and food waste into electricity. They are the premier farm-based anaerobic digestion plant owner/operator in the United States committed to renewable energy production. Food waste producers get a safe, clean, and certifiable food waste solution. For the American farmer, Farm Powered anaerobic digestion eliminates greenhouse gas emissions and groundwater contamination from manure and provides low-cost energy, organic fertilizer, and free heat and hot water to the farm.
Renewing Members
Evergreen Consulting & Training
takes a vision and crafts a pathway to action by motivating, engaging and building skills in others. Evergreen has been successful in developing high performance teams, facilitating significant culture changes and increasing productivity. Contact Evergreen to get your company on a successful and sustainable path.
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NEHRA, the largest HR association in the Northeast, is the newest addition to the SBLP! NEHRA provides resources and information, professional development and creates opportunities to be a part of a networking community. Their enrollment in the program is sponsored by
Insource Services, an SBLP Graduate. NEHRA is looking forward to incorporating sustainability into their daily operations.
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CABA Witnesses Historic Climate Change Agreement
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 From CABA President, Quinton Zondervan:
The 21st Conference of the Parties concluded this weekend in Paris, producing the first-ever global climate change agreement. Through the agreement, all 196 countries in the world have confirmed their intention to keep temperature rise "well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels and to pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5 degrees Celsius." Residents of Cambridge, and the United States more broadly, may wonder what relevance such an agreement has to us, especially as it does not specify any measures that must be taken to reduce our contributions to climate change.
As president of the Climate Action Business Association, and through the sponsorship of the American Sustainable Business Council, I was able to attend the second week of the conference in Paris as an observer. As members of the civil society, and officially recognized as non-party stakeholders, we had direct access to negotiators, United Nations and U.S. officials and globally recognized climate activists. I got to see the process up close and personal, and while the agreement was reached through negotiations by government officials, it is ultimately all about us as residents of this planet. Read More of this Story
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Join Belmont-Watertown Local First as they celebrate their 4th anniversary at the Mount Auburn Club on January 14! This Fall, they produced their first coupon mailer that was delivered to 10,000 mailboxes in Belmont and Watertown. With many new independent local businesses opening, they are looking forward to a busy 5th year!
On Wednesday, January 20th, Cambridge Local First will be hosting a Plastic Bag Ban Q&A Session with City Officials. Discuss what to do to be compliant and learn about extensions and exemptions.
Waltham Celebrates Two Years!
Waltham Local First just celebrated its second birthday and published its second Member Directory! The organization currently has 125 members and is growing. Join them for Third Thursday Networking Breakfasts and Waltham Local Thirsts about 8 time a year!
Somerville Local First is finishing up their Local is for Lovers Market series on Sunday, December 20th (hint: perfect place to get those last made locally made gifts!). Keep an eye on their website as they finish up 2016 programming planning and they will be hiring a new Executive Director in the coming weeks!
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Mark Your Calendars for the 2016
Independent Business Survey!
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As you may know, the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, in partnership with the Advocates for Independent Business and dozens of Local First groups across the country, has been conducting an annual survey of independent business since 2008. The survey has several goals: to see how local businesses are faring, to gauge the impact of "buy local first" initiatives, and to learn more about the key challenges and policy issues facing local businesses.
Last year, over 3,000 locally owned businesses responded, yielding
invaluable data
for all of us to use, and lots of media coverage on our issues. (All of the past survey results can be found
here
.)
This year, the survey opens on January 6. Watch for our next newsletter which will provide links to take the survey!
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 Skip the wrapping paper, give the Earth a gift by upcycling other materials for unique, personalized packaging. Try these wrapping paper alternatives:
1. OUT-DATED MAPS
You know you've got these lying around--in your car, in that cabinet drawer that's only opened twice a year when you're looking for something--and why? Unless you have a deep suspicion that Russia will eventually revert back to the USSR, what are you hanging onto these for? Or for you city dwellers--urban development is pretty effective at making maps obsolete, right? If you find a map with a big empty space where the Americas should be, don't use it--it may be worth something.
2. PAPER BAGS
Remember the olden days when you used to take home those brown paper bags from the grocery store--you know, before you got your reusable canvas bags? I'm sure you've got a few of them still lying around, waiting to be put to some good, green use! Well, cut the sides and make a sheet out of them to wrap your gifts in. The brown a little too dull for gift-wrap? Break out the crayons and personalized the heck out of it--sure, you may not be able to draw a decent Santa Claus to save your life, but the who cares?
3. NEWSPAPER
Ahh, the classic 'funny-pages' gift-wrap. It's colorful, it's cute, it's practical. And just think, if the gift is a bit disappointing, Garfield will be on hand to brighten the spirit! You could even ask the newspaper printer for the "but ends" of the newsprint roll--the extra paper left-over from a printing cycling. Now that's green! Break out the crayons to jazz these up too.
Find more ideas here, courtesy of treehugger.com |
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Sustainable Business Network of Massachusetts
