Close your systems, open your business practices, lower your footprint and above all...collaborate. These are just a few of the key insights we gained in our interview with Sustainability Wonder Woman Darcy Winslow last week.  Winslow, a 21-year executive with Nike, now spends 100 percent of her time advising companies and organizations on how to get green with her own company, DSW Collective, Designs For A Sustainable World.

Struggling to start the sustainability process? Fighting to even get the leadership in your organization to listen to your eco-minded arguments? She's been there, done that and facilitated a major shift in focus at one of the most famous corporations on the planet. Lucky for us, she'll be speaking at the GoGreen 09' Conference in October--but if you can't wait to hear her tried and true advice (we can't blame you!), we've got you covered. Below is a teaser of Darcy's incredibly effective steps for getting your company on the path to sustainability.

GG: What is your personal philosophy on sustainable business and how were you able to align two seemingly unrelated areas (athletic footwear and sustainability) under that common goal.

DW: That’s a big question.  My personal philosophy on sustainable is, if I can borrow a line from Nike, is that there is no finish line.  I’m not sure that there will ever be something that is completely sustainable, but I think there are different levels of sustainability and how organizations approach it.

The first effort should be around mitigating the negative aspects of a business. After that, starting to adapt to some of the shifts we’re starting to see in the world around us from resources—finite natural resources—and the impact we have on climate change. And then ultimately, to start to redesign business models that create much more resilient communities and organizations, and THEN we might start getting close to sustainable businesses.

In terms of how I reconciled the business I was running with sustainability, was starting from the grassroots and understanding what the long term impacts of our business were. At the time I got started, I was running our advanced research and development division, which is where we make the long term investments around technology, chemistry and design features, etc., and to understand what impact they have when they play out two to ten years down the road and were we asking the right questions. And when we looked at it through that lens it started to frame up our long term goals around sustainability.

GG: Why are sustainable practices and values so important in the business climate and why is there "no time to lose," so-to-speak?

DW: If you look at any business, and I’ll use the sporting goods industry as an example, and at their supply chain and the resources that they draw upon, natural resource ecosystems are in decline—such as water. The apparel industry, not just Nike’s apparel business, but the entire apparel industry is incredibly water dependent. It’s very water intensive and the amount of water we have is finite. When that water is diverted from what is required to support a community to products, well how do we reconcile that? How do we begin to make investments in apparel innovation that reduce the dependency on water?  Same in the footwear industry—it’s heavily petroleum dependent. How do we make investments that will ensure that we are not dependent on a finite resource and one that has a heavy footprint? So it’s really about redirecting your investments based on the inputs into your product. I think every company needs to sit down and really understand: Are they drawing on a finite set of resources, or are they creating products such that they can move into a closed loop system and keep it in neutral balance?

GG: What was the tipping point for you? What inspired you to mount a dramatic sustainability program at Nike?

DW: For me it was two-fold. One was on a personal level. In 1996, I read a book called Living Downstream. And it talks about chemicals that get into our water system, our air, our land, downstream from chemical plants. And it answered two questions for me. Why did I have six miscarriages? And what was the cause of my husband’s cancer? It was literally because of the use of chemicals, that at the time were deemed safe. Then they found out that they had really horrible, long term impacts on human health. So that, in combination with running Nike’s advanced R+D Division and asking longer term questions—what are the long term impacts?--it forced me to think differently and in longer terms.

From a business perspective, it was at that same time that I met Bill McDonough for the first time. He was the green architect who designed and built our European Headquarters. He came into Nike and sat down with ten of us from the footwear division, one of whom is now the CEO of Nike, and said—very politiely—do you know what’s in your product? And we said, “well yes, we do.” He and his partner, Michael Braungart, had run a gas chromatagraph analysis and showed us all the different chemicals that were in the shoes, that were introduced by suppliers, by the manufacturing process, etc. That, for me, sealed the deal. That was the tipping point for me and the reason why I got involved in sustainability and why I’m doing it 100 percent of my time with DSW Collective now.

GG: Selling new projects and ideas to corporate leadership can often be challenging. How did you win support  for a shift in focus toward sustainability at Nike? What were the key selling points?

DW: Well it happened slowly. It was also quite a learning process, in terms of the language and the approach you use to engage people and to build the business case. In the very early days, before many people understood what sustainability really meant, including ourselves—this was in the late 1990s—it really wasn’t in their lexicon. To enter into the conversation from more environmentalist or activist perspective, that just did not work in business. Talking about the toxicity of products or their negative impact on the environment was a very difficult way to engage, especially the senior leaders and those who were in charge of the financial aspects.

It wasn’t until we began to shift our language to business language and focus on the positive impacts it would have on our business, that we began to really engage them and get their support. It wasn’t their full commitment, that came over time, but when we started assigning dollar values to both the investment and the return, combined with the growing consumer interest at the that time—because again, back then it was different, we had lots of survey data and trend data from both the U.S. and Europe, and environmental aspects never even made the top 15. Today that’s completely different. We had to build a business case around something that we thought would be true at some point in time and then be persistent about the message—but always show the return on investment. And also show the potential negative aspect about brand reputation if you do not adopt more sustainable business practices.

GG: Can you tell us about a few of the specific changes that were made and goals that you set, which other companies could learn from?

DW: Every company has to set their own goals, based on what their business model, their product, their service is. There are some that are common, regardless of what it is that you produce. One of those is your carbon footprint. Everyone needs to assess their carbon footprint. For Nike, back in 1999, I set the footwear goals to be zero waste, zero toxics and 100 percent closed-loop systems—which are still in place today. The closed loop business system has actually taken precedent and has become one of the most important aspects of how they make decisions at Nike.

The waste aspect, I think any company can look at that as well. And that’s waste in the broadest terms. That’s where you can really find dollars to support some of the other investments that need to be made. The other thing that companies really need to look at, in terms of opportunities and credibility around the actions they’re taking, is transparency. That’s something that is very difficult for some companies to open the doors and share information about their company. [Information about ] the supply chain and supply chain partners, that’s crucial, especially for a company that creates a product. Upstream, downstream, there are impacts all along the way. If you adopt a goal of closed loop systems or zero waste, you have to engage [your supply chain].

Finally, going back to your question about the economic climate and the state of natural systems around the world, we have to achieve an unprecedented level of collaboration both within our own industries and across industries, if we are going to achieve rapid integration and acceleration of sustainability into our businesses.

For more information on Darcy Winslow and DSW Collective: Designs For A Sustainable World, please visit: http://dswcollective.com/indexSplash.html

Darcy Winslow is a featured speaker at the GoGreen ‘09 Conference in Portland, Oregon on Wednesday, October 7th. Join us for a day of sustainability inspiration and education! GoGreen ‘08 sold out, so get your tickets soon to get serious about greening your business. Visit http://www.gogreenpdx.com/registration to register.

Oregon Secretary of State Kate Brown has come a long way from the days when her friends used to tee-pee her lawn to get under her already eco-conscious skin. Now Brown is Chair of the Oregon Sustainability Board and oversees a multitude of projects, initiatives and policy-driven goals within that role.

For Brown, a lawyer turned legislator, it's surprisingly the first time she has been able to directly put her environmental expertise to work in her public service--but that hasn't stopped her from making waves, tackling big challenges and working tirelessly to spread the word about Oregon's leadership in sustainable enterprise to the world.

Before she keynotes at The GoGreen '09 Conference, Secretary Brown sat down with us to give you a sneak peek at what's going on in Oregon's sustainability-focused Capital.

GG: When did you develop an interest in environmental conservation and sustainability?

KB: [Laughs] You’re kidding right? Well I got my undergraduate degree in environmental conservation back in 1981. And I went to Lewis and Clark Law School and got my environmental certificate in 1985, so it’s been a life long interest. 

GG: Was it something that growing up, as a young woman, you were interested in?

KB: Yes. Totally. My girlfriends used to throw their trash out at my house and toilet paper the house because they knew it would drive me crazy! My parents thought it was really funny, believe me. But I wanted to be an environmental lawyer for many, many years—since I was a little girl. 

GG: Well you’re obviously very passionate about the issue. How has that passion manifested itself into your work with the State of Oregon?

KB: Well that’s a really interesting question, because this has actually been my first opportunity to work directly in environmental policy through two areas—one being that I chair the Sustainability Board. For whatever reason, it just didn’t happen during the 17 years I was in the state legislature. I became caucus leader fairly early during my tenure in the State Senate and ended up working, sort of conducting issues. For instance Brad Avakian was chair of the Environmental Committee or Charlie Ringo was chair of the Environmental Committee, so I didn’t really work those issues directly. This has been my first opportunity to work in policy, so I’m chairing the Sustainability Board. And for me, that job is to continue to fill former Secretary Bill Bradbury’s role or rather his very big shoes.

The first piece is that the Sustainability Board develops sustainability plans for 24 of the State agencies. So I would see next steps for them as performance evaluation—how are [agencies] complying with the sustainability plans and are these plans making a difference? And the other piece is that DAS (Department of Administrative Services)—which is kind of like the pie crust--has just sent out a draft for a policy on resource conservation and I think what you will see the State Sustainability Board do is assess how well State agencies are complying with this statewide manual on resource conservation.

GG: What’s been the greatest challenge for you, since coming into office, in pushing this front of sustainable business and an ecological focus for the Oregon economy? 

KB: I have to tell you—even on the Sustainability Board—we have no funding. So I have an 11-member board and we don’t have the resources—people are just doing this out the goodness of their hearts and their commitment to environmental policy for the State. 

GG: Can you describe some of the creative ways the Sustainability Board gets around having little funding? Because a lot of businesses are in the same situation these days… 

KB: Well, for example the Board traveled to Enterprise in June—and I wasn’t able to go—but they went to meet with a number of folks and toured the Zumwalt Prairie in Wallowa County and all the board members paid for that out of their own pocket. We’re basically on a shoe-string here. So we’re having to be very creative and folks are willing to donate their own personal time and resources to participate. It takes a lot of creativity and ingenuity on the part of the board members to implement projects.

GG: Are there any projects that you have a great desire to see accomplished in 2009? Any personal goals?

KB: There are a couple of things. One is, we have typically done an awards presentation in combination with the OEC (Oregon Environmental Council) Business Conference in December, and I’d really like to leverage that into and opportunity for businesses to—well let me give a really specific example: In the 2007 and 2008 years, one of our vineyards, Sokol-Blosser, got an award for their sustainability practices and I want to leverage that award process for encouraging sustainability cluster wide. I want to make sure that we are meeting our statewide sustainability goals and I want to make sure that we are implementing one of the bills we worked to pass for eco-system services while I was in the State Senate: Senate Bill 513. Those are my three goals for the year.

GG: It sounds like you have a lot on your plate—and on a “shoe-string” budget as you said—which is where a lot of business in Oregon seem to be at. What are some of the important action steps for Oregon businesses to take in order to take them to the next level of sustainability?

KB: I think for Oregon, we are developing both a national and international reputation for our sustainability practices and our green economy, and I think it would be leveraging with other businesses and collaborating with other businesses in your cluster area to make sure you’ve implemented best sustainability practices. So replicated best practices, and I think we’ve got to do better at marketing communications. So if we’ve got a business cluster where everyone has great sustainability practices—that’s great, but the next step is to ensure that there are good marketing practices in place so the general public knows how well we’re doing. Oregon Country Natural Beef is a really great model.

Let me also give an example from the public sector. In the late 1990s we passed legislation, Senate Bill 1149, which provided for a conservation fee on utility bills in the Pacific Power and PGE (Pacific Gas and Electric) service areas. Those dollars are going into what I would essentially call a trust fund—an energy trust—and I think there is about $100 million in there. I don’t there’s been a good enough job done of marketing that those resources are available for certain types of projects. So that business model works very well, but we have to do a better job of marketing and communicating—which is a tough challenge in today’s over-messaged world.

GG: Are there any recent success stories in terms of projects taking off that you’re really excited about?

KB: You know, I would talk about Senate Bill 513,but we’re meeting with Senator Devlin because it’s become sort of a three-way partnership with the Natural Resources Institute at Oregon State University and the Oregon Sustainability Board and now, the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board. What I see with Senate Bill 513 is the breaking down of agency silos and moving forward on environmental sustainability projects. What’s exciting, initially, about the proposal is that you have one state agency, one higher education institution and a state board all working together to implement this proposal. It’s a partnership of an odd conglomeration of folks. And I think folks are going to have to remember that politics makes strange bedfellows and they’re going to have to look at unusual partnerships.

GG: Do you see that happening in the private sector as well? 

KB: That I don’t know, but I think it needs to happen. 

GG: If we can pull this off—that is interweaving sustainable and economic goals into the foundations of our businesses—where do you see us going?

KB: I see Oregon as being a leader nationally and, hopefully, internationally in the green economy.

Oregon Secretary of State Kate Brown is a keynote speaker at the GoGreen ‘09 Conference in Portland, Oregon on Wednesday, October 7th. Join us for a day of sustainability inspiration and education! GoGreen ‘08 sold out, so get your tickets soon to get serious about greening your business. Visit http://www.gogreenpdx.com/registration to register.

If you would like to learn more about Secretary Brown, visit: http://www.sos.state.or.us/bbook/state/executive/secretary_of_state/secbio.htm

When Nik Blosser started Celilo Group Media in 1999, he could count—on one hand—the number of consulting firms with the same focus on promoting and developing sustainable businesses. Helping companies move up on the ecological spectrum has become a lot more popular since then (as have Celilo Group Media’s beloved Chinook Book and Eco Metro Guides), but the core principles Blosser started out with are still relevant.

Blosser is quick to point out that while greening your business may be a trend, it is certainly not a fad. He cites the fact that major players—such as Honda, Toyota, Nike and Patagonia—are driving this point home by reformulating their business model around sustainability as a core principle rather than merely selling a few “green” products to meet consumer demand.

With that kind of leadership blazing the trail, we can all hope the masses will follow. Read on to hear Blosser’s thoughts on how the market has shifted, where we’re headed and why green should definitely—pardon the cliché—be the new black in your entrepreneurial and political wardrobes.

GG: What, in your mind, defines a business as sustainable? How do they obtain this credential?

NB: There is not one universally accepted definition of what makes a sustainable business. For me, it's a business where superior environmental attributes of their products and/or processes are a core part of their business model. The "core part of the business model" is the key. Lots of businesses recycle or sell a "green" product here or there. But to be a sustainable business, this has to be fundamental to your business. Many businesses today are on a path to sustainability, but very few are what I would call "sustainable".

GG: So, why did you choose to focus on marketing/supporting such businesses?

NB: Well, I liked the combination of being entrepreneurial and saving the earth at the same time.

GG: How has the market changed in the past 5-10 years for businesses that are sustainable or moving towards it? Has that given them an edge in their marketing/branding?

NB: The major benefits of being green or sustainable have evolved. A year or two ago, the major benefit was probably its impact on attracting top talent to your company. More and more, specific green products such as organic food, green building products and renewable energy are big business with big business opportunities.

GG: Do you see a sustainable focus as crucial to brand survival in the future?

NB: In a marketing context of the word "brand" I would say almost certainly. However, the problem is that sustainability can be faked. Chevron, for example, is doing a pretty good job of it.

GG: Who are some leaders amongst major corporations on the sustainable front? What are they doing?

NB: I think you have to say Toyota and Honda in terms of their commitment -- before the market clearly demonstrated widespread demand -- to hybrid-electric vehicles. That faith in the "trend" of sustainability, before the market clearly demands it, is what separates the true leaders. Nike and the work they've done throughout their organization on sustainability is another real leader. Timberland, Patagonia are others.

GG: Will there be a point where sustainable is the norm? Or will it always be a niche segment for conscious consumers with the means to spend a little extra upfront to avoid environmental costs?

NB: I hope so. If not, our kids and grandkids will live in an increasingly toxic and unfriendly planet. But it will not get there only on consumer demand. There will have to be significant government regulation in key areas -- toxics and energy production being two of them. Consumer demand will get us part of the way there, but sustainable will not become the norm without stronger laws, simply put.

GG: Can we, as a population, afford to have sustainable businesses remain a niche segment of the economy?

NB: Well, we can "afford" it, at least in the short-term. Maybe even for a couple hundred years. The problem is that long-term, we leave a very different, and I think much diminished, planet to future generations.

GG: What can consumers/business owners do to enhance the role of sustainable businesses in the economy + force others to follow suit?

NB: Honestly, at this point I think the most important thing business owners can do is get involved politically with their business trade organizations, and for business owners and consumers to be more involved with groups like the Oregon League of Conservation Voters who are working politically to get laws passed that make our state and country more sustainable. Second would be for consumers to be much more vocal with businesses that are clearly less sustainable. When's the last time you saw a boycott or protest at a local Exxon gas station? Yet this company is doing as much as any company to slow effective climate protection policies at all levels, including here in Oregon.

For more information on Nik Blosser and Celilo Group Media, visit their website: http://www.celilo.net

Nik Blosser will also be presenting at the GoGreen 09’ Conference, October 7, 2009 in Portland, OR. For more information on the GoGreen 09’ Conference visit: http://www.gogreenpdx.com