On October 7, 2009 the DSW Collective team (Darcy Winslow, Jenna Forstrom and Inbar Morag) attended Portland’s second annual GoGreen 09.  What a great turn out of dedicated people, all sharing the stories of what their organizations are doing in the field of sustainability.  Portland continues to set the bar high, as we heard from 2 members of the Eco-Visionaries panel, moderated by Darcy, who joined from Atlanta and Seattle.  Did you know that Portlanders drive 4% less than the average city dwellers nationwide?

Darcy Winslow led a panel called “Eco-Visionaries: Creating the New Sustainable Business Landscape” which featured some close friends: Sarah Severn (Nike), Joyce LaValle (Interface) and Sheri Flies (Costco).  There were some great take-a-ways from this panel, including:

• A new reading list, check out DSW’s recommendations here.
• Interface’s Seven Step Plan towards sustainability; Interface plans on being “off oil” by 2020. For more information check out MissionZero.org.
• “Systemic change happens only through seemingly insignificant shifts in habit.” – Molly Baldwin, ROCA.
• Sarah Severn stated “We have the technology, we need the political will power now” around climate change to make a difference.
• Right now the average US citizen lives approximately a 19-ton/year carbon lifestyle. Scientists estimate that if we are to stabilize atmospheric CO2 at a safe level, the global population would need to average 2-ton/year carbon lifestyle.  What would that look like?

When asked what their personal piece of advice would be to those in the audience these ladies said:

“Stay true to your highest intention,” Sarah Severn.

“Meet people where they are,” Sheri Flies.

“Way more collaboration,” Joyce LaValle.

“Check your ego at the door,” Darcy Winslow.

We loved the other panels as well.  Our team checked out the 2009 Most Sustainable Business Showcase.  Elephants, Sokol Blosser Winery, EPSON and Refind Furniture are all local companies making positive impacts.  Scouted the competition in Improving Your Sustainability Credentials, where our friends Carrie Farrar and Mike Mercer were panelists.  Listened to James Curleigh’s “give a hoot, don’t pollute” mantra in Writing Your Sustainability Plan.  Researched our Carbon Footprint Analysis.  And learned about Social Media and Your Sustainable Message, got DSW Collective on Twitter now!  (Follow us @DSWCollective).

Did you attend Go Green 09?  Let us know what you thought of the conference!

When I was graduating from high school, I viewed my ticket out of Oregon as my college acceptance letter from Bentley University (nee College).  Needless to say, I didn’t look at or apply to any college in Oregon.  But if I had, Willamette University would have definitely been on my list.

Lucky for me, Darcy Winslow recently accepted the position of Program Manager of the Sustainable Enterprise Certificate (SEC) Program at the Executive Development Center, which is an extension of Atkinson Graduate School of Management at Willamette University for the 2009-2010 school year.  For more information on this collaboration please click here.

Willamette University was recently named one of the nation’s greenest universities by Sierra, the official magazine of the Sierra Club.  The only Oregon university ranked 17 out of 20 schools based on Willamette’s recognition as a green school.  This adds to the 2008 recognition from the National Wildlife Federation that named Willamette first in the nation for sustainability activities.  Click here to read the article.

On top of this, Forbes Magazine named Willamette’s Atkinson Graduate School of Management a “Best Business School” for 2009.  Willamette was the highest ranked school in Oregon and one of only three programs in the Northwest the make the list, which recognizes the top 75 schools in the U.S.  Click here to read the article.

DSW Collective is so excited to be working with Willamette University this year and is proud be part of such a prestigious school that is in our own backyard.  They clearly have their head in the game from their gold LEED certified buildings, purchasing and energy efficiency policies, and student run Bike Shop.  We are also excited to announce that Drew Jones and the Climate Simulator will be a part of the program!  Want to learn more about the Atkinson Graduate School of Management and their Sustainable Enterprise Certificate please click here.

What is your school (or organization) doing to be more sustainable?

On August 21, 2009, Darcy Winslow spoke at the Council for Responsible Sport’s First Annual Green Tie Event and Auction, held the at the KEEN headquarters in Portland, Oregon’s Pearl District. The night was filled with fun, drinks and tales from Antarctica.

The event was an opportunity to raise funds to help further the mission of ReSport, which was formed to develop an independent, comprehensive certification for sustainable athletic events. By defining realistic objectives and providing a framework for achieving them, ReSport enables event directors to incorporate environmental and social responsibility into their events while informing consumers, which events adhere to these standards. It also increasingly encourages athletes to support only events that are taking a critical step in the right direction.

Darcy, who is on the Board of Directors for ReSport, was the keynote speaker at the event. In her talk, “Sustainable Inspiration: Lessons from Antarctica,” she shared stories and photos from her expedition (hosted by British Petroleum) to Antarctica earlier in March/April.

“In essence, the time has come for all of us to take personal responsibility in reducing our carbon footprint and influencing and engaging those around us to do the same. The impacts of our individual and collective actions are being increasingly felt and witnessed, around the world. And it is up to us to make a positive difference, through deliberate choices and actions. This is not about compromise but about inspired innovation and unprecedented collaboration. There is no ‘silver bullet’ or magic cure to resolve the issue of climate change. We all must embrace the task ahead and be prepared to assess where we are and to act immediately. If each and everyone one of us work towards reducing our emissions we stand a chance of seeing results that will count.” – Darcy Winslow

Are you an athlete? You can influence sporting event organizers to adopt the ReSport certification. Tell us how you’re taking action!

We’re glad you stopped by to say “hi” and check us out. Our small but growing team is focused on bringing together a wide range of experts with complementary backgrounds to focus on the development and implementation of practical yet aggressive sustainable design strategies…through unprecedented leadership, collaboration, innovation, fearlessness, and urgency. Imagine what we can accomplish together!

We plan to use this blog to update you on what’s happening at DSW Collective, from speaking engagements to projects to fun facts and things happening around the office. We want you to join in the conversation as well. Tell us what you think about sustainability, what you’re doing to make a difference, and issues or ideas you think might be of interest to us!

So blog roll! Please tell us: who you are, what you do, and what brought you to DSW Collective today. Also, if you have suggestions for our website and/or blog we’d love to hear them. Remember our website is brand new so keep checking in to see changes and new posts here on our blog.