Puttin' on the Green

By Heather Gurewitz
Mendocino Women's Business Center Director

Sustainable business is definitely on my list of personal interests. And by sustainable, I mean businesses that meet the triple bottom line. For those who don't have "sustainability" ingrained into their consciousness, the triple bottom line refers to a society, community, business, or even person, that focuses on balancing financial stability without sacrificing the health of the environment nor social responsibility. Sustainability is something that we as individuals can work towards one day at a time through the lifestyle choices that me make. As businesses, we can work toward sustainability in the suppliers we chose and the practices we use. Sustainability is also something that we can work towards as cities, counties, states, and nations through the policies and laws that we create and enforce.


As an organization, West Company supports all businesses, and focuses on how small and independently owned businesses can be financially sustainable. Consequently supporting social sustainability by creating a strong community with self-sufficiency and wealth. It's up to our clients whether they feel that they wish to pursue the "green" side of the equation, though a strong percentage of them do.

West Company doesn't tell clients what their missions should be, and we don't judge ideas. But we do provide learning opportunities for them to learn about the opportunities available to them. That is one of the reasons we have been helping organize "The North Coast Green Summit" on Thursday, September 16th, 2010 from 8:30am - 5:00pm. It will be a day of education and networking for individuals, businesses, and community leaders interested in learning more about how they can go green.

For more information visit the: http://www.northcoastgreen.org/

We hope to see you there!