Stories from Scott Cooney
Finance
The Resilient Investor: Interview with Michael Kramer
“This is the perfect time to reinvent ourselves” Socially Responsible Investing has enjoyed a period of growth spanning back several […]
February 24, 2015
Corporate Responsibility
Will Consumers Punish Prop 37's Antagonists with Boycotts?
California’s Right to Know GMO Labeling law (Prop. 37) appears to be in a dead heat heading into Tuesday’s election. […]
November 2, 2012
Corporate Responsibility
Adam Smith, Milton Friedman and the Social Responsibility of Business
Adam Smith, an 18th century economist and author of The Wealth of Nations, is often viewed as the father of […]
August 20, 2012
Energy
Paul Hawken on Solar, Population, GDP, and Solutions in Smallness
Paul Hawken gave the keynote at the TechConKona conference on the Big Island of Hawaii last week, and struck a […]
August 6, 2012
Corporate Responsibility
Supreme Court Reaffirms Corporations' Right to Spend Unlimited Money to Influence Elections
This week, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned a ruling by the Montana Supreme Court that challenged corporations’ right to influence […]
June 26, 2012
Energy
Why Local Food is a Better Path to Job Growth than Tract Housing for Hawai'i
Many of us in the sustainability community can be forgiven if we think the whole concept of jobs vs. the […]
May 25, 2012
Finance
Impact Investing Goes Mainstream–Morgan Stanley Jumps on Board
Morgan Stanley, a global financial services firm with 1500 offices around the world, just announced they were offering a new […]
May 15, 2012
Corporate Responsibility
History Redux: The Political Campaign Against Sustainability
A recent Stanford University poll found that support for clean energy, vehicle emission standards, and energy efficiency programs is waning, […]
May 14, 2012
Finance
Beginning of the End for Big Box Dominance?
With the announcement of the closure of 50 big box retail outlets, Best Buy recently added more evidence to a […]
April 30, 2012
Corporate Responsibility
Two Cool New Green Projects on IndieGogo
I believe wholeheartedly in the power of community. For many startups, especially in this era of tight credit, getting a […]
April 18, 2012
Technology
Dropping Solar Panel Costs and Grid Parity
Solar is, by any measure, a hot industry. Even with the reduction in subsidies from Germany and Italy, the world’s […]
April 16, 2012
Corporate Responsibility
Amid Interstate Politicking, Feed-In Tariffs Come to Los Angeles
Last week, the Los Angeles City Council voted to approve the CLEAN LA Solar Program. It’s a small scale feed-in […]
April 13, 2012
Technology
Bikes Double Their Mileage
In one of those, “Now why didn’t I think of that” moments, I came across a Kickstarter campaign for the […]
April 13, 2012
Technology
Volkswagen Bets on Greener Technologies
VW is the second largest automaker in the world and Europe’s biggest. So I was excited to read VW’s recent […]
March 27, 2012
Corporate Responsibility
Rebuild the Dream: Channeling Dr. Martin Luther King and Creating Green Jobs
See Van Jones live June 13th and 14th in Portland and Seattle! Click here for more information. April 4th is […]
March 27, 2012
Corporate Responsibility
Students Challenged to Find Energy Waste in Their Schools
With support from the Alcoa Foundation and the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions (C2ES), the “Make an impact: Change […]
March 27, 2012
Corporate Responsibility
Humanure as a Path Out of Poverty For Slum Residents
If you don’t know what a flying toilet is, consider yourself very lucky. Slums around the world are largely lacking […]
March 26, 2012
Finance
Access Economy Startup Allows People to Rent Each Others Stuff
RentStuff.com, a new “access economy” startup, allows you to rent your things to others and make money. According to the […]
March 23, 2012
Finance
iZen Bamboo Keyboard Saves Tons of Plastic. And Looks Really Cool.
Made from 92% bamboo, the new iZen keyboard and iPad stand has the potential to reduce our dependence on fossil […]
March 23, 2012
Corporate Responsibility
Verizon's First Sustainability Report is…a Good First Step
Verizon, one of the world’s largest telecommunications companies, announced this week that it will cut its carbon intensity in half […]
March 22, 2012
Corporate Responsibility
Adidas, Early Member of the Sustainable Apparel Coalition, Drops from "Most Ethical" Companies List
The research-based Ethisphere Institute, an international think-tank working to advance best practices in business ethics, CSR, and sustainability recently released […]
March 22, 2012
Energy
Rising Gas Prices: Obama's Foil?
Jobs are being created. Consumer confidence remains high. Housing stats are up for the first time in years. The global […]
March 19, 2012
Finance
Impact Investing Expands in Hawai'i
The field of impact investing, wherein investors put money into ventures with an explicit mission for triple bottom line returns […]
January 20, 2012
Energy
Big Island of Hawai'i Latest to Ban Plastic Bags
In December, the Hawai’i County Council passed a bill banning the use of plastic bags on what is known as […]
January 19, 2012
Energy
Can Corporate Sponsorship Make Organics Affordable to All?
For the most part, organic food is expensive. The main criticism of organic is that it’s an elitist movement and […]
January 12, 2012
Finance
Solar's Best Quarter Ever
For the third quarter of 2011, solar installations in the U.S. broke a record: 449 megawatts of new capacity in […]
December 21, 2011
Corporate Responsibility
How to Greenwash the Oil Industry Way
Big Oil is up to its usual tricks. The American Petroleum Institute (API), one of the oil industry’s main lobbying […]
December 21, 2011
Corporate Responsibility
Top 4 Online Sustainable Marketplaces
For those of us that don’t live near a progressive urban center, having brick and mortar stores that focus on […]
December 14, 2011
Finance
Solar Power and Public Institutions
The recent announcement of a partnership between Merrill Lynch, SolarCity and the Department of Defense to provide solar power for […]
December 8, 2011
Technology
Department of Energy Business Plan Competition for Clean Tech Entrepreneurs
Have an innovative business idea that you think could make a difference? Just need the cash to make it happen? […]
December 7, 2011
Corporate Responsibility
Sprawl and Depression: Is There a Link?
The American Dream of the suburban home with a white picket fence and 2.3 kids has been decried for having […]
December 1, 2011
Corporate Responsibility
Plastics Make It Possible–The Latest Greenwashing from the American Chemistry Council
An ad on the sidebar of my Facebook profile caught my eye: “What do you recycle?” it innocently asks. The […]
November 21, 2011
Energy
Business Opportunities in Sustainable Food
In all the sustainable industries, none perhaps present such ubiquitous opportunities for entrepreneurs as sustainable food. Clean tech, green building […]
November 4, 2011
Technology
Voting with Our Advertising Dollars: Google's Commitment to Green
Last month, Google announced plans to invest $5 billion in an undersea transmission cable that will give a tremendous boost […]
November 3, 2011
Corporate Responsibility
Impact Investing from the VC Perspective
Impact investing has the potential to change the world. By driving more money and investments into green businesses, the field […]
November 3, 2011
Corporate Responsibility
Socially Responsible Investing Expands Despite Shaky Economic Climate
Curious about the effect Occupy Wall Street has had on the socially responsible investing field, I recently spoke with Michael […]
November 2, 2011
Corporate Responsibility
7 Billion Scariest Things This Halloween
You know those articles that are so prevalent online…9 tips to a flatter stomach, 6 ways to get her to […]
October 31, 2011
Energy
Food vs Biofuels with Limited Land
Hawai’i’s agricultural system makes an interesting case study in the debate of food versus fuel in agricultural lands. Hawai’i has […]
October 28, 2011
Energy
Aging Farmers
If someone were to ask you how old the average farmer in the United States was, what would your guess […]
October 28, 2011
Corporate Responsibility
Hawaiian Business Owners Can Now Choose B-Corporation
In June of this year, Hawaii became the fifth state to pass a law defining credentials local companies must go […]
October 4, 2011
Finance
Economic Development Boards Spur Renewable Energy Development in Hawaii
Every municipality has one, but most people don’t know what economic development boards do. At the Asia Pacific Clean Energy […]
September 29, 2011
Technology
Key Elements of a Successful Clean Energy Project: Venture Capital Perspectives
How does a planned clean energy project actually get built? The process is not simple, and with the utility usually […]
September 28, 2011
Corporate Responsibility
The U.S. Military's Plans to Assure Energy Independence
George Kai’iliwai, Director, Resources and Assessment, of the U.S. Pacific Command, recently spoke at the Asia Pacific Clean Energy Summit […]
September 28, 2011
Finance
Hawaiian Group of VCs and Angel Investors is Serious About Impact Investing
The Hawaii Venture Capital Association met last week to discuss impact investing in the state. As a newcomer to the […]
September 27, 2011
Technology
From OPEC to OTEC
If you pass warm surface water through heat exchangers to boil an enclosed refrigerant, it can be passed through a […]
September 23, 2011
Technology
Why We Need to Look at Oil as a Commodity Like Salt
To kick off the Asia Pacific Clean Energy Summit and Expo, R. James Woolsey, former Director of the CIA, talked […]
September 22, 2011
Corporate Responsibility
How Close is Wave Energy to Market?
Anyone who has watched waves lining up from a high point near shore can imagine the incredible potential of wave […]
September 21, 2011
Technology
How the National Renewable Energy Laboratory Jumpstarts Clean Energy Projects
Located in Colorado, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) can help advance the clean energy economy, according to a talk […]
September 20, 2011
Technology
Lockheed Martin Jumps on the Clean Energy Bandwagon
Companies in the renewable energy marketplace see the field in a variety of ways. Likely they all see a multi-tier […]
September 19, 2011
Energy
Impact Investing: Hawai'i's Ulupono Initiative
It could be argued that Hawai’i’s three main sustainability challenges are energy (90% diesel-powered), food (90% imported, mostly processed), and […]
September 15, 2011
Corporate Responsibility
Mission-driven entrepreneur business plan competition–deadline October 12th
An upcoming business plan competition hosted by The William James Foundation provides mission-driven entrepreneurs an opportunity to compete for investment […]
September 13, 2011
Corporate Responsibility
First Offshore Wind Farm in Texas Waters, Not Cape Cod
Shame on us, liberalistas. We let Texas beat us to the punch. Instead of getting behind Cape Wind (code name […]
August 23, 2011
Energy
Documentary Review: Economics of Happiness
TriplePundit has covered the subject of how economic growth correlates (or doesn’t) with happiness and genuine progress before. A new […]
August 22, 2011
Corporate Responsibility
Eco-Entrepreneurship Opportunity: Natural Foods Co-op
There was an interesting startup in Austin, TX, using IndieGogo last month to get a natural foods store off the ground […]
August 5, 2011
Finance
Eco-entrepreneurship Opportunity: Salad Restaurant
What do you get for takeout when you are on the run and want something healthy? Tougher question than it […]
August 5, 2011
Corporate Responsibility
How will Citizens Ever Afford 54.5 MPG?
Remember the old days when the auto manufacturers would line up in lockstep opposition to any fuel economy (CAFE) standards? […]
August 3, 2011
Finance
Where are the Jobs? Increasingly, They're in Sustainability
Unemployment is still hovering around 9%, an unencouraging picture for politicians looking to get reelected in 2012. For President Obama, […]
August 2, 2011
Voices for Change
Steve Nash Endorses Green… Making it Real for Middle America
We in the sustainability community probably have many friends and family members who still think we’re a little out there. […]
August 2, 2011
Energy
Getting Capital to Sustainable Food Startups
Despite Slow Money and Slow Food being all the rage these days, startup entrepreneurs in sustainable food still face a […]
July 15, 2011
Corporate Responsibility
Plastic Bags Take Another Hit with Puma
Puma has dealt the latest blow to chemical industry lobbyists fighting to keep the plastic bag alive. The company recently announced […]
June 29, 2011
Corporate Responsibility
Behind Bars, Prepping for Life…as an Entrepreneur?
The State of Oregon Department of Corrections, partnering with several other sponsors, has promoted a different paradigm for inmates in […]
June 29, 2011
Corporate Responsibility
The Guardian Rates Sustainability Employee Engagement Programs
This post is part of a series on Stakeholder Engagement sponsored by Jurat Software. Employee engagement is a term that’s […]
June 20, 2011
Corporate Responsibility
President Obama's Jobs Creation Mandate–From a Green CEO
President Obama might be credited with stabilizing an economy on the brink of complete collapse after the banking meltdown of […]
June 17, 2011
Finance
Local Stock Exchanges Offer Hope to Small Businesses Looking to Raise Capital
The almighty dollar. Acquiring it is the most commonly cited challenge for entrepreneurs: how to raise sufficient capital to grow, […]
June 15, 2011
Corporate Responsibility
Springboard Biodiesel: Biodiesel On Site
For many universities, military bases, breweries, hospitals, and cafeterias, the disposal of waste grease is a liability. There are regulations […]
June 9, 2011
Finance
Cutting Edge Capital: Campaign to Legalize Crowdfunding
TriplePundit has been following the work of Cutting Edge Capital for some time now. The group consists of, among others, […]
June 8, 2011
Finance
California Moves to Ban Styrofoam State-Wide
With over 35 million people and two centers that are unrivaled in their industries (Hollywood and Silicon Valley), California is […]
June 7, 2011
Corporate Responsibility
eBay Partners With Ashoka's Changemakers to Fund Social Entrepreneurs
Ashoka’s Changemakers has partnered with the eBay Foundation to help five aspiring social entrepreneurs with $50,000 in startup capital. The […]
June 7, 2011
Corporate Responsibility
Non-Profit Management 101: The Book
Management of a non-profit organization can mean the difference between effective advocacy and social change programs, and failure. Therefore, it’s […]
June 2, 2011
Finance
Can More Consumption of Greener Goods Get Us There?
It’s the paradox that’s stumped the green movement since its inception. How can we move toward sustainable economic growth, when […]
June 1, 2011
Energy
Tips for Using Biofuels in Your Corporate Fleet
Converting a corporate fleet to biofuels is one way to reduce emissions, and improve your corporate social responsibility. Biofuels are […]
May 31, 2011
Corporate Responsibility
Walmart Grant Gives U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce a Green Business Initiative for its Members
The United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (USHCC) received a grant from Walmart to conduct a city-by-city initiative tailored to […]
May 26, 2011
Energy
New Guide Makes Small Business GHG Measurement: Worth the Time, Energy and Money
Recently, the Carbon Trust launched a new online guide, The Growing Business’ Guide to Managing Carbon. The guide is aimed […]
May 16, 2011
Corporate Responsibility
Hawaii's House Bill 1520–a PACE-style program for efficiency and renewables
For Earth Day 2011, the Blue Planet Foundation held a public gathering on the steps of the Hawaii […]
April 22, 2011
Corporate Responsibility
Fine Art Goes Green
While the art world has long supported progressive policies and environmental awareness (think of the impact of an Ansel Adams, […]
April 8, 2011
Corporate Responsibility
Interview: Hawaii's Green Economic Transition Story
As part of my research on the U.S.’s proverbial canary in a coal mine–Hawaii–I recently had the pleasure of meeting […]
March 24, 2011
Corporate Responsibility
Hawaii as a Microcosm in the Study of Peak Oil
Hawaii became the last state to enter the union of the United States in 1959, but may become the proverbial […]
March 10, 2011
Corporate Responsibility
Green Startups Focusing Their Marketing Dollars: Think "When," Not "Where"
Increasing traffic and readership on 3P’s Startup Friday tells of a larger trend of increasing interest in green entrepreneurship. In […]
March 8, 2011
Technology
Effective Steps for New Chief Sustainability Officers
Many companies are creating a position in the C-Suite for a sustainability leader within the company. The Chief Sustainability Officer […]
March 7, 2011
Corporate Responsibility
Book Review: Planet Home by Jeffrey Hollender
Recently, I interviewed Jeffrey Hollender, co-founder and former CEO of Seventh Generation about his departure from the company, his new […]
February 24, 2011
Corporate Responsibility
What Engages You About Sustainability?
Employee engagement is the ultimate buzzword these days. It gave me great pleasure to sit in on the last talk […]
February 4, 2011
Corporate Responsibility
How Does a Company Develop a Chief Sustainability Officer position?
In a breakout session at the State of Green Business Forum, Tod Arbogast of the Avon Company talked about how […]
February 3, 2011
Corporate Responsibility
Microsoft on Sustainability: How the Cloud Changes Everything
Rob Bernard, Chief Environmental Strategist of Microsoft, gave a “Big Idea” talk at the State of Green Business Forum on […]
February 3, 2011
Corporate Responsibility
Clorox CEO on the Greening of their Consumer Product Line
Don Knauss, CEO of Clorox, sat down in conversation at the State of Green Business Forum to discuss the transition […]
February 3, 2011
Corporate Responsibility
Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition: How Clean is Clean Tech?
The Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition got started in the 1980’s as a result of toxic chemicals being poured into the […]
February 2, 2011
Lieutenant Governor of California on the State of Sustainability in California
In the State of Green Business Forum, California’s newly elected Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom came to discuss how California is […]
February 2, 2011
The State of Green Business: Five Key Takeaways
The 2011 State of Green Business Forum, conducted by GreenBiz Group, started today in San Francisco, and follows with forums […]
February 2, 2011
Finance
Raising Capital as a Sustainable Entrepreneur
Many entrepreneurs start their company with their own money, with credit cards, or with a loan from friends and family. […]
January 21, 2011
Plain Talk from Former 7th Gen CEO Jeffrey Hollender on the Green Economy
I recently had the opportunity to interview Jeffrey Hollender, co-founder and former CEO of Seventh Generation for our ongoing small […]
January 19, 2011
Finance
Productivity in an ADD world: 3 Simple Tips
How many employees does it take to switch out some LED bulbs? Well….it depends on how many other windows they […]
January 14, 2011