New Video for Network for Business Innovation & Sustainability, a Seattle nonprofit is live

Posted by Leonard on April, 29, 2010

I was happy to recently roll out this new video for the By-Product Synergy Northwest group, a project of the Seattle nonprofit Network for Business Innovation and Sustainability. Through my work with Cedar Grove Composting, their education coordinator had connecting me with a workshop that the group was putting on at Seattle City Hall that was attended by about 70 local participants, an interesting mix of people from government (The Washington Department of Ecology, Seattle Public Utilities and King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks, Solid Waste Division), the nonprofit environmental sector (Pollution Prevention Resource Center), and regional green business leaders from major industrial manufacturers (LaFarge Cement, Shell Puget Sound Refinery, & Sellen Construction Company) to other local businesses (Canyon Creek Cabinet Company, Cascade Designs, Grays Harbor Paper Company). The focus on the meeting and the group in general is on turning waste into profit, and through the group and the larger networks of the organization creating the connections through forums and events that help to facilitate that. A handful of companies presented on how they’ve managed it within their own businesses. There was even a presentation from the Washington State Department of Corrections and how they’re turning waste into profit not just through programs that do things like recycling mattresses by extracting the reusable wood and metal in the frames and other materials, but through gardening and other employment training programs aimed at reducing recidivism.

Other businesses and organizations in the group include US Business Council for Sustainable Development, King County Department of Public Health, Impact Washington (formerly Washington Manufacturing Services) and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.

I was excited to show how a video like this can make an event come to life online, in a way that still pictures and words simply can’t. With a video, folks who have an interest in the event but wonder whether it’ll be worth their time or not can get a real sense of what’s going on here, and see and hear the testimonials of the participants. Plus, I’ve been helping to educate the group about how to share the file with their members on their blogs and website to give the piece further exposure in attracting more members to the community. Based on what’s being said here, it’s clear this group is an effective place for networking and connecting both for learning around these issues and for business. It’s my hope to make some new connections with this community so that they can begin using video as a tool to share with their customers and community the green choices that they’re making in their businesses.