{"id":1721,"date":"2005-11-03T15:59:00","date_gmt":"2005-11-03T15:59:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sustainablog.greenoptions.com\/2005\/11\/03\/green-business-conference-underway\/"},"modified":"2005-11-03T15:59:00","modified_gmt":"2005-11-03T15:59:00","slug":"green-business-conference-underway","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/articles\/green-business-conference-underway\/","title":{"rendered":"Green Business Conference Underway"},"content":{"rendered":"
Though I think the headline on this article<\/a> from the San Francisco Chronicle<\/em> is a bit misleading, I’m glad to see Co-op America<\/a>‘s Green Business Conference<\/a> (which started yesterday) get this kind of major coverage. The article itself demonstrates that green business is not merely trendy — it’s mainstream and profitable:<\/p>\n The green economy, from socially responsible investing to green building to fair-trade certified products, is getting closer and closer to a “tipping point” at which it will achieve critical mass, said a lineup of speakers.<\/p>\n Organic products, for example, are easier to find than ever. Almost three-quarters of conventional grocery stores now carry them, said speaker Diane Joy Goodman, a consultant to the organic industry. About 2 out of 3 U.S. consumers buy organic products at least occasionally, fueling a 20 percent annual growth rate during the past 15 years. In 2004, the organic market was $13 billion; the industry projects it will hit $30 billion in 2007.<\/p>\n On the other hand, Katherine DiMatteo, executive director of the Organic Trade Association<\/a>, said in an interview that with organics accounting for only 2 percent of all food sold in the United States, “It’s hard to say that we’re mainstream yet. I think the tipping point for organic will be when we reach about 5 percent of food sales, and the majority of the population knows what organic is and understands the difference between that and ‘natural.’ “<\/p>\n But the very concept of green economy “has definitely gone mainstream,” she added. “The idea of alternatives, whether in energy, food or vehicles as a concept for the general population is not foreign, not off the charts or so left or so extreme.” <\/p><\/blockquote>\n I’m sure some sustainablog readers are attending the conference, so check in with us and let us know what’s happening.<\/p>\n Categories: green<\/a>, business<\/a>, conference<\/a>, San Francisco<\/a>, Co-op America<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Though I think the headline on this article from the San Francisco Chronicle is a bit misleading, I’m glad to see Co-op America‘s Green Business Conference (which started yesterday) get [ … ]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":56,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n