Sustainable Brands ’10 Closes with the Promise Realized for Game-Changing Innovations and Insights that Create Better Brands Focused on People, Planet and Profit
Original Source: http://www.sustainablelifemedia.com
Author: Thomas Miner
Original Publication Date: June 17, 2010
June 17, 2010 - Sustainable Brands 2010, Sustainable Life Media’s flagship event, reached capacity again this year with attendees working to identify the ideas, discover the tools and build productive new partnerships that will help drive sustainable brands in the future. More than 700 brand leaders from around the country and internationally attended, including well-known global brands such as Best Buy, Clorox, The Coca-Cola Company, Del Monte Foods, Dell, eBay, Frito Lay, IDEO, Nokia, Nike, Panasonic, PepsiCo, SAP, Sierra Nevada, Starbucks, Staples, Target, Timberland, Unilever and Williams Sonoma.
“Sustainable Brands ’10 improved once again on every metric, reflecting the growing recognition that our community is leading the way when it comes to redesigning the 21st century connection between brand innovation/commerce and culture,” said Founder and CEO of Sustainable Life Media KoAnn Skrzyniarz. “We continue to see new ideas from both entrepreneurs and global brands seeking to respond to the changing environmental context in which brands and business operate.”
This year, 11 finalists competed at the 2nd annual Sustainable Brands Innovation Open, an early stage business competition focused on connecting socially responsible investor communities with the most innovative new product and service solutions being brought to market by today’s social and eco-entrepreneurs. The Grand Prize winner, announced during the conference’s closing session, was BioLite. The company has been granted a $10,000 prize (donated by Nike) towards fostering their business, access to the esteemed panel of judges for business advice, and a detailed brainstorming session with IDEO, among other prizes.
The top two finalists chosen to present to the entire conference at the closing session includedTremont Electric, which is dedicated to providing renewable energy to consumers around the world through a revolutionary nPower® technology that generates electricity through kinetic energy harvesting; and the Grand Prize Winner BioLite, whose affordable, user-friendly cook stove slashes both toxic smoke and black carbon emissions by 95%, reducing family fuel expenditures by 50% and providing off-the-grid users with power for charging cell phones, lights and other devices.
Cityscape Farms won the Audience Choice Award after presenting on the first day of the conference to a select group of attendees and judges with the 10 other Sustainable Brands Innovation Open finalists. Cityscape Farms creates urban greenhouse systems for year round production of sustainable and local fresh food, seeking to transform cities into net food producers, instead of merely consumers.
As part of the conference program, an ongoing discussion of the role brands play in helping shape and support the American Dream was re-introduced by visionary brand leaders such as Eric Park, Creative Director at Ziba Design; Marc Mathieu, Founder of BeDo; and John Creson, Executive Creative Director of Addis Creson. From the many conversation and dialog sessions at the conference, an exciting new framework began to emerge that begins to provide a clearer vision of how brands can help restore the American Dream and recapture the motivational power of the original idea.
“It’s time to reestablish the connection between sustainability and the traditional American pursuit of freedom and opportunity,” said Skrzyniarz. “Based on the enthusiastic feedback from conference attendees, we are planning future ways to progress this discussion within and beyond our Sustainable Brands community. Stay tuned!”
For a recap of the discussion to date, go to www.americandreamjournal.org.
