WEversity

I am trained as an architect with a focus on green design and community-based development, and have worked with communities in Eastern Washington and Ecuador helping guide self-determined development. Yet my passion over the last several years has been the transformation of business towards a new model that incorporates social and environmental responsibility into its DNA. In pursuit of this I spearheaded WiserBusiness,  a standard taxonomy for responsible business. This work has led to my involvement in the creation of the WISER Commons, a community-led effort to share knowledge and resources around social and environmental responsibility. I also cofounded Highwater Research, a socially responsible investing research organization that aims to set a higher standard for the SRI industry.

I have been led to this work through my own experience in business. I am the cofounder and CEO of Culinary Collective, a specialty food importer that works with small, all-natural gourmet food producers from Spain. I have learned first hand the delicate balance of incorporating your values into a business while maintaining the financial sustainability necessary to support yourself, your staff, and your suppliers. In 2009, I launched Rooted Foods, a seal of transparency for food products that links consumers back to the producers. Products eligible to carry the Rooted Foods seal must be produced by independently owned companies with strong adherence to social and environmental principles.

More on me at www.powerideas.org