Currently, Colorado and Washington state have legalized recreational marijuana, and 21 states and the District of Columbia have legalized it for medicinal use.

As laws for recreational marijuana make their way to the books, people are cashing in on cannabis. Silicon Valley is no exception, according to a recent article by WIRED senior writer Matt Honan.

“The entire tech-industrial complex is getting in on the action: investors, entrepreneurs, biotechnologists, scientists” and more, writes Mat Honan, senior writer at WIRED, in his latest story “High Tech: How Silicon Valley entrepreneurs are rushing to cash in on cannabis.”

From well designed vaporizers invented by former Apple executives to sustainable LED lights to feed marijuana plants, we’re building a new industry with much bank to be had. Tech companies are looking into point-of-sale software for dispensaries and management software for recreational marijuana growers.

Medical innovation is another aspect of the industry and it’s changing the face of medical marijuana, said Honan in an interview with the Daily Ticker. The Stanley Brothers, for example, have come up with a strain of marijuana that’s high is CBD, which is helpful for treating epilepsy patients, and low in THC, the part of marijuana that gets you high. The Stanley Brothers have invented this new strain to treat a form of pediatric epilepsy without all the side effects of harsh medications. It’s marijuana purely for medical reasons. Medical marijuana has formerly been known as a gateway to legalization.

But where does the funding come from when banks still won’t deal in marijuana because it’s illegal under federal law?

“We call that touching the sun,” says Justin Hartfield, an investor with the cannabis-focused Ghost Group, a Newport Beach, California, firm that is raising $25 million in investment capital. “If you’re manufacturing a schedule 1 narcotic—growing it, infusing it with other products—you’re touching the sun.” And you’re liable to get burned.

But, Hartfield said to WIRED, there’s still hundreds of millions of dollars to be made on this burgeoning industry. It was one argument for those that wished to legalize marijuana that’s turned out thus far to be entirely accurate.

According to WIRED:

For the science and technology set, it’s a classic opportunity to disrupt an industry historically run by hippies and gangsters. And the entire tech-industrial complex is getting in on the action: investors, entrepreneurs, biotechnologists, scientists, industrial designers, electrical engineers, data analysts, software developers.

Related on EcoSalon

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Cannabis: The Ecological and Economic Imperative

Alcohol Vs. Marijuana Health Infographic

Image: rafael castillo

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Patagonia has set the benchmark when it comes to sustainable fashion and sustainable business. But there’s plenty of room at the top, and they’ve launched a fund for investing in environmentally responsible startup businesses.

It’s hard not to love Patagonia products. Anyone who has invested in their offerings—clothes, bags, luggage, etc—has likely enjoyed years of high quality performance from something that may have been a soda bottle before it was a fleece.  What’s more appealing than a sustainably made, durable, superior piece of luggage? How about a company that also offers a lifetime guarantee on the product too? (Trust me, they take them back and replace them if they can’t fix ’em, no questions.) Customer service, quality and a decreased impact on the environment fuel Patagonia’s business model, and it’s no wonder they have a dedicated hardcore consumer base.

They’ve got quite a business model, growing out of founder Yvon Chouinard’s vision for progressive leadership in outdoor lifestyle gear and socially responsible business practices. Chouinard also helped fund the popular 1% for the Planet organization that allows members to donate one percent of their annual revenue to various environmental causes. And Patagonia knows they’re not the only ones with great ideas; which is driving the company’s newest fund, entitled $20 Million & Change.

Chouinard says the money will go to help like-minded startups, focused on improving the environment primarily in the apparel industry. While some details haven’t been released yet (how many companies and which ones), Patagonia executives say the substantial investments will range from $500,000 to $5 million, unless the products directly compete with Patagonia’s offerings.

According to a post on the company website, Patagonia has also formed a new holding company, Patagonia Works, which houses the clothing company, Patagonia Media and Patagonia Provisions. “Others might see Patagonia Works and $20 Million & Change as revolutionary business ventures; we think both are just next logical steps to doing business more responsibly,” said Chouinard. “Economic growth for the past two centuries has been tied to an ever-spiraling carbon bonfire. Business – and human – success in the next 100 years will have to come from working with nature rather than using it up.”

Interested in learning more about the $20 Million and Change fund? email: info@patagoniaworks.com or call (805) 667-2300.

Keep in touch with Jill on Twitter @jillettinger

Image: patagonia

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“Many of us are aware or are becoming conscious of our unlimited power as individuals…Through the purchases we make today we are able to shape the world of tomorrow.” Bruno Pieters, founder and CEO of Honest by

As the number of conscious consumers grows, many of us are finding compatriots in the pursuance of ethically produced and environmentally designed fashion products. We try to consider numerous factors when it comes to purchasing clothing, supporting labels with production processes and designs we believe in. However, the fashion industry is comprised of such a daunting web of information and manufacturing processes that it’s often very difficult to truly understand how a certain piece of clothing has come into existence. That’ why we have to demand a new, open and clear system.

From the Nike sweatshop scandals in the 1990s, to the 2011/12 Greenpeace Detox Campaign, and the more recent garment factory fires and collapse in Bangladesh that killed several hundred people, its clear that something is very wrong with the way most of the world’s clothes are produced.

But what are we doing about it?

Although proposals for brand sponsored monitoring and factory safety implementation were presented at 2011 meeting in Dhaka, companies such as H&M, The Gap, and Wal-Mart rejected it as a it was “not financially feasible…to make such investments”. (The Associated Press) The bulk of the problem also lies in how many consumers still flock to the H&M’s, Zara’s, Gap’s and Nike’s of the world to make the latest finds for their wardrobes, regardless of their unethical and resource reaping practices. Although several large brands have launched eco collections or initiatives, these ‘greening’ techniques are not what the company’s structure is built around – it’s built around profit and the quickest way to obtain it. “Companies go out of their way to both, reduce price but also purposely release production control and management to their suppliers. Companies want to purposely remain ignorant about what may, or not, be happening in those far away places” (The Better Consumer in Europe).  How will this change? 

Behold the emergence of the informed fashion consumer – an aware individual that believes in their buying power and understands that they can determine a company’s practices through demand. As more information is released to consumers through online media and communication, fashion companies will have to make dramatic changes to the structure of and control over their supply chains. A recent report by CSR Wire claims that up to 54 percent of consumers say that they do not trust a company’s eco, green or sustainability claims, apparently indicating that transparency and educational promotion of products into key strategies for companies that wish to succeed in the long run.

Brand and product transparency is becoming an increasingly important factor in the buying decisions of many consumers. A 2012 report from Cone Communications shows that 69 percent of U.S. consumers said they are more likely to buy from a brand that talks publicly about its CSR results, versus the 31 percent who would purchase from a brand that talks about its CSR mission and purpose. The REAL story behind a product is becoming tantamount to reliability, as conscious consumers expect companies to pro-actively prove they have nothing to hide. Businesses that are set-up on core values and beliefs of sound practices will gain more of a following than those that use unambiguous statements on ‘values’ and ‘statements’ rather providing clear evidence or results.

Crowdfunding is predicted to become the most influential form of customer involvement in building open, friendly, trusted and honest business ventures. Entrepreneurism has turned into a massive trend as a result of savvy consumers becoming aware of their ability to set up businesses that cater to their personal needs and desires to see honest and transparent products. Numerous fashion start-ups have gained recognition and support through pages like Kickstarter and IndieGoGo, and are succeeding in creating product lines with true sustainable values at the core. For example, Alice & Whittles has recently gained funding for their venture into Fair Trade espadrilles handmade by French artisans, and Emmy’s Organics managed to design and fund completely biodegradable or recyclable packaging for their vegan snacks through their IndieGoGo campaign. Individuals are beginning to realize that they would much rather support a story they can understand, cherish and share, rather than one that only feeds a fabricated illusion of fashionable appearance.

Many businesses, even large ones are recognizing the demand for more ecologically sound practices and products. However, the aware consumer is beginning to demand much more than an ‘eco’ product; she wants one that actually contains new life inside. Whether the product can be composted or recycled, the draw of an item that doesn’t have to be sent to landfill is certainly one that is catching consumer’s eyes. Locality and national pride and heritage are becoming valued concepts that many labels are using to promote their products. As Perception Research noted in a July 2012 report: “Four out of five US shoppers (76 percent) notice “Made in the USA” claims and labels, and are more likely to purchase that product.” 

The dawn of the not so clueless fashion consumer has arrived, and is proof that consumers hold the key to a sustainable fashion future. Of course, brands must also play a part in developing persuasive methods to provide guilt-free clothing that looks gorgeous, and governments have to drive legislation and monitoring of sustainable practices. “Fashion brands are going to make change desirable – they just need to get smarter at persuading people to use other ways of showing their status than conspicuous consumption,” said a member of roundtable debate hosted by the Guardian and Timberland in March.

We can all probably agree that transparency is the key a more sustainable fashion industry, and one that consumers will continue to demand as information and awareness spreads. All of us are consumers, and its up to us as a community to turn production from greed-based operations to mutually beneficial ones, with communication and egalitarian values as the founding principles, whether in fashion or any other industry.

Image: usembassykyiv

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The best of EcoSalon’s stories this week.

We adore all our readers, but some of them simply blow us away – like Shannon Galpin, founder of Mountain2Mountain who is  working to empower women in Afghanistan and beyond.

Did you know the remarkable story behind Burt’s Bees – the good and the bad?

If you’ve been watching HBO’s Game of Thrones, you’ll know that Daenerys Targaryen is one tough cookie. In the words of the actress who plays her, Emilia Clarke, “she’s an incredibly strong and powerful woman who doesn’t come into her own until much later on.” (So keep watching!)

Being a foodie is all too often equated with being a snob – and Anna Brones is keen to point out that it’s not all heaps of succulent decadence. Sometimes, simple really is best (as long as it tastes good, of course).

Finally, how many times have you checked Facebook today? Or while you were reading this article? Do you think you have an addiction? If so, try a few of our 20 things to do instead of browsing through your Facebook updates.

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I’ve just had the opportunity to be a guest speaker at a sustainable business workshop held by Yellowstone Business Partnership in Idaho, for their Uncommon Sense program – a course for businesses to bake a true sustainability model into their collective cakes. The course is comprised of eight modules, focusing on everything from waste-stream management to social and community investment. Of course, I was there to talk plastic pollution in the oceans and hopefully influence these companies’ supply chain practices by demonstrating how plastic in watersheds east and west of the Continental Divide ultimately end up in our seas.

I was excited. This is the farthest inland I’ve ever presented, speaking to a mountain audience, not an ocean one. But these folks get it – I’m in a log cabin conference room in the middle of nowhere surrounded by 30 people and there’s not a single disposable water bottle or coffee cup in the house. That’s a first for this presenter.

I wasn’t sure what to expect as one doesn’t necessarily think of Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming as the epicenter of the sustainability movement. But this program is off-the-charts cool, staffed by dedicated and passionate problem solvers. The business owners who attended are smart as hell and their sense of place, and a duty to its resources, permeates every part of their practices. In short, they’re all caring people working together to achieve lofty goals.

Though a small non-profit, the YBP is a powerhouse of ideas for a sustainable future. I’ve spoken with elite environmentalists at the UN in Geneva and these folks could teach them a thing or two about how not just to talk the talk, but walk the walk. It was nothing short of inspiring.

The workshop left me with one persistent question in mind: Why aren’t there organizations like this all over the United States? Why aren’t ideas like this dominating the talk in urban environments? Sure, companies far and wide are hiring sustainability directors, but they’re not working in a collaborative manner and thus, a lot of reinventing of the wheel is going on. After doing some research, I can’t find a single group like this anywhere, with the exception perhaps of the Outdoor Industry Association’s Eco-Working Group. But even so, the OIA EWG was founded in 2007 and is still in its infancy.

What I like the most about this experience is its effect on my perception of the sustainability movement as a whole. Sometimes one needs to leave the navel-gazing of their big city green Shangri La and, yes, listen to the little guys.

Image: Stiv Wilson

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When a bike wheel builder friend of mine asked if I would like to attend an anniversary party for a local bike-related business, of course I said yes. In Portland, it’s never a good idea to turn down the opportunity to hang out with bike lovers and enjoy a few free drinks and hors d’oeuvres in the process.

But this was no regular bike throwdown; this was a full-on celebration of a commitment to better, more sustainable urban living. It was B-line’s one-year anniversary, and the people that came out to support this pedal powered delivery service were abuzz with positive energy.

B-line launched last year with the goal of partnering with businesses to take care of their urban delivery needs and, in turn, reduce the need for conventional trucks and vans. In the last 12 months, the company has certainly succeeded, pedaling over 6,000 miles to complete 3,000 deliveries. The results are pretty astonishing.

They’ve been able to reduce CO2 emissions by 11,000 pounds and they’ve helped delivered just about 191,000 pounds of organic produce; that’s on top of all the bread, coffee, tea and other things they pedal around town. As I listened to B-Line Founder and CEO Franklin Jones rattle off these statistics, I was impressed, not only because a pedal powered business is making it, but because they are making real change and influencing others to do the same.

It’s a common tendency to encourage people to “bike more, drive less,” but in cities without the necessary infrastructure to do so, making that choice is difficult. Granted, Portland is a city already known for its biking prowess, but with a company like B-line as a big local business player, the impetus for having better bike policies in grows even stronger. Case and point: Portland’s Mayor was invited to speak at this party.

Fewer trucks and vans on the road mean better streets for bikers and pedestrians, as well as less pollution. An increasing number of local businesses committed to using bike delivery shows their full-fledged support of cycling culture. That, in turn, equals less CO2 emissions and happier, healthier lifestyles, which benefits everyone in the urban community.

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