February 24
Fifth Annual General Meeting / Celebrating Business Leaders in Sustainability
Socialize. Participate in our short, efficient annual business meeting. Then learn how Victoria businesses balance the triple bottom line, purchase sustainably and take care of their staff, their community and the environment. Business Leaders in Sustainability showcases four businesses and a successful VBN initiative.
When: February 24, 2010
6:30 Mingle and munch
7:00 AGM
7:30 Business Leaders in Sustainability workshop
9:00 Close
Where: Burnside Gorge Community Centre, 471 Cecilia Road, Victoria
Cost: (includes snacks and beverages) free for members, $15 non-members
RSVP: connect@vbnetwork.ca
Business Leaders in Sustainability (BLIS) is the first of two workshops based on this VBN project. We will present and discuss case studies on four Victoria-area businesses and how they achieve sustainability – Hemp & Company, Ecoeverything (formerly Fiber Options Naturals), Red Fish Blue Fish and The Good Planet.
VBN gratefully acknowledges financial support for BLIS from Vancity, the City of Victoria and BC Healthy Communities.
At our 5th Annual General Meeting, we will elect new board members, vote on a bylaw change, and honour those who have helped make VBN a success. Interested in getting involved in the board? Please contact Alan Dolan chair@vbnetwork.ca
The bylaw change reflects the need to ensure that VBN includes all aspects of the sustainable business culture in greater Victoria. In the past, our bylaws stated that those seeking VBN membership needed to be selling a good or a service. The proposed bylaw reflects our desire to include everyone, whether they are small businesses, enterprising non-profits or other types of sustainability organizations.
WORDING OF PROPOSED BYLAW CHANGE (Under the Societies Act, this is a Special Resolution and requires a 75% majority vote to pass.)
Part 2 — Membership
4. The membership of the association shall consist of the following:
(1) Business members – corporations, partnerships, cooperatives and sole proprietorships operating in the Capital Region.
(2) Organizational members – government agencies, non-profit societies, associations, cooperatives and organizations operating in the Capital Region that provide products and services for reimbursement and/or support the principles of the society through their activities.
(3) Individual members – any person nineteen (19) years of age or over, in the Capital Region who: does not own a business or has not started an organization, but aspires to do so; previously owned a business or started an organization and wants to be part of the society; and is presently a student.
VBN Workshop: Coaching Circles
Solving your business challenges with the help of your peers
Postponed until March
Watch this site or upcoming newsletters!
Coaching Circles provides an opportunity to spark new ideas, discover solutions and resources by drawing on the collective wisdom of professionals in your community. Participants will break into small groups and each person will have an opportunity to bring up a business challenge or problem that he or she is facing. The other participants around the table will offer suggestions and solutions.
Bill Weaver is a media strategist and Peabody Award-winning filmmaker and journalist, with over three decades of experience creating meaningful content for U.S. and Canadian television. For the past five years, he has been producing web-based film shorts that promote the missions of values-based businesses and social profits.
Bill is founder and facilitator of Media that Matters, a yearly conference at Hollyhock committed to sparking new ideas, broadening collective wisdom, and building a stronger, smarter community among media professionals from all disciplines of conventional and unconventional media. The conference begins its eleventh year in 2010.
Lunch and Learn: Business Culture Matters
Designing an effective values-based company culture
With VBN member John Farquharson of Culture Care Technologies
When: January 21, 11:30 am to 1:00 pm
Where: Fernwood Inn, 1302 Gladstone, Victoria
Cost: (includes lunch) $20 members, $25 non-members
RSVP: connect@vbnetwork.ca
John Farquharson, President of Culture Care Technologies, a human resource and organization development firm specializing in company culture, facilitated a workshop to help small and medium-sized businesses:
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Learn about the effectiveness of collectively held beliefs and values in your business
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Recognize that sustainability, teamwork, service excellence, etc. are all learned
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Understand the five main steps to gaining sustainable competitive advantage through company culture
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Bring your company's mission and vision from "out there then" to "in here now"
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Use culture to become an employer of choice and enhance the market value of your business
Prior to his work as a consultant with Culture Care Technologies, John had a successful career in the health care field and was the former Director of Education at Victoria General Hospital. His interest in culture began as a doctoral student in the psychology and sociology of religion at McMaster University. He later completed a M.Ed. in Adult Education at the University of Toronto and additional graduate studies in organization development at the University of Victoria.
John has consulted on several large cultural change initiatives involving organizations with hundreds of employees. But he has found that helping small and medium sized businesses develop an effective culture early on is a much more productive undertaking.
December breakfast at Solstice Cafe with MP Denise Savoie.
Lunch and Learn: Social Media Marketing
— The Next Step
Making it work for your organization
VBN member Chris Burdge of Bwest Interactive hosted two workshops in the fall helped VBN members better undertand and use Facebook, Twitter and other social media tools.
For beginners and for those already using social media, these sessions helped optimize social media to get the results businesses want.
Chris' workshops help attendees:
- Gain a deeper understanding of the social media landscape
- Leverage social media tools like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and blogs to market and connect with your customers
- Develop content and engagement strategies
- Set-up systems to maximize your time online
- Track and evaluate success and return on investment
Victoria Business Leaders in Sustainability Project
The VBN is pleased to announce its newest initiative, the Victoria Business Leaders in Sustainability Project, which will foster environmental and ethical practices in Victoria by showcasing businesses at the forefront of sustainability.
With the Victoria Business Leaders in Sustainability Project our goal is to identify and effectively showcase local businesses that represent leaders in positive change. Through this process, we hope to create opportunities for learning and education and to inspire other companies in the Victoria community about business sustainability.
The VBN has received funding for this project from Vancity, the City of Victoria, and BC Healthy Communities.
Click here to see recent VBN events