Greening Up Your Business
Bret Schanzenbach
President & CEO
Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce
In 2019, the City of Carlsbad joined the California Green Business Network with the hopes of encouraging Carlsbad businesses to become more eco-friendly. The Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce was proud to be one of the first five businesses certified here in Carlsbad. The Carlsbad Chamber has been committed to sustainable, eco-friendly business practices for many years. In 2008, we started our Sustainable Business Committee (now the “Green” Business Committee). That committee took on initiatives to showcase best practices to our members via our annual Eco-Tour and our annual Green Business Expo. The Eco-Tour takes place each fall and our Green Business Expo will take place April 20, 2022 from 2:00pm to 7:00pm at the Flower Fields in Carlsbad. The Green Business Expo will feature 40 booths from local businesses who want to showcase their sustainable goods and services. We will also feature 12-15 electric cars that you can come learn about. All are welcome to join us. With gas prices continuing to skyrocket, now might be the time to learn more about electric vehicles.
Thankfully, the Carlsbad Chamber was not the only local business to get certified by the California Green Business Network. Microscope World is a small, woman-owned business here in Carlsbad that works really hard to provide their customers with high quality microscopes that fit their budget. They sell microscopes and microscope accessories, including everything from student microscopes up to ZEISS professional level microscopes. Charisa Clarkson is the Owner and Managing Director at Microscope World. She heard about the Green Certification process from a Tweet put out by the City of Carlsbad. When asked why she decided to engage in the process, Charisa stated, “Going green and trying to save our planet is important to me personally as I have a great love for our planet and the outdoors. As a business owner I am in a unique position to not just help our planet personally, but to try to reduce our footprint through our business as well.” Charisa’s passion for the outdoors has caught on with her team as well. She shared that several employees bike to work regularly. When asked about a “unique” sustainable practice they have created, Charisa stated, “I actually made cloth reusable napkins for use in our office, not sure if anyone would want to use them. I am happy to report that our employees use them daily, reducing paper towel waste.” Charisa appreciates that the city has brought the California Green Business Network to Carlsbad and she wants to remind everyone to shop local the next time that they need a microscope for a student or for their work.
Marcy Browe is the Owner of Marcy Browe Photography in Oceanside. Marcy has been an active member of our Green Business Committee for many years, serving as Co-Chair of the committee. Marcy provides branding photography for entrepreneurs and teams, specifically for people who care about the impression they make and the impact they create in the world. Marcy heard about the Green Certification Process through the Chamber’s Green Business Committee. Marcy has always had a passion for sustainability. She shared, “It’s meaningful for me to show other small businesses and solopreneurs that you don’t have to be a massive corporation to go green. I have a small photo studio and a small team, but we are able to make a big impact by using our voices for eco-friendly initiatives and choosing where we spend our money.” Marcy believes there a business case to be made for sharing your passion for sustainability with potential customers. “I’m extremely proud to give a portion of my proceeds to two earth-friendly organizations: Natural Resources Defense Council and Greenpeace. It’s important for me to say to my clients ‘when you work with me, a portion of that money supports sustainable causes.’”
If you’d like to learn more about the Green Certification process here in Carlsbad, go to GreenBusinessCA.org/cityofcarlsbad. We hope many more businesses join us on this journey of going green. And we hope to see you at the Flower Fields on April 20, 2022 for our EXPO. Tickets are $12.00 to attend the Expo (and yes, you get to visit the Flower Fields as well for that low price). The proceeds for those ticket sales are donated to the Flower Fields’ fund that brings school children out each year for field trips. Go to www.carlsbad.org to get your tickets today!