As part of a series sharing stories about innovative small businesses that are changing business as usual for their communities and beyond Good Magazine recently spoke with Renewal2 portfolio company Alter Eco and we were really proud of what they had to say. 

Read the article here: 

http://www.good.is/posts/for-one-food-company-the-key-ingredient-for-success-is-fairness

Hub Ventures, a startup accelerator for entrepreneurs building a better world, is now taking applications for its upcoming Spring 2012 cohort.  The program is looking for startups that have potential for scale, profitability, and significant measurable impact on the world.  Entrepreneurs can apply at www.hub-ventures.com/apply, and the deadline is March 5th. 
 

Vancouver 2020: A Bright Green Future, the Action Plan by Vancouver’s Greenest City Action Team,  was introduced at the Resilient Cities Gaining Ground conference in Vancouver on October 20, 2009 by Mayor Gregor Robertson.

Renewal2 Investment Fund momentum is rolling.
 
With over 35 partners, including 6 charitable foundations, and individuals from across Canada and the U.S., we are nearing $20 million under management.
 
What a year it's been to build a new Fund. That so many investors have made commitments is heartening, and inspires our team to work even harder to maximize the potential of this timely capital pool.
 

After 15 years of pursuing an aggressive mission to fund systemic change in BC, Renewal has, through a combination of investments, grants and collaborations, successfully accomplished the first stage of our mission.

Debating relative performance in this crisis is like re-arranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.

Sarah Stranahan, chair of the Needmor Fund, a Toledo-based fund that supports community investing, recently wrote a thought provoking article that was printed in Responsible Investor.

Over the coming three months the Renewal2 team will be traveling to meet with prospective investors in advance of our fund’s first closing – targeted for March 31, 2009.

We welcome your suggestions and referrals of people to connect with in the cities we will be visiting:

The current state of the capital markets and the U.S. financial system have left many investors paralyzed in fear, but this community, like us at Renewal, is choosing hope over fear.  Hope that these times will inspire us to invest smarter and with a broader purpose than just having money make more money.

Science Nature Arts and People (SNAP) is the name of a gathering hosted by a quartet of early and highly successful pioneers of the natural products industry. I was fortunate to be invited to Boulder for the 4th annual this fall.

When Carol Newell committed the majority of her wealth towards social change funding, her intention was to catalyze a shift in how money and business works. We set out with an entrepreneurial strategy to align money and mission. We devoted our work to a more ecological and fair culture of commerce. We aimed for practical idealism made real through tangible examples of solutions businesses. We did 14 years of social venture investing. We found promising early stage entreprenuers. We supported them in diverse ways.