In November, I attended Opportunity Green, the eco-conference held at UCLA which focused on building profitable, socially responsible and sustainable business. Being my first green conference, it was my initiation to critical sustainability issues and corporate social responsibility.

As a relative newbie to the sustainable realm, I was “green� to the eco-slang terms such as “bio-resins� or “carbon offsets,� nor did I know much about the celebrity status of the speakers. I guess it’s normal to be clueless about the subject matter and instructors before taking any introductory class.

As the conference began, I sat eager and ready to learn all there was to know about doing sustainable business and building green brands. From a great mix of keynote presentations and focused sessions, I processed the issues discussed and took away with me five general lessons on how to be profitable and sustainable.

1. Reduce Waste. If you want to do green business, you first need to learn about the materials you are working with from end-to-end and take responsibility for the total lifecycle. John Picard, one of the preeminent environmental consultants and a founding member of the U.S. Green Building Council stated, “The most profitable companies in the world will be the ones that mimic nature–because nature doesn’t create waste. We’re predators on nature. It’s up to us to change and transform the marketplace.� Once we understand the lifecycle of our products and services, we can then be transparent and open to our customers. Working with 100% post-consumer recycled (PCR) stock, tree-free paper, reusable elements, biodegradable materials and thinking with minimalism in mind can help us keep from adding to the landfill.

2. Focus on higher needs. Transform experiences by creating meaning with your business. Chip Conley, founder and CEO of Joie de Vivre Hospitality said that transforming experiences for your audience will meet an unrecognized need and grant a feeling pride of ownership to consumers, employees and investors. By implementing green practices throughout his boutique hotels and creating programs to raise funds for local non-profit organizations, Conley had created “something for the customer that they didn’t even know they wanted.� Design can help create emotional connections with audiences. Inspire your clients communicate their good corporate practices and you’ll help them set a good example in their own industry.

3. Earn your media. Do the right thing and recognition will come. Gunther Lie, director of Interactive Marketing at Method Home, remarked that despite the lack of television and print ads, Method has become a huge success through its earned media. Because of the values of the company and the quality of the product, Method Home has been mentioned widely through in various press outlets. People value authenticity, which creates buzz. So instead of placing ads and telling everyone you offer green design services, just do great design that is thoughtful in a green way, and people will take notice.

4. Take risks. Make a difference from the core and don’t let anyone sway your vision. David Brody of North Venture Partners advises against the use of focus groups. “Create something where people are lining up to be involved with,� Brody recommended. Jonathan Greenblatt, cofounder of Ethos Water said roughly 20% of the world’s population lack access to safe drinking water. He wanted to “connect consumption to cause,� by selling bottled water to fund clean water resources. Because he wasn’t able to convince the investor community to help him get started, he used his own credit cards and commissioned a friend who had a pickup truck to make deliveries. “What we did have was hope,� says Greenblatt. Going against the grain maybe the best way of reaching your goals. Take risks in your own practice; in the ideas you generate, in the designs you recommend and in the materials you specify. Educate your clients and their customers in the importance of environmental responsibility. Design solutions that let people act and can use make change, such as green standards guides, green brand launches, online community development, viral awareness campaigns and more.

5. Develop ways to move people to action. Provide solutions that people can use to make a difference. Kevin Wall, an Emmy Award-winning producer and CEO of Control Room, was inspired by the movie An Inconvenient Truth but felt it didn’t provide enough ways for people to make a difference. He decided to produce Live Earth – The Concerts for a Climate in Crisis, the largest global “concert for a cause� in history. The concert created awareness to 8 million people and launched a multi-year campaign to challenge individuals, corporations and governments to take action in solving the climate crisis. Josh Dorfman, author of The Lazy Environmentalist, presented successful transportation solutions currently available such as the 40 mpg Toyota Camry hybrid, the electric Tesla Roadster which produces zero emissions, and the Velib bicycle program in Paris where one can rent a bike for free and drop it off at any bike station around the city. Dorfman said, “we don’t have time to wait for either big government or big corporations to deliver solutions for us, so we have to figure it out for ourselves.� In design business, we already help companies create desire, so why not apply our abilities toward environmental efforts? As natural problem solvers, we can innovate the marketplace with our design thinking.

The day was inspiring and I continue to think about what we can do on a small scale to initiate change in my own firm and within the design community. I wouldn’t say that I’m a green business expert, but I do feel a bit more confident about designing with the planet in mind.

“Consumer behavior is difficult to change,� David Brody said, “but supporting their habits is easy.� How do we do that? The discussion in finding solutions to this and a multitude of other sustainability issues is promised to continue with Opportunity Green salons and conference events early next year. Eco-business 201? I’ll be attending with my notebook in hand.

Do you know of any examples of design helping companies or the business community to be greener?