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What's Driving a $2.16 Trillion Green Market?

What's Driving a $2.16 Trillion Green Market?

Published 10-26-04

Submitted by Global Exchange

SAN FRANCISCO - The Green Economy has come a long way since the days of hippie hemp T-shirts. Nowadays multimillion-dollar companies are involved in socially responsible investment, organic farming, environmentally friendly home building, alternative energy and Fair Trade farming. Socially responsible investment managers control $2.16 trillion, or $1 out of every $9 invested in the nation. The U.S. organic food market is worth $10.38 billion. Organic food sales growth runs at 17 to 21 percent annually, versus the two to four percent for total food sales. Fair Trade sales are booming at $250 million in North America and the Pacific Rim.

This year's November 6-7 Green Festival, sponsored by Global Exchange and Co-op America, is the nexus of California's burgeoning Green Economy. Eighty percent of the 400 plus booths at the San Francisco Concourse come from Bay Area companies; among them Clif Bar, Hewlett Packard and Working Assets. The Green Festival is a Green Economy conference merged with an eco-friendly trade show, featuring a host of great speakers. It has been uniformly successful: in 2003 over 19,500 attended in San Francisco, doubling the 2002 figure. The first ever Washington D.C. Green Festival in September attracted 15,334 attendees, double the number expected.

"The Green Festival is a living, breathing example of a life-values economy growing within the shell of a profit driven market that is showing clear fatigue," says Green Festival founder Kevin Danaher. "The huge number of people who attended the last four Green Festivals in San Francisco, Austin and Washington D.C. prove there is demand for eco-friendly and justice-based companies interested in more than just the bottom line."

Where else would you find socially responsible investment managers drinking Fair Trade Lattes, rubbing shoulders with the hemp manufacturers, green homebuilders and organic brewers? Recycled copier cartridges, recycled cloth, paper and clothing manufacturers jostle sweat-free sneakers at the festival. Among this year's speakers are author/linguist George Lakoff, Dame Anita Roddick of the Body Shop and crusading journalist Greg Palast. The is even a preview showing of "Go Further," the new Woody Harrelson movie.

Global Exchange is an international human rights organization dedicated to promoting social, political and environmental justice. Since our founding in 1988, we have increased the U.S. public's global awareness while building partnerships among peoples around the world.

Co-op America is the leading force in educating and empowering our nation's people and businesses to make significant improvements through the economic system.

For more information go to www.globalexchange.org, www.greenfestivals.org and www.globalcitizencenter.org. See tomorrow's economy today at the Green Festival!

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