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Comments from Los Angeles workshops, Sept
18-20, 2006.
Jeff Hayes, Principal, The Venture Group
Burts Boot Camp is a great opportunity to connect with
and learn alongside like-minded business owners. The workshops are densely packed with
information but the information presented in an engaging, user-friendly way. Burts
long professional experience converting waste into value allows him to present simple,
practical solutions to apparently complicated real-world scenarios...
Where I found the most value was studying tools that
grown-up businesses already use to measure and improve their overall
performance and learning to apply them in a triple-bottom-line context. The simple
formulas and approaches Burt presented to introduce and include business owners who are
considering widening their performance measures to include socially conscious measures was
enlightening...
Burt has many powerful resources at his fingertips and is
eager to share them. Id recommend the boot camp to anyone interested in developing
their skills for measuring and improving their triple-bottom-line performance, from
start-ups to experienced entrepreneurs to M&A folks and investment bankers to
performance-improvement consultants like me.
Bill Colitre, Attorney at Law, Encino, CA
[I attended] "Green Business Boot Camp" last week
and I wanted to give you all the download, since the instructor, Burt Hamner, is planning
to give the seminar again in the future, and you might be interested in attending. If
you're interested, see his website: CleanerProduction.com
Over all, the seminar was pretty informative. For me, since I
haven't been to B-school, it was a useful introduction to a number of management concepts,
such as Total Quality Management, the Baldrige Criteria for Performance Excellence, etc.
Better yet, these concepts were introduced through the filter of environmental management,
so they both critiqued and extended the underlying concepts in useful ways.
One of the things I liked best about the seminar was the very
practical nature of the instruction, focused on resolving the real concerns of and
immediate problems faced by the seminar attendees. Also, because the class size was small
(6-8 people) we were able to get real, specific answers to our immediate needs....
I would recommend the course especially to those with no
prior business school experience. For those who have been to business school, I think
Hamner provides other courses more specifically focused on looking at traditional business
concepts like cost accounting and TQM through the "environmental lens", which is
something he seems to have as much experience in as anyone out there.
Hamner is a engaging, energetic and seems truly dedicated to
providing students tools they can use. His background is diverse, global in perspective
and well balanced among environmental science, business and academia-- no hippie is he.
Two thumbs up.
Barbra Harbold, Anthea Designs LLC, Charlotte NC
I felt the information I gained from this boot camp not only
helps me with my green business, but the mapping techniques are also useful for other
aspects of my life such as problem solving for running a home and the CHANGING BEHAVIOR
techniques for my husband and children. I liked the small size setting which allowed for
personal attention and a supportive discussion group. The workshop was very informative,
the information was very well presented, and the personal attention was very helpful. I
also enjoyed all the anecdotes, and you sharing your past experiences with businesses.
Reviews
of "Communicating Sustainability" workshop
Comments from San Francisco workshops, Oct
16-19, 2006.
Kathy Larson, VP of Sustainability and Education, Frontier Natural
Products Inc.:
Good
material, good presentation skills, appreciated the CD of info, excellent instruction.
Lane Shackleton, Graduate Student, Stanford University:
The
extremely diverse experiences [of the instructors] create a fantastic context for learning
about sustainability.
Larry Hannan, Marketing Manager, Nevada Construction and CleanUp:
Excellent
- very informative. Plan to use this with Green Building program
Reviews of "Communicating
Sustainability" workshop
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