Creating community

In 2007, the Bali Climate Change Conference brought together representatives from 180+ countries to create a roadmap that would develop sustained action for the environment to 2012 and beyond. That same year, Al Gore won the Nobel Peace Prize for his work on The Inconvenient Truth. This was the first year the mainstream masses started to connect the dots between their actions and the melting snowcaps and unusual weather patterns, bringing the sustainability conversation to an entirely new level.  

The result of these new conversations meant that people wanted to know how to integrate new models into their businesses to make a positive impact on the planet. As a result, EcoTuesday was brought to life in San Francisco. The first event was lively and there was a buzz in the air. Brian Back, founder and publisher of Sustainable Industries Magazine, was the event's very first speaker. "Last year we thought that this year global warming and climate change would reach a critical mass in interest in business. I think that has largely happened," said Back in 2007.  

Since 2007, people have gathered for almost 400 monthly events in 10 cities across the country, offering hundreds of new and veteran sustainability professionals the opportunity to connect and learn from one another in a business environment. Ambassador teams produce the events in each city and have a handful of responsibilities while becoming a leader within the sustainability community in their local area. "What I gained from starting the Los Angeles EcoTuesday is invaluable. Building EcoTuesday in Los Angeles from the ground up required me to to push past my comfort zone and engage virtual strangers in conversation through the common bond of wanting to create a better community and be around like-minded people. EcoTuesday taught me to be fearless, and without this I have very little doubt that I'd be as successful in my career as I am today," said Jennifer Gooding of the Austin Chamber of Commerce (and former LA Ambassador).  

While the structure of each event is the same (welcome, speaker, Q & A, then an Introduction Circle), the speaker, the city, the month, and the even the season in which the event takes place makes each event feel different. "Most of us shy away from networking, but the EcoTuesday format facilitates networking and makes it not only easy but fun. As tired as I might be after a day of work, EcoTuesday always leaves me feeling energized and inspired," said Rosana Francescato from Adobe Systems.