As I prepare to head from Cleveland to San Francisco for the largest sustainability event in the world - The Green Festival - I'm packing some of my favorite bright green products from Northeast Ohio, including a Hemp n' Berry Bar from Plant Kingdom, of Akron, for the road. Bought at VERY OHIO PROUD bright green coffee roasters and retailers Phoenix Coffee, this healthy organic treat proudly boasts it is OHIO PROUD - and I'm proud of that.

Dear President Obama, I guarantee one ingredient in this Ohio Proud product is not from Ohio, or even America-proud - the first ingredient listed on the label - "Sheeled Hempseed (certified organic)". Ask your wife about "H" "E" "M" "P"...

Michelle Obama sniffing homegrown herb on community farm tended by immigrants in San Diego, CA.

Most certainly, those expensive, life-enhancing, natural, organic, job-creating, tax-paying hemp seeds came from Canada, as America has the most regressive, ignorant, criminal, discriminator, racist and downright retarded industrial policy IN THE WORLD, and American leaders are TOO IGNORANT, CORRUPT, UNSCIENTIFIC AND/OR DOWNRIGHT FASCIST to differentiate hemp from marijuana, as American leaders fail to recognize all cannabis products are of this Earth and of exceptional industrial, economic, healing and healthful benefit to humans.

I'll be exploring the ignorance and/or corruption of American leaders on just that subject, after The Green Festival, at the Hemp Industry Association conference, also in San Francisco starting this weekend.

About the Hemp Industry Association conference

17th Annual Convention to follow San Francisco Green Festival – Rare Historical Documents on Hemp Research by USDA will be on Display

SAN FRANCISCO, CA – The 17th annual convention of the Hemp Industries Association (HIA) will be held on November 8th at the Holiday Inn Civic Center in San Francisco, CA. The HIA represents a fast growing and environmentally sustainable industry that is creating new jobs, with an estimated $400 million in sales in 2009, despite a federal policy that outlaws hemp farming. Business leaders of the North American hemp industry will meet in San Francisco to map out plans for bringing back hemp farming in the United States, to present updates on industry developments, and to share new data about expanding markets.

Plant Kingdom, of Akron:

We are nutritional warriors because access is everything. People need options, and the over-abundance of processed food has created a world of harm. We're sick of hearing about how much money the fast food industry has spent marketing to children. Our commitment lies in preventing illnesses linked to poor diet. Plant-based diets are shown to reverse heart disease, help maintain healthy body weights, and alleviate hypertension and high cholesterol. HEALTH IS WEALTH and we need to create a food environment that enriches more people. The nutrients our bodies crave are in abundance in the Plant Kingdom and that's something worth celebrating.

Phoenix Coffee CORE VALUES:

Phoenix Coffee Core Values
  1. Mutual respect: This phrase is essentially a restatement of the golden rule “Do unto others
     as you would have them do unto you”. It means assuming the best about the intentions and
     the abilities of others. It means treating vendors & delivery people with respect, as well as
     customers. As a leader in this community, it is also our job to address behavior that is not in
     keeping with this value; pointing it out at the very least.
  2. Empowering those closest to the customer to make the best possible decisions about how
     to do their jobs. The book Accountability by Rob LeBow provides a great explanation of
     what we mean by this statement. This book also explains how important it is to establish a
     freedom-based workplace, rather than a fear-based work place. We do not motivate by fear
     or threats at Phoenix. Instead, we motivate our people by informing and educating them as
     thoroughly as possible. As a result, we spend a great deal of time and resources training our
     front-line baristas. We have company training modules on coffee brewing & tasting,
     espresso extraction, milk texturing and the science of tea preparation. Baristas are trained
     for three days at our roastery before they are permitted to brew espresso or espresso based
     beverages for customers. We also train baristas on how to read a profit & loss statement,
     and how their everyday decisions affect the overall profitability of the café. We conduct
     customer service workshops, regular in-store coffee cuppings, and monthly developmental
     barista meetings where baristas are encouraged to learn more and meet their full professional
     potential.
  3. We view our business as an organism, perfectly evolved to serve the greater good of the
     community, our employees and our owners. This means that we believe that every problem
     has a unique, simple solution that is often found by talking to our customers and our
     employees at each location. We question ourselves whenever we come up with a solution or
     a policy that feels or sounds like a “one size fits all” solution. It is easy to oversimplify and
     try to fit each of the stores into a cookie cutter mold, which is rarely in the best interest of
     each of the individual stores. Instead, we encourage each café to find a mode of operation
     that best suits its customer base and its employees.
  4. Creatively using what we have already rather than needlessly consuming or acquiring
     more. Respecting and investing in what is right here in our own community, rather than
     looking for outside superheroes or miracle products to come to the rescue. Rather than
     purchasing new equipment or furniture for our cafes, we purchase refurbished used
     equipment and furniture whenever possible. We are avid patrons of the carpentry shop “A
     Piece of Cleveland”, a company that specializes in refinishing and repurposing salvaged
     architectural pieces from right here in Cleveland. We source our décor and furniture from
     thrift stores and antique stores and use local labor to give it new life.
  5. The business grows when our people grow. It is critical to continue to educate and develop
     our people in order for our business to continue to grow. Indeed, that is the only way our
     business will grow.
  6. We are committed to sustainable thinking. This means considering people, prosperity and
     the planet in every decision that we make. This means conserving energy and natural
     resources, and minimizing the use of disposables and packaging.

About The Green Festival

At Green Festival®, a joint project of Global Exchange and Green America, we’re celebrating what’s working in our communities—for people, business and the environment.

Think of Green Festival® as a walk through a sustainable community. It begins with finding solutions to help make our lives healthier—socially, economically and environmentally. Individuals along with business and community leaders come together to discuss critical issues that impact us at home and abroad. Organizations and businesses showcase programs and products that restore the planet and all that inhabit it. Neighbor-to-neighbor connections are formed, and skills are shared to empower people to create positive change in the world.

Join us at the nation’s premier sustainability event, where you will see the best in green. Enjoy more than 125 renowned authors, leaders and educators; great how-to workshops; cutting-edge films; fun activities for kids; organic beer and wine; delicious vegetarian cuisine and diverse live music. Shop in our unique marketplace of more than 350 eco-friendly businesses—everything from all-natural body care products and organic cotton clothing to Fair Trade gifts and beautiful kitchen tiles made from renewable resources.

See the most recent developments in renewable energy and green technology; sample Fair Trade chocolate and coffee (yes, they really do taste better); and learn how to invest in your community, green your home and avoid products made in sweatshops.

Recharge your batteries with all the hope, inspiration and practical ideas you’ll find at the one and only Green Festival®.

Green Festival® Facts:

• Green Festival® is the largest sustainability event in the world and continues to grow year after year.
• Green Festival® is the only green event that screens exhibitors for their commitment to sustainability, ecological balance and social justice using Green America’s green business standards.
• Green Festival® offsets 100% of its electricity emissions with clean, renewable energy.
• Green Festival® walks its talk: each year it gets closer to being a zero-waste event.

For more information about the two nonprofit organizations producing Green Festival®, visit www.globalexchange.org and www.greenamericatoday.org.

Join us at San Francisco Green Festival this weekend! Experience the best in green shopping, cuisine, education and sustainable innovation at the SF Concourse Exhibition Center Saturday November 6 and Sunday November 7.

Buy Your Tickets Online Now!

The deadline for purchasing online tickets is 5pm PST on Friday November 5th! Purchase your tickets now by visiting the SF Admissions Site. Tickets may also be purchased on both Saturday and Sunday at the box office. Just a reminder that all tickets purchased will receive GF Bucks back to spend with green businesses at Green Festival!

There are Plenty of Ways to Get in Free…

• Choose to engage with local nonprofit organizations in the "Pay it Forward, Get it Back" campaign - visit Admissions for a list of our nonprofit allies.
• Bring four non-perishable food items to donate to the San Francisco Food Bank - courtesy of CBS5/KPIX.
• Bring a Rainbow receipt dated Nov. 1st to Nov. 7th, 2010 with a minimum purchase of $10.
• Bring an old unused cellphone for recycling with T-Mobile.
• Visit your San Francisco Bay Area Nissan Dealer and test drive a new LEAF.
• As always, Green Festival is free for Green America and Global Exchange members, youth under 18 and festival volunteers.

Stay up-to-date with Green Festival all weekend!

If you are Tweeting, a.k.a., giving your own exciting updates from the festival on Twitter, please use the hashtag #GreenFest so we can ReTweet! Also, if you mention us on Facebook and are a fan of Green Festivals, please use @Green Festivals in your wall post so it will show up on our page! Remember to post your own photos on our Facebook wall!

If you are volunteering this weekend...

Please don't forget to check in at the volunteer sign-in table to verify your shift time and place, and also to receive your organic, sweat-shop free Green Festival T-Shirt. Thanks to Corporate Innovator and Greening Partner Ford!

Find Your Groove, Style and Inner Greenie!

Check out a variety of stages and pavilions for presentations by renowned leaders, authors, public figures, business owners, activists and visionaries. See stylish new trends in the Eco-Fashion Shows and dance to the rhythms of local and regional artists at the Music and Spoken Word Stage. Shop green with hundreds of eco-friendly sustainable businesses in the Green Marketplace. Catch a screening of "Ghetto Physics" or sample a taste of the recipes at the O Organics Kitchen Stage. Take the kids to Annie's Green Kid's Zone for fun games and hands on activities! No matter who you are or what you like, Green Festival has something for you!