WESTON, Conn. — Until now, consumers looking to purchase sustainable goods and services from local businesses have had to spend considerable time and effort searching online, frequently with disappointing results. The small businesses they are looking for simply lack the resources to effectively reach their target market. Repeated missed opportunities to connect and engage online with consumers who most value their commitment to sustainability thwarts their growth and impedes economic prosperity. Enter Sustainne, an online platform that surfaces brand stories to connect Connecticut’s sustainable businesses with conscious consumers.
Co-founders and partners Analiese Paik and Amy Kalafa, already steeped in and passionate about sustainability, responded to market indicators that signaled the time was right to unite, nurture and grow a community dedicated to sustainable living. “The number one concern of small business owners is how to grow and scale without breaking the bank on marketing,” says Paik, who is also founder of the award-winning Fairfield Green Food Guide. “Sustainable businesses have no efficient media buy, no way to target the conscious consumer. That is a problem we were excited about solving. We challenged ourselves and came up with an affordable and compelling way to bring audiences and brands together on one platform, and beyond.”
The new site is designed to help consumers easily find local products and services that align with their interests, values and lifestyles. “Using a location and keyword search, visitors can find everything from organic dry cleaners to furniture made from reclaimed resources,” says Kalafa, a TV producer who recently earned her MBA in Sustainability. “Our visually captivating home page invites consumers to discover products and engage with brands by browsing business categories, exploring our newest members and advertisers, and getting inspired through multimedia storytelling on our blog.”
The partners aim to be ‘sustainability sherpas’, guiding and supporting business members toward continuous practice improvement in areas from renewable energy and sustainable sourcing to employee engagement, community service and waste management. The process begins with a survey tailored to small and mid-sized companies to get business owners and managers focused on implementing, measuring and expanding key sustainability practices in the areas of People, Planet and Prosperity. Education and training are delivered via webinars and live events, while customized strategy and sustainability consulting services are available for those needing more targeted advice. “For example, a large food service business may see used cooking oil as a waste product until we connect them with a remanufacturing business that will turn that oil into fuel,” says Kalafa. Large corporations have been reaping financial benefits, reducing risk, and burnishing their reputations with these types of sustainability initiatives for years. Now, through Sustainne, small and mid-sized businesses have access to the same tools and frameworks that Fortune 500 companies use. “We’re leveling the playing field,” says Paik.
The partners say that their fledgling enterprise is key to building a New Economy, and coined Sustainne with an extra “ne” for the New Economy that prospers by meeting current needs without exploiting human resources or depleting natural resources for future generations. According to the CBIA (Connecticut Business and Industry Association), two thirds of Connecticut businesses are already engaged in some form of sustainability, and 97% of businesses in Connecticut are classified as small businesses. For Paik that means, “There’s an opportunity for over 300,000 businesses in our state to join Sustainne and make a positive impact economically while helping to improve our environment and human health.” A 2015 Cone Communications/Ebiquity Global CSR Study revealed that 84 percent of consumers globally say they seek out responsible products whenever possible, though 81 percent report availability of these products as the largest barrier to not purchasing more. Kalafa says, “Sustainne removes this barrier and opens the floodgate to a new paradigm for conscious consumption.”
Organizations that meet Sustainne’s eligibility requirements are invited to become business members, build their multimedia profiles, engage with conscious consumers, and network with likeminded businesses. True to their mission, Kalafa and Paik are promoting the work of several nonprofit Community Partners that share their DNA, including the Northeast Organic Farming Association of Connecticut (CT NOFA). CT NOFAs’ mission is to ensure the growth and viability of organic agriculture, organic food, and organic land care in Connecticut. “This is our third pillar,” says Paik. “In order to effect widespread change, it’s a fundamental imperative that we collaborate with our nonprofit Community Partners and advance their missions to the Sustainne community.”
About Sustainne
Its mission is to unite, nurture and grow a community dedicated to sustainable living.
- They connect local businesses with consumers who desire their sustainable products and services.
- They network businesses with one another to strengthen and grow their ecosystem.
- They promote our Community Partners to the Sustainne community to further their social missions.
Our goal is to help sustain a prosperous New Economy that uses natural capital to support our current needs while regenerating resources for the future. We are dedicated to creating an ecosystem that strives to break the cycle of extraction, exploitation and pollution and replaces it with a virtuous loop of regeneration, respect and social responsibility.
About the Partners
Analiese Paik and Amy Kalafa share a long history in the sustainable food and environmental movements. Their paths intersected while both were advocating for sustainable school food when their children were young. A decade later, they’ve joined forces and broadened their scope to create an online destination and community dedicated to every aspect of sustainable living.
Analiese Paik is a sustainable food advocate and founder of the Fairfield Green Food Guide, an award-winning digital news publication dedicated to empowering Fairfield County consumers to eat more locally and sustainably since 2009. Analiese has strengthened the local-sustainable food movement through her publications and events, as a GMO labeling bill advocate, through her service on the advisory board of the CT DOA’s Farm-to-Chef Program, and as an advisor to Slow Food Metro North, where she previously served as a board member. Paik has an MBA in Finance and has worked as an independent consultant to small area businesses. Earlier in her career, she held marketing and management positions in the financial services industry. She is a graduate of the Institute of Culinary Education in Manhattan, and studied wine at the International Wine Center. Paik is the recipient of the 2016 and 2015 Morris Media Green Award Honorable Mention, 2012 Slow Food Metro North Snail of Approval Award, 2013 and 2011 Green Coast Award, and received the Constant Contact All Star Award for eight consecutive years for excellence in email marketing.
Amy Kalafa is a sustainability strategist and an award-winning TV and media producer, specializing in increasing visibility and maximizing impact for businesses and organizations. Early in her career, Amy co-founded the first certified organic poultry and game bird farm on the East Coast. Since then she has founded and run the digital media production company ARAY.tv, built an international sustainable school food organization (angrymoms.org) and written a book - Lunch Wars: How to Start a School Food Revolution and Win the Battle for Our Children's Health, which was nominated for the Books for a Better Life Award. Amy recently completed her MBA in Sustainability at Bard. Amy is a sought-after public speaker at conferences, universities and in the media. She has been interviewed on NPR’s Justice Talking and Positive Discipline, Fox News Tonight, CNN’s Your Bottom Line and Good Morning America. She and her work have been featured on the cover of USA Today, in The New York Times, Redbook, People Magazine, Huffington Post and on Rachel Ray and CBS’s The Doctors.