There are ways to avoid the mall this holiday season, support local stores and artists, and still buy gifts for everyone no your list.  Oakland Unwrapped, in collaboration with Jack London Square, ProArts, adn Oakland Grown, is putting on a “mall-ternative” shopping event, Holiday Buy Night, on Thursday and Friday, December 10th and 11th, from 5 to 10 PM.  From pet lovers to food lovers, fashionistas to athletes, women, men, children, and everyone in between, Holiday Buy Night promises to have something for everyone on your list.

If you need a shopping break, be sure to check out the music and live entertainment going on throughout the evening.  Have the young ones check out the kids section for games, arts and crafts, and a movie.  And if you get hungry or thirsty, be sure to check out the “food court” at the event.  Restaurants from Jack London Square will be selling food, including Kincaids, Cocina Poblana, Ben and Jerry’s, and others.  Awaken Cafe will provide coffee and hot chocolate and Numi and L’Amyx will provide hot tea to keep you warm and alert while shopping.  There will also be a beer and wine bar, featuring the East Bay Express’ holiday lager!  This is one shopping event you won’t want to miss this December!

Save the date!  Add this event to your Outlook Calendar here.

Interested in volunteering?  See below:

The Alameda County Board of Women’s Initiative for Self Employment is partnering with The San Francisco Business Times to recognize 15 female entrepreneurs throughout Alameda County for their success in sustainable small business enterprise. The time to recognize these women is now, because they are vital components of America’s economic recovery. According to Carla Foster, Alameda County Women’s Initiative Board Member, “Research has shown that it is entrepreneurs who will pull us out of this recession and women in particular will do what it takes to support their families.”

Nominations are being accepted now until August 28^th. One woman from Oakland will be recognized as Oakland Woman Business Owner of the Year 2009. In order to be considered for the award, the female entrepreneur must: “1) Have been successful despite the barriers that exist for woman business owners, 2) Exemplify how business ownership and leadership is beneficial for women, 3) Have a positive impact on local community or the community at large, and/or 4) Advance their field through innovation.” The winner will be recognized in The San Francisco Business Times, The San Jose Business Journal, on the Women’s Initiative website, and through various other media and events in the Bay Area.

If you want to show a female entrepreneur in Oakland how much you appreciate what she does every day, click here to nominate her for Oakland Woman Business Owner of the Year 2009. To learn more about the Women’s Initiative, visit their website at www.womensinitiative.org.

Many businesses claim to be green or market their products as environmentally friendly, but how does the consumer know if they are actually supporting a company that is truly eco-friendly?

How do companies that have a double or triple bottom line differentiate themselves from those who see social and environmental issues as a marketing strategy?

How can these businesses network and learn more about running a socially and/or environmentally responsible company?

The San Francisco Bay Area has developed several organizations that certify businesses as green and socially responsible or furnish networking for businesses that are making honest and serious attempts to be as green or socially responsible as possible. Many cities and states have their own green business programs, and Oakland is the home of the Bay Area Green Business Program (BAGBP). The BAGBP verifies that businesses meet certain standards of environmental performance by conducting in depth reviews of business operations. So far, over 1,600 Bay Area businesses have been certified green since 1997 in the nine Bay Area counties. The San Francisco Bay Area is also home to the Green Chamber of Commerce, a center that fosters “the success of businesses committed to environmental and social responsibility.” The Sustainable Business Alliance also has over 250 participating Bay Area businesses. The Sustainable Business Alliance facilitates networking, education, technical services, and partnership opportunities for sustainable Bay Area businesses. San Francisco Green Drinks also makes possible the networking and socializing of area green business professionals. Once a month, environmental professionals get together at 111 Minna to socialize and discuss issues related to the environment. Another sustainable business networking group is EcoTuesday, which is held across the nation and locally in San Francisco on the fourth Tuesday of every month. EcoTuesday gives sustainable business leaders a chance to network and discuss current issues both in person and online.

There are also ways to know that the business you are supporting is socially responsible—look for the B-Corporation certification and you know that the company you are purchasing from has a triple bottom line. In order to be a certified B-Corporation, businesses must go through a series of tests and meet various standards, which are vigorously enforced. A growing number of companies are realizing that social and environmental responsibility is more than just a marketing scheme, it is important for the future that we develop sustainable business practices for the long run.

Buy local campaigns have long intended to support local, small, and independently owned businesses. These campaigns are aimed at marketing to the consumer to promote the local economy. Although these campaigns are present all around the nation and even internationally, they are locally based and help independent businesses. However, large chains and corporations are beginning to take notice of the marketing advantage that local businesses have, and are themselves attempting to appear local. In the latest marketing craze, “local washing” is occurring in almost every sector of the market—from produce to coffee and all the way to banking. Hellman’s Mayonnaise is testing this philosophy in Canada because the ingredients for its product come from North America. HSBC is portraying itself as “the world’s local bank” with its over 500 locations. Even Starbucks is cashing in on this philosophy by operating stores under different names that make them appear more “local.” Stacy Mitchell, author of Big Box Swindle: The True Cost of Mega-Retailers and the Fight for America’s Independent Businesses, addresses the situation and its implications here. While this new approach lets “Buy Local” advocates and small businesses know that what they are doing is having such an impact that global corporations are taking notice, it also confuses consumers and takes advantage of those who do not understand what makes something local or why local products should be purchased. Of course, large corporations can support local suppliers and carry local products, but the true advantage of the economic multiplier effect for the local economy occurs when a product is purchased from an independent business that is truly locally based and performs the majority of business operations locally.