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Archive for May, 2009

Green Week: Go Organic

Friday, May 22nd, 2009

Our weekly Friday BBQs went green today

Our weekly Friday BBQs went green today

A couple of Fridays a month, we take our lunch outside and the team fires up the grill. To celebrate the end of Green Week, we hosted an eco-friendly BBQ, meaning all of our food was either locally grown and produced or purchased from an organic-lifestyle supporting grocery store. Also, we reduced the amount of beef being grilled because of the large carbon footprint of raising cattle.

How it helps Changing how you eat can make a big impact on all aspects of the environment. Organic farms use natural growing practices that promote sustainable agriculture and provide healthy alternatives to conventional crops grown with pesticides and genetically modified organisms. Cutting down your meat consumption would reduce food-related land use and water pollution problems. Buying fish that are farmed in environmentally friendly ways will drive out other less sustainable practices from the industry.

10 Reasons to Buy Organic
1. Protect the health of future generations.
2. Protech water quality.
3. Nurture soil quality and prevent erosion.
4. Save energy.
5. Keep poisons off your plate.
6. Protect farm worker health.
7. Help small farmers.
8. Promote biodiversity.
9. Expose the hidden environmental and social costs of conventional foods.
10. Enjoy better flavor and greater nourishment.

*Information from Greenopia


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Green Week: Go Buy Green

Thursday, May 21st, 2009

greenrecycleshoppingbag1We’ve stocked up on environmentally-conscious supplies in the office, and we didn’t stop at notebooks made from recycled materials. Our restrooms now boast environmentally-friendly bathroom and facial tissue so we can GO GREEN in our everyday routine.

We bought these supplies through TheGreenOffice.com, an online retailer that makes green choices not only with the products it offers but in its business practices. Below is a list, by no means exhaustive, of retailers and restaurants we can support because of their comprehensive efforts to GO GREEN on several fronts.

How it helps Some of the biggest problems facing this planet stem from consumer choices. By purchasing products that won’t cause needless or inordinate harm to the world around us and by supporting businesses that are making substantial efforts to reduce their carbon footprint, we are putting our dollars to work for the environment.
green-office-logo


Go to www.betterworldshopper.org and www.greenopia.com for more information on the lists below.

WHERE TO SHOP
Clothing: The fact is that many of the clothes we wear today are made in sweatshops in the developing world. Better companies have either US made clothing or strictly enforced human rights standards that ensure fair wages and safe working conditions.
Patagonia
American Apparel
Levi’s
Liz Claiborne
Gap
Nordstrom
Eddie Bauer
Abercrombie & Fitch
www.cleanclothes.org

Cars
Toyota
Lexus
Scion
Honda
Acura
Subaru
Audi
Volkswagon
Mazda

Cell phones and services
Credo
Working Assets
Earth Tones
Better World Telecom
Apple
Sony
At&T
Cingular
Motorola

Computers & accessories
GreenDisk
HP
Compaq
IBM
Intel
Apple
Cisco
Sony
Toshiba
Canon
Fujitsu
AMD
Dell
Sun
Lucent
Adobe
Motorola
Packard Bell
Lexmark
Lenovo

Cosmetics
Aveda
The Body Shop
Kiss My Face
Avalon
Avon
Johnson & Johnson
Aveeno

See more at www.betterworldshopper.org.

WHERE TO EAT
Natural Soul Food Non-Profit Café
www.naturalsoulfood.org
1444 W. Martin Luther King Blvd. Los Angeles 90062 / 323-298-0005
Some organic produce, grains, and nondairy beverages; organic pultry, wild-caught fish. Nonprofit café; prices are set by customer.

Boa Steakhouse
www.boasteak.com
101 Santa Monica Blvs. Santa Monica 90401 / 310-899-4466
8462 W. Sunset Blvd. West Hollywood 90069 / 323-650-8383
Some organic produce and meats; some wild-caught fish

Let’s Be Frank Dogs
www.letsbefranksdogs.com
Helms Ave. between Washington and Venice Blvds. / 415-515-8084
Hot dog cart. Local, grass-fed beef dogs; heritage pork brats; organic condiments, juices, sodas.

Akasha
www.akasharestaurant.com
9543 Culver Blvd. Culver City 90232 / 310-845-1700
Sustainable ingredients and seafood, free-range and organic pulltry and meats. Organic produce and dairy. Locally roasted, fair trade coffee. Extensive organic and sustainable wine, beer, and spirits selection.

Axe
www.axerestaurant.com
1009 Abbot Kinney Blvd. Venice 90291 / 310-664-9787
Seasonal, market-driven menu; mostly local, organic ingredients. Interior designed with sustainable woods, handmade jute lamps. Composts and participates in biodiesel recycling program.

Sno:la
www.snolayogurt.com
244 N. Beverly Dr. Beverly Hills 90210
Frozen yogurt made with organic milk and natural ingredients; no refined white sugar. Uses biocompostable takeout containers. Counters and benches made from repurposed and recycled materials.

For more earth-friendly restaurants around Los Angeles, visit www.greenopia.com.


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Green Week: Go Recycle

Wednesday, May 20th, 2009

Some of our recyclables

Some of our recyclables


We partnered with the Electronic Waste Center to collect hard-to-recycle items from our team members. The EWC stepped in to properly dispose of our old laptops, cell phones, ink cartridges, used batteries, and televisions and will donate a portion of the proceeds to our friends at the Midnight Mission.
Our permanent e-waste collection area

Our permanent e-waste collection area


How it helps 20 to 50 million metric tons of electronic waste are generated worldwide every year and it is the fastest-growing waste stream worldwide. Americans throw out about 130,000 computers every day, and over 100 million cell phones annually. It is important to properly dispose of these products because they contain parts made from hazardous materials and require special handling. Otherwise, those chemicals can leak into groundwater or get incinerated and create toxic air pollution. For more information, you can read The Green Book.

eWasteCenter Committed to the preservation of the environment, eWaste Center, Inc. (EWC) is dedicated to diverting electronic waste from landfills through recycling electronics in a safe, socially ethical and environmentally friendly process. “E-waste for Friends” is a project created by EWC with the sole purpose of helping people in need. EWC works closely with non-profit organizations such as the Los Angeles Mission, Midnight Mission, and Rescue Mission. To see the History Channel’s coverage of the center (and an amusing look back on the history of television sets), go here


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Green Week: Go Metro

Tuesday, May 19th, 2009

Our team set up carpools, busted out our bicycle shorts or hopped on the bus to get to work today to reduce our carbon footprint. As a way of showing our thanks, we rewarded the green commuters with gift cards to Starbucks. For ways you can be sustainable on the way to your Los Angeles office, check here: Commuter Choice

la-smog How it helps About 33% of U.S carbon dioxide emissions comes from the burning of gasoline in cars. The U.S. consumes the most oil in the world, at 20.7 million barrels per day. By utilizing public transportation, reducing the number of cars on the road or working out your quads by biking to work, you are moving America away from that dreaded #1 spot on the World Energy list.



Why Starbucks? With a commitment to be an environmental leader in all facets of its business, Starbucks has minimized its energy use and utilized renewable sources of energy through rigorous research and innovation. Here are just a few examples of its dedication to environmental stewardship

starbucks-environment-logo

- Starbucks roasting facilities are LEED certified, meaning that the U.S. Green Building Council recognizes the plant’s sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, green materials selection and indoor environmental quality.
- Starbucks stores offer a discount to customers who bring in their own reusable mugs to reduce the amount of disposable cups used every day.
- Each new store built uses 25% less energy.
- Starbucks paper cups used contain 10% post-consumer recycled fiber; the new plastic polypropylene cups released last year contain 15% less plastic
- By 2015, Starbucks hopes to make all cups reusable or recyclable.


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Green Week: Go Vegan

Monday, May 18th, 2009

Jamaica’s Cakes made us some delicious vegan desserts for the first day of our Green Week. The team feasted on dairy-free cupcakes, brownies and chocolate cups after lunch. Who knew sustainability could be so tasty?

Below is a simple eating guide from a vegan lifestyle blog.

vegan-pyramid
How it helps Vegans do not eat any foods with animal-derived ingredients, which means no meat or any product which involves animals. Sprinkles, for example, shine because of shellac, derived from the lac insect. The manufacturing process involves keeping thousands of insects under warm lamps so that their resin can be used to coat different candies. But vegan pastries include none of these animal by-products, ensuring that less energy is used, reducing the amount of energy used to produce your food. Support vegan eateries and bakeries, like Jamaica’s Cakes, and cut down your carbon footprint in a delicious way. For more information, check out http://www.vegan.org/about_veganism/environment.html.

Jamaica’s Cakes
11511 W. Pico Blvd
West Los Angeles, Ca 90064
310-478-1971


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Celebrate Green Week with the Rubicon Project

Sunday, May 17th, 2009

go-greenGreen Week takes over our office again starting tomorrow. Every day, we will introduce our team to ways we can help the environment, whether it be a change in diet or a convenient way to recycle. We challenge everyone to try out each day’s activities and see which ones can be integrateted into everyday life even after Green Week is over. Some practices may not be the right fit for anyone, but this week-long education celebration pushes our team out of its comfort zone and into a more sustainable lifestyle.

You can share in our the eco-loving events by checking the Culture Blog every day this week for updates on our Green Activity of the Day. You might discover some energy-saving practices around the office, learn about emerging sustainable efforts around the world or just have a laugh checking out our pictures. Learn and enjoy!


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Building Our Community Service Guide

Wednesday, May 13th, 2009

Giving back to the community is an important tenet here at the Rubicon Project. We’ve worked with some amazing organizations and we want to share the experience with you. Looking for a way for your small company to get involved around Los Angeles or New York? Check out the list below for some recommendations.
community-service-locations



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LA’s BEST Friends

Wednesday, May 6th, 2009

At LA’s Best Friends Casino Night

At LA’s Best Friends Casino Night


LA’s BEST (Better Educated Students for Tomorrow) is more than just an afterschool program. It serves more than 28,000 children throughout the area by providing a safe haven at 180 elementary school sites that implement its education, enrichment and recreation program. Volunteering with LA’s BEST is a great way to give back to the community and significantly impact the life of a child.

And with LA’s BEST Friends, it can’t get any easier. This organization partners with LA’s BEST by connecting diverse young professionals and children to each other and their communities through volunteering, fundraising, public outreach, and community building.

Karim, David, Daisy and I recently attended Casino Night, which raised $38,000 for the LA’s Best After School Enrichment program. It was fun and fulfilling: just by having a good time, we were helping LA’s BEST get the funding they need to continue providing great education and enrichment programs for local youth.

As a business professional, I know that it’s sometimes hard to find the time to cultivate the parts of your life that live outside of the office so volunteering tends to get put on the backburner. But LA’s BEST Friends is an easy way for us to get involved around the area and make meaningful contributions to the community. So even on those days when you’re not sure you’ll be able to fit in dinner, you can use LA’s BEST Friends to find a way to feed your soul.

To become a member or for more information, go to lasbestfriends.org or email Cassandra.krause@lacity.org.


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Two Years and Counting: How Did We Get Here?

Monday, May 4th, 2009

The Rubicon Project recently celebrated its two-year anniversary and we’re as busy as ever. But it’s important to us to take a moment to recognize how far we’ve come. We’re so thankful for the successes that we’ve experienced and we truly believe that our intense focus on honing our company culture has contributed significantly to this well-oiled machine. Building a great culture starts with amassing a great team of people, but it survives with a lot of dedication and strategy. Here are a few ways that we effectively shaped our engaging, fun and productive workplace.

1. Survey your team: Find out where the pockets of unhappiness on your team lie and what the common theme is. For us, it was communication and appreciation and that is where we focused our efforts.
2. Don’t try to do too much at once: Adopting 4 different programs to communicate will not work, but rather, will overwhelm people. Move quickly but introduce one at time.
3. Lead by example: Management (all the way to the top) sets the tone for how seriously the new systems will be used. If they don’t take it seriously or see it’s value, no one else will either.
4. Hire team players: People who like to work on things alone are the same type of people who will never see the value in shared communication and collaboration. A team is more innovative and valuable than any one person could possibly be. Make sure you hire people who also believe that to be true and embody it in all that they do.
5. Breathe new life: If things start to get old and interest is lacking, think of new ways to use the system or get a few folks to lead by example. Once this happens, the value is easy to see for the rest of your team.


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Happy 2-year Anniversary, Rubicon Project!

Friday, May 1st, 2009

It’s been only two years and we’ve grown so much! From our first space-challenged office to the transformed warehouse/soundstage that is our headquarters now, we’ve done a lot of moving and shaking both in the industry and around L.A.

Those first few months in 2007, we focused on setting up shop in our cozy space on Bundy, with the then 8-person team contributing to the overall development of not only the office but, the company at large. I remember coming in one day and Frank had posted two designs on the wall, one of which would be the future Rubicon Project logo. We were all asked to justify which one we thought would work best–even I contributed my two cents, the intern who had been there for less than a few hours.

Fast forward to 24 months later and those three distinctive red dots are still burning brightly. Now, we’re at about 80 employees and have already started an internal training program and crash course for new hires. We have an office in New York and an accompanying community service schedule there to parallel the outreach programs we help in L.A. True, we’ve been expanding quickly but we are doing more than keeping up. We are pushing ourselves to grow faster, stronger, and not because Daft Punk said so. We’re two years in and show no signs of slowing. Talk about your precocious toddler.

Happy Birthday, Rubicon Project!


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