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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 4, 2000)
October 4, 2000 91 be ^Jortlanb ©baeruer National Minority Business Page C9 Week- Making Business Decisions Affecting Seven Generations We market our products usually at T he P ortland O bserver premium through direct mail with our W inona LaD uke w as raised in gift baskets using socially responsible Ashland, Oregon until the age o f 16 investors and to stores. Our market is increasing and and currently lives on the has doubled in the last year. White Earth Reservation in M innesota. She was Our growth is measured and "It s like what John F. Kennedy said obviously tempered by some o f chosen by Ralph N a d e r, thirty year ago about having a Lady our choices. W e are not only the presidential nominee o f the G reen Party to be President. She would have to be a com content but feel we have m ade the right set o f decisions. his Vice Presidential run- bination o f Joan o f Arc, Helen Keller Q : M ost businesses are ju st nirg mate. Wihona gradu trying to survive rather than and Marie Curie." ated in 1982 from Harvard become environm entally con wifi a degree in Economic scious. A ny com ments? De/elopment. In 1994, she Winona LaDuke: All o f the busi that has spent a lot o f time doing an wai nam ed by Time M agazine as one ness people are ju st trying to get a environm ental audit, measuring its lo o f America’s most prom ising leaders break. Most o f the com munities are cal consumption and its production uncfer 40 years o f age. W inona re just trying to hang in there, and they both in terms o f what it consumes in cently spoke with the Portland Ob can ’t even get that. I look forward to natural resources. A lso being careful server in support o f m inority and when we can get a few more breaks. in sourcing, whether it’s electrical w onen-ow ned businesses. I really believe in government con pow er or pecans. And also measuring <j: How does your G reen Party ad- tracting. Subcontracts is a gravy train its production in terms ofboth product m instration propose to support Mi- that should be available to m inority that’s produced and waste that’s pro n o riy Businesses? and women-owned businesses in a duced both in terms o f waste that W inona L aD uke: I would develop much more successful manner. produced and closing the cycle as some economic enterprise and financ Federal g o v ern m e n t p u rch a sin g much as possible and make the choices ing for small business and community is an im m ense reso u rce th a t is a that are efficient. T hat’s the model development initiatives, both public p u b lic reso u rce. R ath er than su p that’s available for any business. It and private sector or nonprofit and p o rtin g N ab isco or R alsto n P u rin a involves a set o f socially-responsible privae sector. They would be the same and K raft in fo o d p ro ce ssin g , w e and e n v iro n m en ta lly -re sp o n sib le kind o f privileges that are presently sh o u ld be su p p o rtin g co m m u n ity screens. accoided larger corporations which b u sin esses for sch o o l lunch p ro Q: Please tell m e about your busi should really be accorded these smaller gram s. ness. businjsses - whether it’s the immense Q :W h a t do you “b rin g to the W inona LaD uke: I have two facets financing w e give to companies like ta b le” as a w o m an try in g to g et into ofbusiness work in my life. O ne is that M cDonald’s or Sunkist. th e h ig h est o ffic e in the co u n try ? I directed a nonprofit organization that Q : How can becoming a Green Busi W in o n a L a D u k e : W om en have has a marketing arm that markets wild ness make improvements to the na- to ju m p th ro u g h so m a n y m o re life, m aple syrup, hominy com , pre tionaleconom y? h o o p s. I t ’s lik e w h a t Jo h n F. serves and local craft item s from W inona L aD uke: Am erica is the K e n n e d y s a id th ir ty y e a r a g o m any rese rv a tio n s. W e ’v e been richesieconom y in the world. But a lot a b o u t h a v in g a L ad y P re s id e n t. v ery c a re fu l in o u r p ro d u c tio n ofthatis factored incorrectly in that the S h e w o u ld h a v e to be a c o m b in a choices. W e ’ve had a lot o f o p tio n s GNP is figured without including the tio n o f Jo a n o f A rc , H e le n K e lle r in term s o f p ro d u cin g in w ays that actual cost o f groundwater contami an d M arie C u rie . N o w it w o u ld be w ould be faster, m ore m ech an ized nation or airpollution; increased health m o re lik e M o th e rT e re s a , J o a n o f and using differen t ch em icals. W e problems associated with the devel A rc an d a little b it o f Ja n e t R e n o m ade a series o f ch o ices becau se opment choices we have historically to sh o w th a t y o u ’re to u g h . T h a t’s w e w anted to n o t o nly p rese rv e an and are presently making. a c o m b in a tio n o f q u a litie s to h av e ec o -sy stem and a cu ltu re, b u t also More efficient business enterprises th a t is a lm o s t im p o s sib le . B e w e w ant to be in ch arg e o f ch o o s thatare environmentally less consump c a u se w e (w o m e n ) are g o o d at ing th e tech n o lo g y and n ot have tive and hence, m ore efficient are for b ein g ab le to fa c e th e im p o s sib le , the tech n o lo g y ch o o se us. W e ’ve the long term more economically vi w e ’ve b e c o m e in c re d ib ly e v il to m ade very carefu l te ch n o lo g ica lly able enterprises. a c tu a liz e o u r d re a m s. and environm entally sound choices. Q :W hat’s a good m easure o f eco I nterview by J oy R amos * nomic growth that takes into account the environment? W inona LaDuke: Ben& Jeny’sice Cream is an example o f a corporation United Way Of the Columbia-Willamette Joins with the Portland Observer, our City and our State to celebrate Minority Enterprise Development Week Labor and United Way Working For A Better Community The People we help often aren’t the people you think. United Way helps 1 in 3 people in the Portland/Vancouver metropolitan area - kids, Parents, teens, seniors, without regard to race, Age, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation - Even 12-year old whiz kids with cell phones. United Way ofTheColumbia-Wil lamette 619 SW 11 I'll Avenue Portland, Oregon 97205 503.22S.9131 503.226.93S5 fax S92.3600 from Vaneouver www.unitedway-pdx.org *4* • * » r. • * W1 • * V 1 f V Aj Winona l.aDuke, a Native American Indian is the I ieepresidential running mate to Ralph Nader of his Green Party and a former Oregonian. Nike joins in with the Portland Observer in Celebrating the many Valuable Contributions made by Minority businesses in our Great State
