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
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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