Sunrise Advisors Homepage Guidance Validated In Best Legal and Investment Practices

From our reading and field research, we hope to have mutually value-added interactions with the Sustainable Business Practice Group at the law firm of Hanson Bridgett. We have rarely seen as "to the point" and value-added reporting on the effective convergence of strategic marketing, legal, and financial considerations for the kind of clients with whom we at Sunrise Advisors (literally) seek sustainable relationships.

We thank, praise, and fully credit (and give attribution for the "knowledge capital" that follows) the San Francisco-based (also with Silicon Valley office) Hanson Bridgett, from their Sustainable Business News -- an E-zine for Sustainable Practices.

HANSON BRIDGETT SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS PRACTICE GROUP

Client in Focus: Investors' Circle

The growth of the green economy has created a new type of entrepreneur—one that resonates well with the members of Investors' Circle. Not only are these entrepreneurs motivated to make a difference, but what they make and how they make it can be just as revolutionary. Consider:

* A beverage maker claims that for every two servings you drink per day, you help protect about one acre of rainforest a year (Guayaki).
* A manufacturer of eco-friendly plant food not only made of waste, but packaged in waste, as well (TerraCycle).
* An organic meat producer who designed a simple company label on her home computer and set out on a mission to "eat well, save the earth, and the small farms on it" (Wholesome Harvest).
* A manufacturer that uses 100% recycled glass in its products, thereby diverting hundreds of tons of glass from landfills each year (IceStone).

The entrepreneurs who started these companies were not just driven by profit. They had a vision for protecting the environment and promoting sustainability. They also had the help of Investors' Circle, a group of investors who shared their vision.

Investors' Circle is one of the largest angel groups in the United States. The group uses private capital to promote the transition to a sustainable economy, a goal consistent with Hanson Bridgett's mission to foster the growth of the sustainable business movement overall. Since its inception in 1992, Investors' Circle has helped bring over $130 million to more than 200 companies and small funds that address social and environmental issues. Their network is composed primarily of angel investors, professional venture capitalists, foundations and family offices.

Members of Investors' Circle invest in five categories: Energy & Environment, Food & Organics, Education & Media, Health & Wellness, and Community & International Development. The group hosts national venture fairs where companies come to "present their case for capital," according to Woody Tasch, Chairman. To date, 480 companies have presented at their venture fairs and 200 have received capital.

For more information about Investors' Circle or their upcoming Fall Conference, November 10-12 in Boston, please visit www.investorscircle.net.

Our Role
Hanson Bridgett attorneys have formed some of the leading investment funds in this space and represent these investment funds in the sustainability area on an ongoing basis. In addition, we have been a proud sponsor of the Investors' Circle Conference and have served as judges in the selection of early stage companies and small funds that are featured at the Conference. As a firm, we have embraced sustainable principles and are always looking for ways to do more—for ourselves, our legal practice, our clients, and the entire sustainable business community. Hanson Bridgett is the only law firm in the nation certified as a B Corp and we are green certified by the City of San Francisco.

Attorney Profiles
Scott Smith understands how investors can have an effect on more than the bottom line. "I saw first-hand how large scale efforts by entrepreneurs and companies could have a positive effect on social and economic issues within communities that needed the investments most," said Scott, a corporate attorney at Hanson Bridgett who works with Investors' Circle.

Jonathan Storper works with Hanson Bridgett's sustainable business clients. He believes that representing these clients fits in well with his own values of social responsibility. Jonathan has volunteered extensively with the Investor's Circle—and this experience enables him to better serve his sustainable business clients.

Copyright © 2008 Hanson Bridgett LLP

The above has been sent as a service by the law firm of Hanson Bridgett. The content enclosed is not intended to provide legal advice or to create an attorney-client relationship.

New Video! Slow Food Nation Food Pavilion

All around us, 50,000 people (give or take) were tasting, sipping, smelling, talking about food, and listening to ideas about food (no to industrialization, yes to eco-friendly), all surrounding the first ever Slow Food Nation festival. The Food Pavilion recognized most of the major sustainable food categories, including specifically designed pavilions highlighting fish, charcuterie, honey, cheese, bread, chocolate, coffee, tea, and wines and beers.

"There are consequences to the decisions we make everyday about what we eat. If we support the people who take care of the land, cook the food ourselves, and come back to the table, we will discover a delicious way of life," said Slow Food Nation's founder and renowned chef, Alice Waters, in a USA Today article from August 28.

The Slow Food International Movement was launched by Carlo Petrini in 1986, who protested fast food chains pushing out small family restaurants in Rome.

If you would like to get more involved in this issue, see the following links of interest:

slowfood.com
sustainabletable.org
eatwellguide.org
foodroutes.org
foodandwaterwatch.org