Many business owners want to operate sustainably, but knowing where to start beyond basic recycling can feel overwhelming. True sustainability goes beyond reducing waste. It’s about building a stronger, more resilient business.

This 1-hour workshop is designed to help local small business owners shift their mindset, explore bigger trends, and rethink how their business operates for the long term.

What You’ll Learn:

• Linear vs. Circular Economy: What “take-make-waste” means for small businesses and how shifting toward circular thinking opens up new value.
• Rethinking Your Value Chain: How to look at your everyday supply chain, products, and services with a fresh, sustainable lens.
• Measuring Your Impact: An introduction to carbon accounting basics and standard tools available to help measure your business’s footprint.
• Big Trends & Local Resiliency: How broader shifts in sustainability apply directly to Kauaʻi businesses.

About the Presenter

Bridget Thorpe serves as Co-Executive Director of Namahana Education Foundation, which is raising funds to build the permanent campus for the North Shore’s first public, tuition-free middle and high school. Her background includes global climate communications at Schneider Electric, climate tech at The Change Climate Project, and founding her own sustainable business via Hawaiʻi-based and national entrepreneurial accelerators.