The third annual two-day conference at UCLA drew pedigreed speakers and talented artists, entrepreneurs and media people. The goal: to spotlight successful businesses using sustainability to leap to the next level. Some are just starting out, growing gourmet mushrooms in composted coffee grounds from local cafes. Some are corporate giants, like Clorox, turning over a new leaf by moving to plant-based cleaners, leaving behind…. bleach?

Yeah, you heard it right. The key to all of these stories is that sustainability isn’t a slogan or an obligation, but a route to greater profitability and long-term success. In partnership with UCLA’s Price Center for Entrepreneurial Studies, the event drew nearly 600 participants, including 45 companies displaying the latest green products and technologies.

“We want to broadcast to the world that there are viable and highly profitable business opportunities that are environmentally responsible,” said Mike Flynn, co-founder of Opportunity Green, which holds industry seminars nationwide.

In addition to addresses from the likes of  Len Sauers,VP of Global Sustainability at Proctor & Gamble and Beth Springer, Executive VP of The Clorox Company, there were art and video presentations aimed at connecting people with the environment in an emotional way. The most stunning were by Chris Jordan, a selection of digital images decrying consumer waste and pollution, and a short film on the pacific garbage patch. Stunning, beautiful, painful. Art for earth’s sake, and a great event to showcase it. Look for the next Opportunity Green Forum Here >

Read the blog posts from the weekend event >

Tags: business efficiency, community events, green business, sustainable business