Evergreen, Thurston County Chamber hosting workshops on sustainability and enterprise

Thurston County’s fall 2025 lecture series on sustainability and enterprise opened Friday, Oct. 10, with The Evergreen State College alumni and business leaders addressing how ethics and local economies intersect with modern profit systems. 

Hosted by the Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership and Transformational Change (CELTC) at Evergreen with Thurston Green Business and Thurston County Chamber of Commerce, the free weekly Friday Zoom sessions run through Dec. 5. All lectures are also accessible through the CELTC YouTube archive. 

Free online sessions 

The first lecture was titled, “The Tempered Radical: Changing Your Company from the Inside Out.” Sustainability consultant Eli Forrester, who co-founded Volta, a solar company in West Africa that has commissioned more than 400 renewable-energy systems for hospitals, farms and schools, led the program. He urged attendees to “define their own nonnegotiables,” locate “leverage points,” and forge careers that “balance integrity with influence.” 

The Oct. 17 session is titled, “Finding Your Place: Time, Money, and the Nonprofit Path for Artists.” Jo Mikesell, of Shunpike Arts Collective, is going to talk about how nonprofit systems influence creative work. 

The Oct. 24 workshop is titled, “Human-Centered Design for Growth and Sustainability.” Christopher Baldwin of Studio 2152, who has a background at Procter & Gamble, Etsy and The Enterprise Center, is going to analyze how empathy and user input guide business planning. 

The Oct. 31 lecture is titled, “Transformational Leadership for a Profitable, Empathetic Future.” Miguel T. Pineda, of Lula Fest LLC and Capitol City Press, will share how employee-owned and union-run companies function through inclusion and trust. 

The Nov. 7 lecture is titled, “Economic Sovereignty: Building Robust Tribal Economies.” Cory Blankenship, of the Native American Finance Officers Association, is going to dissect how sovereign power and cultural practice sustain tribal enterprise outside federal control.

The Nov. 14 session is titled, “The Hidden Cost of Sustainability Work.” Amy Dritz, of Dritz Design, who holds a master’s degree in sustainable design and has compiled more than 100 field interviews, is going to examine burnout and resource strain in sustainability jobs. 

The Nov. 21 lecture is titled, “Food Justice in Urban Areas.” Ahndrea L. Blue, of the Making A Difference Foundation, is going to trace how segregation and zoning created food deserts and health gaps. 

The Dec. 5 lecture is titled, “Protecting Your Business and Your People: Continuity Planning for Natural Disasters.” Jacqueline Elizabeth LaVerne, of The Evergreen State College, who has 30 years in hazard mitigation, is going to review emergency-planning methods used after Hurricane Maria.

Evergreen’s Fall 2025 initial event also coincided with its Alumni Homecoming Weekend on Oct. 11. Alumni reunited with faculty, walked the forest trails, joined seminars and workshops, and met over coffee and socials throughout the day. 

For more about these lectures and related programming, visit the CELTC events page.