George A. Polisner.
What work do you do?
I'm the founder and president/CEO of alonovo.com.
What does your organization do?
We are working to empower people by fully informing their market decisions. We are infusing the online shopping experience with a simple ratings system based upon trusted research data on social responsibility. People can choose from a vast catalog of competitively priced mainstream products and help us drive a new, fair, growing, and sustainable economy.
What do you really do, on a day-to-day basis?
On any particular day, I may be evangelizing the alonovo.com concept with traditional media and blogs, appearing on radio, trying to acquire resources we need (engineering superheroes and proper capitalization), evolving our strategy and road map, and running to make the last shipment of express mail.
What long and winding road led you to your current position?
It has been an amazing journey to bring the alonovo.com concept to the public, and there have been many incredible people who've helped shape alonovo.com, for which I am eternally grateful. In November of 2004, flying back from volunteering for Election Protection, the thought of using technology to help catalyze badly needed progressive focus started rolling around in my dark, cavernous mind. In vetting the early alonovo.com concept, I was led to the founders of Electric Embers, a hosting company in Oakland, Calif. Over a great vegetarian meal, they understood and supported the concept and had some excellent recommendations that really put alonovo.com on the right track. I decided to take a block of vacation from my job at Oracle Corp. to devote myself to the founding of alonovo.com. On April 1, I became dedicated to the venture.
Where were you born? Where do you live now?
I was born in L.A. and have been all over, finally settling in Phoenix, where I can see my 15-year-old daughter compete in mock-trial competitions and play catch with my 10-year-old boy (when he is not gleefully beating me at any video game).
What environmental offense has infuriated you the most?
It takes all of my Taoist ability to remain calm when I see a Hummer.
Who is your environmental hero?
Who is your environmental nightmare?
The businesses that plunder our environment without fear of governmental penalties, fines, or other societal remedies and protection.
What's your environmental vice?
One of the few times I relax is a nice long, hot, high-pressure, knock-you-into-a-wall shower.
What are you reading these days?
The Economics of Innocent Fraud by John Kenneth Galbraith and Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace.
What's your favorite meal?
My staple is a vegan veggie burger on a wheat bun with soy cheddar cheese.
Which stereotype about environmentalists most fits you?
Other than being another L.A.-born vegetarian, probably none.
What's one thing the environmental movement is doing badly, and how could it be done better?
The American public learns through entertainment. Many people may not sit through several hours of lecture, but make a movie like Silent Running or The Day After Tomorrow and people will watch and develop more understanding of important global environmental concerns.
If you could institute by fiat one environmental reform, what would it be?
I would assess a surcharge and usage fee on any noncommercial SUV or vehicle that is not fuel-efficient and use the funds to provide large tax credits for the purchase of fuel-efficient, super-low-emissions vehicles. Like my Prius, for instance.
What was your favorite band when you were 18? How about now?
18: Elvis Costello. Now: a steady diet of Wyclef Jean, Coldplay, U2, and Laurie Anderson.
What's your favorite TV show?
My wife Linda dreads Law & Order marathons. Bill Maher, The Daily Show, House.
Movie?
Henry Fool, The Big Lebowski, The Shawshank Redemption, The Natural.
What are you happy about right now?
The progress my children are making toward being loving, compassionate people who will shape and influence their generation.
If you could have every InterActivist reader do one thing, what would it be?
When shopping online, use alonovo.com and select Grist or other amazing organizations as your beneficiary organization. And tell everybody about us!
George A. Polisner, CEO of alonovo.com.
What is "alonovo"? Is it an acronym, a Latin phrase, or what? -- Annette Dutro, Indianapolis, Ind.
Our research indicated that our model would resonate with everyone except professors in the romance languages, thus the name is indeed Latin for "sustaining or nurturing something refreshing or new." We are happy to report that we now have that particular demographic locked up.
How do you choose the products you feature? After you select them, do you keep monitoring the company? -- Name not provided
We are very happy not to have to choose them. We want to provide the information about the manufacturers and then let the alonovo.com community decide what they want. The companies are continuously monitored, and we receive updates from the wonderful folks at KLD Research & Analytics, Inc. Our community can also exchange more casual (not used in ratings) news and information in our forum section.
How does one select the least harmful product? -- Darcy Bell Symes, Spanish Fort, Ala.
Many of our decisions are contextual to each of us, which is why we have built the technology to allow our community to weigh their own values and product ratings that are reflective of their values (not ours!).
Alonovo.com states, "When you purchase using alonovo.com, you are doing your part to send a clear message to businesses -- we want blue skies, clean water, a fair and growing economy, intelligent use of our natural resources, safe and humane workplaces and sensible partnerships with local communities." How does me buying a copy of Consent to Kill: A Thriller from Amazon.com via alonovo.com send an ideological message about natural resources and local communities? Said book would be wrapped in plastic and shipped to my home via fuel-consuming vehicles while my money was divided between Amazon.com, alonovo.com, and the charity of my choice, none of which are necessarily in my "local community." Moreover, to my knowledge no businesses know that I made this purchase through alonovo.com. I want to believe this works, but I'm skeptical. -- Leah Sprain, Seattle, Wash.
All excellent questions, Leah. Our strategy is to engage as many people as we can and to help people incrementally learn about social responsibility and gradually create a new economy predicated upon a balance between people, planet, and profit. Although Amazon.com (or any shipped product) requires production resources, think about how many times I would have to circle a shopping mall in my Prius before I'd find a parking spot -- especially during the holiday season. We have made certain compromises, and you are right that the model is not perfect -- but together, as we shape an intelligent market-force demand, we will have more influence over a more balanced supply chain and help many great organizations (some of which are local-community focused, like the Interra Project.) Furthermore, we believe that as the community grows and we have demand impact on the economy, businesses will certainly become aware of the new free-market economy.
I hadn't heard about your site before reading the interview. How do you advertise? Do you rely on word of mouth? -- Name not provided
Our advertising model is focused upon earned media, conferences, organizational co-marketing, and, most importantly, referrals from members of our growing community. As we have funded this privately, we are trying to grow alonovo.com in a grassroots manner.
Since launching alonovo.com, do you feel you are making a dent in the online shopping market? -- Name not provided
We have a long way to go before making a dent. The online shopping space is over $64 billion in annual consumer spending. I'm not sure we've scratched the paint yet -- but as we grow with great people (like the Grist readership), we are certain to create an impact.
I'm skeptical that people will actually choose a higher-priced or lower-quality item based on a social responsibility rating. Do you have evidence to the contrary? -- Name not provided
We are skeptical, too. That's why the product catalog is a vast array of competitively priced products from Amazon.com. Nevertheless, I am optimistic -- there has never been easy access to the information we are providing. I've got to believe that most people will pay a small premium if they know the product is produced with fair-labor practices and a gentle environmental footprint. If not, in the future I'll be writing to you from a small farmhouse in France.
Who are your biggest competitors, and how do you set yourself apart from them? -- Name not provided
No one has taken a similar approach in terms of providing a social-value driven and fully integrated shopping experience. There are other entities that provide varied information, such as BuyBlue.org; however, we believe we have struck an important balance between business viability and societal value in an apolitical way. You don't have to be a Democrat to appreciate a clear blue sky, and you don't have to be a Republican to want a growing economy. We want to bring the American community back together.
When you hear that big companies like GE, Ford, and Wal-Mart are "going green," do you believe it? -- Name not provided
My 45 years have taught me to be very cynical. When someone is touting that their coal is so clean it can be sprinkled on breakfast cereal, I am mildly amused and more anxious to get as much independent, trusted data for our alonovo.com community as I can.
Do you consider yourself politically active, or do you focus on improving and changing corporate accountability and responsibility? -- Morgan Poncelet, Fremont, Calif.
I believe that politics are a shadow manifestation of the underlying economy. That is not to say I am not politically active. However, I believe that the American community is intentionally divided into red/blue, liberal/conservative, or by race/gender/religion in order to keep us distracted, divided, and conquered. I think by expressing the economic power we share together -- in an informed, intelligent way -- we will bring the political system along with us and provide the reforms for lasting change, such as campaign finance reform.
How do you decide which nonprofit organizations to help, and what percentage of your proceeds go to them? -- Name not provided
We share 20 percent of our commerce revenues with the organizations selected by alonovo.com users. We initially approached a set of organizations I have personally worked with, and from those relationships, the community has suggested various organizations or organizational leadership has contacted us. [Editor's note: Grist is one of alonovo.com's recipient organizations.]
Conservation Science Institute links to Downbound.com, which will direct 10 percent of the proceeds of product sales to the CSI fund-raising arsenal. The items being sold are environmentally friendly organic shoes, clothing, and other accessories that meet ethical requirements. We hope CSI can raise significant funds and help our members find these products. Can we do the same with your organization? If so, how? -- Bruce Wright, Wasilla, Alaska
Feel free to contact us at -- we are happy to support meaningful causes.
The opening text that explains your mission doesn't make any sense! I'd like to send a link to my friends, but they won't be able to understand what you do. -- Matt Eggers, San Francisco, Calif.
A very good point, Matt -- we are revisiting our mission statement to clarify. How's the following? We are fostering cooperation in the market between supply and demand by introducing corporate social responsibility as a competitive demand factor. This will cause the market to naturally balance people, planet, and profit within the supply chain. We accomplish our mission by providing a socio-values-driven shopping portal to catalyze an informed market-force demand. We also include social responsibility news aggregation, a community information exchange, subject-matter expert blogging, and SR-related community education.
How do you keep yourself motivated when the rest of the world doesn't seem to have the same mind-set as you? -- Ivy Co, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Fair-trade coffee and an understanding that everyone really wants to do good things. The remarkable group I work with every day and people who have inspired me like John Kenneth Galbraith, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., John Lennon, and my wife and children keep me going.
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