Dharma is always searching for additional ways to green our offices (and our lives!). Winning Green America’s “Green Business Leader of the Year” award in 2009 reinforced our mission of expanding the ways in which we reduce our footprint and of supporting our broader community. We had the opportunity to do both last month when the San Francisco office of the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) invited us to attend a moderated conversation hosted by Whole Living magazine. The guests: Whole Living columnist, author and green guru Mindy Pennybacker and San Francisco Department of the EnvironmentProgram Director Debbie Raphael. The goal: To share ways to limit the amount of toxic chemicals we consume and to provide feedback on how we can all get involved in creating change in our communities.
Mindy writes the “Ask Mindy” column in Whole Living magazine and has just released a new book titled Do One Green Thing, Saving the Earth Through Simple, Everyday Choices. Mindy came up with the title of the book during a conversation with a friend who was feeling overwhelmed with all of the choices she felt she had to make in order to reduce the influence of toxic chemicals in her families life. Mindy’s advice? “Do one green thing. Once you have made that change, then do another. Soon you are well on the road to detoxifying your life.” Most of Mindy’s tips should come as no surprise to any self-respecting eco-warrior.
Here they are in reverse order:
10. Say no to bottled water and non-recyclable plastics. 9. Use compost and organic fertilizers in your garden. 8. Use green cleaning and personal care products. 7. Use a nontoxic sunblock. 6. Reduce runoff when washing your car. 5. Drive alone less, use public transportation, carpool, bike & walk more. 4. Properly inflate your tires. 3. Use propane/gas or natural charcoal to fire up the grill. 2. Turn off lights and avoid air conditioning. 1. Most importantly, join others in your community to TAKE ACTION!
This is just a short list of some basics. We would love to hear your favorite eco-tips. Please share them below in our comments section. Also, check in for part 2 of our post when Debbie Raphael shares with us the inspiring story of the San Francisco phthalates ban.
Today we’d like to share some insights from this morning’s clearing practice.
The first question was ‘who or what have you been blaming?’. Our responses included: myself, for not meeting my own expectations; my family member for being distant; my romantic partner for everything. We got to see how these choices are disempowering, and cause us to not take responsibility for our expectations and our role in relationship.
Our second question was ‘how are you rich?’. The answers gushed forth at the great opportunity to share examples of the richness we are creating out of a belief in abundance being a quality of the divine. Here are some highlights:
I am rich in unconditional love from friends
I am rich in working for a sustainable company that values me and my contribution
I am gratefully rich in a loving and expanding romantic partnership with the love of my life
I have a warm and wonderful home
I am rich with a like-minded, supportive eco-community
The colors in the landscape of my life are rich, bright and beautiful
I am rich in perspective
I am rich with inspiring, challenging experiences
I am rich with SO MANY emails in my Inbox
I am truly rich in opportunity to serve and connect with spirit in working toward my dreams and supporting others in doing the same
I have a wealth of support from friends and family
I have an abundance of teaching and tools that help me connected to truth
I am rich in opportunities
I am overwhelmingly rich in blessings at Dharma Merchant Service and the incredible love, compassion, and support provided by my employers and work mates
I am rich in resources
I am deeply rich in love with myself, and great, loving, supportive family and friends
I am rich with a wealth of goals and dreams
I am rich in love
I am rich in the luxury of living in a developed country where it’s easy to take for granted that my basic needs are constantly met and the emotional space that provides me to focus on seeking and crafting a spiritual path through life.
We invite you to consider who you are blaming and what that feels like, and then to reflect on the richness and great fortune in your life. Please share your insights with us!
Dharma co-founders Alexia and Jeff presented at this month's SF EcoTuesday event – and are featured in the EcoTuesday recap blog post.
February's featured speaker was Dharma Merchant Services, long time EcoTuesday friends and former Co-Ambassadors. We all huddled around to listen to father and daughter founders Jeff Marcous and Alexia Marcous as they gave us insight into their unique work philosophy...
Jeff recited a quote by Kahil Gibran, "Work is love made visible" and explained it's not only 'what' you do in business that defines who you are, but rather it's 'how' you do it. By operating by a set of principles based on the book Sacred Commerce, they attract clients and partners that reflect similar beliefs and operate on a level of mutual respect.
Alexia described one example of how they've applied this to their day to day operations through an exercise with co-workers called a daily "clearing". This allows the opportunity first thing in the morning to get what is going on out of the way, acknowledging rather than reacting to each other. This acknowledgment shifts focus from what might be wrong and onto what is right. The result is working with people who feel good about themselves and with each other.
The SoulJourney bookstore was opened with the intention to help people on their path to knowledge, truth, and inner enlightenment.
The success of this virtuous intention is celebrated this month with the 19th-year anniversary of the store. SoulJourney offers an incredible array of books, tools and handcrafts that educate and inspire heartfelt practice.
The eCommerce store has wonderful pictures of the one-of-a-kind merchandise, and the retail store also provides a space for classes, workshops and readings.
We’re very grateful to be working with founder Sandi and support her wish that you find truth, light, love, and happiness along your own SoulJourney!
Dharma Merchant Services was featured in an article "Agent Market’s Future Dimming? Not So, Say Some ISOs" in ISO & Agent.
Not all ISOs have faith in the outside sales agent model. Dharma Merchant Services does not use any outside sales agents, and that suits company President Jeff Marcous just fine.
“Our attention kind of shifted to other ways of engaging with merchants,” Marcous says. “The old model, it’s kind of passed.”
Dharma co-founder Alexia Marcous interviews with Thomas White of Business Matters.
Dharma Merchant Services was founded by Alexia Marcous and her father Jeff. They wanted to create a business that brought together their spiritual practices and business experience. Dharma Merchant Service, the winner of the 2009 Green Business Leader of the Year, is committed to providing services with integrity that also offer financial support to non-profits who contribute to people and places in need.
We’ve really enjoyed reflecting back on what was truly an incredible time, full of opportunities for awakening and deepening our commitments to sacred service and taking responsibility for our contribution to the world.
Here are some of the highlights of what we did in 2010…
Reduced our paper usage per account by 70%
Doubled our staff
Started composting
Gave raises and bonuses to all employees
Extended monthly gym/yoga memberships, full-coverage health insurance and employer-funded Health Savings Accounts to all employees
Attended Sacred Commerce Advanced Leadership Training
Almost doubled our client count
Survived two partner acquisitions
Spoke at the Green Festival, B Corp & Green Chamber Partnership Celebration and to the Leadership San Francisco class of 2011
Spoke on behalf of B Corp at the Sustainable Enterprise Conference and to students in the MBA in Sustainable Management program at the Presidio Graduate School
Were interviewed on Awakening Values, The Malama Kaua’i / KKCR Radio Show and the Silicon Valley Technology, Art, Green and Sustainability Show
Were published in The Green Sheet
Transitioned to Canvas Dreams, launched a new website and blog, created Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn accounts, and improved our search engine ranking
Started tweeting our Clearing questions
Exhibited at the Green Festival
Became a Green Chamber of Commerce Sponsor
Attended Kindred Spirit, Abounding River, Smile at Fear, Conscious Breathing and Yogic Eating workshops & retreats
Kept the office fridge stocked with yummy, organic, local, in-season farmer’s market food
Beautified the office weekly with fresh flowers
Halved our coffee consumption and drank more water
Were good neighbors by initiating, attending and hosting building happy hours
Volunteered at Eternal Presence and Sacred Commerce workshops
Took on juice fasting, yoga, martial arts, ongoing volunteering for The Art of Yoga Project, a new kitten and performing in a theatrical production
Sponsored the Wine Country Film Festival
Lent free terminals and volunteered on-site for non-profit client events
Attended the Western States Acquirers Conference, Sustainable Industries Conference, Pachamama Alliance Fundraiser and Amazon Watch Fundraiser
Volunteered at the Pachamama Alliance Fundraiser
Donated thousands of dollars to non-profits
Deepened our gratitude for being able to use our business to practice the higher virtues, and actually getting paid to talk with and serve the most amazing clients
Thank you so much for your connection with us during this wonderful journey. We couldn’t have done it without you!
Dharma Merchant Services is engaged in a very powerful practice which integrates the intention of dharma – right actions, right intentions, right speech – as a way of being connected to spirit. The challenge is to bring that wisdom and understanding into our business, our livelihood.
We’ve found one of the best ways to meet that challenge is with a daily practice of “clearing”, which we learned from the Sacred Commerce workshops created by the founders of Cafe Gratitude.
Clearing is a method of identifying the thoughts, emotions, and situations that deter us from being present, so that we can then be clear to hold a loving and intentional space in our interactions with you all and with each other. This process has been absolutely transformational for all of us here at Dharma. We hope that you can sense the difference and can feel the positive energy coming through. We will write about a different aspect of this practice every month in addition to adding new web pages and blog entries on the subject.
If you would like to know more about how to do the clearing practice please let us know. We Tweet our clearing questions of the day so feel free to join in!
Our November 2010 field trip was a viewing of the amazing documentary, May I Be Frank, playing in San Francisco as part of the Roxie Theater’s IndieFest.
The movie is an incredibly inspiring true story of Frank Ferrante’s physical, personal and spiritual transformation that is motivated by, supported by and realized by love. We have the honor of providing the merchant services for the production company, and had the great fortune of meeting Frank after the movie, as well as directors/producers/friends Ryland Engelhart and Cary Mosier (unfortunately all the pictures with Cary came out blurry).
We all were blown away by the power, poignancy and professionalism of the movie, and bought DVD’s to share with our friends and family. We highly recommend seeing the movie, or better yet, schedule a screening in your area to share this incredible testament to the power of love with your community.
Photo: Trace Wendell, Alexia Marcous, Yebuny Johnson, Frank Ferrante, Ryland Engelhart, Jeff Marcous.
We’re honored to feature a fellow family owned and operated, local and fantastic merchant: Chloe Fine Arts.
The owners’ more than 23 years of gallery management experience shows with this new gallery, where the ever-changing collection consists of innovative contemporary fine art from internationally acclaimed artists. In one short year, Chloe Fine Arts has become a cultural community center, with special events such as wine dinners that are featured in the San Francisco Chronicle.
Over 125 people came to help them celebrate their anniversary gala last weekend. They also have a social mission, and support seven charitable causes, including the Tony LaRussa Animal Rescue Foundation as their charity of choice with our donation program.
We’re so privileged to work with such an incredible organization!
We’re thrilled to start this conversation! We chose to have a blog to share more about who we are and what we’re up to, as well as create a permanent home for the information we share to help our merchants.
Jeff Marcous, 2010 Green Business Leader of the Year and President of Dharma Merchant Services, joins me this week for a powerful investigation of what it means to be awake in the world of business. If business is, as we proposed last week, a source point for the creation, exchange, and delivery of value, how does being awake' help us create a successful business? What's love got to do with it? Do we dis' respect in the name of competition?
Dharma co-founder Alexia Marcous interviewed with the Green Chamber of Commerce.
Alexia Marcous, Vice President of Dharma Merchant Services, gives fellow Green Chamber Members the scoop on what it took to win the Green Business Leadership Award at Green America’s recent Green Business Conference...
The Green Business Leader Award is given to an extraordinary company or business leader that has led the way in creating a just and sustainable society, who has demonstrated consistent leadership on behalf of people and the planet and whose efforts are at the forefront of the green business movement.
Dharma Merchant Services was chosen as the winner from amongst four nominees by the 250 conference attendees, who are all leaders in the green business field. Read the Green America Press Release and follow up interview with the Green Chamber of Commerce.
We were so honored when we learned we were nominated by the Green America business community for the award, and could hardly believe our good fortune when we were voted as the winner at the conference. It means so much to have been chosen by so many of our peers from around the country.
We also wish to thank Richard Lucas for creating such a relevant and beautiful award. We urge everyone to check out his beautiful glass sculptures at Shasta Visions.
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Thank you for making this our best year ever!
Dharma Merchant Services is engaged in a very powerful practice which integrates the intention of dharma – right actions, right intentions, right speech – as a way of being connected to spirit. The challenge is to bring that wisdom and understanding into our business, our livelihood.
Our November 2010 field trip was a viewing of the amazing documentary, 
We’re honored to feature a fellow family owned and operated, local and fantastic merchant: 
