“Practicing sustainability is about being thoughtful in all of our actions,” she says. “At Artemis Foods and our new Artemis Café, that’s everything from buying organic food from local growers to using biodegradable and recyclable take-out containers. To me, it all matters.”

Helping a chef do business
Soon after she launched her catering business in 2001, Pae-Henricks won a $250,000 contract. She had to learn to run a business in a hurry. “I had no fear or doubts about the kitchen,” she says. “What was scary was learning the business side.”

She didn’t hesitate to sign up for Paperless Billing and Auto Pay from Portland General Electric. “It’s one step saved among the million steps of doing business,” she says. “Part of living a high quality life is keeping things as simple as possible.”

Honoring nature
In Greek mythology, Artemis is the goddess of the wild. Artemis Foods is built around the values of enjoying nature’s bounty while also protecting the earth.

Since 2006, Pae-Henricks has subscribed to PGE’s Green Source renewable power and Habitat Support options, which fund renewable energy and stream restoration for fish. She also offsets her company’s carbon emissions with green tags from the Bonneville Environmental Foundation.

“One of my long-term goals is to build a LEED-certified, sustainable building for our businesses. That’s a huge undertaking. In the meantime,” she says, “paying a little more to support clean energy is a simple way to make a difference”.

In good company
A while ago, the entrepreneur joined Northwest Natural Step, a nonprofit organization that helps local businesses adopt sustainable practices. She was encouraged to see PGE on the membership list — partly because of what that membership implies. “It makes me realize there are some serious efforts out there toward sustainability,” she says. “It gives me hope.”