Julia Glenn Carter

Julia Glenn Carter


Atlanta, Georgia, United States
Member since October 18, 2009
  • About
Education
1983 University of California, Santa Cruz , BA , Creative Writing / Literature

I am a(n):

Entrepreneur

If you're an entrepreneur or corporate innovator, why?

I'm bursting with ideas!

My favorite startups:

Any small business ... it takes so much guts!

What's most frustrating and rewarding about entrepreneurship/innovation?

Most rewarding: Exploring and implementing ideas; learning about issues you never knew existed; connecting with people with tremendous expertise

Most frustrating: I've learned it doesn't work to focus on this

What's the No. 1 mistake entrepreneurs/innovators make?

Entrepreneurs often have a broad range of skills, which allows them to jump in when they are needed. That can backfire when others expect you to always been there or hesitate in taking initiative. You want to inspire others to give their best.

What are the top three lessons you've learned as an entrepreneur?

1) To stay in touch with the Source of my inspiration
2) The importance of balance
3) To trust my instincts

Full bio

Julia Glenn Carter is founder and CEO of ZiptoGreen.

Some call Julia tenacious. Others say she is resourceful. She sees herself as simply a good problem solver.

The need for ZiptoGreen became clear to Julia during the summer of 2006. Three years had passed since the newspaper Julia founded had been sold and she was looking for a good place to direct her energies. Turning on the T.V. one afternoon, she found NASA scientist James Hansen telling the world 10 years remained before climate change reached an irreversible tipping point. That was an issue was worthy of her effort, she thought!

After weeks of research, Julia was convinced climate change was more serious an issue than most people realized. She was also clear why consumers were not engaged in the solution. There was no focal point for the thousands of resources available to them. Experience told her the solution had to be made easy for them. Over the next year and a half, Julia continued her research, engaged stakeholders and perfected ZiptoGreen's business plan.

In January 2008, someone finally took notice of Julia's solution. Walt Bryde—a fellow Leadership DeKalb graduate, Rotary member and long-standing CPA—told Julia he might not be quite as excited as she was about her plans, but he was pretty close. With Walt's support, the building of a corporation and world-class Web project began. Within months, dozens of individuals, businesses and community leaders were contributing to the building of ZiptoGreen. 

About Julia's Background

Julia returned to her home state of Georgia after graduating from the University of California, Santa Cruz in 1983. In 1992, she founded the Community Review newspaper in central DeKalb County, where she served as publisher and editor in chief for 10 years. A weekly, subscription newspaper, the Community Journal, was later added. She received two Excellence in Media awards from the Professional Association of Georgia Educators, an honorary recognition award from the Georgia Bar Association, and a Community Service Award in 2003 from the DeKalb League of Women Voters.


She's been a member of Leadership DeKalb and Decatur Rotary since 1997, and has served on the board of directors of numerous community service organizations, including the DeKalb Library Foundation, DeKalb Rape Crisis Center and Decatur Rotary.