Recently in Measuring Sustainability Category
His company focuses on brand development for a wider range of issues than "green" or "environment."We’ve done the research (including a super recent 5,000 people study of what people think of this thing called ’sustainability’ - April, 2008), we know that people rate Global Warming and Pollution as important sustainability issues. But it didn’t top the list. Personal and social sustainability issues such as connecting with community and leading balanced life leapfrog environmental issues.
As one of the respondent from an early round of focus groups said’ How can i look after the environment, if i can’t look after myself??’.
What we’re seeing right now is a lot of what we call “knee-jerk green marketing” and it’s a big mistake. Companies are jumping on the green bandwagon because they think that’s the only way to get on the sustainability wave. What’s dangerous is that it’s leading to a lack of authenticity because it’s often done indiscriminately and without rigor. When brands make vague, philosophical claims about their pro-environment values, but don’t support them with specific, observable actions, it diminishes the eco story for everyone and begins to spark a backlash.He's right...what we're seeing is a lot of concerned parents who are also business people getting concerned and seeing both the opportunity for healthier community for themselves and their families...and the greening of their bottom line to keep up with the highly publicized shift toward greener products and processes.
Many people think "green" is simple. The consumer media makes it look that way. "Just change your lightbulbs and convert to biodiesel." And all will be better. "Don't get overwhelmed. Keep it simple. Think green." But business greening is more complicated and like Jason says, it must be a metamorphosis of core competency -- much like the caterpillar turns into a butterfly.
Greening a business involves training the employees; changing the products from gas-guzzlers and energy-hogs to ever greater efficiency in design and production; optimizing operations; optimizing the fleet of transportation used both by the company and the employees...and more. Saving water. Saving the air. Saving natural resources. We rely on nature's bounty for the source of everything that keeps us alive and busy at work -- and greening is that integrated into how we do business.
So if you want to do the green thing...think green, educate yourself, and take it a step at a time. But get started because the future will leave you in a dusty barren wasteland if you don't. That's the growing future for much of the earth. (That's not meant to be an exaggeration. Desertification of arable lands is a growing problem for many nations...)
Supply Management
As the core of the inbound supply chain, supply management plays a vital role in finding green opportunities. However, putting them in context can be difficult.PLUS Sustainability
A good reference point for any organization is to first understand what elements fall under the sustainability umbrella. Here are some of the greatest opportunities with which supply management can help their companies:- Switching from toxic to nontoxic substances
- Water reuse in manufacturing of supplied products
- Air emission and hazardous waste reductions
- Supplier energy efficiency
Lean + Pollution Prevention + Environmental Initiatives
The Green Supply Network (GSN)-a joint effort of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the U.S. Department of Commerce, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and the Manufacturing Extension Partnership Program-took the proven principles of lean and merged them with pollution prevention and the EPA’s environmental initiatives.GSN’s marriage of clean initiatives to the principles of lean provided the following lessons learned:
- Optimizing material use for less scrap yields reduced solid waste.
- Reducing inventory for less chemical spoilage equates to reduced hazardous waste.
- Reducing overproduction means less run time and an energy savings.
- Less transportation means a reduction in fuel consumption, which reduces air emissions.
Remember how your own mother just wanted you to be healthy and happy? You didn't need to make a fuss over her, just be good kids!
Okay, a fuss was okay...and appreciated -- but making a fuss wasn't enough if she caught you being naughty at the same time!
That's kind of how I look at Earth Day. Mother Nature just wants us to be healthy and happy. And stay out of trouble. So what can we do to be healthier and happier...and just get along? And what can we NOT do that will make us healthier, happier and kinder to our mother? Kinder so she doesn't have to clean up after us?
Here are just a few ideas of things to do that would make your Mama proud:
Eat your organic veggies.
Clean your room with nontoxic cleansers.
Use water sparingly.
Tell someone something kind and loving about your Mom!
And here are a few things NOT to do that will make your Mama equally proud:
Don't drive if you don't have to -- and drive a little slower! :-)
Don't throw all that great paper into the trash -- recycle it!
Don't use toxics. Remember, everything goes into our water supply...and you wouldn't want to drink that junk, would you?
Don't leave the screen door open! Or the refrigerator door!
Isn't it amazing that so many of your mother's lessons apply on the global scale? Hmmmm, maybe there's something to this living within our means, caring for others like we care for ourselves...and being responsible for our own mess!
Thank you, Mama!
Carolyn
Statewide, 54% of the counties and 10% of the cities responded to a survey which revealed an annual cost of $34 million for litter and illegal dumping abatement costs.
Representatives from the federal government, which owns over 50% of the land in California, estimate their illegal dumping and abatement costs match that of local governments.
Caltrans’ annual costs are over $62 million, not including enforcement costs, nor does that take into account the volunteer efforts by Adopt-A-Highway Volunteers, which are estimated at a value of approximately $15 million.
A conservative estimate of the cost of litter and illegal dumping to Californians would be $200 million.
This legislation would allow the continued involvement of volunteers supporting local efforts, saving both state and local government valuable resources.
Why is this important?
Senate Bill 1345 will permanently remove the requirement that volunteers on public works projects, such as river cleanups, be paid prevailing wages!
In 2004, the Governor signed legislation to remove this constraint, but without further legislative action this year, this legislation will expire. The Governor is committed to empowering the state's robust volunteer force and will continue to call on the legislature to take action.
SOURCE: April, 2008, Keep California Beautiful
Craft Strategies is a full service organization focused upon Profit Improvement by blending the right people (development of human assets), technology and governance. By offering CBOS’ ComplyBase Compliance Software and Content Library, Craft can save its clients up to 80% of the cost for SOX compliance by using CBOS’ pre-existing compliance library and customizing it to your company’s work flow.
“Craft” stands for Corporate Responsibility, Accountability, Fairness and Transparency.
Thomas Troiani, Founder of Craft Strategies, is also the author of “Vision to Reality; Making governance work for you”. His book describes the board member’s new responsibilities, as a result of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, and provides them with a checklist of criteria by which they can assess the wellness of the company and the performance of the Chief Executive Officer.
Craft Strategies, has the complete SOX suite that will satisfy C-SOX, JSOX compliance and any risk management solution, to include advisory and consulting services. We can improve the speed, efficiency and quality of your compliance process as we have already developed the following contents (templates) that can save you the out-of pocket cost of compliance, and about 4 to 6 months in elapsed time.
Companies can take advantage of the recent adoption of AS5 to integrate and combine most, if not all, of their compliance issues (SOX, ISO, and other Governance, Risk and compliances (GRC) requirements) to simplify the processes and permit the organization focus on operations.
Craft Strategies provides:
· Test Samples
· Policy & Procedures
· Control Procedures
· Flowcharts
· Risk Management Assessment
· Control Objectives
· Control Definitions
· Business/Operation Assessment (walkthrough)
CONTACT INFO:
Strategies to Manage Risks and Opportunities Arising from Ecosystem Degradation
To prepare businesses for this new landscape, three organizations have launched a set of guidelines designed to help companies proactively develop strategies to manage risks and opportunities arising from ecosystem degradation.
The guidelines, called the Corporate Ecosystem Services Review (3.5 MB)
were developed by the World Resources Institute (WRI) in collaboration
with the Meridian Institute and World Business Council for Sustainable
Development (WBCSD). Five WBCSD members - Akzo Nobel, BC Hydro, Mondi,
Rio Tinto, and Syngenta - "road-tested" the methodology and provided
input to its design.
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Ecosystems provide companies with a wide variety of benefits or services including
- Freshwater
- Wood
- Pollination
- Climate regulation
- Protection from natural hazards,
"Ecosystem services are often unacknowledged, yet they underpin many corporate activities," said John Ehrmann, Managing Partner of the Meridian Institute. "I am pleased with the feedback from company managers who are finding the guidelines helpful for developing strategies that improve both corporate performance and ecosystem stewardship."
Guideline Benefits
The road-testers found that the guidelines can provide a number of other benefits as well.- They can help companies anticipate new markets and government policies that may emerge in response to ecosystem degradation.
- They can strengthen corporate environmental impact assessments by adding considerations traditional methods may overlook.
- They also can help companies better manage conflicts over resources, identifying options for better trade-offs between ecosystem services.
"We're going to be hearing a lot about the Corporate Ecosystem Services Review. A couple dozen more WBCSD members are already taking it up this year," said Björn Stigson, President of the WBCSD. "Leading companies realize that they need to be prepared for the business challenges posed by ecosystem decline."
Download Corporate Ecosystem Services Review"Receiving the 2007 Stockholm Water Prize, Professor Perry L. McCarty of Stanford University marks a remarkable career. Since beginning his post at Stanford, Professor McCarty’s work has defined the entire field of environmental biotechnology, which is the basis for small-scale and large-scale pollution control and safe drinking water systems.
Professor Perry L. McCarty likes to think big but look small. He openly confesses an unabashed fascination with the inner workings of septic tanks, and his unbound excitement for getting behind the microscope to search for the next big thing in the sustainable and healthy reuse of water resources.
Biological processes to control and remove environmental contaminants
The author of over 300 publications and textbooks on biological processes that can be utilized to control and remove environmental contaminants, such as nitrogen and hazardous chemicals, McCarty’s research has provided key insights in the movement, fate, and control of groundwater pollutants that have allowed for new opportunities in water reuse and applied advanced wastewater treatment.
His decorated career devoted to engineering solutions to better use and protect people and water resources has been dedicated to showing that we simply can not afford to waste water like we do. Therefore, to change this we must shift the way we view a much needed resource.
So called ‘wastewater’ is not waste at all, it is rather its value to society that is far too often wasted. Reduced pollution of groundwater resources and better utilization of the understanding of scientific and natural processes, to which Professor McCarty’s work has greatly contributed, provides countries the capacity to clean and recycle for reuse invaluable water resources.
Cooperative Living -- Learn from Nature
While in Stockholm to receive the prize Professor McCarty gave sage advice for nations and scientists seeking sustainable solutions in the upcoming generations. Never straying from his passion for the miniature universes and infinite innovations still yet to be discovered in micro organisms, McCarty implored all listening to take lessons from the tiniest of sources for inspiration.
“Now I am not sure that I have made you as excited as I am about
what happens in a septic tank,” he quipped. “But it is the community of
organisms all working together that we need to study and learn more
about. We ourselves obviously have much to learn about living together
cooperatively, perhaps they can help us to learn how to do this much
better than we have. With the coming climate changes we will have to
adapt as well, and I hope we do it successfully. I expect we can if we
all work together as the micro-organisms in a septic tank have learned
to do.”
The 2008 Stockholm Water Prize Laureate is John Anthony Allan, for his pioneering work in how understanding and communication of water issues are linked to agriculture, climate change, economics, and politics.
A professor at King’s College London and the School of Oriental and African Studies, Allan introduced the “virtual water” concept in 1993 to measure how much water is used to grow, package, and produce various commodities.
People do not only consume water when they
drink it or take a shower. In 1993, Professor Allan, 71, strikingly
demonstrated this by introducing the “virtual water” concept, which
measures how water is embedded in the production and trade of food and
consumer products.
- Behind that morning cup of coffee are 140 litres of water used to grow, produce, package and ship the beans. That is roughly the same amount of water used by an average person daily in England for drinking and household needs.
- The ubiquitous hamburger needs an estimated 2,400 litres of water. Per capita, Americans consume around 6,800 litres of virtual water every day, over triple that of a Chinese person.
Virtual water has major impacts on global trade policy and research, especially in water-scarce regions, and has redefined discourse in water policy and management. By explaining how and why nations such as the US, Argentina and Brazil ‘export’ billions of litres of water each year, while others like Japan, Egypt and Italy ‘import’ billions, the virtual water concept has opened the door to more productive water use. National, regional and global water and food security, for example, can be enhanced when water intensive commodities are traded from places where they are economically viable to produce to places where they are not. While studying water scarcity in the Middle East, Professor Allan developed the theory of using virtual water import, via food, as an alternative water “source” to reduce pressure on the scarcely available domestic water resources there and in other water-short regions.
The relationship between the export and import of water-intensive products has “opened the door to more productive water use,” according to the Stockholm International Water Institute, which confers the prize. Thus, Allan proposes, importing food can reduce the pressure on scarce water supplies.About Professor Allan
Promoting Smarter Water Decisions
As
a scientist, educator and advisor, Professor Allan has built essential
knowledge and communication tools for sustainable and efficient water
resource management and policy. His research deploys a wide range of
environmental, economic, social and political theory to give insights
on global water resources and the extent to which they can be made
sufficient to meet the needs of future populations. Because of his
work, policy makers, scientists, water professionals and the general
public have greater awareness of the role of water in the production of
different types of products and its impact on global trade and economy.
Virtual water remains a central and active component of scientific
research and policy formulation, and has empowered individual consumers
to affect water management on a global scale.
“Beyond the Box” Thinker
Professor Allan has
furthermore developed the idea and terminology of “hydro-hegemony” and
the “problemshed.” This work has led to better understanding of
potential and real conflicts in transboundary regions such as the Nile
Basin, where water resources are shared between countries, while
providing perspective on economic and political processes that can make
food and water security possible for all nations in such water basins.
He remains a leading voice for sustainable water development and expert
advisor on balancing population growth and increasing food demand in
developing countries, institutional reform, valuing water, conflict
resolution, and on the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.
A Lifetime of Achievement
Professor Allan has
authored or edited seven books and has published over 100 papers in
political science, natural resource management, and interdisciplinary
water journals. He has also educated more than 1100 current or future
water professionals. He has worked for over 35 years with the MENA
region and has advised on joint management of shared water resources on
every basin in the Middle East. He also served as editor for the
scientific journal Water Policy and as a consultant for numerous
governments, the World Bank and the European Union. His keen
perceptions and scientific analysis have inspired new thinking on the
spectrum of water challenges, and is described by many as one of the
most influential thinkers in the global water sector today.
The Stockholm International Water Institute
The Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI) is a policy institute that seeks sustainable solutions to the world’s escalating water crisis. SIWI manages projects, synthesises research and publishes findings and recommendations on current and future water, environment, governance and human development issues.
SIWI serves as a platform for knowledge sharing and networking
between the scientific, business, policy and civil society communities.
Stockholm International Water Institute
The Stockholm Water Prize is a global award presented annually to an individual, organisation or institution for outstanding water -related activities. First presented in 1991, The Stockholm Water Prize is the world’s most prestigious prize for outstanding achievement in water-related activities. The annual prize, which includes a USD 150,000 award and a crystal sculpture, honours individuals, institutions or organisations whose work contributes broadly to the conservation and protection of water resources and to improved health of the planet’s inhabitants and ecosystems.
U.S. Stockholm Junior Water Prize The Stockholm Junior Water Prize (SJWP) is the most prestigious international youth award for high school water science research. www.wef.org/AboutWater/ForStudents/SJWP/
