There is a profound change going on in business attitudes as seen in several business publications recently. A growing focus for companies is on conservation of energy and other natural resources (i.e., water, raw materials, etc.) they depend on for their product. Lately, there has been relatively great volatility in the global supply and demand [...]

April 3, 2012 Well, the first quarter of 2012 has come to an end, meaning the release of surveys and other studies of sustainability in 2011. The MIT Sloan Management Review Report was recently released (http://sloanreview.mit.edu/feature/sustainability-strategy/). According to their survey, corporate sustainability programs grew markedly in 2011. About 70% of nearly 3,000 executives surveyed said [...]

Becoming more sustainable or “going green” has been shown to be economically beneficial in a number of ways (see my article on the 9 Purely Business Reasons to Go Green). One pitfall that holds back some companies is the upfront costs. Although a smart sustainability program will provide ROI over time, many companies are hard-pressed [...]

February 14, 2012 Occasionally, when I tell people at a professional or social event that I am a climate change engineer, I get scorn – from climate change skeptics. Perhaps you’ve met such people, too, when you identify yourself as working in the environmental or sustainability area. I divide such people into 2 groups: those [...]

December 28, 2011 Like everyone, I have thoughts and wishes for 2012. Besides personal ones for me and my family, I have one I wish to share with you, my fellow environmental professionals. My wish for 2012 is that we go back to the way it was about a decade ago or so and live [...]

December 2011 The year-end holidays are a time for big meals, family, etc. But we should always keep the thanks in Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, etc. Here are some statistics to drive home the importance of sustainability and for the holidays. You probably heard the news story about a month ago that the Earth’s population [...]

December 13, 2011 The majority of the corporate sector has not jumped on the bandwagon to go “green”, despite the evidence that doing so has many direct positive financial benefits. A major reason, I believe, is that the decision makers (CEOs, CFOs, etc.) are older and do not have a comfort level about sustainability. They [...]

December 6, 2011 Many companies are beginning some sort of sustainability program, recognizing its financial benefits. While many companies are instituting programs, many do not realize the importance of developing metrics and properly communicating progress. What type of data needs to be collected? Should sustainability be communicated at all or should it be delayed until [...]

November 22, 2011 Thanksgiving and the year-end holidays are a time for big meals, family, etc. But we should always keep the thanks in Thanksgiving. Here are some statistics to drive home the importance of sustainability and for Thanksgiving. You probably heard the news story about a month ago that the Earth’s population has just [...]

November 1, 2011 More and more corporate upper management understands the picture that in these tough financial times, going “green” or being more sustainable is not an idealistic statement of millionaires or old hippies, but is smart business and engineering management. While technology can help reduce one’s energy use, water use, and waste generation, etc., [...]