Oct. 17, 2011 More and more U.S. organizations see the financial advantages of setting and attempting to meet sustainability goals. However, many others are still waiting for the “right time” to start such a project. Some consider sustainability a risk, a venture into the unknown, which, of course, fosters avoidance. However, a solid body of [...]

October 3, 2011 Sustainability is all the rage as many significantly-sized companies are evaluating it and seeing how it can fit into company plans and maximize economic benefits. We in the environmental community believe that sustainability programs almost always deliver a good return on investment (ROI) because of the economic benefits of reducing waste, water, [...]

People say we should ignore polls; the country should make decisions based on pure science or pure economics. But the reality is that governments and companies take their cues from public opinion, want to be seen on the “right” side and certainly not in the forefront of something divisive, even if is beneficial. Several studies [...]

July 2011 You are aware of the business arguments for establishing a sustainability or “green” program (see last month’s newsletter!) and are seriously considering or have begun such a program. It is therefore important to plan the proper metrics of your program in order to demonstrate success so that all stakeholders understand your benefits and [...]

July 12, 2011 Sustainability, the concept of using fewer resources and polluting less to be productive while saving our natural resources, is thought to apply only to “those big polluting manufacturers.” Well, that’s not really true. While we poke fun at offices thanks to the brilliant TV comedy of the same name, any office or [...]

June 7, 2011 There is increasing pressure to develop and report sustainability performance data, also known as your environmental, social and governance, or ESG data. First, this data is becoming more mainstream. For example, Bloomberg now posts ESG data updated daily to its large customer base who uses this to make investment decisions. In addition, [...]

May 3, 2011 This blog has provided many reasons for a company to go “green”, including “The 8 Purely Business Reasons to Go Green”, found on our website: www.CCESworld.com. Well, now a pretty viable 9th one has come up. A recent published study from the University of Minnesota shows that among S&P 500 companies those [...]

March 29, 2011 Many articles in this blog have documented that sustainability projects can result in cost reductions, particularly energy costs. The Global Environmental Management Initiative (GEMI) has published a series of reports over the years attempting to make the case that environmental actions result in greater profitability. The GEMI reports use actual case studies [...]

February 22, 2011 I recently attended a local environmental conference and a senior manager from a local company gave a stirring talk about the recent investments and upgrades made at her facility to improve sustainability and energy efficiency, including upgrading their boilers and other “roll up your sleeves” strategies. She mentioned that her company noticed [...]

Environmental News for You (TM) October 2010 Sustainability is becoming a business catchword. More companies are realizing the benefits – or at least understanding it’s a new reality – and are beginning to integrate it into business operations. But how does one implement sustainability in a business? First, it requires a significant change in thinking. [...]