Recently Indianapolis, IN was ranked by the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the top 25 cities with the most Energy Star labeled buildings. Indianapolis ranks 23rd for 2009.
Buildings that earn the Energy Star use an average of 35 percent less energy than a typical building of like kind, and they also release 35 percent less carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Indianapolis metropolitan area has 39 Energy Star labeled buildings.
One of the leading purchasers of renewable energy credits in U.S. is scaling back the practice. Instead of purchasing renewable energy PepsiCo has decided instead to invest the money into on-site renewable energy projects.
Technology has changed, incentives are developing and it is making more sense for companies to invest in on-site renewable energy projects. Companies are taking advantage of solar and wind to capture the once "unused" energy source. They are investing in windmills or installing solar panels on their roofs to offset their energy usage. These efforts are viewed as sustainability solutions and not just "buying" sustainability.
Begin with an energy audit, determine how much energy you need then begin to look for on-site solutions to off-set the need. Reduce the amount of energy needed or begin to invest in renewable on-site solutions. Review all the incentives available and make on-site renewable energy part of your sustainable business strategy.
August Mack specializes in environmental, health and safety compliance; environmental due diligence; environmental site remediation; and sustainable business strategies to the industrial, legal, financial, health care and government sectors throughout North America. August Mack has offices in Indiana, Michigan, Missouri, Ohio and Pennsylvania. For more information on August Mack's environmental, health and safety services, visit www.augustmack.com or call 800.579.0770.
Taking steps to develop sustainable business strategies and become a socially responsible company typically requires a significant amount of of capital and resources investment. Therefore it is critical to demonstrate the value and return on investment (ROI) that putting environmental and corporate social responsibility (CSR) reforms into practice will provide. So what are the best ways to measure the ROI of a company's sustainability and CSR efforts and effectively convince senior management these activities are worth the investment?
- Begin with small projects, don't try to "boil the ocean" make small changes over time instead of large sweeping changes.
- Poll you customers to insure your efforts are acceptable to them.
- Highlight the successes of the efforts.
- Publicize your Green initiatives
- Have realistic goals - like most investments your company won't realize the success over night, be patient.
August Mack specializes in environmental, health and safety compliance; environmental due diligence; environmental site remediation; and sustainable business strategies to the industrial, legal, financial, health care and government sectors throughout North America. August Mack has offices in Indiana, Michigan, Missouri, Ohio and Pennsylvania. For more information on August Mack's environmental, health and safety services, visit www.augustmack.com or call 800.579.0770.
Environmental sustainability and corporate social responsibility (CSR) are important parts of a company's overall growth strategy. A recent report was published that illustrated that companies that document their sustainability efforts get a better return on their assets than companies that don't.
According to a recent poll that was conducted in 2009, 40 percent of consumers said they bought products or services because they liked the social or political values of the company. Nearly half of Americans in the poll said protecting the environment should be given propriety over economic growth, and this comes in the midst of a recession.
Establishing a sustainable business strategies are even more important now. If you don't measure your triple bottom line - don't you think you should!
New sporting venues are generally being built to some level "greenness". For example some of the nine host cities for South Africa's first World Cup have built new stadiums that feature natural ventilation, rain water capture and energy efficiency, however they are struggling to find ways to offset the amount of carbon emissions that will be generated by the actual tournament.
There are many steps to hosting a sporting event and even more hurdles to jump if you are attempting to run a "carbon neutral" event. Many event organizers are waiting too long to establish a "green" plan. If an event is using an existing venue, contracting an energy audit or developing an environmental compliance plan are the first steps. Making sustainability a part of the event from the beginning will help the venue not only put on a great event but a great "green" event.
Sustainable business strategies need to be formulated with all the stakeholders input. By putting off the inclusion of sustainable solutions diminishes their importance to the event. If you want a green event be a green event from the beginning, not just an after thought.
In Detroit, we are used to cars working on their efficiency - now Ford is working on its facilities. One of Ford Motor Company's latest energy efficiency projects is the retrofit of its lighting systems at its Detroit campus facilities. They will retrofit or replace more than 50,000 light fixtures and add a lighting control system for maximum efficiency. Ford will be using the energy savings to pay for the upgrade over five years.
Many companies are conducting energy audits as a way to reduce cost. Companies also are using the energy savings from the upgrades to pay for the upgrades. With the amount energy savings, generally discovered during the energy audit, companies are able to use some or all of the savings to off set the costs.
Using this philosophy not only improves the bottom line...it also improves the company's triple bottom line.
After all the energy audits and establishing sustainable business strategies don't forget to include your Web site. Corporate sustainability managers are looking to use the company Web site to communicate and engage with key stakeholders. As part of this process eight key attributes have emerged for effective stakeholder reporting and engagement via the website.
- Access
- Navigation
- Clarity and relevance of graphics
- Timeliness
- Completeness
- Performance statistics
- Engagement
- Assurance
Many Web sites succeed in presenting basic information about sustainability efforts, offering improved visibility and access to data traditionally contained in a stand-alone annual sustainability report. But, most companies are not yet using the web to its full potential - as a channel for bidirectional communication and delivery of information in a more complete and timely fashion. A company networked in this way can provide up-to-the minute sustainability information to support relationships with customers, suppliers, investors, watchdogs and other external parties.
Remember, before you can communicate all the wonderful things your company is doing - you first have to do wonderful things. Then, make it easy and accessible for all the stakeholders.
At the 2010 National Automobile Dealer Association Convention, Ford announced a voluntary sustainability initiative for their Ford and Lincoln Mercury dealers. Ford is appealing to them to reduce emissions and improve energy efficiency at their facilities. Ford plans to test for best practices at three dealerships in diverse climates, as part of what they are calling the "Go Green" dealer sustainable initiative.
Dealers will use energy audits and sustainable business practices to drive down energy and operating costs. Dealers joining the "Go Green" Dealership Sustainability Program will receive a comprehensive energy assessment from sustainability personnel at Ford, who will help tailor a program to meet the needs of the dealer.
Ford will also review State and Federal tax credits and any other incentives for their Dealerships. This type of triple bottom line attention can only draw more positive attention to Ford.
Firms seem to have caught the "Sustainability Bug" and are talking the talk but they don't seem to be walking the walk when it comes to engaging their employees. About 86 percent of the respondents to a recent survey said they were not engaged by their employers on sustainability, even though the same amount - 86 percent - said that their firm promotes sustainable solutions. Only 14 percent of the employees said they were aware of their companies having an employee sustainability engagement policy.
Small companies are taking the lead on employee sustainability engagement. The report finds that employers with 100 people or less are nearly twice as likely to promote sustainability "very frequently." What's more, their efforts are twice as likely to be effective at changing employee behavior.
The report stated that employees are more likely to be engaged in sustainable business strategies when management or a board is responsible.
More than 60 percent of respondents want to learn more about their employers' and co-workers sustainability efforts. Another 67 percent are dissatisfied with their employer's stance on sustainability and would like it changed.
Sustainable business strategies only work when everyone is engaged. Don't just "talk" about sustainability "do" sustainability. If you are looking to walk the walk and engage your employees in sustainable solutions - contact me.
A recent survey reported that eighty percent of North American professional sports teams plan to increase their environmental sustainability programs. The survey also finds that approximately half the other teams have developed or are considering developing a sustainability plan with short and long term goals.
The survey also finds that more than 90 percent of the professional sports teams indicate their executive management has a positive perspective on developing a green business strategy and nearly 60 percent have formed an internal "green team".
Other key findings show that more than 70 percent of team executives say that implementing an effective green strategy will increase brand loyalty and team executives are six times more likely to expect their green program to increase profit rather than decrease profit.
Similarly the green trend is spreading to sporting events in Canada. As an example the Alberta World Cup 2010 cross-country event will be powered by 100 percent renewable energy, primarily wind and hydro - from Bullfrog Power.
North America professional sports teams are continually looking for ways to reach out to their fan base. By embracing a sustainable business strategy they not only attracting new fans, they are improving their bottom line, their triple bottom line.
August Mack specializes in environmental, health and safety compliance; environmental due diligence; environmental site remediation; and sustainable business strategies to the industrial, legal, financial, health care and government sectors throughout North America. August Mack has offices in Indiana, Michigan, Missouri, Ohio and Pennsylvania. For more information on August Mack's environmental, health and safety services, visit www.augustmack.com or call 800.579.0770.
The owners of corporate fleets and long-haul trucking firms should reap the benefits of a new stimulus package that aims to boost the fuel efficiency of U.S. manufactured vehicles. Reuters reports the $187 million injection will be augmented by another 50 percent in funding from the private sector. The Detroit News is reporting a total of nine projects are receiving funds. Three of the nine projects have a goal of boosting the fuel efficiency of long-haul trucks by half or more.
These types of improvements not only help the manufacturers but also help long haul delivery companies meet their triple bottom line. Continued improvements in travel will not only save money but also will help save the planet.
August Mack specializes in environmental, health and safety compliance; environmental due diligence; environmental site remediation; and sustainable business strategies to the industrial, legal, financial, health care and government sectors throughout North America. August Mack has offices in Indiana, Michigan, Missouri, Ohio and Pennsylvania. For more information on August Mack's environmental, health and safety services, visit www.augustmack.com or call 800.579.0770.
New research from the UK suggests that nearly 75 percent of UK shoppers are in agreement with the government plans to move forward with voluntary carbon footprint label on food items. UK Consumers are effectively saying "give us carbon footprint labels on food".
The survey of more than 400 supermarket shoppers was conducted across all major UK supermarket chains. It asked people if they would be interested in carbon footprint labeling, 72 percent want it. However, when asked about their own personal carbon footprint 83 percent of people did not know.
With sustainable business strategies getting a lot of play - can this type of labeling be far behind in the USA? Companies will continue to to grow their triple bottom line, BUT will they want to put it on a label?
In a recent report developed by the International Facilities Management Association and Aramark, it states water efficiency, green building materials and efficient HVAC systems play a role in the sustainability in the food service supply chain. Local purchasing and and sustainable food purchasing was also mentioned.
Food preparation is the leading source of energy consumption in the Industry at 35 percent. That is followed by HVAC at 28 percent, sanitation at 18 percent, lighting at 13 percent and refrigeration at six percent. It has been estimated that up to 80 percent of the $10 billion spent in energy at U.S. restaurants is wasted.
Having an energy audit performed as part of the sustainable business strategies for a company in food service is an excellent step to saving money as well as saving the planet.
On College Campuses "Green" majors and minors are becoming more popular. Nationwide more than 100 majors, minors or certificates were created this year in energy and sustainability focused programs at colleges big and small. This information is from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education, where in 2005 only three programs were added.
Paul Rowland the association's executive director thinks there is two factors driving the increase, student interest and employers. Employers are looking for trained people to help them reach their goals. One of the major goals of businesses moving forward is sustainability.
Having experienced people guiding your organization is key to establishing sustainable business strategies. Determining and developing sustainable solutions to everyday business will be the focus of businesses moving forward.
August Mack specializes in environmental, health and safety compliance; environmental due diligence; environmental site remediation; and sustainable business strategies to the industrial, legal, financial, health care and government sectors throughout North America. August Mack has offices in Indiana, Michigan, Missouri, Ohio and Pennsylvania. For more information on August Mack's environmental, health and safety services, visit www.augustmack.com or call 800.579.0770.
The iPhone phenomenon keeps growing. Reportedly if you need some answers to run your life, Apple probably has an "application" (commonly referred to as an app) that can be downloaded to your iPhone.
If you are looking for a restaurant to eat at...There's an "app" for that.
If you want to know what time a movie starts...There's an "app" for that.
If you want to know what's in a recipe...There's an "app" for that.
NOW - what if you are wondering what a company's emissions data is...Yep there's an app for that!
SAP and the Carbon Disclosure Project has developed an application for companies to market data and trends related to climate change. The app shows a visualized breakdown of a a variety of corporate emissions data.
Among the data sets, the application shows a sample of the level of disclosure of emissions by participating companies. Another data set shows the percentage of companies by nation that are disclosing information to the Carbon Disclosure Project.
The number of iPhone Applications will continue to grow, and I have no doubt that the number of sustainable applications will continue to grow as well.
August Mack specializes in environmental, health and safety compliance; environmental due diligence; environmental site remediation; and sustainable business strategies to the industrial, legal, financial, health care and government sectors throughout North America. August Mack has offices in Indiana, Michigan, Missouri, Ohio and Pennsylvania. For more information on August Mack's environmental, health and safety services, visit www.augustmack.com or call 800.579.0770.
Some insurance companies are offering discounts for energy efficient and sustainable buildings. Structures that conform to green building standards tend to have a lower energy load from energy efficient lighting, which reduces the risk of fire. More durable, energy efficient windows also stand up better during storms. Insurance companies are taking these factors into account not only for residential buildings but also office complexes, factories and other commercial buildings.
Liberty Mutual Property offers a "GreenSelect" policy, which protects the typically more expensive energy efficient upgrades in the case of a loss. GreenSelect also pays the charges associated with re-certifying buildings to new, higher standards of LEED or Green Globes Certification Program.
Another emerging type of policy protects a company's board of directors from claims that the company has caused environmental damage.
As we see there are many ways for companies to go green; energy audits, developing a guide to environmental compliance or recycling, but all sustainable business strategies need to incorporate insurance as well ......... after all sustainability means to keep going and insurance policies can help companies do just that.
Companies that have "Green" goals have environmental teams that enlist the help of several employees to implement sustainable business strategies. In a recent study among companies that have established green goals, 62 percent of them have a team of employees that are accountable for the goals.
About 34 percent of the firms assign a corporate sustainability team to lead the function, while 30 percent have a corporate sustainability department that are responsible for the green goals.
Most companies are using the "Green Team" concept to reach their goals. This allows them to engage more employees in establishing goals, which supports transparency.
In the previous post I wrote about creating interest and loyalty, showcasing your sustainable business strategies and offsetting rising energy costs. In this post I wanted to give you a couple of tips to get started.
- Establish your Baseline - You can't chart a course if you don't know where you are starting from.
- Set Goals - Identify the purpose, whether it is to cut costs, be environmentally responsible or both.
- Watch the Bottom Line - Implementing sustainable business strategies that provide no return on investment are not practical or wise.
- Start Small - Look at reducing energy by simpling unplugging items not in use or switching to LED Lighting. You don't need to wait to phase these changes in because the energy savings will justify the investment.
- Look Upstream - Find sustainable suppliers and parley their efforts with yours.
- Look Downstream - Look for ways to reduce, reuse or recycle.
- Get Certified - Invest in a third party assessment to confirm your practices and results and prove to your clients your sincerity.
- Tell Others - Everyone has a story, tell your "Green" story and others will share it.
- Avoid "Green Washing" - Don't just "talk green" many consumers are skeptical, your actions will win over your toughest critics.
With everyone doing what they can we can achieve what we want.
In recent months or even years the "green economy" idea has taken hold. The talk around the sustainable business strategies intensified when unemployment rose. It was reported that jobs would be created from companies implementing sustainability solutions. In a recent survey of primarily fortune 500 companies 47 percent said they were increasing their investment in green product development this year. Through energy conservation and and the use of renewable energy, IBM claims it has saved more than $100 million since 1998, while simultaneously avoiding more than 1.28 million tons of CO2 emissions.
Learning by the examples of larger companies, small business owners can "go green" without spending a lot of "green".
Creating Interest and Loyalty
Employing greener practices in your place of business creates interest and loyalty from a variety of sources, customers, investors and employees. There is a growing interest by consumers in wanting to frequent businesses that are instituting green practices.
Showcasing Your Sustainable Efforts
Adding and or improving upon more socially responsible offerings also increases public image and stakeholder engagement. a company with a positive reputation often has the competitive edge.
Offsetting Increasing Energy Costs
Money saved on operating costs adds directly to the bottom line. Saving 20 percent on energy operating costs through no-cost, low-cost and investment energy improvements can increase your profits.
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