Sustainability Planning Resources: Business

Below are some good resources for businesses on sustainability planning.

The Step by Step Guide to Sustainability Planning

This book authored by Marsha Willard and Darcy Hitchcock discusses how to do sustainability planning in a simple and straightforward manner. It offers some great tools for assessments, reporting and developing metrics.

Five Winds: Steps to Improving Your Business Handbook

This is a free download by Five Winds International specifically developed for small to medium sized businesses. It has an assessment tool integrated with possible action steps.

Global Environment Management Initiative (GEMI)

Offers free online based web tools to help businesses with sustainability planning.

Unilever Sustainable Living Plan

Launched in 2011, Unilever has targeted some of the most aggressive targets in multiple areas for sustainability. Their plan is organized into three categories of Improving Health, Environmental Impact and Enhancing Livelihoods.

Environment Canada

The Canadian government has provided a host of online tools, research and white papers to encourage businesses to be more sustainable. These are free downloads.

Sustainability Training: Carbon Trust Empower Tool

A new sustainability training tool was launched in January 2012 by Carbon Trust called the ‘Carbon Trust Empower’ tool which can be downloaded by businesses free of charge.

This interactive application allows employees to take a virtual tour of a typical office building to learn how to make environmental improvements. Employees start off about considering how they get to work, then moving to their desk learning about turning off unused equipment, finally they can review options to avoid unnecessary travel. The tool will also create and keep track of individual personal action plans for employees.

If employees took all of their money-saving suggestions, the company could save annually $309 per employee. Some of the savings that they cite;

• Turning off the computer and monitor in the evening could save $60 per year
• Accepting a 1 degree temperate reduction could save $6 per person per year
• Reduction of paper practices could save $31 per person per year

Sustainability Assessment Recommended Books

There are a few books that can also help organizations conduct their own self sustainability assessments. Here are the top recommended sustainability assessment books;

Flawless Consulting, Peter Block: This is a classic book on conducting assessments for any topic. It was published more than a decade ago and still highly relevant.

Sustainability Assessment: Criteria and Processes, Robert Gibson: A book specifically on conducting sustainability assessments.

Corporate Sustainability Planning Assessment Guide: A Comprehensive Organizational Assessment, Donald Fisher: This manual is designed to serve as a guide for an organization s self-assessment on its corporate sustainability efforts.

Business Guide to Sustainability, Darcy Hitchcock and Marsh Willard: Winner of Choice Magazine – Outstanding Academic Titles for 2007 in Sustainability category. Both Marsha and Darcy are sustainability consultants and the book discusses each primary of an organization and provides their SCORE assessment tool for each primary department and division.

Sustainability Assessment Tools- Small to Medium Sized Businesses

Some organizations want to conduct their own sustainability assessments. If so, here are some assessment tools and resources;

eco-officiency: Developed in Excel, this sustainability assessment tool has over 360 questions customized for each primary area and department of an organization. Departments include Administration, HR, IT, Facilities and Operations, Marketing and Communications, Purchasing, Finance, Accounting, Product and Research/Development, Events and Conferences. Organizations can have departments answer the questions themselves or it can be conducted at a management meeting. The cost to download this sustainability assessment is $75.

Three Steps to Eco-Efficiency, Canada: This assessment tool was developed by the Ministry of Environment of Canada to assist small and medium-sized manufacturers to develop an eco-efficiency program that is custom tailored to their business needs. The tool is a free download.

Earth Charter: This assessment is a free download available from Earth Charter International. The assessment is designed to improve practices based on the Earth Charter principles.

World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) Measuring Impact Framework: The WBCSD developed a framework to assess the contribution of business to the economic and broader development goals in the societies where business operates. It is designed to help companies understand their contribution to society and use this understanding to inform their operational and long-term investment decisions, and have better-informed conversations with stakeholders.

The International Society of Sustainability Professionals released in 2010 a consolidated list of Sustainability Assessments. For members it is a free download and for non-members there is a fee to download.

Sustainability Assessment Questions: Understanding Your Footprint

Although there are robust and technical environmental audits, often small companies don’t necessarily need such detail to understand their environmental impacts. Smaller companies can conduct sustainability assessments that are more geared to their business. Assessments not only review the footprint of organization operations but will also identify opportunities to improve environmental stewardship, save money, improve productivity and increase customer and employee loyalty.

To conduct your own sustainability assessment, reach out to each department or division of a company and hold informational interviews. Although more information can be gathered through in-person meetings, an organization can also conduct an assessment via an online survey. Develop a series of questions that ask specifically what each area is doing to reduce resource use and minimize environmental impact.  Some organizations also like to assess the social side of business and determine how employees are engaged in the community and the non-profit organizations they support.

Here are is a list of some sample questions to ask by each sustainability topic area:

Waste Management: Is recycling provided as an option? If so, what percentage of the employees participates in office recycling?

Suppliers and Purchasing: Are office supplies purchased made from post-consumer recycled material? How many of your vendors are local suppliers? Has your purchasing department developed in guidelines that take into account green businesses practices?

Paper Reduction: What paper reduction policies and/or practices has the company done? Is the company’s marketing giveaways made from recycled material and/or recyclable?

Energy Conservation: How has your company tried to reduce energy? Do you own any energy star equipment? Does staff turn off equipment in the evenings?

Water Conservation: How has your company tried to reduce water? What water saving devices are installed in your facilities?

Toxins and Chemicals: What types of cleaning chemicals are used in your office? Is there any toxic or hazardous material located at the facilities?

Transportation: If you have a transportation fleet, what measures have you taken to reduce driving?

Employees: Does the company have any communications educating employees about conservation of resources?

Philanthropy: How does your company contribute to the community? Donations? Volunteer programs?

The Greenest Way to Dry Your Hands

You washed your hands and now what? Do I blow dry, towel dry or air dry? What is the greenest option? Interestingly enough there have been studies done on this.

Dyson, the maker of air dryers actually commissioned a study by MIT called Life Cycle Assessment of Hand Drying Systems. The study claimed that Dyson’s own hand dryer produce70% less carbon emissions than the conventional hand dryers or paper towels (obviously 100% recycled paper was better than virgin paper).  Greenbiz.com did a nice article review on the Life Cycle reports findings.

Overall, most studies find that hand dryers will be the greener choice in about 95 percent of circumstances. It is the option that is lowest in carbon emissions and waste. However probably the greenest option of all is to carry your own handkerchief and dry your own hands. This is a custom in Japan and some parts of Asia and has worked well.  No worries on paper towel dispensers being empty or dealing with hand dryers that don’t seem to work anymore. You take your own drying into your own hands!

The Sustainability Executive and Officer Role

The role of sustainability executives, also known as corporate sustainability officers, has evolved over the last 6-10 years. Initially, many of these roles evolved out of need and whoever had interest in a company usually was dubbed the ‘sustainability expert’ within the company. Now that the sustainability profession has progressed, more experience has been created and there are higher degrees available in sustainability management the role has become more specialized and coveted than before.

A recurring questions is what do these professionals do? Although that can vary from company to company, here are some good resources to refer to about this role and all that it entails;

• Corporate Sustainability Officers, eco-officiency
• The Sustainability Professional: 2010 Competency Survey Report, International Society of Sustainability Professionals
• the Five Myths About Sustainability Executives, Green Biz.com
• Sample Job Description for a Sustainability Officer, Sustainable Cities Institute

Carbon Nation: A movie on Renewable Energy

A movie that came out late 2010, Carbon Nation, discusses the role American can have in the renewable energy sector to reduce the carbon footprint. Whether you are believer in man induced global warming or not, it makes a compelling case for why renewable energy is a good move for the United States to invest in.

This non-partisan documentary provides compelling evidence that dealing with climate change can boost the economy, increase national & energy security and promote health and a clean environment.

The movie can be purchased via DVD or downloaded through all the various online movie retailers.

Other short videos and movies on renewabale energy that are also recommended;

• National Geographic,  Alternative Energy
• Kilowatt Ours
• History Channel, Modern Marvels Renewable Energy

Recycling Expired Credit Cards

Have you ever wondered what to do with your old credit cards, reward cards, gift cards and other plastic type cards in your wallet? With over 10 billion new cards place in circulation every year, most are thrown in the trash contributing more than 75 million pounds of PVC (plastic resin) in the landfill every year.  In addition, with credit card fraud an ongoing issue it is usually not safe to throw these cards away in the trash. Now there is a company that recycles this plastic and destroys these cards responsibly.

Earthworks System is a PVC recycling company that began accepting plastic type credit, gift and reward cards for recycling in 2008. They target retailers who hopefully will send in large quantities of cards but they now allow individuals to mail them in too, knowing that these cards often don’t get back to the company who distributed them.

Earthworks grinds up old cards (ensuring they are disposed of safely) and crafts them into PVC sheets used to make new plastic cards. Retailers can then purchase Earthworks 100% recycled PVC material to make new cards. You can tell if it is a Earthworks card on the back just above the magnetic strip.
Your old plastic cards (both individuals and businesses) can be mailed to:
Earthworks c/o Halprin Ind.
25840 Miles Rd. , Bedford, OH 44146.

Type of cards accepted; ID cards, credit cards, driver’s license, library card, rental cards, membership cards, reward cards, shopper discount cards, and retailer gift cards.

e-waste: Recycle computer and electronics responsibly

Many companies in the beginning of the New Year purchase new electronic equipment. It is important to discard e-waste appropriately by using e-waste vendors that are certified by the Basel Action Network e-Stewards program. This system of certification is an independent audit that ensures recyclers do not throw e-waste into landfills and to only send to developing countries that have responsible and safe means of destruction and disposal.

There was a responsible electronics recycling act (HR 2284/ S. 1270) that was introduced in Congress in June of 2011. This Act would prevent the export of non-functional or shredded electronic scrap to developing countries and make it illegal to dump electronics into the landfill. It has been passed down to the Subcommittee on Energy and Environment but as of today, the status is unknown.

Two great videos on the issues of e-waste;

1. Story of Electronics: Produced by the same organization as the Story of Stuff. An easy 20 minute video on where electronics go once they have no use.
2. 60 Minutes Wasteland: First aired in 2009 and again in 2010, this gripping and telling investigative reporting on e-waste issues in China.

Go to eco-officiency’s website to learn about recommended places to recycle or donate unwanted computers and electronics.