December usually is the time for giving donations to the community and other non-profit organizations around the world. Philanthropic gestures are considered one important aspect in supporting the social side of corporate sustainability. A company can donate directly or take part in match programs with employees’ favorite non-profits. Here are a few programs to consider;
Colorado Gives Day is December 6, 2011. It is a local movement to help raise funds for al Colorado based community non-profits. All donations can be made through Colorado Gives website. Last year over $8.7 million dollars was donated to local Colorado charities.
1% for the planet is another non-profit organization that supports corporate philanthropy. America averages about 1% of sales to nonprofit organizations. 1% for the plant is helping environmental groups around the world; this was started by Yvon Chouinard, founder and owner of Patagonia. This organization now has 1393 companies committed to giving 1% of their sales to over 2500 environmental organizations worldwide. All companies can become a member and take the pledge to give 1% of their sales to non-profit organizations.
Combined Federal Campaign (CFC)is a government run donation program where donation pledges are made by government personnel. Each U.S. government agency has a CFC contact and there is an extensive catalog available for employees to make pledges to various non-profits.
A report published by multiple entities offers insight into how small businesses can profit from sustainability. Sustainability initiatives can be challenging when most small businesses don’t own their building or facilities nor manufacture their products. This report focuses on case studies from the United Kingdom, United States and Canada. It offers some best practices on sustainability that small businesses can employ immediately with little cost and high return.
A new web resource was launched to assist the hospitality and hotel industry in becoming more sustainable. The National Sustainable Lodging Network, is providing a framework of sharing resources and information within the hotel and lodging industry. You need to sign up to the network, which is free, in order to gain access to the information.
Another great resource is Green Lodging News which provides information on green products and services for the hotel industry along with general information on sustainability.
The Sustainability Facilities Tool is a free tool developed by GSA to provide guidance for more green office buildings. The tool helps commercial facilities managers, architects, designers or construction managers learn about office spaces and integrating sustainability in various locations within an office environment. The tool can be downloaded to a smartphone device. The tool is an interactive experience that provides information on how to;
This newly released book, A Simple Path to Sustainability, was built around case histories showcasing 12 Colorado small to medium sized organizations that have outstanding records of sustainability. The book was designed specifically to help smaller enterprises gain knowledge on best practices as well as inspire owners and management to undertake sustainable strategies. K.J. McCorry, owner of eco-officiency and sustainability consultant is a contributing author of one of these chapters on New Belgium Brewery.
The case studies collected detail on each company’s journey from initial sustainability idea through building a comprehensive plan, establishing a new company culture, engaging stakeholders and planning for the future. Each chapter also provides the challenges encountered along with lessons learned. Here are a few of the companies that are discussed in the book; Eco-Products, Boulder Community Hospital, Boulder Outlook Hotel, Boulder Valley Credit Union, First Affirmative Financial Network and Guaranteed Recycling Xperts.
The book is now available for purchase from e-retailers such as Amazon.com and Google.com.
A Simple Path to Sustainability: Green Business Strategies for Small and Medium Sized Businesses (ISBN: 0-3133-8269-7). Edited by Fred Andreas, Elizabeth Cooperman, Blair Gifford and Graham Russell.
LEAD International is a non-profit organization based in Europe whose mission is to inspire leaders for a sustainable world.
LEAD was originally funded in the early 1990’s by the Rockefeller Foundation to help develop and foster executives, government officials, academics, NGO directors, activists and other professionals to focus on sustainable development activities in their businesses and communities.
The organization and its programs are largely unknown in the U.S. partially because a U.S. chapter was never formed. However, there are over 12 chapters worldwide, including Mexico and Canada in North America.
Their flagship program, the Fellows Training, is an excellent 12-18 month program that is an interactive training for mid-career professionals, who are working in sustainability and/or would like to do more in sustainability. Each chapter has two week long trainings in their host county. Then the third session all of the chapters meet in one location to discuss more global and international sustainability issues.
This is an excellent organization and training program for those American leaders who would like to learn more outside our borders.
Mitch Jackson, Vice President of Environmental affairs and sustainability at FedEx, wrote a good and distinct article on how businesses can start sustainability within their organizations. This was published by GreenBiz.com July 6, 2010. Click here to see the full article.
To learn more about FedEx corporate sustainability program, click here.
I had the chance today to hear Bob Willard discussing his new book, The Sustainability Champion’s Guidebook (New Society Publishers).The book is about leading organizations in the sustainability movement. He talks about the 7 Leadership practices essential for moving a company towards sustainability;
Get credible, stay credible: Leaders must establish their credibility and build trust with their group and/or organization.
Dialogue: Hone in on the communication skills and engage in thoughtful discussions. Be a good listener and be ready to hear about success and challenges.
Collaborate, educate, network: Encourage collaboration and education among employees.
Influence and influencers: Don’t do it alone, engage those individuals who have influence in an organization and seek their help, guidance and advocacy.
Meet them where they are: Don’t push the skeptics, meet them where they are and show how sustainability strategies are important to their job and the organization.
Piggyback existing initiatives:Create sustainability initiatives that align with current company goals and objectives.
Practice ‘planful opportunism’ : Engage senior leadership in the initiatives.
If you haven’t read it yet, I also suggest Bob’s book called the Sustainability Advantage where he discusses the business case for sustainability.
The NY times had an interesting article on the challenges of getting people to make changes for the green movement. Great article for discussion within your green team or sustainability group. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/19/magazine/19Science-t.html
Greenbiz.com has released its second report for 2009 on the State of Green Business. A great overview of various business sustainability sectors. It reviews various measures, best practices and successes of companies and the area in general. Could provide for some companies good baseline targets, metrics and goals to reach in the coming year.
