When we were kids, carpooling was a fact of life. Whether it was piling a bunch of kids into the mini-van or station wagon after school or going to little league practice, it seemed like carpooling made sense. Parents shared responsibility with other parents and took turns from time to time. Kids could continue their playground antics a little while longer. At some point, (more…)

Companies commonly base executive compensation on performance, but a growing number of businesses have started associating top leaders’ pay rates and bonuses to achieving corporate environmental goals. In essence, initiatives such as reducing energy use can lead to higher compensation for those in the corner offices. (more…)

Did you know that if you are federal contractor and are on the General Services Administration, or GSA, schedule, you will be asked to report on your sustainability efforts?” That’s the question posed by Anca Novacovici, founder and president of Eco-Coach, an environmental sustainability consulting business, in a recent Huffington Post blog. Not surprisingly for a post (more…)

Tantalum and Section 1052: these two very obscure terms are getting a lot of attention from over 6,000 U.S. and global companies these days, especially from those in the electronics sector. Section 1052 is the clause of the Dodd-Frank Act that requires the SEC to issue disclosure and audit requirements for publicly traded companies that manufacture products containing (more…)

The amount of energy we use to manufacture the products we use every day is a significant part of the energy needed to support out lifestyle. As the planet gets more and more populated, can we continue to make manufacturing more efficient, or are thee limits to this? (more…)

General Motors is not in the solar game just so we can tout it on our environmental blog.

There are very real benefits to using solar to power parts of our facilities, not the least of which is the fact that it’s better for the environment.

It can save money, too. (more…)

Common comments and concerns we encounter within our sustainability consulting are that specific sustainability concepts are too expensive or simply do not apply to a given business model or industry. Simply put, in the business world, action must generate return to be sustainable. (more…)

The group Oxfam has published an online scorecard assessing the agricultural sourcing of the world’s biggest food and beverage companies, rating them on factors that include water resource management, climate awareness, and transparency.

Using publicly available information, the “Behind the (more…)

The UK-based Carbon Trust has introduced what it calls the first global standard on water management and reduction in hopes of encouraging more sustainable water use by businesses.

The new standard, created by members of the group along with four early-adopting companies, including (more…)

When most people think of water issues, the first thing that comes to mind is falling reservoirs and water rationing at the tap. While this is a very significant impact, our business sustainability consulting is reminded that water stretches much further and deep in to the heart of business. The reality is that water is linked to every facet of life on our planet and directly interacts (more…)