EVENT: Webinar – Implementing a Green IT Program

This is an exciting time in the IT industry as we collectively begin to look at the impacts of our business on society, the environment and of course the economy. As the businesses we support begin to look at the environmental impacts of operations, we must be ready to support them and do our part. There is no doubt that IT is a contributor to the problem, so how can we contribute to the solution? It can be hard to know where to start!

SSC is pleased to present Implementing a Green IT Program, an interactive webinar focusing on the practical steps to improving your environmental performance. In this 60-minute presentation you’ll learn about:

-- how to assess your organization’s IT impact,
-- benefits and opportunities around implementing Green IT practices
-- getting started with our five-step process for implementing a Green IT program
-- where to find resources to help you get started

This webinar is designed for IT directors, IT professionals and sustainability managers looking to evaluate and improve the environmental performance of the IT department.

Cost: $50
Time: Check our event calendar for the next date!

Strategic Sustainability Consulting is pleased to present this webinar in partnership with Jessica Vreeswijk, head of Pacific Sunrise Systems Consulting and GreenITTools.com. Jessica has spent over five years providing IT project management, operations management, consulting and technical services in the not-for-profit, government and corporate business sectors. Jessica has initiated the GreenITTools.com project in order to provide practical, hands-on tools for IT managers in small- to medium-sized businesses based on her own experience in trying to start a Green IT program. Jessica is an MBA in Sustainable Business candidate at Bainbridge Graduate Institute.

EVENT: Webinar - Green Purchasing

A Green Purchasing Policy is essential for a sustainable workplace: it reduces your ecological footprint, minimizes unnecessary costs, and indicates to stakeholders your organizations’ dedication to people and the planet. This webinar provides the strategic framework and practical tools needed to develop and implement an effective Green Purchasing Policy.

Green Purchasing Webinar
Location: Online, At Your Desktop!
Cost: $50
Sign-Up: Here

Topics to be covered include:

-- Why It Is Important to Buy Environmentally Preferable Products
-- Definitions of Environmentally Preferable Purchasing
-- The Identification of Desired Environmental Attributes
-- Balancing Environmental Considerations with Performance, Availability, and Cost Requirements
-- How to Empower a Green Purchasing Team
-- Identification of Initial Priorities
-- Assigning Responsibilities and Establishing Deadlines
-- The Use of Existing Environmental Labeling and Certification Programs
-- Creation of a Communications Plan
-- Developing Measurable Goals and Reporting Requirements
-- Regular Policy Reveiw

This webinar is co-hosted by Alex Szabo of TheGreenOffice.com, a company dedicated to accelerating the transition to sustainability in the workplace. Through the online sale of green office products, expert sustainability consulting, and strategic carbon offsetting, TheGreenOffice.com works to make office greening easy and cost effective.

VIEWS: When Tech Support Doesn't Understand Energy Efficiency Questions

Note: The following missive comes from Scott Kleiman, one of SSC's Summer Interns. We thought it was a great story about how frustrating the pursuit of basic environmental information can be...and how important it is for companies to educate their employees about their corporate CSR issues...enjoy!

Strategic Sustainability Consulting publishes an annual Sustainability Report that reviews how effective we've been as a company in minimizing our firm's environmental impact as we work. As part of this effort, Jennifer asked each of the summer interns to track and calculate our own ecological footprints associated with our internships over the past several months.

Most of us work remotely, communicating primarily through conference calls, online "meetings," and email. Our efforts largely go towards supporting SSC's senior consultants' client-work, through researching company and industry information, brainstorming solutions, and helping write reports. We also contribute to SSC's ongoing knowledge base of solutions, case studies, webinars, and white papers. Consequently, the majority of our time is spent on computers. Indeed, as I put together my own footprint data, my largest impact was the electricity used by my 5+ year-old Dell laptop.

Having spent the summer reading and writing about specific strategies and steps for businesses to incorporate sustainability into their operations, and being familiar with Dell’s new energy efficient computing campaign, I expected determining the energy used by my computer to be a relatively straightforward process: multiply the watts used (a rate) by the number of hours I spent working at my computer for SSC, and I'd get a rough estimate of my total related energy usage for the summer (in Kilowatt-hours). How I was mistaken...

I purchased my computer before my freshman year of college, at that point of my life having little conception of energy efficiency, so I never thought to ask about my computer's energy footprint when initially configuring it. As I began looking for energy usage information, my first thought was that it would, of course, be noted among the maze of notations printed on the bottom of my laptop or its power transformer cube. Voltage requirements, as well as some other certification gibberish were there, but nothing specific about energy consumption.

Perhaps it was on the "Spec Sheet" Dell had included when it shipped my computer? Being the packrat that I am, I knew I had it stashed away in the front part of the second right-hand drawer of my desk at home, and I ran upstairs to check. Nope – it just showed me that I needed to clean my room.

“It’s the age of the Internet,” I thought. The information I didn't have myself should certainly be just a click away on the Dell website. After 15 minutes of navigating through endless attempts to convince me about the fantastic characteristics of Dell's many new computers that it sells, I concluded that my search terminology must have been wrong and decided to call Dell customer support.

The 20-minute call, which included 8 long minutes of listening to Dell's ubiquitous muzak, concluded with me trying to convince a supervisor that, "No, there's not a problem with my system. I just want to know its energy consumption. In watts. Please....". This was followed up by an email detailing instructions detailing how I should return my defective part to Dell, succeeded 2 weeks later by an express mailed Windows System Restore CD directing me to resinstall my operating system to fix my problem.

Realizing the phone call was fruitless, I returned to the Dell website and booted up their online chat for customer support. Maybe typing out my problems would overcome the language and/or culture barrier that seemed to be preventing the very nice customer support agent from understanding my question over the phone. I excerpt from the instant message conversation below:

Scott:	"I'd like to know about the energy usage of my Dell computer"
Scott:	"Dell Inspiron 8200"
Agent:	"I do understand that you are wanting to know the energy usage and I will do my best to assist you.
Agent:	"For references - The warranty expired on the system on 07.30.2005. Is this your first contact with Dell regarding the energy usage?"
Scott:	"I'm not sure --"
Scott:	"I'm not having a problem with my system"
Scott:	"I only need information about its energy usage"
Agent:	"Scott, allow me 3-6 minutes to research this information."
Agent:	"Thank you for holding. I do apologize for the delay. The power information that I have is that the system uses a 8 cell battery and a 65 Watt Adapter."
Agent:	"Scott, it has been a great pleasure working with you today. I'm going to send you some important information for your records. I apologize for its lengthiness. Let me know if you have any questions about it."

My struggle illustrates one of the many challenges that remain as both consumers and companies look for ways to become more sustainable. (To read how this same issue manifests for many corporate IT managers, check out Andrew Binstock's article "How Many Watts Does that PC Consume Exactly, and Why?" from GreenerComputing News.)

In many cases, the enthusiasm and marketing efforts voiced by high-level executives are not consistently matched by the products and employees that support them. As Dell aims to be a leader among computer manufacturers in selling environmentally responsible systems, it must ensure that relevant environmental impact information about its products is both easily available for consumers online, and that its customer support staff understands corporate priorities in being able to communicate that data.

Even if new, environmentally innovative product lines are slower to evolve than the processes to publicize those accomplishments, developing corporate habits of transparency and openness towards customers can go a long way to helping companies of all sizes and sectors attract the attention of the new green consumer audience.

Neil from Dell Responds (in record time!):

I’m at Dell Headquarters in Austin, Texas and I just read the post on your blog but comments were disabled. I’ve worked in support here at Dell for a long time on the phones, in chat queues, and now in the blogosphere and can honestly say that I’ve never heard that question so I had to do a bit of looking around. What I found was a site; dell.com/energy, that has energy calculators and other info that you were seeking, only not for the system Scott has. I was only able to find it for later model servers, workstations, and the Optiplex and Latitude lines of desktop and notebook computers.

I realize this isn’t ideal for consumers with Inspirons and would imagine that as more consumers begin to seriously factor that sort of thing into their purchase, it will become available. I haven’t been a part of this site so I don’t speak from experience on this, but I would guess that the reason only the newer models of business machines were featured is that it is only a consideration for companies going forward and other factors will still dictate when the current systems are to be phased out either way. I can inquire about a specific system if you’d like but I think the general rule of thumb with the newer, dual-core machines is to enable the power saving features, kill unnecessary visuals, and not leave it on unnecessarily. If there’s any info you’d like me to find, I’d be glad to try and help track it down.

NEWS: Green Supply Chain Trends

via Greenbiz:

According to an August 2007 study by EyeForProcurement, "greening" of supply chains is a growing phenomenon around the world. It got us at SSC wondering, is the SME world following suit?

The survey asked 188 procurement professionals -- primarily in the United States, Europe and Asia -- about their companies' practices, policies and plans for reducing the environmental impact of the materials used in their work.

-- half of companies have policies on greening their supply chain

-- companies are nearly unanimous in their belief that green supply chains will only continue growing

-- two-thirds of the professionals in the survey said that they are practicing green procurement to support their companies' environmental or sustainability strategies

-- half also said they're responding to customers' interest in greener products and services

But are these beliefs actually affecting procurement practices? Although companies are increasingly aware of the benefits and importance of green procurement, most of them are only acquiring a small portion of their materials in that way. Only 13 percent of respondents are sourcing half or more of their products and services sustainably, while 55 percent said they source less than 10 percent of green goods.

At SSC, we think that supply chain issues are a great place to start a sustainability strategy--and we offer a variety of related services. Unlike expensive auditing firms or niche advocacy groups, our supply chain management services allow clients to focus on the social and environmental issues important to them. More importantly, we provide guidance through each step of supply chain management--from supplier auditing to creating a "green" procurement policy--so that even organizations new to corporate social responsibility can feel confident that they are implementing best practices from start to finish.

Contact us today for a free consultation!

NEWS: Women and the Environment

We're always intrigued by the interplay between social issues and environmental sustainability, and so we were especially interested in recent posts from Grist.org and Trendwatching.com about women, purchasing power, and the environment.

Consider these facts:

¨ Consulting firm A.T. Kearney estimates that women determine 80 percent of consumption, purchase 60 percent of all cars, and own 40 percent of all stocks.

¨ Women are up to 15 percent more likely than men to rate the environment a high priority.

¨ Women comprise up to two-thirds of voters who cast their ballots around environmental issues.

¨ Women are more likely than men to volunteer for and give money to environmental causes, especially related to public health.

¨ Women report both more support for environmental activists and more concern that government isn't doing enough.

¨ Women support increased government spending for the environment, while men favor spending cuts.

According to Grist (which sites all of the following survey data), polls also show that about 68 percent of American consumers have gone green, preferring health-conscious and environmentally responsible products. "Since 90 percent of women identify themselves as the primary shoppers for their households, and women sign 80 percent of all personal checks, it's safe to say that women are leading a quiet revolution in green consumerism."

What does this mean for you? If you employ women or sell to women (and we know you do!), then looking at ways to be more environmentally responsible can pay dividends—not just in reduced energy costs and less waste, but also in terms of improved customer loyalty, a strong reputation, and happier employees.

RESOURCES: How Green Is Your Meeting?

Now, your company can measure its environmental impact, thanks to a new service called the MeetGreen Calculator. This web-based service allows anyone to measure their meeting practices against green best practices. MeetGreen Calculator will give the user help in meeting these green standards. Examples include having attendees walk or use mass transit, buying food locally and donate left-overs to local food banks, using reusable cups and large-capacity water jugs rather than individual water bottles, and the like.

The results can lead to cost reduction, waste reduction, helping local communities, and the environment. The MeetGreen Calculator was recently used at the World Urban Forum. Ginny Stratton of Globe Foundation of Canada stated, “We are ecstatic to know that the host of practices we employed resulted in the highest possible MeetGreen rating and hope that the results of our efforts will create a legacy for future organizers of the World Urban Forum.” Some major companies that have employed the MeetGreen Calculator are the Sierra Club, US Green Building Council, Globe Foundation of Canada and the Business for Social Responsibility.

NEWS: Lack of Incentives Prevent Employees Going Green at Work

It appears that UK employees are looking to their employers to lead the social responsible movement by example. This comes in major contrast to individual efforts at home to ease the environmental footprint. At home, 91% of the UK public turn off lights not in use, and 54% use only enough water for what they need, whereas only 10% of employees employ such practices. This could be the result of the 43% who believe that their employers talk the socially responsible talk, but don’t walk it. An astonishing 49% of employees believe that their employers waste too much electricity, and 37% of employees said they would like more job-training on being environmentally friendly.

Chris Gabriel, head of Solutions Marketing, Logistics UK, believes, “This research shows that 2007 must be the year for turning well-meaning talk into action.” UK Logistics, along with a government environmental charity Global Action Plan, recommends some key steps in getting companies to get their employees to follow suit:

• Incentives – companies need to offer employees incentives to bring environmental actions into the workplace. These include, but are not limited to, a better work-life balance, and energy saving profit sharing. Governments should also offer tax incentives to companies working to become green. This will help jump start compliance.
• Leadership – employers must show commitment to environmental responsibility before employees will themselves commit. Employees are less likely to follow through if they know their employers don’t care.
• Innovation – Besides traditional approaches to environmental responsibility, like recycling, employers should invest in better building design, or automatic heating and cooling systems.
• Technology – employing strategies like eco-friendly kettles which use less energy to heat up, or video conferencing, which reduces employee travel, can help employers cut costs and save the environment.
• Education – teaching employees about environmental responsibility, as well as encouraging eco-friendly attitudes and practices at work. This includes small steps like putting computers in “stand-by” or “hibernating” modes to big steps like employee seminars.

By following these ideas, companies can better themselves and their employees. Read more here.

NEWS: Green Transportation Trends

There are many exciting green transportation trends currently underway.

One is PHH GreenFleet, a project created out of PHH Avral and Environmental Defense. PHH GreenFleet is a pilot program helping companies reduce greenhouse emissions among fleet vehicles. This is done by measuring and analyzing emission levels, and helping companies to reduce emissions through recommendations and implementation of better practices, quarterly measurement and reporting, and tools to offset remaining emissions. GreenFleet is currently helping Abbott Laboratories to reduce its emissions by 10% by 2010.

Furthermore, dirty diesel just got a cleanup. The diesel industry says it has met regulatory standards, allowing new 2007 diesel truck models to emit 90% less emissions than their 2006 counterparts. After billions of research and development, new diesel trucks employ ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel [ULSD], which also helps to reduce Nitrogen Oxide [NOx] emissions, at a mere 15ppm sulfur content rather than the old 500ppm content. These new trucks must meet their low-emission requirements for at least 435,000 miles. This cleaner fuel opens the doors for a wide array of applications in both commercial and individual uses.

A study by the National Biodiesel Board reported that the American Biodiesel industry will add $24 billion to the US economy between 2005 and 2015, with growth reaching 650 million gallons by 2015. The board also reports that Biodiesel will keep $13.6 billion in America that would otherwise be spent on foreign oil. The study also finds that 498 million of the 650 million gallons will be produced from soybean oil. As of 2006, there are 88 plants in America producing about 200-250 million gallons of Biodiesel, nearly triple the levels of 2005.

Also, General Motors, in a partnership with General Electric Plastics, has planned to create the Chevrolet Volt. The Volt will reach 40mpg on an electric engine, and will be created out of materials that will reduce part weight by 50%. These technologies will reduce fuel consumption, will release less carbon dioxide, and improve overall performance. GreenOrder, an independent environmental strategy firm, verified GM’s claims, and found that if 3.2 million passenger vehicles were made with these standards and technologies, greenhouse emissions would be reduced by 194,000 tons and save more than 20 million gallons of oil each year.

Finally, the word on the street is that Biomethane can be a saving grace. Made from organic wastes, and having the same chemical composition of natural gas, Biomethane can help clean up the environment by reducing the use of fossil fuels. Biomethane can be made out of animal, food, and municipal wastes, production is not affected by oil price/production swings, and can be pumped into existing natural gas pipe lines. Furthermore, Biomethane can also be formed into liquefied natural gas [LNG], or compressed natural gas [CNG] which can be used in vehicles running on natural gas, of which there are currently about 5 million worldwide. Biomethane can also be used as a renewable hydrogen source [chemical CH4].

EVENT: DC Workshop – Becoming a Sustainability Champion in Your Organization

We're delighted to announce that DC Net Impact is co-sponsoring this event, and will be raffling off 8 spots for this workshop series.

You care about the environment, social justice, and human rights. You recycle at home, make sure the lights are switched off at night, and take public transportation whenever possible. You avoid buying products from companies that contract from sweatshops, and even volunteer your time with a charity or two.

But what about at work?

You might not be in a position to dramatically change the direction of your organization, but you can have a positive influence on the environmental and social impact of day-to-day operations. That's where Strategic Sustainability Consulting can help. In this 4-week webinar series, you'll discover how to become a "sustainability champion" in your organization:

1. Learn how to bring your personal values to the office in a positive, energizing way
2. Convince your bosses that corporate social responsibility (CSR) is worthy of their time
3. Determine the most important and strategic areas for an initial CSR program
4. Implement a tracking program that truly measures progress towards sustainability
   

Each session is a 90-minute interactive workshop, where you'll gain a basic understanding of the topic, hear from an expert in the field, and have an opportunity to ask questions. These workshops are perfect for recent graduates and young professionals—those employees who have the passion, but not the decision-making authority, to tackle the challenges of organizational sustainability and corporate social responsibility.

Week 1 (March 6): Bringing Your Values to Work

Don't feel frustrated by the disparity between your personal values and your day-to-day workload! Very few of us actually have jobs where we're directly making the world a better place, but that doesn't mean you can't bring a spirit of positive social change to work with you each morning. We'll help you find a balance between your daily to-do list and the larger passions that motivate you to get up each morning.

Guest Speaker: Mary Guarino, Ph.D. is owner of StellarSelf, a personal coaching and wellness consulting practice focused on helping organizations that are dedicated to their employees’ well being, and helping individuals create more balanced, fulfilling lives.

Week 2 (March 13): Convincing Management That CSR Is Important

Unless you're in the top tier of management, it's unlikely that you can unilaterally introduce policies and programs to improve your organization's social and environmental impact. But by convincing your bosses that corporate social responsibility (CSR) is a good business investment, you can get the support you need to make some real changes. We'll show you how to make the business case for corporate social responsibility to your top management.

Week 3 (March 20): Building a CSR Program

Once you've gotten management buy-in, the next step is to start developing a corporate social responsibility (CSR) program. In this session, you'll learn how to conduct a "sustainability audit" to determine your organization's key social and environmental impacts, simple ways to start introducing CSR policies and programs, and low-cost strategies to energize your colleagues.

Week 4 (March 27): Tracking and Communicating Progress

A key part of any successful CSR program (no matter how small) is measuring and communicating your progress. Whether you're measuring pounds of recycled paper or hours of employee volunteerism, having hard data can make the difference between getting additional support (and recognition) and a sputtering enthusiasm. We'll show you how to set up your goals for maximum effect, what metrics to track, and easy ways to create internal and external CSR communications that inspire and energize stakeholders.

Date: Every Tuesday in March

Time: 12 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. EST

Location: CAAB Offices, 1801 K Street NW

Directions: 1 block from Farragut North—Red Line, 2 blocks from Farragut West—Orange/Blue Line

Cost: $250 (or $75 per individual session)*

Sign up at www.sustainabilityconsulting.com (click events)

* Ask your company if they will pay for these classes—it's part of your professional development, and by educating you on this important topic they will be helping themselves become more responsible corporate citizens!

** Also note: there is an online version of this event that happens the day after the in-person workshop. If you are able to attend some in person, but need to also attend some on the web, send us an email at info@sustainabilityconsulting.com and we can work out an arrangement.

EVENT: Webinar: Caring for Creation (Sustainability for Faith Communities)

Climate change, the conflict in Sudan, poverty—faith communities are increasingly turning their attention to "big" issues surrounding ecological stewardship, social justice, community service. But while most spiritual groups acknowledge the imperative to "care for creation", figuring out how to get started and how to maximize their group's effectiveness can be challenging.

SSC is pleased to offer Caring for Creation, an interactive "webinar" focusing on simple and cost-effective ways to help your faith community in its journey towards environmental and social responsibility. In this 90-minute presentation, you'll learn:

¨ Key social and environmental issues where faith communities can have an impact.

¨ Practical tips about choosing which issues to focus on.

¨ Suggestions for setting up volunteer programs for maximum long-term effectiveness.

¨ A list of SSC's favorite resources and relevant case studies.

Cost: $60

Register at: www.sustainabilityconsulting.com (click "Events")

Space is limited to 20 people to ensure an interactive experience where you can ask questions and get real answers, so reserve your space today. Once you've signed up, you'll receive an email with log-in and call-in details.

EVENT: Webinar - CSR 101 for Entrepreneurs

Today, nearly all big businesses have a public commitment to "corporate social responsibility" (CSR). Wal-Mart has announced sweeping environmental goals related to energy efficiency and "green" packaging. Hewlett Packard is opening training centers for small business owners to learn how to grow their businesses with technology. And Hain Celestial Group has started an initiative to better understand consumer’s community priorities and to develop “social purpose” programs.

Even though the business value of CSR has been well established, it's often overlooked by entrepreneurs with a new business idea. That's a grave mistake, because a strong CSR program can help you cut costs, enhance brand awareness, access new sources of venture capital, improve customer loyalty, and set your business apart from larger competitors.

That's why we're pleased to offer Corporate Social Responsibility 101 for Entrepreneurs, an interactive webinar about the opportunities and challenges associated with social and environmental responsibility for new business ideas. In an hour-and-a-half, we'll cover:

¨ A general overview of corporate social responsibility, and why it's valuable to entrepreneurs.

¨ Key CSR issues, including energy efficiency, labor standards, product safety, and corporate governance.

¨ Simple and low-cost ways to demonstrate your commitment to "good business ethics".

¨ Metrics to track your progress, and how to measure the value of your CSR programs.

¨ Ways to publicize your efforts to maximize the financial rewards of corporate citizenship.

The webinar is hosted by Jennifer K. Woofter, president of Strategic Sustainability Consulting (SSC), a Washington, D.C. based company that specializes in providing under-resourced organizations with the tools and expertise needed to manage their social and environmental impacts. Using a combination of traditional strategic planning techniques and cutting-edge sustainable development knowledge, we offer clients a highly customized approach to bridging the gap between values and performance.

Sign-Up at www.sustainabilityconsulting.com (click Events)

Space is limited to 20 people to ensure an interactive experience where you can ask questions and get real answers, so reserve your space today. Once you've signed up, you'll receive an email with log-in and call-in details.

EVENT: Webinar - Creating an "Green" Supply Chain

Purchasing decisions have a significant impact on an organization's environmental footprint. As more and more companies seek to buy eco-friendly supplies, the opportunities for "green" supply chains have expanded as well. But with so many different choices, how do you know which products to choose, and what suppliers to buy from?

SSC is pleased to offer "Green" Purchasing, an interactive "webinar" focusing on simple and cost-effective ways to make your procurement system as eco-friendly as possible. In this 60-minute presentation, you'll learn:

¨ Key environmental impacts in the procurement chain.

¨ Practical tips about setting up a green procurement policy.

¨ Suggestions for selecting environmentally-friendly suppliers.

¨ A list of SSC's favorite green suppliers and relevant case studies.

Cost: $50

Register at: www.sustainabilityconsulting.com (click "Events")

Space is limited to 20 people to ensure an interactive experience where you can ask questions and get real answers, so reserve your space today. Once you've signed up, you'll receive an email with log-in and call-in details.

Why We Love: Interface, Inc.

This is the first in a series of postings under the category "why why love". It gives us the opportunity to highlight companies that have gone beyond basic corporate social responsibility expectations and are embracing the idea that sustainability can create business value. Let us know if there's a company we should include!

Interface Inc. is a leader in creation and marketing of modular carpet, broadloom carpet, panel fabrics, and upholstery fabrics targeted for office environments. Based out of LaGrange, GA, Interface began in 1974 and now has grown into the leader in sales of modular carpet. With manufacturing plants and several offices all over the world, Interface is a powerful company with a strong hold on their market.

So why do we love them? Because Interface has announced its Mission Zero plan, to eliminate any negative impacts their company has on the environment by 2020. Interface states that they wish:

To be the first company that, by it’s deeds, shows the entire industrial world what sustainability is in all its dimensions: People, process, products, place, and profits by 2020—and in doing so we will become restorative through the power of influence.

Interface has an elaborate action plan for how to accomplish their goals. One of the steps they are taking is to use renewable materials for all their products. They also plan to work to re-claim customers' used products.

Interface is taking a pro-active view of their eco-future, find out more and read their sustainability report at Interface, Inc.

SPECIAL OFFER: Ecological Footprinting for Your Business or NGO

Strategic Sustainability Consulting is currently developing a new service for our small and medium-size clients: an office ecological footprint. As we smooth out the rough edges, we're looking for three companies/NGOs to test the service at 50% off the regular price. If you think your office might be interested, read on!

What is an ecological footprint?

According to Wikipedia: "Ecological footprint" is a metaphor used to depict the amount of land and water area a human population would hypothetically need to provide the resources required to support itself and to absorb its wastes, given prevailing technology. Footprinting is now widely used around the globe as an indicator of environmental sustainability. It can be used to measure and manage the use of resources throughout the economy. It is commonly used to explore the sustainability of individual lifestyles, goods and services, organizations, industry sectors, regions and nations.

Why would you want to measure the ecological footprint of your organization?

While ecological footprinting has typically been used to measure an individual's environmental impact, it's also now possible to apply the calculations to your organization as a whole. It's a great way to make an initial assessment of your ecological profile, and can point out areas for improvement. Plus, it's an engaging way to measure progress—commit to an annual footprint analysis and see how far you've come!

What's SSC's ecological footprint?

We'd never recommend a service that we haven't used ourselves! SSC's ecological footprint is 83.3 global acres, and if all organizations operated like SSC, we would need 1.35 planets to sustain ourselves. Comparing our results to other businesses, we're doing pretty well, but in the coming year, we'll be looking for ways to reduce our footprint even further!

Find Out More

If you are interested in hiring Strategic Sustainability Consulting to conduct an ecological footprint analysis for your organization, contact me at Jennifer@sustainabilityconsulting.com to discuss this special opportunity!

RESOURCE: Helpful Websites for Small Business CSR

It's time for another list of helpful resources for small business. Enoy!

Intangibles and CSR
Source: Business for Social Responsibility (via GreenBiz)

Understanding how value is created through assets like knowledge, expertise, and operating systems -- the "intangibles" -- is integral to understanding how long-term wealth can be created and enhanced through strong CSR (corporate social responsibility) performance. Published in April 2006, this business brief explores the multifaceted link between a company's "intangible assets" and CSR. The brief provides a framework for better understanding the business case for CSR.

Sustainability Engagement Boosts Financial Performance
Source: Ethical Corporation (via Greenbiz)

The research arm of a leading sustainable investment fund has produced a new report grading more than 1200 companies by their preparedness in terms of environmental and other CR issues, providing more evidence for a link between non-financial and financial performance. The research, published jointly with consultants PricewaterhouseCoopers, represents one of the most complete efforts so far to compare companies, and sectors, based on their non-financial performance.

Zero Footprint

Zerofootprint’s goal is to connect people who care about the environment for the purpose of reducing ecological footprint. The organization aims to be the world’s foremost content hub for green, linking millions of people from across the globe engaged in sustainable commerce, and helping to inform people, who want to strive toward a more sustainable lifestyle. Of particular note is the Green Events section, where readers can find environmental events in their local area.

RESOURCE: Choosing An Environmental Consultant

Choosing an Environmental Consultant: Guidance for Small Businesses is a free, 32-page document by The New York State Environmental Facilities Corporation, Small Business Assistance Program.

The Small Business Assistance Program (SBAP) created this guide to provide information so that small businesses that need to hire an environmental professional can make an informed decision. This guide will help you more knowledgeably hire an environmental consultant by:

-- guiding you through the proposal process
-- listing questions to ask consultants
-- suggesting how to review the proposals you receive from prospective consultants
•-- providing tips for negotiating a contract with your chosen consultant

Although this guide deals primarily with companies needing technical environmental services (like help deciphering Clean Air Act regulations), the general scope of the report is helpful for businesses deciding to take the plunge with outside consulting services.