Last month, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) instructed publicly held companies to “…consider the effects of global warming and efforts to curb climate change when disclosing business risks to investors.” One significant ramification of this SEC action is that CFOs will now need to take the initiative in identifying and reporting the risks that climate change may have upon their company’s investors. This is a sea change in CFO fiduciary responsibility.
Beginning February 1, 2010, an estimated 82,000 construction sites must comply with the EPA’s new regulation governing construction site discharge. The new regulation outlines stricter measures to reduce water pollution and the EPA expects compliance with the rule to reduce the amount of sediment and other pollutants discharged from construction sites by 4 billion pounds per year.
Green Supply Chain Management (GSCM) is gaining much importance in many industries due to pressure from the government and environmental consciousness among the customers, to gain competitive advantage. We have compiled a list of Green Supply Chain studies to assist you in your efforts to address these issues. The green supply chain studies we spotlight cover the following topics: the role that the logistics and transport sector plays in reducing emissions; the effects of ISO 14001 certification on the promotion of green supply chain management (GSCM), research on interest and implementation of green supply chain initiatives; a quantitative picture of current sustainable supply chain practices and plans; a measurement and quantification of how companies are managing the complexities of supply chain demands, distribution costs and environmental concerns; key drivers of sustainable supply chains;a new integrated supply chain model that takes into account sustainability parameters such as CO2 emissions reduction, reduced energy consumption, better traceability and reduced traffic congestion;best practices for companies looking to green their supply chains ; an outline of the supply chain green initiatives currently implemented or planned in manufacturing, warehousing and distribution;survey of sustainable packaging policies ;a look at the growing role of procurement organizations within sustainability efforts institutions of higher learning; a categorization of research and practice in purchasing, manufacturing, outbound, and reverse logistics dimensions;a framework for measuring the “green-ness”of green supply chain initiatives, the business case for green supply management initiavies, research on the debate by empirically evaluating the relationship between EMS and GSCM practices.
The USGBC is accepting proposals for educational sessions and applications for peer reviewers to evaluate these proposals for the 2010 Greenbuild Conference.
It’s not good enough to just be green anymore, you have to be great. Your product or service needs to break through the green clutter. It must do its job better, more economically, more efficiently with less ? It must be positioned better, and packaged better. It should communicate its unique promise of value better.
Robert A. Peck, Commissioner of Public Buildings at the U.S. General Services Association (GSA), presented a keynote presentation at Ecobuild America this week entitled GSA: Green Pioneer – Green Proving Ground. Peck presented his vision for the GSA as a leader in green building technology and discussed how the 5.5 billion dollar appropriation from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) will impact the GSA’s work.
A summary of the second webinar in the Sustainable Brands Boot Camp series, Innovation Opportunities in Response to Today’s Environmental Hot Buttons: Climate Change, Water & Waste. The webinar was led by Will Sarni, CEO and founder of Domani Consulting, an integrated sustainability consulting firm, and featured examples of new, innovative business and product strategies from various markets that are successfully being brought to market in response to emerging environmental and social strains.
The Green Building Certification Institute (USBGCI) is accepting applications from professionals interested in taking the LEED AP Neighborhood Development beta exam and potentially earning the credential for free. You must submit the application and required documentation online by December 15th. The final, balloted version of LEED for Neighborhood Development was recently released with a few interesting changes including new requirements for certification of at least one green building, walkable sidewalks, increased density, and an allowance for minor construction such as boat access ramps in green buffer areas that encourage human interaction with nature.
Are most homebuyers interested in purchasing a home that saves 90% over a traditional home on heating and cooling costs and requires only a small active heating system the size of a hairdryer? The Passivhaus movement is an exciting building design concept that offers tremendous energy savings due to reliance on passive heating systems. Europe is embracing the concept with between ten and fifteen thousand houses already built and governmental support of mandating the standard. The Passivhaus Institut in Darmstadt was formed in 1996 to promote and control passive house design and the group only recently formed the Passive House Institute US (PHIUS) to reach out directly to the US building market. It is slow to gain momentum, but holds promise for the US market in the future.
