Environmental Issues | The Green Economy Post: Green Careers, Green Business, Sustainability

Sustainability: Building The Business Case

By Jennifer_Rice on October 13, 2009 1 Comment business case, business strategy, business units, CEO mandate, competitive advantage, compliance, corporate responsibility, cost savings, CSR initiatives, customer-facing sustainability initiatives, customerfacing initiatives, environmental issues, greenwashing, LOHAS, loyalty behavior, niche market, reputation, revenue, revenue generation, segmentation model, share, supply chain, sustainability, sustainability curve, sustainability market, sustainability professional, sustainability-related attributes, sustainable brand, TAM, TASM, total addressable market, Total Addressable Sustainability Market

Your company has been progressing nicely up the sustainability curve from compliance to cost savings. The next logical step is reputation and revenue generation, and itʼs here that many sustainability pros hit a roadblock. Without a CEO mandate, business units usually have little incentive to deviate from whatʼs been working in the past. Sustainability and CSR initiatives have safely been tucked away behind the scenes, dealing with internal and supply chain issues that reduce risk and cost to the business. Objections to customer-facing sustainability initiatives range from “Why put our neck out and riskgreenwashing charges?” to “Itʼs still a niche market” and “Why would we promote our values for commercial ends? Weʼre doing this because it’s right, not to make money from it.”

Businesses Break Ranks Over Climate Change: How Public Pressure Can Change Corporate Culture

By KLD_Blog on October 6, 2009 1 Comment AEP, Alan Petrillo, American Electric Power, Ann Fifield, capital markets, carbon emissions, CEO, climate policy, coal, coal state, Coal States, coal-friendly economy, corporate culture, culture of governance, David Vidal, engaged citizens, environment, environmental issues, Ethical Context, Exelon, financial markets, Financial Times, green credentials, Green Inc, Green Rankings, KLD Blog post, KLD forum, KLD Research & Analytics, lobbying, Mike Morris, National Resource Defense Council, Newsweek Green Rankings, NIKE, NRDC, Pete Altman, PG&E, recycling, reputation, sustainability, sustainability culture, Tennessee ash spill, The Conference Board, US Chamber of Commerce, utilities

Senior members of the US Chamber of Commerce are strdently opposing the Chamber’s position of opposition to climate policy. These organizations are eager “to boost their green credentials,” for fear of alienating their customers and senators. This is an indications that Social movements shape political power and concerned citizens, can move even the most entrenched corporate and political interests. NRDC research finds that “only 23 members of the U.S. Chamber’s board have a publicly stated position on climate change and more than 80 percent [19 members] are not on board” with the Chamber’s official position.

Princeton Review Rolls Out List of The Greenest Colleges

By Tracey de Morsella on July 28, 2009 1 Comment 2010 Green Rating Honor Roll, and ecological agriculture, Arizona State University, Atlanta, Bar Harbor, Bates College, Beech Hill Farm, beekeeping, Berkeley, Binghamton, Binghamton University, biodiesel, biomass gasification, Boston, buildings, CA, Cambridge, campus, campus sustainability, car-sharing, carbon dioxide emissions, carbon emissions, carbon neutral, carbon offsets, Carlisle, carpool, Center for Environmental and Sustainability Education, Center for Sustainable Entrepreneurship, certification. organic landscaping, CO, co-generation power plant, College of the Atlantic, colleges, Colorado College, Colorado Springs, compost, compost. solar PV, compostable, compostable dishware, compostable paper cup, composting bins, composting toilets, compressed natural gas, CT, curriculum, Curriculum for the Bioregion, Dickinson College, Durham, ecoAmerica, EcoGastronomy, ecology, electric cars, energy conservation, energy consumption, energy use, environment, environmental issues, environmental studies, environmentally friendly, ethnobotany, Evergreen State College, facilities, fluorescent lamps, food, forest ecology, GA, Georgia Institute of Technology, green college, Green Majors, green products, Green Rating Honor Roll, Green Ratings, green university, greenhouse gas emission reductions, greenhouse gas emissions, Harvard College, human ecology, hydropower, International Village, Kroon Hall, landfill, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, LEED Gold certification, LEED Platinum, LEED Silver, Lewiston ME, Local, MA, ME, Middlebury, Middlebury College, Nature Preserve, New Haven, NH, Northeastern University, NY, Olympia, organic agriculture, organic certification, organic garden, organic produce, PA, Project Clean Plate, recycle, recycling, renewable electricity, renewable wood pellets, Robert Franek, school of Forestry & Environmental Studies, School of Sustainability, Seattle, self-ventilated, socially responsible, socially responsible business program, soft drinks, solar panels, State University of New York at Binghamton, sustainability, Sustainable agriculture, sustainable commencement, sustainable dining program, sustainably produced wood, The Princeton Review, trails, Trans-Atlantic Food Systems, university, University of California Berkeley, University of New Hampshire, University of Washington, Used fryer oil, van pool, VT, WA, Washington Center for Improving the Quality of Undergraduate Education, wetland, wind, Yale Sustainable Food Project, Yale University, zero-waste, Zipcar

The Princeton Review, today released its second annual Green Ratings of colleges. In this measure of how environmentally friendly the institutions are on a scale of 60 to 99, the company tallied its Green Ratings for 697 institutions based on data it collected from the colleges in 2008-09 concerning their environmentally related policies, practices, and academic offerings. The Princeton Review also named 15 colleges to its “2010 Green Rating Honor Roll” – a list that salutes the institutions that received the highest possible score – 99 – in this year’s rating tallies.

Fellowship Spotlight: Environmental Defense Fund Diversity Fellowship Program

By Tracey de Morsella on May 4, 2009 Comments Off on Fellowship Spotlight: Environmental Defense Fund Diversity Fellowship Program African-American Fishermen, cargo vessels, climate, Coastal Louisiana, diverse candidates, diversity fellowship, Diversity Fellowship Program, ecosystem, EcoSystems, EDF, energy efficiency, environmental advocacy, Environmental Defense Fund, environmental issues, fellow, HBCUs, health, Johnson C Smith University, Living Cities Program, Mississippi River Deltaic Wetlands, National Audubon Society, National Wildlife Federation, NC, New Orleans, North Carolina Central University, oceans, Oceans Program, overfishing, Raleigh, restoration, The Nature Conservancy, Transformative Transportation Policy, wetlands restoration

Environmental Defense Fund is looking for diverse candidates who are seeking a professional experience in environmental advocacy. The Diversity Fellowship is a full-time, one-year position focused on a project that is integral to one of EDF’s key program areas – Oceans, Ecosystems, Climate or Health. The Fellow will have the opportunity to work closely with our staff on a significant project, develop core professional skills, understand our approach to environmental issues, and develop an understanding of environmental advocacy as a career path.