A recently published MIT Sloan Management Review report found that 92 percent of survey respondents say their company is addressing sustainability in some way, and most companies are doing only what is necessary to meet regulatory requirements. Businesses will not embrace sustainability without a pick stick requiring them to.
The irony is that the REVA was designed in the US, originally by a team that was also designing EVs for the California market. It would be funny if the US ended up importing what was originally intended as a domestic product.
Good article and a tough problem. I've seen this one coming for a while. This might be a good role for government to help force a solution; maybe use ENERGY*STAR.
Sustainability, Social Responsibility, and the Economic Crisis
Panel discussion and cocktail reception
Sponsored by the Ross Alumni Club of Boston
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
6:30 PM
The Hampshire House
84 Beacon Street
Boston, MA 02108
Confirmed panelists include:
Gib Hedstrom founded Hedstrom Associates in 2003 to work with
companies that want to be profitable, to be admired, and to succeed as
innovative enterprises of the twenty-first century. He brings over 25
years of experience helping global corporations address the toughest
environmental and sustainability issues of the day
Peter Kinder, Founder and President of KLD Research & Analytics, Inc.,
one of the best known firms in the socially responsible investing
space, and developer of the Domini 400 Social Index (now known as the
FTSE/KLD 400), the first socially-screened US equity portfolio,
created in 1990.
Eric Lowitt, Research Fellow at Accenture's Institute for High
Performance, author of several sustainability points of view,
including Compatible Aims: Sustainability and High Performance, and
Driving Sustainability in the Downturn
Gwen Ruta, Vice President of the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) and
Director of their Corporate Partnerships program. She is also on the
Board of Directors of the Environmental League of Massachusetts and
the Erb Institute at the University of Michigan.
Further details below and at http://www.rossboston.org/article.html?aid=175.
For tickets, please REGISTER ONLINE at http://www.rossboston.org/article.html?aid=175.
Tickets are free for students, $10 for Ross alums, and $20 for
everyone else (all are welcome). The admission fee includes beer &
wine and hors d'oeuvres. Seating is limited, so please register soon.
(1) Reduce energy use.
(2) Telecommute.
(3) Curb travel expenses.
(4) Buy secondhand.
(5) Reduce the amount of paper you use.
(6) Keep clean lists.
(7) Eliminate disposables.
(8) Get rid of the fax machine.
(9) Pool your resources.
(10) Green your transportation.
Below are some of the key takeaways from the study. Although they were derived from the hotel analysis, they are very relevant to all organizations interested in driving change around sustainability:
*
Employee education is key – Green is not something for just the green team to implement, but rather must be part of the company culture. If it’s part of the culture, it is much easier to implement (and less likely to be cut)
*
Experimentation is important – Some of the products and programs and technologies that the authors studied are new to the industry. What they found, Michele said, is that “if it’s new to your property, you need to experiment with it, in a few rooms, a floor, at your home –for example a manager installed a low-flow shower head at his home to see how it worked. Through experimentation, an organization can identify the projects that work, and then execute them more effectively.”
*
One size does not fit all – Amisha said, “We looked at the Ritz Carlton in San Francisco and the Comfort Inn and Suites in Revere, MA. They both were very strong in educating people about sustainability. However, the Ritz was behind the scenes, whereas the Comfort Inn was more ‘in your face about it’ to guests.”
*
Financial drivers to going green are there – either from less start-up costs or lower ongoing costs
One way to make an immediate 10-20% improvement in "efficiency" is to make GPS navigation systems a required component in all vehicles sold. Like a catalytic converter or an air bag. A huge percentage of vehicle miles driven are "lost miles" and by making navigation systems required in all new vehicles (and offering a $300 tax rebate for retrofit systems essentially making them free) would dramatically reduce fuel consumption.
It's a different way of thinking about the problem, admittedly. But effective nonetheless.
Wow, 1000 employees on the green team? That, obviously, is stretching the definition to include employees who sit in on a class and then agree to coordinate efforts locally.
I got the figure during several conversations and meetings with the CEO of the company that publishes CSR Magazine. It's a good point though...I'll have to see if I can get actual companies / names.
I've been following this for a while and as of last year 130 of the Fortune 500 actually have a C-level or VP-level executive with responsibility for sustainability. Unfortunately while they have a seat at the table, the legs on the chair are short (!) as they don't have much by way of staff or budget (yet). As regulations come on I think that will change.
There are about 20 "Green MBA" programs in the US. Here's a list: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sustainable_MBA
That's a helpful document. Thx!
McDonald's has been doing a lot on the sustainability front ranging from greener packaging to better waste management.
Well, they're talking the talk, so it's now time to walk the walk!
Wow, great article.
great service provider
A recently published MIT Sloan Management Review report found that 92 percent of survey respondents say their company is addressing sustainability in some way, and most companies are doing only what is necessary to meet regulatory requirements. Businesses will not embrace sustainability without a pick stick requiring them to.
Ultimately "green" products are cheaper than others because they have a smaller footprint.
The irony is that the REVA was designed in the US, originally by a team that was also designing EVs for the California market. It would be funny if the US ended up importing what was originally intended as a domestic product.
I think they're undercounting by looking only for titles that include "CSR", "environment" and the like.
Excellent article - here's my blog post about it: http://tinyurl.com/cql64s
Good article and a tough problem. I've seen this one coming for a while. This might be a good role for government to help force a solution; maybe use ENERGY*STAR.
That's a lot of design engineers. Excellent! It's also the largest professional group I've heard of that is focused on sustainability.
Sustainability, Social Responsibility, and the Economic Crisis
Panel discussion and cocktail reception
Sponsored by the Ross Alumni Club of Boston
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
6:30 PM
The Hampshire House
84 Beacon Street
Boston, MA 02108
Confirmed panelists include:
Gib Hedstrom founded Hedstrom Associates in 2003 to work with
companies that want to be profitable, to be admired, and to succeed as
innovative enterprises of the twenty-first century. He brings over 25
years of experience helping global corporations address the toughest
environmental and sustainability issues of the day
Peter Kinder, Founder and President of KLD Research & Analytics, Inc.,
one of the best known firms in the socially responsible investing
space, and developer of the Domini 400 Social Index (now known as the
FTSE/KLD 400), the first socially-screened US equity portfolio,
created in 1990.
Eric Lowitt, Research Fellow at Accenture's Institute for High
Performance, author of several sustainability points of view,
including Compatible Aims: Sustainability and High Performance, and
Driving Sustainability in the Downturn
Gwen Ruta, Vice President of the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) and
Director of their Corporate Partnerships program. She is also on the
Board of Directors of the Environmental League of Massachusetts and
the Erb Institute at the University of Michigan.
Further details below and at http://www.rossboston.org/article.html?aid=175.
For tickets, please REGISTER ONLINE at http://www.rossboston.org/article.html?aid=175.
Tickets are free for students, $10 for Ross alums, and $20 for
everyone else (all are welcome). The admission fee includes beer &
wine and hors d'oeuvres. Seating is limited, so please register soon.
Great book, well worth reading. Here's the link on Amazon.
Pretty generic actually.
Useful 20-page survey report.
This is a good top 10 list:
(1) Reduce energy use.
(2) Telecommute.
(3) Curb travel expenses.
(4) Buy secondhand.
(5) Reduce the amount of paper you use.
(6) Keep clean lists.
(7) Eliminate disposables.
(8) Get rid of the fax machine.
(9) Pool your resources.
(10) Green your transportation.
Good article. Reminds me of another story I saw here from Slate.
Below are some of the key takeaways from the study. Although they were derived from the hotel analysis, they are very relevant to all organizations interested in driving change around sustainability:
*
Employee education is key – Green is not something for just the green team to implement, but rather must be part of the company culture. If it’s part of the culture, it is much easier to implement (and less likely to be cut)
*
Experimentation is important – Some of the products and programs and technologies that the authors studied are new to the industry. What they found, Michele said, is that “if it’s new to your property, you need to experiment with it, in a few rooms, a floor, at your home –for example a manager installed a low-flow shower head at his home to see how it worked. Through experimentation, an organization can identify the projects that work, and then execute them more effectively.”
*
One size does not fit all – Amisha said, “We looked at the Ritz Carlton in San Francisco and the Comfort Inn and Suites in Revere, MA. They both were very strong in educating people about sustainability. However, the Ritz was behind the scenes, whereas the Comfort Inn was more ‘in your face about it’ to guests.”
*
Financial drivers to going green are there – either from less start-up costs or lower ongoing costs
One way to make an immediate 10-20% improvement in "efficiency" is to make GPS navigation systems a required component in all vehicles sold. Like a catalytic converter or an air bag. A huge percentage of vehicle miles driven are "lost miles" and by making navigation systems required in all new vehicles (and offering a $300 tax rebate for retrofit systems essentially making them free) would dramatically reduce fuel consumption.
It's a different way of thinking about the problem, admittedly. But effective nonetheless.
Wow, 1000 employees on the green team? That, obviously, is stretching the definition to include employees who sit in on a class and then agree to coordinate efforts locally.
I got the figure during several conversations and meetings with the CEO of the company that publishes CSR Magazine. It's a good point though...I'll have to see if I can get actual companies / names.
Do you have a source on the 130? That would be a good number to quote.
I've been following this for a while and as of last year 130 of the Fortune 500 actually have a C-level or VP-level executive with responsibility for sustainability. Unfortunately while they have a seat at the table, the legs on the chair are short (!) as they don't have much by way of staff or budget (yet). As regulations come on I think that will change.