Six Types of Sustainability

Sustainability is an expansive concept that applies widely. The definition of sustainability is commonly narrowly defined particularly by entrepreneurs and some members of the business community.  The Brundtland commission definition from 1987 definition defines sustainability as follows, "development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet its needs".

Many focus exclusively on profitability, at the expense of the other dimensions of sustainability. However, profitability is only one of the three pillars of the so called three legged stool of sustainability (people, planet and profits).  While no one can deny the importance of profitability, some fail to recognize how the other 5 elements of sustainability can also contribute to or detract from the bottom line.

Event - The Proudly for Purpose Telesummit: Demystifying the Purpose Economy

The Proudly for Purpose Telesummit: Demystifying the Purpose Economy will take place on March 24 – 28, 2014. Join 12 thought leaders as we explore the purpose economy. Register here FREE to discover how our economy is shifting from profit-driven to purpose-driven, and what it means to you and your company.

There is growing global awareness that the existing business model is ‘self-serving’ and outdated, and that growth and wealth need to be defined by a holistic mix of ethical, natural, financial, manufactured, intellectual, human and social capital. Our economy is entering a new period where purpose arises as the ultimate capital and the cornerstone of making a difference to the kind of lives future generations have the right to expect.

Event - Ceres Conference 2014

This conference will take place on April 30 and May 1, 2014 at the Westin Waterfront Hotel in Boston Massachusetts. The Ceres Conference 2014 to connect with fellow leaders creating the innovative solutions that will build a more sustainable global economy. Throughout the two-day program, attendees will engage on a broad range of topics, including: Sustainable agriculture, clean energy investment opportunities and corporate sustainability for the 21st Century.

Event - PAGE Global Conference: Green Economy for Sustainable Development: Progress and Prospects

The First Global PAGE Conference "Green Economy for Sustainable Development: Progress and Prospects," will take place on March 4 -5, 2014, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The Partnership for Action on Green Economy (PAGE) is a joint initiative by UNEP, ILO, UNIDO and UNITAR to provide comprehensive assistance to countries seeking to develop and implement inclusive green economy strategies. The inaugural conference will be held under the Patronage of His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai.

The conference will be an opportunity to review international experience and progress related to green economy in the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication. It will also consider how greener economies can contribute to the emerging post-2015 development agenda.

Green Economy and Trade Opportunties (2013 - 2014)

Trade has the potential to help the transition to the green economy and the transition to the green economy has the potential of enhancing international trade. This ongoing study from the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), ITC and ITCSD is exploring trade opportunities in five key areas:

• Agriculture
• Fisheries
• Forests
• Renewable Energy
• Manufacturing

Green Economy Forecasts for 2014 (Sustainability, Renewables, Green Building, and Cleantech)

While the overall outlook is good, there is a mixed bag of trends, predictions and problems that will directly impact sustainability, renewable energy, greenbuilding and cleantech in 2014.

Sustainability

The year to come may prove a challenging one for sustainability. According to an Ecova report, the growth of sustainability in 2014 will be complicated by increased energy and resource prices. The report titled 2014 Energy and Sustainability Predictions is based on a survey of 500 energy and sustainability professionals.

Video - Sustainability in Business is about Waste: The Value of a Circular or Closed Loop Economy

This video offers a comprehensive introductory summary of the value of addressing waste in businesses both large and small. The linear consumption based economy is littered with waste. It spends more money on energy than labor. According to the McKinsey Global Institute estimates that the world could save $2.9 trillion every year by the year 2030 if it eliminated waste. Businesses have a powerful incentive to use their resources (raw materials, labour and energy) more efficiently through a circular or closed loop economy. Some of the world's leading corporations have demonstrated that by reducing waste they have increased productivity, saved costs, increased profits, and created jobs. In its simplest essence we need to think of the long term rather than just the short term which defines so many business models today.

Economic Benefits of Going from Brown to Green in Europe and Central Asia

According to the World Bank, there are tremendous benefits driving Europe and Central Asia to transition toward a greener economic growth model emphasizing climate change mitigation. Until the early 90s countries in Europe and Central Asia were dominated by the former Soviet Union, now they are transiting from a brown economy to green growth.

Europe and Central Asia are already experiencing floods, droughts, heat waves, forest fires, and other natural disasters. To illustrate the point, the region lost between one quarter and one half of their grain crops in 2012 due to extreme weather.

Should Green Apply to the Brown Economy?

A new report suggests that brown industries should be encouraged to participate in the green economy. According to a TD Economics report titled "The Greening of the Canadian Economy," released on October 2, 2013, Canada's "green economy" is too narrowly defined and as a consequence it risks excluding of some of the sustainability efforts being made by many 'brown' companies, such as those in oil and mining.

The report calls for a new, holistic approach to better evaluate and measure environmental performance across all sectors and suggests Canadians should change the way they think about the relationship between the environment and the economy from a green-brown dichotomy to a more balanced and broad-based approach through "the greening of the economy."

Environmental Implications of Three Types of Economies: Brown, Blue and Green

In a preceding post we reviewed four economic systems and their implications for the environment. In this post we take a look at the environmental implications of three types of economies (Brown, Blue and Green) and their environmental implications. It should be stated at the outset that most modern economies are an admixture of all three.   

Brown Economy

A brown economy is one in which economic growth is largely dependent on environmentally destructive forms of activity, especially fossil fuels like coal, oil and gas.

One of the byproducts of this form of economy are massive levels of climate change causing greenhouse gas (GHG) which includes carbon dioxide and methane. 

Primer on Four Economic Systems and their Environmental Implications

Different types of economic system have overarching implications for the environment and the management of the climate crisis. Economic systems determine the way a state or nation allocates its resources and apportions goods and services in the national community. Economic systems determine production, distribution and consumption as a function of a philosophical orientation.

While there are a number of economic systems we can divide them into four basic classes: The traditional economy, the market economy, the command economy and the mixed economy.

Here is an explanation of each of these four economic systems and their respective environmental implications:

Background of the IPCC's Latest Climate Report

On Friday, September 27, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the world’s foremost authority on climate change released the first part of AR5, its first big report in six years. The AR5 is a scientific inventory of the state of our knowledge on climate science.

AR5 will take more than a year to be fully released. It will be unveiled in four different parts. The first part is being released represents a summary of the work done by what is known as Working Group I, which is why it is called WGl AR5. It covers the physical science of climate change and gives the big picture including things like temperature changes, sea-level rise and ocean acidification. The full WG1 AR5 report will be released on Friday October 4, 2013.

GRI G4 and Other Sustainability Reporting Guidelines Briefing

For all those for whom CR reporting or sustainability communications are important, the Ethical Corporation has compiled an excellent complimentary analysis. The 5 page report addresses the pro's and con's of the GRI G4 Guidelines. It also offers a thorough overview of other sustainability reporting guidelines (IIRC, SASB etc) which can help you choose the most material and relevant CR disclosure model, in line with your business.

This newly published analysis contains a detailed critique of recent Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) G4 guidelines. In addition to a review of GRI G4 advantages and disadvantages you will also get an understanding how GRI stacks up against other institutions.

15 Books On (Sustainable) Behavior Change

Anyone who is close to environmental issues understands that cultivating behavior change is an important part of efforts to make the world more sustainable. Here are 15 books from Ichangesustainable, that help to do just that. 
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• Fostering Sustainable Behavior (Dr. Doug McKenzie-Mohr)
• Psychological self help (Free comprehensive ebook)
• Changing Minds: The Art And Science of Changing Our Own And Other People’s Minds (Howard Gardner)
• The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference (Malcolm Glandwell)

Guide - Solutions to Sustainable Living: A New Narrative

A new book offers guidance on how we can develop a low carbon economy and become sustainable within a decade. The book titled "Guide to Sustainia" is based on extensive research that shows how sustainable solutions, if implemented on a global scale, can result in a sustainable planet. This publication comes from the international sustainability initiative known as Sustainia.

The guide offers an assessment of the impacts of large-scale implementation of existing sustainable solutions on consumers, homes, cities, industries and other areas. It employs the technologies involved in housing retrofits, smart grid, and renewable energy.

Twelve Online Tools for Greener Businesses

There are a growing number of online tools that make it easier for businesses to understand and assess their environmental performance and that of their peers. Here are a suite of 12 online tools from Environmental Leader. These tools run the gamut and deal with a wide variety of issues from construction to water. They are presented in the order that they were published.

RSK Tool Helps Construction Companies Manage Environmental Risk

RSK Business Solutions has launched a web-based tool to help UK-based construction companies mitigate environmental risk and drive legal compliance. For more information click here.

BASF Launches Sustainable Construction Website

BASF’s Green Sense Concrete reduced the carbon footprint of the One World Trade Center by 15,838,267 kg CO2 in the construction. For more information click here.

Guide - Green City Philosophy

There has never been a greater need for the people planning and running our cities, as well as the residents themselves, to understand the critical significance of green space in our urban environment. Working with green is a way to respond to the true needs of people when designing buildings, the public realm, transport and communications infrastructure. This is a goal to which every professional can apply themselves.

These guidelines are a starting point so interested parties can come together internationally and discuss techniques for urban development. What this set of guidelines shows is that the knowledge is already there. The theory, substantiated by empirical scientific research, proves that green infrastructure is a key element in constructing living spaces that work. This is powerful information at a time when budgets are being cut and every cost scrutinised. This set of guidelines and techniques will demonstrate to practitioners that investment and maintenance in green infrastructure is not a cost but brings value from a social, economic and environmental point of view – in summary the ‘Green City Philosophy’.

Guide - Environmental, Health, and Safety (EHS)

This guideline on Environmental, Health, and Safety (EHS) was prepared by International Finance Corporation (IFC) and World Bank Group. The health and well being of a workforce is a key part of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and it is crucial to the wider issue of sustainable development.

Research by Nuffield Health and Ashridge Business School asserts that “companies need to develop a strategic approach to health and well being and concentrate on building a ‘sustainable workforce’ if they are to remain competitive.” The UK-based report, Developing a strategy for employee wellbeing: a framework for planning and action, calls on companies to focus on improving employee well being as a way of strengthening an organization and reducing risk.

At a 2012 briefing in London, Nuffield Health chief executive David Mobbs said, “We already worry about the sustainability of the environment, but in the future it’s going to be about the sustainability of the health of your workforce. Health and wellbeing will become the new CSR,” said Mobbs.

Complimentary Webinar - Who Cares About Sustainability?

Environmental sustainability has been a recurring topic in the corporate world for the past few decades. Whether from internal or external pressure, organizations are being held accountable for their impact on the environment and the community in which they operate.

Join Greg Scandrett, VP of Product Development for Enviance in this groundbreaking webinar, where he discusses the current approach many organizations take on corporate environmental sustainability and why it is a failed model.

By comparing the similarities between the current corporate environmental sustainability model and the quality movement from the 20th century, you will be challenged to question some of your concepts on what organizations should be doing to achieve corporate environmental sustainability.

Event - Ethics & Shareholder Value Summit

The Ethics & Shareholder Value Summit will take 13 - 14 June, 2013 at the Westin New York Grand Central in New York, NY, (on 12 June, 2013, there will be a pre-conference seminar). The Conference Board has retooled the previous Business Ethics & Compliance Conference to the Ethics & Shareholder Value Summit to address the role of the ethics and compliance officer which is reshaping as companies integrate risk, governance and sustainability in their discussions with shareholders. As public companies actively manage reputation-related practices, more emphasis is placed on shareholder value and linking ethics and compliance with Wall Street analysts, investment managers, and institutional investors. This conference addresses how ethics fits into the bigger picture of corporate performance and places a new set of expectations onto the role of ethics as a factor in creating long term shareholder value.