Article Number : 3829 |
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| Date | 11/5/2008 9:23:04 AM |
| Written By | LGM & Associates Technical Flooring Services |
| View this article at: | //floorbiz.com/BizResources/NPViewArticle.asp?ArticleID=3829 |
| Abstract | By Amity Lumper Green is the new black. Undeniably, sustainability presents one of the hottest business opportunities today. However, the challenges are real... |
| Article | By Amity Lumper Green is the new black. Undeniably, sustainability presents one of the hottest business opportunities today. However, the challenges are real. While almost every corporate business has at least a few green programs in place, it is rare to encounter one with a strategy guiding their green investments, accounting and communications. Benefits of a strategy A corporate sustainability strategy provides a framework to evaluate sustainability initiatives. You can expect the following benefits: Bottom and top line results—Focus on those initiatives with the greatest cost-saving and revenue-generating potential. For example, enhanced daylighting reduces costs and can draw more customers. Build trust with stakeholders—Involve employees and customers. You’ll get more ownership and good suggestions. Esurveys and blogs are examples of interactive tools to help. Pace yourself—Prioritize initiatives deserving immediate attention, those to consider later and areas that should be dismissed given current company goals and marketplace conditions. Better meet existing corporate goals— Further motivate employees to meet existing business objectives and do something good for the environment. Don’t get caught unprepared—Your company may already have programs that deliver environmental benefits, and a sustainability strategy would provide you with a rationale for those programs you have already adopted. Developing a strategy Cascadia works with its clients in four key steps to develop successful sustainability strategies. Assess impacts and solutions—This step consists of an operations audit, carbon footprint, a review of utility bills, industry benchmarking and conversations with employees about everyday business practices. Rank opportunities—To begin, management chooses those criteria most important to it, and uses the criteria to rank possible opportunities. Develop an action plan—This step turns prioritized actions into an actionable plan. These actions can be folded into a larger business plan with timelines and milestones to evaluate progress. Evaluate success—The ultimate goal of this step is to track progress over time. We recommend tracking both quantitative and qualitative information. Quantitative measures could include a reduction in the business’ carbon footprint. Qualitative ones could include an increase in customer satisfaction. Adopt a strategy to focus your company’s resources on those actions that matter the most—to your bottom line and the environment. Amity Lumper is a senior associate at Cascadia Consulting Group in Seattle and works with government and corporate clients to develop and implement creative solutions to 21st century environmental challenges. She leads Cascadia’s Green Business Team and has worked with over 50 major companies in the Northwest to simultaneously eliminate wasted resources and improve bottom lines. |