Organic

Discernment Required for the Conscious Consumer

 holiday shoppingAttention Holiday Shoppers!  The holidays are about giving, so this year give a little something back to the planet while you are shopping for your holiday gifts.  As a green living consultant, I explain that everything you buy affects the Earth, but some choices have a lesser impact.  Cost and quality are important factors, but there are other factors to consider when making purchasing decisions this holiday season. 
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Sustainability Affects on Supply Chain Models

 information managementThe continuous cycle of centralization to decentralization has been pondered by business leaders through the course of history.  The factors that shape the value proposition of one model versus the other often shift, which in some cases turns the tide in the other direction.  The question we discuss with peers in our sustainability consulting is what affects, if any, will the pressures of sustainability have on future business models.>>Read more »

Trim Waste this Holiday Season

 Christmas giftsAccording to the EPA, household waste jumps an astounding 25 percent between Thanksgiving and the New Year.  For those living a sustainable lifestyle, the trick to a successful holiday season is knowing how to enjoy the holidays while also minimizing waste.
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Sustainability is the Spark for Business Innovation

 sparkTo capitalize on the market shift for new products and services, the business world is beginning to recognize that innovation, new product ideas, and a more responsive  business model may prove to be critical to business sustainability success.>>Read more »

Sustainability: A Small Business Differentiator

 key to successMaking the choice to become an entrepreneur and start up a business can be exciting and sometimes challenging experience.  When sitting across the table waiting to see if you will get the business financing you need, many thoughts may be racing around through your head.  For many of our small business clients, we see differentiation as a critical criterion to presenting a rock-solid business case for financing or obtaining investor buy-in.  >>Read more »

Holiday Tips for the Eco Conscious Host

 green holidays
When the holiday season arrives, so do the holiday guests.  This holiday seasons more and more people are expanding eco awareness in their holiday season in an entirely different way. That's because more people are going green this holiday season, choosing to make their holiday as eco-friendly as possible.  
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Sparkle Organically for the Holidays

 holiday makeupHoliday parties are just around the corner and who doesn't want to sparkle and light up the room?  This holiday season, clients from our personal sustainability programs are opting to sparkle organically via organic makeup. 
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Sustainability: A Total Value Perspective

 sign postWithin our sustainability consulting, we approach business sustainability discussions with clients from one of several perspectives.  In today’s economic climate, cost is most often the primary area of concern for the business and an easy entry point for reduction and efficiency conversations.  For others, the top line is where they feel the real opportunity lies, and the focus is on topics such as ‘green’ consumers and new markets.  Taking the next step, companies leading the way recognize that ‘year-end’ profitability is only one aspect of business sustainability.>>Read more »

Where Corporate Leaders Rank in the Footprint

 1SkySupporters and critics continue to debate the ability to link the environmental and social responsibility to business profitability.  Without a definitive financial incentive, companies have historically been unreceptive to the idea of integrating sustainability concepts into core business practices for a non-return in investment.  However, recent trends tend to indicate that the business world may be changing their view, specifically when it comes to climate change.
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Green Inspiration: Create Green Thanksgiving Traditions

 Thanksgiving“As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.” –John F. Kennedy
 
Promoting a sustainable lifestyle can take all forms and shapes.  What is important is that each person finds the unique value in sustainability and its application in their life.  Living your environmental values inspires others, so why not take eco action and create some green Thanksgiving traditions this year? 
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The Thanksgiving Eco Travel Guide

 green travelBegin your travel planning by tracking your flight's carbon footprint.  The United Nations International Civil Aviation Organization, ICAO, has unveiled a carbon calculation tool on its website that allows travelers to estimate the carbon footprint for any flight they take.  Once a traveler knows how much carbon dioxide is produced for a given flight, he or she can purchase offsets, such as funding renewable energy or planting trees.
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Green Consumer Experience Management

 Herman Miller's Aeron ChairWhen Herman Miller set out to produce what would become the most popular office chair in history, the market was not calling for a fully recyclable chair produced from leading edge business sustainability concepts.  The market expectation then, as it is now, was to provide a stylish and comfortable seating experience.   Herman Miller hit the consumer experience mark and sustainability further enhanced the product.>>Read more »

Lessons from the Leaders in Green Procurement

 green procurementMuch of the popular press and literature out there today indicates that big business is beginning to shift its purchasing towards more sustainable or ‘green’ options.  In our professional consulting practice, we find the procurement organizations of many of our large clients now placing an emphasis on environmental and social responsibility actions within in the supply chain.  So what exactly are these large organizations doing and what can the rest of us >>Read more »

Green Teams Putting the Green in Business

 green teamImplementing sustainable change can be unsettling, create a shift beyond our comfort levels, or be experienced as outright scary. Sometimes it is just easier to slip back into a traditional and comfortable way of doing things.  However, implementing effective sustainable change does not have to be a laboring process.  In fact, it can be very rewarding.
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Life-Cycle Lessons from e-Waste

 e-wasteOne of the fastest growing waste streams in the US and around the world is e-Waste.  In addition to the massive physical volume, these streams contain dangerous chemicals and heavy metals including barium, lead, copper and cadmium.  Facing pressure to respond, electronics giants like Samsung are developing recycling programs to handle the end-life of their products.  These programs are adding cost to the business and may ultimately be affecting the design criteria of future products.  >>Read more »

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