Business Sustainability

Unlocking your Green Potential for Greater Good

Friday, February 3, 2012 by Julie Urlaub

What are the most common excuses for not "doing the green thing"? Convenience? Lack of education/ information?   Unclear value? How do you go green conveniently yet still have your eco actions add up?

Sustainability is really about transformation - a transformation process by discovering hidden treasures in daily habits that unite conscious habits and routines with eco awareness and eco actions to take.   Most of us are inspired by eco actions and the idea of "doing the right thing." However, we also recognize that change can be unsettling. It can be scary, and too often it is just easier to slip back into a traditional and comfortable way of doing things. Part of staying on the green path is reconnecting with our personal drivers for seeking a sustainable lifestyle.   There are many benefits to living a sustainable lifestyle; however, implementing effective sustainable change does not have to be a laboring process.

Create a plan - Personal sustainability programs are about making and sustaining a change in your life that you can be inspired and passionate about. Although a sustainability plan originates as a comprehensive one, your actions are the expression of that plan in daily life. Eco actions can be anything from riding a bike to work or using eco-friendly office supplies to eating organic healthy meals or recycling. It can also be about achieving a personal goal, sustaining it, and building from that platform. Ultimately, it's about making choices that feel good to you and generate an expectation of more and better to come in your life and the environment.

The basic premise of a personal sustainability program is reducing your carbon footprint; lighten the load on the planet as well as be good to yourself, others, and your community.

Do the green thing via subcategory or importance. Categorizing gives awareness to the habit change as it relates to the sustainability concept. For instance, energy consumption and turning off a light as you leave a room, or replacing bulbs, or using an energy strip. Another perspective is to prioritize the habit as it relates to environmental impact. If your carbon footprint is large due to travel, then exploring ways to reduce your travel. Suggestions made in our eco friendly consulting include: telework, virtual conferences, and green travel options.

Schedule time. If the habit requires a new way of doing things, then schedule time to learn the new habit, integrate it into your routine, and make adjustments as you learn. Bike commuting would be an excellent example of embracing a new habit, reducing your carbon footprint, yet, requiring time to learn and develop a new routine.

Reward and Review. The process of linking sustainable living with new opportunities for development creates a personal incentive that further promotes the process. Sustainable actions are reinforced daily by positive feedback from realizing your personal goals.

“Every accomplishment starts with the decision to try.” – Unknown If you never start, you will never get anywhere. In fact, did you know that approximately 80 percent of pollination by insects is carried out by bees? Maybe that's why the call them busy bees.   Perhaps, but curiously, what would our world look like today if those living a sustainable lifestyle were as busy as bees in sprinkling or "pollinating" our daily lives with eco action? Unlock your green potential for our greater good.

What Defines the World’s Most Sustainable Company?

Friday, February 3, 2012 by Julie Urlaub

Business sustainability supporters and critics continue to debate the ability to link 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 without a definitive return on their investment. However, recent trends and business rankings indicate that the business world may be changing their view.

Within Marc Gunther’s post, Ratings, rankings and the world’s most sustainable company, we take a tour of the recent Top 100 as defined by the Canadian magazine Corporate Knights in their 8th release of their business sustainability honors. The list was developed from the measure of environmental and social impacts in the areas of energy, carbon, waste and water productivity, diversity and employee turnover, safety and, interestingly, the ratio between CEO and average worker pay.

While these measures do not appear overly surprising or may even seem too straight forward, our sustainability consulting can appreciate the link to company financials. Tying impacts to economic performance, our sustainability consulting feels these results add weight to a comprehensive business sustainability measure.

“Interestingly, these more sustainable companies have outperformed their peers. In a year in which Wall Street was occupied and capitalism became a bad word, the Global 100 companies serve as ambassadors for a better, cleaner kind of capitalism which, it also turns out, is more profitable.” -Toby Heaps, CEO of Corporate Knights

At Taiga Company, our professional consulting practice acknowledges the business sustainability leaders who define economic links between sustainability concepts and business value drivers. Within our own work, we provide information and professional consulting services to assist corporate and small business leadership build business sustainability strategies and continuous management plans.

Twitter, Facebook, and Blogging: The Three Pillars of Sustainability Communications?

Thursday, February 2, 2012 by Julie Urlaub

The requirements to build and maintain a sustainable business today are quite different than they were just ten years ago. The triple bottom line, also known as people, planet, profit is recognized by sustainability professionals as the the three pillars of sustainability. In essence -a process by which firms manage their financial, social and environmental risks, obligations and opportunities.

Companies on the leading edge are evaluating the economic, social and environmental impacts that will ultimately affect profitability. Green business practices are becoming more and more the norm, as companies both large and small realize the value of integrating eco awareness and sustainability concepts into their operations and business strategies. But, how are small and large sized businesses communicating their sustainability successes?

Is it possible that Twitter, Facebook, and blogging could be the three pillars of sustainable communications? Two recent posts, Business Blogging for a Sustainable Purpose
and Who are the Tweeps Tweeting for A Better Green Brand? explore the value of social media for sustainability communications. Our friend Fabian Pattberg asks, Facebook – A useful Sustainability and CSR platform? Mirroring thoughts on the subject include those found in the post, Sustainability Professionals + Facebook = Worth It?

With sustainability concepts and definitions still subject to interpretation and debate, there are challenges to effectively and clearly communicating the business sustainability message. Facebook offers opportunities to engage differently with stakeholders compared to the other platforms.

Consumers, prospects, potential business partners require different levels of stakeholder engagement and buy in to your company as well as to your definition of business sustainability. While Facebook may or may not be the most dynamic platform, there are ways to make a sustainability social media marketing strategy work for you.

If you are looking for more information on how to use Facebook to grow your sustainability practice of create social media success for your business, consider checking out our 8 -week, self-guided, online course called Social Media for Sustainability Professionals. It includes an entire section devoted to Facebook (with additional sections focused on websites, Twitter, LinkedIn, blogging, Google+ and more!)—including the difference between a Facebook profiles and pages, privacy issues, tactics for growing your fan base, and mistakes to avoid.

Capitalizing on Sustainable SCM Trends

Thursday, February 2, 2012 by Julie Urlaub

In a January post, the Supply Chain Standard cited some all too familiar procurement predictions for 2012. Referencing a recent procurement professionals survey conducted by Science World and eWorld Purchasing, the article defined cost cutting as once again at the top of most sustainable supply chain agendas.

84 per cent of procurement professionals say cutting costs is their main procurement priority for 2012

51 per cent ranked spend control and visibility highly in their long term strategy

However, the survey also revealed that 85 per cent of companies are planning to invest in procurement technology, training or recruitment. Building on this bright spot in the professional feedback, our sustainability consulting foresees a wave of strategic sustainable supply chain activity. Following with the 34 per cent that plan to tackle categories, we believe the next generation of sustainable category management includes a new level of responsibility across all activities. Successful implementations will require visibility,engagement, and stakeholder alignment with company defined sustainability objectives.

Our sustainability consulting has already witnessed how leading supply chain focused organizations define visibility as a critical first step in managing business risk. We find that these companies are leveraging this total-view perspective to redefine value characteristics and performance measures of a ‘new’ sustainable supply chain. With this insight, companies can build strategies, management plans, and improvement process to address:

Material sources: the quality of supply and manner in which it is obtained.

Supplier business practices: the ethical standards by which business partners conduct their business.

Supplier business processes: the environmental and social impacts of supplier operations.

Supplier business relations and affiliations: the quality of the category supply chain sub-tier relationships.

Building of a comprehensive business sustainability plan includes incorporating sustainability concepts in the supply chain. Our sustainability consulting and small business resources provide information and tools to clients seeking to develop successful business sustainability strategies that transcend traditional business sustainability strategies, like cost cutting. Visit us at Taiga Company to learn more.

Managing Risk as a Business Opportunity

Wednesday, February 1, 2012 by Julie Urlaub

The next time you have a moment, try a simple exercise: write down the five biggest risks facing your company, the five biggest opportunities on the immediate horizon, and the five most important pieces of information you are lacking that could have a huge impact to future success. You may be surprised to see business sustainability concepts are all over the page. The ability to connect the dots on the paper requires the right business intelligence resources to capture and leverage the information.

What is on your sheet? In our professional consulting, the most common feedback we receive from business leaders is: there aren’t any business sustainability opportunities on my paper. Why should I pursue action without reward? The answer is simple: managing risk can become a business opportunity. Consider sustainability as a profit center: crazy talk or real possibility?

According to an Aberdeen Group study, The ROI of Sustainability: Making the Business Case, top performing organizations view sustainability as a "must have" strategy for long term business viability and success.

Whether your company is just becoming familiar with the concept of business sustainability or is sustainability leader in your industry, sustainable performance can no longer be viewed as an option. If valued by your stakeholders, sustainability can become a risk or an opportunity. According to BSR, reviewing and reflecting on business sustainability strategies is especially important for companies with investors who care about why and how they expect to create value with their efforts.

Implementing sustainable business strategies in any organization requires a complex mixture of finesse: realistic, achievable and measurable. Finding that magical balance is what is required to make change stick.

• Define Value - each organization identifies value differently - what is it from their perspective?
• Bridge the Gap - Connect the dots from the current status to the vision by helping those to capture their own vision and define a path forward to live into it
• Speak the Business Language - Tie Business objectives to sustainability. What gets measured gets managed. Hence, identify key metrics and tie to the bottom line.
• Bridge Up - what existing programs wrap up to an overarching sustainability plan?
• Who's at the table? Invite all stakeholders to the table to include buy in from all.

These efforts enable proactive businesses leaders to capture the benefits of sustainable business: reduce business costs, improve business reputation, and attract and maintain top job candidates.

Accelerating Creativity through Sustainable Business Partnering

Wednesday, February 1, 2012 by Julie Urlaub

Global trends and resulting business sustainability action support the concept that innovation will be essential for business growth over the next decade as companies seek new opportunities, improve their competitive positions and provide more sustainable value to their customers. We ask: How can aligned business sustainability objectives enable both internal and external innovation? Which of your many business sustainability stakeholders will play the most critical roles?

The recent article, P&G Adapts R&D Model, discusses the innovation strategies of one the world’s largest companies. Despite its enormous resources, Procter & Gamble is taking a different and some would argue, a more sustainable approach to build its business. Leveraging collaborative research, the company has already witnessed success through its innovation committees with key business stakeholders.

"In fact, today, over 80% of our innovations have some kind of external partner. We even have joint development laboratories with our suppliers," Bob McDonald, Procter & Gamble's CEO

As a strong advocate for such collaborative efforts, our sustainability consulting practice encourages companies to explore the circumstances, frameworks and parameters necessary to spark creativity, idea generation, and true innovation within the supply chain. We find innovation partnerships tend to excel on several fronts:

Providing suppliers with the right level of guidance to drive ideation.

Providing internal business partners with a clear framework that defines their responsibilities.

Making the IP sharing process easier.

At Taiga Company, our sustainability consulting practice believes that business sustainability is the vehicle which enables a business to meet your goals of profit, growth, and revenue while positively impacting the environment and social realms of your business. By capturing creative ideas and inspired actions of both internal and external business stakeholders, a company can create an innovative environment that promotes long-term success. P&G offers an interesting approach from which to build your own innovation strategies and programs.

Focus: A Prerequisite to Green Choices

Tuesday, January 31, 2012 by Julie Urlaub

When it comes to daily choices, our personal and professional consulting views each decision point as an opportunity to integrate eco awareness into an eventual outcome. While the result of every decision does not have to be directly aligned with sustainable values, the inclusion of sustainability concepts in the thought process can greatly improve the evaluation. Seems simple enough?

Yes, but look around and you'll see going green slogans everywhere. The web is full of information on going green, living a sustainable lifestyle and advice on personal sustainability. For many, this mountain of information can be confusing and at times a little overwhelming. In fact, the post, A Practical Plan for When You Feel Overwhelmed, refers to overwhelm and its effect on our ability to make choices. "The more numerous our options, the more difficult it becomes to choose a single one, and so we end up choosing none at all. That's what happens when we have too many things to do. We become overwhelmed and don't do any of them."

Noted, we are all faced with an endless number of choices every day that can lead us in one direction or another. Standing at a decision intersection, some may choose to turn right while others may choose to turn left. The outcome of a left versus right turn is not the concern. Our sustainability consulting simply asks the question: was sustainability part of your decision making process?

Rather than getting bogged down with the enormity of the sustainability discussion, our sustainability consulting advises clients to first focus on solutions that are within their control and which have immediate impact. For example, two areas of immediate personal impact lie in energy conservation and source control. We encourage individual efforts to identify the ‘low hanging fruit’ at home first.

Conservation is a solution within every one's control and can be a huge difference maker. Our green living consulting helps clients identify personal mitigation strategies as well as understand the nature of their consumption.

• What appliances and/or equipment are consuming the most energy?
• How are these high energy consumption items being run (simultaneously, non-efficiently, etc.)
• When are these high energy consumption items running (when not needed, during peak load times, etc.).
• Are appliances and/or equipment left plugged in when not in use?

However, conservation is not the end of the story. Managing your energy source can be very simple and often does not have to be a huge capital expense. Depending on where you live and work, you may have a choice in your electricity provider. While the debate over deregulation continues, the ability to choose may offer you the opportunity to make a significant difference.

• By simply choosing a “100% Wind Energy” option, the average household can have the same impact as not driving their car 20,000 miles in that same year.

• The same choice made for a “Renewable Energy Option” (typically 90% hydro, 10% Wind) would equal a 2,000 mile reduction.

Whether you have the capital to make home improvements, the power to choose, or simply a desire to consume less, the decisions you make have real impacts on your business, life, environment.

Business Sustainability is Elevating Commercial Skill Sets

Tuesday, January 31, 2012 by Julie Urlaub

Many analysts and professional consultants agree that executives and their companies are in many ways still playing catch-up from the downturn. Among the many opportunities that lie ahead, sustainable supply chain management ranks at the top. To be prepared for the next wave of business challenges, our sustainability consulting sees a need for a new level of Sustainability Risk Management (SRM) - which requires an advanced skill set.

The decreasing threat of a slumping economy may have relieved the burden on some; however, business sustainability risk still looms for those who have yet to take action to rebuild. The immediate challenge facing business executives heavily resides with the company’s strained resources. For this reason, we ask: Does your company have the right people and skills in place and what do you plan to do to address the gap?

A recent Supply Management article addresses this question and offers one company’s sustainable business solution. Spotlighting the team building efforts at Tesco, the post describes how the retail giant is leveraging its supply chain talent to drive business sustainability value.

“Procurement, in any market economy in which we’re operating is rising to the top because companies are starting to focus on cost and of course the quickest way to win back money and reduce cost is to spend less. That is when you really need your good buyers and procurement to come into it…We’re looking for a world-class procurement background, people that understand and are dedicated to procurement as opposed to people who have maybe worked in another function and fallen into it.”

Our professional consulting practice stresses the need to have comprehensive business sustainability strategies in place to address holistic environmental, social and economic impacts. However to implement this new business plan, a company must to have the right resources in place. The above article provides one example of what others are doing to address this need. Visit us at Taiga Company to learn more.

Lessons from First Retail Industry Sustainability Report

Monday, January 30, 2012 by Julie Urlaub

“RILA's 2012 Retail Sustainability Report, released this morning, offers an interesting look at the evolving philosophy on sustainability within an industry that has the largest energy bills and the second largest amount of greenhouse gas emissions in the commercial sector of the U.S. economy.” -Environmental Protection Agency.

As the introduction to the report explains, the retail industry now recognizes ‘sustainability’ as not only a core value but as being an essential component to the sector’s success. As a result, sustainability concepts are being introduced into strategy, operations, workforce engagement, consumer interfaces, and community involvement.

Our sustainability takes note of this report’s findings, as the sector seeks cost savings major operating improvements in similar areas of business sustainability interest to most other major industries. In addition the report spotlights the challenges the industry must overcome in the near future. Of particular interest to our professional consulting are the defined challenges and ongoing efforts to improve the engagement of the industry’s internal and external stakeholders. Key issues include:
Framing the critical issues
Anticipating future trends
Recognizing challenges
Sharing examples of how retailers are responding

At Taiga Company, our sustainability consulting practice believes that the mark of progress, whether internal or external, is an excellent a point of discussion. Relative to business sustainability monitoring and reporting, the debate continues on whether a company should focus on transparency and continuous individual improvement or corporate performance measures relative to a broader all-encompassing target. Rather than separating traditional performance from sustainability, we seek out those who see these as parallel pursuits. The expanded focus and demonstrated success in the retail industry has moved this sector one step forward to this goal.

Twitter Tools for #EcoMonday

Monday, January 30, 2012 by Julie Urlaub

If you have an interest in green, business sustainability, nature, sustainable lifestyle, corporate social responsibility, or topics similar AND you are on twitter, then #ecomonday is your day! What exactly is #Ecomonday? It's the exclusive channel for monitoring the #EcoMonday Twitter stream in real time. This is where the Green Tweeps are referred and followed. Ecomonday has evolved not only to recommend people to follow, but also recommending specific web-pages and blogs, as well as recommending eco-businesses.

We wrote last week about Who are the Tweeps Tweeting for A Better Green Brand? and while that list and those mentioned in #ecomonday twitter stream are great finds to follow for information, resources, and engaged dialogue, keeping up with twitter can be a daunting task. What are some of the tools used to maximize time and effectiveness with social media engagement? As sustainability consultants specializing in social media for green businesses, in this video we explore three tools: SocialOomph.com, FriendOrFollow.com, and FollowFridayHelper.com, to help our green friends identify who your most engaged followers are so you can powerfully build your green twitter community.

The biggest contribution anyone can make in the sustainability space is to share, communicate, and inspire others by living the example of how sustainability works in your life or business.
If you liked this power tip, you'll love our 8-week, self-guided Social Media for Sustainability Professionals program, offered by Strategic Sustainability Consulting and Taiga Company.

The Marks of an Innovative Business Sustainability Leader

Friday, January 27, 2012 by Julie Urlaub

Today’s companies face greater pressure than ever before from shareholders, customers, and employees to deliver on an expanding set of expectations. Faced with a decision at the crossroads of traditional business and sustainable development, executives must figure out how to engage workers and integrate business sustainability into their everyday actions and decisions.

“Focus on motivating behavioral change, enabling growth opportunities, and managing instead of attempting to eliminate uncertainty.” -Corporate Executive Board

Digging deeper, Innovation Excellence asks the question, Is Your Leadership Innovative? The article examines the actions of today’s leadership to determine which motivations and actions are promoting or impeding the creative process. “An innovative leader is defined as someone who consistently delivers results using the following”:

Strategic leadership that inspires individual goals and organizations vision and cultures;

Tactical leadership that influences an individual’s actions and the organizations systems and processes.

Holistic Leadership that aligns all key dimensions: Individual, culture, action and systems.

Growing business eco awareness and resulting business sustainability risk has provided senior level executives with a fresh perspective. Our sustainability consulting believes that the leaders of tomorrow will continue to push the edge of business sustainability to transform entire industry sectors. With the right strategies, business resources and leadership, an organization can transform traditional business models to capture sustainable business value.

2012 Trend: Workplaces that Promote Sustainability

Friday, January 27, 2012 by Julie Urlaub

Evidence suggests employee engagement strategies can make a difference in internalizing sustainability and translating high-level commitments into action and results on the ground. The World Business Council for Sustainable Development document, People Matter Engage: inspiring employees about sustainability draws lessons from corporate experience:
The Corporate Leadership Council reports that engaged organizations grew profits as much as three times faster than their competitors. They found that highly engaged organizations have 87% less staff turnover and 20% better performance than average.
A global survey by Tower Perrins-ISR, involving more than 664,000 employees in 50 companies, found that the operating income of companies with engaged employees improved by 19% in one year, while it declined by 33% for companies with low levels of employee engagement.
A survey by Gallup of 23,910 business units found that those with low engagement suffer from 50% more employee turnover, inventory shrinkage and accidents. Those with higher engagement scores increased customer advocacy by 12%, productivity by 18% and profitability by 12%.
Fully engaged employees are 2.5 times more likely to exceed performance expectations than their disengaged colleagues.
59% of engaged employees say their job brings out their most creative ideas against only 3% for disengaged employees.

Employees are often argued to be the greatest resource of a company. When employee’s values resonate with those of the corporation, they are more productive, loyal, and their work is meaningful. Aside from the positive impact these programs deliver to the bottom line, today’s employees are looking for more than just the ‘green’ in their paycheck.

Employees Want Growth Opportunities: Young people have always wanted to start on career paths with growth opportunities, and the opportunities related to ‘Green Jobs’ are growing exponentially.

Employees Want to Make a Difference: A MonsterTRACK study states that 80 percent of "young professionals" are interested in a career that makes a positive impact on the environment, and 92 percent prefer to work for a company that is ‘green’, environmentally friendly, or has some general eco awareness.

Employees Seek Energy-Conscious Employers: According to a poll by Mortgage Lenders Network USA (MLN), 94 percent of Americans prefer to work in a building that is designed to be energy efficient and ecologically sound, recognizing LEED certification from the U.S. Green Building Council as a common standard.

Employees Prefer Employers that offer Telecommuting: The necessity to physically change locations in order to accomplish a task has recently been challenged by employee value for energy conservation, environment impacts, family values, and other issues.

Employees Want Employers to Walk the Talk: In Portland, Oregon, your company isn’t really green unless you’ve got a bike cage in the parking structure, a compost bin in the lunchroom, fume-free paint on the walls, and have recycled glass on the lobby front desk.

Employees Gravitate towards a Common Sustainable Goals: Organizations that are creating business sustainability through an elevated sense of teamwork and establishing an emotional tie between the employee and the organization direction are attracting top talent.

Linking sustainability to employee engagement pairs corporate sustainability initiatives with the day to day activities of employees. It makes CSR more personable to an employee and helps employees to identify their role in corporate responsibility. The result? Happier, productive employees, strong business, and healthy planet.

Sustainable Supply Chain Predictions for the New Year

Thursday, January 26, 2012 by Julie Urlaub

Forbes recently released an article outlining the magazine’s 2012 Supply Chain Predictions. Leading off with the obvious that the supply chain will not go away, the post explores some of the potential sustainable supply chain risks and opportunities expected in the coming year. The ones our sustainability consulting is paying specific attention to include:

Entering the “era of big data” – With the availability of data (both structured and unstructured) at an all-time high from all areas of the supply chain (demand signal repositories, RFID tags, GPS tracking, Smart Meters, etc.) the focus will migrate to leveraging data as a competitive advantage.

Supply Chain “clock speed” – It’s no secret the pace of business is accelerating and 2012 will not see this changing. The reality is that today’s supply chains are expected to be more responsive to change.

Social supply chains – Are you ready for the social supply chain? According to most pundits, the answer is “YES”. With an estimated 1.2bn people (20 per cent of the world’s population) on social networks, we are at a point where social software capabilities need to be prevalent throughout enterprise systems.

Emphasis on environmental awareness, social responsibility, and business sustainability actions within the supply chain has incentivized more progressive companies to begin to evaluate more than just their inbound supply. Our sustainability consulting finds the once limited procurement function is now expanding its organizational reach to a variety of business sustainability stakeholders.

Focused on a new level of responsibility across all supply chain activities, our sustainability consulting believes efforts in 2012 will drive deeper into supply category value by expanding the lines of communication to further facilitate access to innovation. Following the above predictions, the next generation of sustainable supply chain management will continue to emerge in the New Year.

Who are the Tweeps Tweeting for A Better Green Brand?

Thursday, January 26, 2012 by Julie Urlaub

It's been questioned if social media change the world? Can it make our world a better world? How is it advancing the sustainability conversation? Considering that for the first time in the history of humanitarian aid, the Internet and social media provides individual donors and worthy organizations the ability to connect meaningfully on opposite sides of the world, our sustainability consulting practice would have to say, yes. Social media engagement can help save the world. More importantly, can social media help YOUR world? Your brand? Your clients?

Social media executed successfully can be a powerful vehicle to build sustainable business communications by engaging with stakeholders. As explained in our professional consulting, social media engagement provides business a global reach. Besides the marketing a team can do in the local community, a social media marketing strategy allow businesses to have a global following allowing individuals, communities, businesses, and non-government organizations the ability to connect with the business in meaningful discussion from anywhere in the world in real time.

Who are the key players tweeting to a better world? Better brands?

The just released,SMI -Wizness Social Media Sustainability Index, has been prepared specifically to provide key social media insight for Sustainability, CSR, internal comms, corporate communications and marketing professionals and the agencies that work with them. By downloading the report you'll learn how:
leading companies like GE, PepsiCo, BBVA and Timberland are using editorial techniques and effective storytelling to communicate sustainability initiatives.
the Financial Services sector is pioneering social media thought leadership and new crowdfunding ventures.
10 companies are liberating their Sustainability Reports with social media innovation
companies are using more than 25 different types of social media platforms, apps and tools to connect with sustainability communities.
Who is part of this year's Wizness Green Twitterati (hint - we are @TaigaCompny)

Within Taiga Company's professional consulting, we've used social media success to expand eco awareness and introduce sustainability concepts to others. Social media is effective because it addresses two of the biggest hurdles of social change: reaching the people who can actually make a difference, and providing the means and channels for them to do so.

Want more information about how to use Twitter to grow your sustainability practice? You're in luck! Check out our 8-week, self-guided, online course called Social Media for Sustainability Professionals. It includes an entire section devoted to Twitter (with additional sections focused on websites, Facebook, LinkedIn, blogging, Google+, and more!)—including Twitter etiquette, managing your time on Twitter, and building an engaged audience.

Wasteless Wednesday

Wednesday, January 25, 2012 by Julie Urlaub

Where does eco inspiration come from? Everywhere! In a recent Agrion webinar, Exploring Catalyst for Corporate Sustainability Culture Change, we stated that eco inspiration can present itself in many forms and specifically via social media. Using twitter as an example, #WastelessWed is a day to analyze how much we are wasting and uses the day to focus on ways we can all reduce, reuse & recycle more.

First, what exactly does reducing waste mean? When you avoid making garbage in the first place, you eliminate the disposing of waste or recycling it later. It's the first component of the sustainability concept of the three R's: reduce, reuse, recycle. In honor of #Wastelesswednesday, let's take a look at different areas to reduce waste.

Reduce Food Waste:

Pre plan your meals, buy in bulk, and prepare what you need.
Compost and turn your old food into healthy soil.

Reduce when you shop and shop with the environment in mind:

Purchase products that are returnable, reusable or refillable. Use reusable and refillable containers in your home instead of disposable items.
Purchase products with the least amount of packaging.
Get the most out of what you buy by comparing warranties and cost to repair or replace the item.
Look for products designed with the environment in mind. Organic clothing, sustainable furnishings, and solar powered products are just a few examples.
Rent or borrow instead of purchasing.
Reduce paper consumption
Find new life for old furnishings, appliances and clothes

By thinking of ways to reduce waste when you shop, work and play, it raises the level of eco awareness in your day and contributes to living a sustainable lifestyle. There are fun and creative ways to reduce waste and also be good to the Earth at the same time.

For eco inspiration, follow @WastelessWed on twitter. It’s a great way to green your hump day.

Applied Leadership in Business Sustainability Program Management

Wednesday, January 25, 2012 by Julie Urlaub

What is a leader? What are the qualities of great sustainable leadership? Does leadership only rest on the shoulders of those in the top positions in your organization or is it present in each of us? Our sustainability reviews leadership qualities in business sustainability program management.

We leverage the GreenBiz article, Inside Kohl's Green Energy Leadership, as an example of how one company is implementing their business sustainability program through effective leadership. Applying some basic management principles, Kohl’s has implemented an impressive energy reduction program. Some general concepts which our sustainability consulting believes could be applied to similar programs include:

Start Small: “You just don't start your energy program with a fuel cell installation or a solar system…The first step is just to start, and usually to start small. An energy audit, learning how much energy your company uses, and where, is a great place to begin, because that gives you a push toward energy efficiency.”

Establish Commitment: Commit to reducing your energy use and reducing your carbon footprint.

Focus Your Efforts: Focus in on one area to start with, maybe look at doing an energy audit or doing a lighting upgrade.

Quantify Your Progress: Make sure you're measuring your results.

More companies today are implementing leveraged leadership cultures to enable every role in an organization to align business sustainability concepts within traditional practices. In fact, our sustainability consulting foresees a new age of sustainable business, one in which organizations recognize the value in leveraging their internal resources and business stakeholder feedback as a catalyst for effective business sustainability program management.

Adoption is Key to an Effective Social Media Strategy for Green Business

Tuesday, January 24, 2012 by Julie Urlaub

In a recent webinar, our sustainability consulting practice discussed how sustainability and social media together offer a refreshing and innovative approach to business. Describing social media as the catalyst for business innovation and change, we now ask: What is the most effective way to implement a social media strategy in a business setting?

To answer this questions, our sustainability consulting leverages the recently released Information Week article, What Enterprise Social Success Stories Have In Common, to examine the adaptation of social tools and strategies into today’s business improvement efforts. Contrasting the limited success of simple external tool implementation, the true differentiators are implementing social media strategies with purpose.

“The idea that people will quickly and easily adopt an enterprise social network because of the parallel with consumer social media is one people overestimate at their peril. The organizations that experience the most success with enterprise social networking are united in their ability to unite people--and to demonstrate the power of those connections.”

Our sustainability consulting believes that in order to be effective with its business sustainability communications an organization must have a defined strategy. This strategy should not only be communicated but aligned with the company’s business objectives and resources, including the interests of its key stakeholders. Visit us at Taiga Company to learn more.

How to Build Green Awareness in Your Business

Tuesday, January 24, 2012 by Julie Urlaub

In addition to executive management playing a critical role in the success of a company, business sustainability requires leadership across the entire organization. While management may ultimately carry the responsibility of sustainable business results, employees have a part to play in the definition and implementation of the company’s business sustainability programs.

As sustainability consultants, we are frequently asked, What are ways to build eco awareness in a business?   The quick answer: In building eco awareness into your business, we promote building of a comprehensive business sustainability program. However, we realize that sometimes starting small can lead to bigger gains. So, while a corporate sustainability plan may be our suggested path, there are other steps you can take as well.

"Green Teams", a formal or informal group of people in a company who are passionate about environmental issues, are gathering in offices across America to brainstorm solutions and promote ways in which their company's practices can become more environmentally sustainable. As explained in our sustainability consulting, a green team can reduce paper use, increase recycling, promote energy conservation, and more, making a huge difference within a department or building. Green teams also offer employee engagement opportunities.

Link eco awareness programs to existing company offerings, as in wellness programs.   Wellness programs have been uses as instruments to address weight reduction, reduced stress levels, improved physical fitness, health, and well being. They may include fitness, recreation, social activities and programs to enhance intellectual and spiritual development. Providing employees with wellness programs not only provides them a way to improve their health, but it also demonstrates corporate social responsibility.

Create individual employee sustainability programs: The basic premise of a personal sustainability program is to reduce your carbon footprint, lighten the load on the planet as well as reap the benefits of living a more sustainable lifestyle. Eco actions taken in a personal sustainability plan can be anything from riding a bike to work or eating organic healthy meals or recycling. It can also be about achieving a personal goal, sustaining it, and building from that platform.

Educate: Offer ongoing workshops, training, lunch and learns, and educational activities to educate workers on the environmental issues (energy, water, waste, and others) and the associated actions causing the problems. Identify new behavior and eco actions that individually workers can take to create new patterns of behavior and choices that support environmental solutions and are aligned with the company's overarching sustainability plan.   We've learned in our eco friendly training classes, the first part is educating; the harder part is changing the behavior. Ongoing education helps create lasting change.

Create a sustainable work environment: The benefits of a sustainable work environment include a healthier more sustainable workforce; a more productive workforce; attracts quality employees and reduces turnover. It also reduces lost work time related to health issues.

These efforts enable proactive businesses leaders to capture the benefits of sustainable business: reduce business costs, improve business reputation, and attract and maintain top job candidates.

Establishing a Competitive Advantage through Sustainable SCM

Monday, January 23, 2012 by Julie Urlaub

Experience has shown that companies typically target immediate return from their procurement investment. However, today’s better known and leading supply chain focused organizations now seek enhance ROI from the sustainable supply chain ‘value’ conversation. One key to realizing the value from this business sustainability strategy is aligned and enable resources.

“To ensure staff has enough time to work on higher value projects, leading procurement organizations regularly and transparently assess the relative value of their activity mix and reprioritize accordingly. –Procurement Strategy Council”

Defined by an ability to immediately determine risk and mitigate supply disruptions before they occur, sustainable supply chain leaders are creating strategic business sustainability advantage. Several questions which our sustainability consulting explore with executives in making a step-change include:

Do You Do it Differently?
Do You Have Metrics that Make a Difference?
Do You Invent?
Do Your Customers Agree?

Building upon this thought process, the Spend Management post, Achieving Competitive Advantage through Procurement, discusses the value-adding procurement activities. Differentiating between transactional and strategic functions, leading sustainable supply chain organizations seek to enable their resources with aligned incentives and authority to implement business sustainability solutions.

Within our sustainability consulting practice, we have encountered a wide variety of sustainable supply chainactions aimed at adding visibility and focusing attention on supply chain stakeholders. We have found one common characteristic amongst these sustainable organizations is the ability to effectively manage the flow of information across the supply chain. In fact, the true ‘business sustainability’ differentiators are those who enable their internal resources to effectively engage with their external stakeholders.

Expanding the Sustainable Talent Conversation

Monday, January 23, 2012 by Julie Urlaub

In order to meet the growing demands of business sustainability and maintain a competitive advantage over the competition, businesses are encouraged to take a hard look at their internal resources and talent management processes. Thus, our professional consulting often asks executives: Is ‘sustainable’ talent management a top priority? How are you incentivizing this more engaged and diverse culture?

Business Finance Magazine recently released an interesting article, Is Your Value Proposition Still Working?, which examines the critical business sustainability concept of resource alignment. Referencing a CEO survey, the post explains how a growing percentage of companies are making a significant change and offering more no-financial rewards.

“An employee value proposition represents everything of value a company provides to its employees. Financial rewards are, not surprisingly, a key part of any value proposition. However, there is much more to it than that. Employees also value training and development opportunities, robust and clear career paths and progression, workplace flexibility, and a welcoming and supportive company culture, to name just a few elements of any employee value proposition.”

Supported by articles like this one, our sustainability consulting research leads us to the simple conclusion that organizations are utilizing an expanded view of talent management. This altered perspective encompasses alternative skills, career paths and employee incentives. We find leading ‘sustainable’ talent management focused organizations are addressing the challenges of:

How to determine the characteristics needed in a sustainable workforce?
How to differentiate and attract top talent?
How to develop, engage, and retain top performers and sustainability leaders?
How to motivate and incentivized a workforce that wants more from its employer?

The ability to plan and take action to address resource demands has long been a defining characteristic of a successful business. Our sustainability consulting practice works with businesses to understand the value of the right talent and tools which are required to strengthen their company.