“I suppose I think that sustainability is not about the destination, it’s about the method of travel…it’s about doing the right thing while we are here.” Melissa Lamphron, Oct. 2005
Setting sustainability as an ultimate destination is an important mental adjustment to make, but developing strategies and tools to make that journey is what sustainability is really about. Some of those tools help us to better see what we’re doing; some help us control what we’re doing; and, some help us to make the right decisions. I the subtopics below, we will explore these tools and more.
What are the characteristics of measurement tools that will help us achieve sustainability?
What are the characteristics of assessment tools that will help us achieve sustainability?
What are the characteristics of decision-making tools that will help us achieve sustainability?
What is out there that works?
Who, what, and where are the resources we need to move toward sustainability?
What are the obstacles and what can we do about them?
May 9, 2009 by
AROMAKE AFIEGBE | Filed under: Paying for Sustainability [4] | No Comments »
Other underlying questions are:
-How do firms account for and value their external costs?
-What methods and tools are used to accurately allocate both direct and indirect costs to products and cost centers?
-How do firms approach the financial analysis of environmental investments and investments in sustainability programs?
-What are standards for public reporting of sustainability investments and environmentally related financial data?
May 7, 2009 by
maitamim and
| Filed under: Integrating EHS Management into Organizational Excellence [4] | 1 Comment »
Milton Correia de Sousa. . “The sustainable innovation engine. ” VINE 36.4 (2006): 398-405. ABI/INFORM Global. ProQuest. RIT Lib., Rochester, NY.. 1 Apr. 2009
Abstract: I believe that the given abstract provides the best explanation on what this article is about. It is listed below.
“Purpose – The purpose of this article is to present a model for sustainable innovation based on learning and knowledge. Design/methodology/approach – Definitions of knowledge, innovation and learning are provided. Followed by a discussion on the link between knowledge and innovation, the concept of the nominal innovation probability space is introduced, built on the definitions of knowledge depth and knowledge diversity. Different learning styles are presented and how these can increase knowledge depth and knowledge diversity, improving a firm’s position in the innovation probability space. A final description is provided of a model for the sustainable innovation engine. Findings – The article finds that learning is essential to ensure sustainable innovation. Innovation probability is impacted by the organization’s knowledge depth and diversity. Learning styles are correlated to the firm’s innovativeness and competitiveness. Experimentation as a learning style is essential for discontinuous innovation. Learning effectiveness is increased if supported by a knowledge management approach. Sustainable innovation requires a positive feedback loop between knowledge creation (learning) and innovation. Originality/value – The article provides useful information on the introduction of the nominal innovation probability space based on a firm’s knowledge depth and diversity; the concept of knowledge empathy; and the distinction between innovation and sustainable innovation and its importance for competitive and collaborative advantage.
May 7, 2009 by
AROMAKE AFIEGBE | Filed under: Using Your EMS to Move Toward Sustainability [4] | No Comments »
Sustainable Development and the Role of the Financial World
Herwig Peeters. . “Sustainable Development and the Role of the Financial World. ” Environment, Development and Sustainability 5.1-2 (2003): 197-230. ABI/INFORM Global. ProQuest. RIT Lib., Rochester, NY.. 8 Apr. 2009
Peeters analyzes the relationship between the financial world and that of sustainable development. This paper is particularly of interest since the financial markets are melting down.
Peeters summarizes the Johannesburg Summit held in 2002, sponsored by the United Nations. According to the document: “One of the key outcomes of the 2002 Summit was reported as “the broadening and strengthening of the understanding of sustainable development, particularly the important linkages between povery, the environment and the use of natural resources”.
Box 1 of the paper is the UNEP Statement by Financial Instutions on Environment and Sustainable Development (Revision 1997, abbreviated)(UNEPFI,1997b). This contains the body and two part focus of the statement; The Commitment to sustainable development and The Environmental management and financial institutions.
May 7, 2009 by
AROMAKE AFIEGBE | Filed under: Using Your EMS to Move Toward Sustainability [4] | No Comments »
The Global Sustainability and Creative Destruction of Industries by Hart and Milstein,
Stuart L Hart, Mark B Milstein. “Global Sustainability and the Creative Destruction of Industries. ” Sloan Management Review 41.1 (1999): 23-33. ABI/INFORM Global. ProQuest. RIT Lib., Rochester, NY.. 8 Apr. 2009
Fifty years ago the economist Schumpeter that the driving forces in capitalism was due to a disequilibrium that existed among the components of the economy. A far cry from contemporaries who believed that capitalism was being driven by forces that existed in a static equilibrium. Authors Hart and Milstein describe a current business climate where survival of corporations is reliant upon a “Creative Destruction” process. That these companies will benefit from a retooling of an industry in adopting a new product/process, leaving past practices and products behind in order to survive the next business cycle/reality.
Believing that global sustainability is possible through a creative destruction process Milstein and Hart describe three economy types in the creative destruction format: Consumer Economy, Emerging Economy and Survival Economy. Each of these economies possesses differing Focuses, Metrics and Payoffs.
According to the paper: “that today’s extractive and material intensive industries (for example, mining, energy, chemicals, forest products, agriculture and transportation) are not environmentally sustainable. If the entire world were as materially intensive as North America it would take three planet Earths to support the material requirements of the current world population.”
May 7, 2009 by
maitamim | Filed under: Integrating EHS Management into Organizational Excellence [4] | No Comments »
John G. Ferrante, Jamie Cotter. . “The ISO 14001 Environmental Management System: A Prescription for Environmental and Financial Health.” Environmental Quality Management; Autumn99, Vol. 9 Issue 1, p63-74, 12p. ABI/INFORM Global. ProQuest. RIT Lib., Rochester, NY.. 28 Mar. 2009
Abstract: This article addresses the ISO 14001 standard and how a company can develop and implement an EMS plan that conforms to the standard. Although this article deals primarily with one standard, lessons can be taken and applied to other EMS plan applications. This article “discusses the fundamental components of an ISO 14001 environmental management system, identifies decision points in the process of implementing the EMS, and suggest ideas for making those decisions.”
May 7, 2009 by
AROMAKE AFIEGBE | Filed under: Using Your EMS to Move Toward Sustainability [4] | No Comments »
What is Your Role in a New and Sustainable Future?
McLean, C. What is Your Role in a New and Sustainable Future?. Sea Technology v. 50 no. 1 (January 2009) p. 7. ABI/INFORM Global. ProQuest. RIT Lib., Rochester, NY.. 8 Apr. 2009
McLean, an oceanographer with the NOAA, writes about climate change, and the impact that greenhouse gases have on the oceans of the earth. However, the main focus of the article are the business opportunities that are present through the use of new technologies. According to McLean; “Many of the aggressive societal changes and environmental policies that are taking place around the globe relate directly to ocean science and marine technology. From scientifically tracking and monitoring the ocean’s role in climate change (something that we at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration [NOAA] are very busy doing today) to siting wind generators in coastal marine areas, the marine field will be a reliable foundation in the growth of new industries, new jobs and technical solutions.”
McLean, while not wholly explaining statements about increased profitability through the use of sustainable business practices, does give examples regarding the implementation of high tech monitoring of contaminants as an untapped business opportunity.
May 6, 2009 by
maitamim ,
Brian Butler ,
Brian Butler ,
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Brian Butler and
Brian Butler | Filed under: Sustainability Labeling and Consumer Education [1,2] | No Comments »
ZINK, Klaus J. University of Kaiserslautern, Kaiserslautern, Germany “Stakeholder Orientation and Corporate Social Responsibility as a Precondition for Sustainability”. Total Quality Management Vol. 16, No. 8–9, 1041–1052, October–November 2005
ABSTRACT
The demand for sustaining excellence is related to a lot of issues. In the past, many activities of companies have primarily been led by programmes. As a result, at the very beginning it has been obvious that a programme has a lifespan – and then the next programme will follow. This is not a good precondition for sustainable success. Therefore, different approaches had to be found to gain sustainability based on a continuous improvement process.
But again, there are limits if not all relevant target groups are in the focus. As a consequence, this paper deals with the relevance of a stakeholder orientation in a frame of corporate social responsibility as a precondition for sustainability.
Please follow the link below to view the full text of this article:
Informaworld
May 1, 2009 by
Brian Butler and
| Filed under: Evaluation of Natural Resources | 1 Comment »
“Timber Supply and the Mountain Pine Beetle Infestation in British Columbia
2007 Update” B.C. Ministry of Forests and Range 1 April 2009.
This study by the British Columbia Ministry of Forests and Range was conducted to determine the infestation and destruction of pine trees by the mountain pine beetle and the effect of short and mid-term timber supplies. The Ministry, in conjunction with the Canadian Forest Service, developed an infestation model using forest cover maps, aerial views, and stand level mortality information in order to predict the spread of infestation. This information was used to plot salvage harvesting while dead wood was still useable over the short term under the belief that forest stands would recover over the long term. Additional modeling was used to determine the best course of action to take in order to maintain an economically viable harvest and ensure the establishment of new stands. Potential economic impacts, such as the ability to use timber destroyed by the beetles and the dependence of local economies dependent on harvesting were considered with several mitigating actions identified such as alternative uses of wood, including bioenergy and alternative wood products. Other impacts were also considered for mitigation, including effects on hydrology, undergrowth, biodiversity of tree species, and wildlife. This article provides a good overview for the timber industry in consideration of strategic planning for sourcing and supply. From a process standpoint, it provides a model for future study that relies on cause-consequence modeling.
