The ISO 14000 family, first introduced in 1996, is a set of international standards used for certifying businesses and organizations as equipped to manage their environmental impact. The standards, like the ISO 9000 family before them, focus on management systems, not environmental policies in particular. The reason for the focus on management and not actual environmental laws or policies was to establish an international set of standards, despite the necessarily different levels of environmental regulation throughout the world. Consequently, ISO 14000 does not verify the environmental quality of a product, but the oversight of environmental quality. In addition, the standards themselves are not available to the public free of charge, unlike the vast majority of audits conducted in the United States.

The reception of ISO 14000 has been quite mixed internationally. While the program has been very popular in Japan, Germany and the UK, it has been slow to catch on in the US, with only a few hundred firms receiving certification thus far. In general, the lack of popularity of ISO 14000 in the US is attributed to our strict environmental regulations that are already in place. Many companies view ISO 14000 as a waste of resources when they already have a strong environmental management system in place to meet federal, state, and local government regulations. Compounding the issue, ISO 14000 certification is essentially meaningless to US governing bodies, who have not relaxed regulation in response to the adoption of the international standards. While in Europe, on the contrary, ISO 14000 has even been incorporated into national government standards.

The auditing process itself is not performed by the ISO, but independent third-party consulting firms. These audits typically cost more than $10,000 and take about a year, meaning they are a huge investment of time and money to smaller businesses. ISO 14000 is also more useful for manufacturers and exporters, because they have to deal with foreign companies and governments who have begun to incorporate the international standards into their business practices. Additionally, since the standards are not made public, it adds virtually zero marketing value toward consumers, and is only truly valuable for business to business relations.

Perhaps future ISO guidelines will be more successful in doing so, but currently ISO 14000 is not truly universal enough to apply to the many small businesses in this country. Instead, small businesses might be advised to green their practices in a manner to market directly to the consumer, not international corporations, while continuing to comply with local, regional, and national regulations.

—Green Irene

(Extracted from Springwise.com)

Much the way French Europcar shows customers the carbon emissions associated with each of its rental cars, so a new restaurant chain includes such information for every item on its vegetarian menu.

With two restaurants in each of New York and London, Australia-based Otarian bills itself as “the first ever low-carbon restaurant chain, using a cradle-to-grave analysis in the carbon footprinting of every menu item.” Almost everything in Otarian’s restaurants—from the floor to the tables and chairs—is made from recycled materials. They use the most energy-efficient equipment available, and all the electricity powering them comes from wind, water or sun. Water use is minimised, and local supplies are selected whenever possible. Targeting the heavy emissions associated with the livestock industry, meanwhile, the restaurant offers no meat on its menu.

Most interesting of all, however, is that Otarian uses international standards like BSI PAS 2050 to carbon footprint its entire menu; it has also been selected to road test the new Greenhouse Gas Protocol product standard. Its “Eco2tarian Labelling” shows the difference in greenhouse gas emissions between its veggie meals and similar dishes containing meat, fish or egg. Otarian even goes so far as to reward consumers for the carbon they save by eating at its restaurants. Specifically, every purchase earns them “Carbon Karma” credits, which are tracked by way of the restaurant’s Carbon Karma cards; consumers can track both their credits and their carbon savings online. After 100 credits, they are treated to a free Choco Treat off the menu.

As legions of eco-minded consumers begin tracking their impact on the environment, there’s no shortage of opportunities for companies to stand out by offering the eco intel they need to do that. Eventually, we suspect, that will become hygiene.

A new survey of Connecticut businesses finds that many businesses have decided to try going green despite, or perhaps because of, the economic recession. More and more businesses are choosing to give sustainable strategies a shot because they boost employee morale, attract new customers, and simply make good business sense.

Join the growing number of green businesses in America. Let Green Irene help your business take the first steps to going green and in  the process earn at least a base level of Green Business Certification through the Green Business Bureau, in person verified by Green Irene. In the mean time, check out this study.

—Green Irene

(Extracted from EnvironmentalLeader.com)

“Lack of knowledge is the  primary challenge businesses face in their efforts to implement ‘green’ initiatives, with the gap widening significantly since last year, according to the Connecticut Business & Industry Association’s (CBIA) fourth annual Sustainability and Connecticut Business Survey, reports EastCourier.com.

Twenty-nine percent of survey respondents said the greatest barrier to going green is a lack of knowledge, compared to 10 percent in 2009. Other barriers cited by respondents include cost (24 percent), a lack of clear business case for sustainability (21 percent), combination of several areas/other (16 percent), lack of company leadership (5 percent), and lack of tools and resources to implement and integrate sustainability (5 percent).

According to a study by MIT Sloan Management Review (MIT SMR) and The Boston Consulting Group (BCG), a lack of understanding of what sustainability is and what it means to an enterprise, difficulty modeling the business case, and flaws in execution, even after a plan has been developed are three major barriers to decisive corporate action.

The CBIA survey finds that 74 percent of survey respondents have adopted sustainable strategies, up from 47 percent in 2007, 59 percent in 2008, and 73 percent in 2009.

Yet, an estimated 20 percent of respondents admit that they are not sure if their companies engage in sustainable business practices.  Other key findings show that 9 percent are not sure if their businesses have adopted green business practices in the products and services they purchase or use, and 7 percent are not sure if their businesses have adopted green practices in the products and services they produce or provide.

The survey indicates that the primary goal for implementing green measures is to reduce operating costs, according to 64 percent of respondents. This is followed by their commitment to environmental and social responsibility, say 57 percent of respondents.

Other reasons for going green include enhancing company image (38 percent), responding to customer requests (20 percent), anticipating or preempting future regulation (14 percent), growing market share (13 percent), and earning government grants, loans, or rebates (11 percent).

The report also shows that energy represents the largest area of green business activity among companies surveyed, with 71 percent already engaged in energy efficiency/conservation and another 16 percent getting started. The most common measures include upgrades to lighting (95 percent), HVAC (47 percent), occupancy sensors (33 percent), furnaces/boilers (32 percent), motors (25 percent), air compressors (24 percent), process equipment (21 percent), and refrigeration (13 percent).

Only 15 percent of businesses report an increase in revenue from going green. Thirteen percent says it has hurt their bottom line, and 18 percent say it has helped. Yet, 45 percent of respondents indicate that green initiatives have had a positive impact on their client/customer relationships, public image (41 percent), employee morale (39 percent), and supplier/vendor relationships (23 percent).”

Was disgusted by this story in the New York Times where clothing retailer giant H & M routinely rips holes in brand new clothing and throws them in the trash to be put in a landfill. I certainly understand they don’t want people coming into the store and returning them for store credit (with no receipt), but they could cut the tag out or put a “X” on the inside tag in red marker and donate to local shelters so kids and adults can get free clothes.

They must spend a lot of money on “sustainability” and may do a lot of great things but be careful that something like this can really set back your customers image of you. ACTIONS must mesh with the WORDS.

Read the excerpt below and the full article is at the link.

PJ Stafford
Green Irene Eco Consultant
New York

http://bit.ly/7zEVN5

It is winter. A third of the city is poor. And unworn clothing is being destroyed nightly. Each piece of clothing had holes punched through it by a machine.

They were found by Cynthia Magnus, who attends classes at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York on Fifth Avenue and noticed the piles of discarded clothing as she walked to the subway station in Herald Square. She was aghast at the waste, and dragged some of the bags home to Brooklyn, hoping that someone would be willing to take on the job of patching the clothes and making them wearable.

During her walks down 35th Street, Ms. Magnus said, it is more common to find destroyed clothing in the H & M trash. On Dec. 7, during an early cold snap, she said, she saw about 20 bags filled with H & M clothing that had been cut up.

“Gloves with the fingers cut off,” Ms. Magnus said, reciting the inventory of ruined items. “Warm socks. Cute patent leather Mary Jane school shoes, maybe for fourth graders, with the instep cut up with a scissor. Men’s jackets, slashed across the body and the arms. The puffy fiber fill was coming out in big white cotton balls.” The jackets were tagged $59, $79 and $129.

H & M, which is based in Sweden, has an executive in charge of corporate responsibility who leads the company’s sustainability efforts. On its Web site, H&M reports that to save paper, it has shrunk its shipping labels.

“How about all the solid waste generated by throwing away usable garments and plastic hangers?” Ms. Magnus asked in a letter to the executive, Ingrid Schullstrom. She volunteered to help H & M connect with a charity or agency in New York that could put the unsold items to better use than simply tossing them in the trash. So far, she said, she has gotten no response.

UPDATE: After a flurry of publicity following the New York Times article, H & M has promised to stop the practice of destroying discarded clothing, but the damage to their image is done.

An environmental policy statement is a document that establishes your company’s commitment to green practices by setting the goals and principles that will guide employees and assist management in eco-friendly decision-making.

Developing a statement is an important public relations tool, since it helps to spell out your company’s environmental efforts for clients, suppliers, media, and the community at large.

A statement can also be an important investment by establishing set ways to reduce overhead through conservation and best environmental practices, which will boost your bottom line.

All businesses are different, so there is no “one size fits all” policy, but there are common topics that any statement should address. Some of these topics include:

• Sourcing products and supplies to minimize environmental impact.
• Reducing waste in purchasing, manufacturing, and shipping.
• Conserving energy and water.
• Considering green practices during construction and renovations.
• Reducing toxins at the workplace.

As a service to its Green Office Makeover clients, Green Irene provides sample policies that include detailed policy points on all of these topics and more. The Green Office Makeover starts at $250 for small businesses, during which your local Green Irene Eco-Consultant provides advice in developing or implementing green policies with the resources of the largest green consulting firm in the country at his/her disposal. With the information you need to create your environmental policy statement, your Eco-Consultant can give your company an important advantage in an increasingly eco-conscious world.

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is a form of business self-regulation to incorporate social and environmental concerns. It represents a business model that adheres to laws, ethical standards, and international norms.

As part of the business model, businesses have to take into account the impact of their activities on the environment, employees, communities, stakeholders, and other members of the public. In short, CSR represents the deliberate inclusion of the public’s interest in a business’ decisionmaking to ensure a triple bottom line that considers the planet, people, and profits.

In general, CSR involves some kind of standardized reporting that allows the business to collect information on how it is making progress on various fronts. Businesses that engage in CSR typically focus on some or all of the following:

• Environment: This requires a look at the environmental impacts of products and services, as well as what the business does outside the company to improve the environment.
• Employees: It’s important to ensure that all employees are cared for adequately. Businesses usually focus on workplace conditions, benefits, living wages, and training.
• Communities: Engaging the surrounding communities is an important part of not just creating good human capital that can serve the business, but also securing a reputation that can further establish the business.
• Regulations: Respecting regulations to the fullest and often exceeding them is part of being socially responsible.
• Crisis Preparedness: Being ready to address business crises and ensure safety for employees and surrounding communities is critical. Having plans ready and tried are important in ensuring minimal losses during times of crises.

To learn more about CSR and how to implement it, sign up to Ask Green Irene to get implementation details.

You always hear about the need for businesses to go green. This implies that the managers of businesses have to make decisions and take actions that move the business in a green direction. Rarely do you hear about the need for employees to do their part as well. Employees can in fact play an important role in helping a business go green. Here are five ways employees can be green on the job.

1) Cut paper waste. Instead of printing items and ordering print versions of magazines, newspapers, etc., read them online. It can save money and cut waste at the same time. If you will print, use Ecofont and print double-sided.

2) Use public transportation. Do you drive even though there’s public transportation available? Cut your transportation costs and slash your carbon footprint by using public transportation or carpooling to get to work.

3) Take your lunch. Are you used to going out and buying your lunch? Lunch purchased outside typically carries significant packaging that ends up thrown away. If you make your lunch at home, not only will you save money and enjoy of a typical household activity, but you will also cut on waste significantly and have the choice of making meals that are healthy, local, and organic.

4) Conserve. Just like you can cut on paper waste, you can conserve energy and water at work. If your workspace uses inefficient lighting and appliances, make sure you get energy efficient lighting and appliances. If the bathroom sink wastes a lot of water through leaks and traditional faucets, notify managers to get the leaks fixed and ask for aerators to be installed. When you leave a room, turn off the light. Conserving at work should be just as if you were conserving at home.

5) Go toxic-free. If you get your area cleaned regularly, make sure you use toxic-free cleaners. You can also get plants in your area to absorb toxic gases in the air, and ensure that any furniture and other materials purchased don’t contain toxic substances like formaldehyde.

To learn more about what can be done at work, sign up to Ask Green Irene, a comprehensive green search engine that has a lot more information.

With the nation seeming to enter a new green era, green “this” and green “that” is everywhere. There are many well-intentioned businesses that want to sell and offer legitimate products and services. Others try to use what they’re doing to show that their products and services are green and therefore should be preferred over others. However, there are some businesses that tend to go too far in advertising their green efforts. In such cases, it is said that such businesses are greenwashing the public.

Greenwashing is the unjustified protrayal of green virtue by a company, an industry, a government, a politician, or even a non-governmental organization to create a pro-environmental image, sell a product or a policy, or rehabilitate their standing with the public and decision makers after being embroiled in some controversy. The problem with greenwashing is that eventually the public finds out about it, making matters worse.

To help you avoid greenwashing, here are 5 tips that you should keep in mind when conducting any activities related to your business:

1. Avoid Giving To Inconsistent Causes. Many businesses tend to help fund politicians, organizations, and projects that may be aligned with what they do. To ensure transparency, make sure your business isn’t funding anything that’s not aligned with the green principles you are committing to.

2. Provide Transparency. If you are going to claim that you are green or something you offer is green, make sure you show why. The public will want access to any information that supports your claim, so make sure that you are explaining your claims in detail to avoid any public attacks.

3. Report Your Efforts Periodically. Many companies are now releasing Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) reports periodically. These reports highlight efforts to go green in a transparent way and provide a vision for how the business will continue to green its operations, products, and services.

4. Respond to Critics With Moderation. Some companies go too far in trying to silence their critics. This only shows the public that the business may be hiding information. You want to make sure you treat every critic with moderation by providing honest and substantial information that addresses their concerns. If there is something wrong that they mention, moderately acknowledge it and explain how you plan to address it (and then make sure you do).

5. Be Consistent. Make sure your words are matched with appropriate action. If you say you will do something, make sure the business devotes enough resources to ensure it happens in the way it was explained. One mistake many businesses make is to exaggerate something to be done and then realize the impact is much smaller than what was claimed. Make sure your actions match your words to satisfy the public.

If you need help in designing a plan to remain free from greenwashing attacks, consult your local Eco-Consultant. You can get going with greening your operations by getting a Green Office Makeover. Sign up today and start going green!

Commentary: Green Irene believes that small businesses will be the engine of the green economy. Most jobs created over the next few decades to make a transition to clean energy will be in small businesses. These businesses will help homes and businesses reduce energy use, install solar electric and heating systems, and provide eco-consulting services. Green Irene is a great example of that, with over 400 Eco-Consultants and counting across the United States. To learn more about how to become an Eco-Consultant, visit BeAGreenIrene. Green Irene Eco-Consultants are ready to help businesses Go GREEN.

As the United States debates how it should tackle climate change, “Big Business” has generally received the most political attention. Small companies are mostly disengaged from the climate debate, business advocates say, yet environmentally conscious, small enterprises could become influential supporters of climate legislation.

“Small business has to be a strong constituency if this legislation is going to be passed,” said Scott Hauge, president of Small Business California. “If we are going to create the innovation, we are going to create the jobs, we are going to reduce energy use, there needs to be a concerted focus on small business.”

World leaders will craft an international treaty to avoid the most catastrophic effects of climate change this December in Copenhagen, Denmark. Whether the United States can agree on climate change policy in the coming six months will heavily influence the outcome of the Copenhagen negotiations.

The Pew Charitable Trusts revealed last week that the U.S. clean energy economy – more than 68,000 companies that supply clean energy, energy efficiency, conservation strategies, and pollution mitigation technologies – created 770,385 jobs in 2007.

Many of these “green jobs” are small businesses, defined as an employer of 500 workers or less, according to The Center for Small Business and the Environment. In a report also released last week, the Center’s Executive Director Byron Kennard said that the 27 million small businesses in the United States, which produce 51 percent of private sector output, are turning to environmentally beneficial services in greater numbers.

“These are not tree hugger prophesies. These are real businesses, taking real risks, creating real jobs,” Kennard said. “Economically, politically, and socially as well, these green businesses are having a real impact.”

The U.S. House of Representatives is debating the American Clean Energy and Security Act, a bill that promises to reduce U.S. carbon emissions 17 percent by 2020 and 83 percent by 2050, compared to 2005 levels, through a national cap-and-trade system. In addition to placing a price on carbon, which would benefit low-carbon businesses, the legislation would increase energy efficiency standards, establish national mandates for renewable energy, and boost clean energy research.

The current version allows industrial polluters – businesses that emit more than 25,000 tons of carbon annually (such as large electric utilities, natural gas distributors, and cement producers) – to receive about 80 percent of the cap-and-trade system’s emission permits for free. The remaining would be auctioned, often to polluters. These funds are intended to assist consumers with higher energy costs, avoid deforestation in tropical countries, research clean-energy technologies, help developing countries adapt to climate change, and deploy clean energy-technologies worldwide.

The bill would also form a worker assistance and job training program, which supports reducing businesses’ dependency on fossil fuels. The program would be funded with roughly 0.5 percent of the permit auction funds. Commercial buildings would also be entitled to some of the legislation’s financial support for weatherization programs.

Scott Sklar, steering committee chair of the Sustainable Energy Coalition, a group of national and state-level business, environmental, consumer, and energy policy organizations that promotes increased federal support for energy efficiency and renewable energy, said the legislation’s benefits for small businesses are too small to provide meaningful support. He criticized the bill for prioritizing large industry instead.

“I don’t think any iterations of the [climate] bills I’ve seen so far support small businesses,” said Sklar, president of The Stella Group, a renewable energy marketing firm. “The allowances are given to big business polluters for the most part.”

California industries used similar arguments in an unsuccessful effort to derail the state’s cap-and-trade bill. Upon realizing that small business owners were likely to support the legislation if businesses could improve their energy efficiency, legislators responded with a small business toolkit. The program guides businesses on how to reduce their energy costs (and therefore greenhouse gas emissions) through voluntary efficiency gains.

“By small business stepping up to give the voice to our position, we were heard,” said Hauge, who helped pass the bill in 2006. “Big business was not aligned.”

Credit to the Worldwatch Institute.

Commentary: Green Irene can help your business Go GREEN right away. Our Green Office Makeover is an affordable, high-quality service that can get you on the path towards a Green Office. Our Local Eco-Consultants are ready to provide you with the support needed to implement specific measures that will help your business Go GREEN. Green Irene also carries various products at SHOPGREENIRENE that can get you going right after your first Green Office Makeover. So, why wait? Join the rest of the business community in Going GREEN with Green Irene!

Article excerpted from Environmental News Network:

When it comes to investing in sustainable business behaviors and programs, more than half of corporate marketers and communicators believe that their organizations will increase their involvement in environmental sustainability initiatives during the next two to three years, according to a survey conducted by the American Marketing Association and Fleishman-Hillard, Inc. In addition, half of those surveyed believe that economic realities will actually encourage the adoption of sustainability practices.

The survey shows that 58% of marketing and communication leaders believe their companies will place more emphasis on developing corporate sustainability opportunities in the months ahead, despite the belt tightening that is happening in the business world.

“At a time when the economy requires everyone to stay focused on the essentials, it’s noteworthy that businesses are putting sustainability programs into that must-do column,” said Nancy Costopulos, chief marketing officer of the American Marketing Association. “It is a signal that the business community is embracing environmental sustainability in a way that this country has probably never seen before.”

More than half of those surveyed believe that sustainability is an essential element of their company’s reputation right now. Nearly three-quarters believe that corporate reputation, corporate culture and technological advancements will be the drivers for sustainability. The new administration’s policies will further accelerate the adoption of corporate sustainability programs, according to 63% of responders in the survey.