Sustainability 101: A primer of “green” words in action

… From Biz2Biz NWA, April 2010

By Amy Lamb

Sustainability is more than jargon du jour. It’s not a passing fad or something to nod politely about when it is (again) mentioned at a company meeting. Sustainability is simply a way of thinking about doing business in a way that benefits your company, customers and, it as it happens, the planet, as well. After all, when has it ever made good business sense to be inefficient or to pay for unnecessary materials?

How do you get started? Here’s a primer of helpful definitions, resources and organizations to help you learn more about sustainability in your industry.

Green Words to know:

Sustainability – Taking actions to have minimal long-term effect on the environment and to sustain today’s resources. Sustainable actions can be applied to health, quality of life, corporate environment, hiring, procedures and policies.

Greenhouse gas – Any of the gases that contribute to the solar warming of Earth’s surface: carbon dioxide, methane and fluorocarbons. A true measure of greenhouse gas emissions considers the full life cycle of a product – from acquiring and processing raw materials all the way to how is discarded. Check out the World Resources Institute’s Greenhouse Gas Protocol. (http://www.ghgprotocol.org/)

Carbon footprint – The amount of carbon dioxide produced by a person, organization, or location. Knowing your carbon footprint is the first step in knowing where you can improve. To learn more about measuring your carbon footprint, visit The Carbon Disclosure Project.

Recyclable – Being able to extract useful material from products to make other usable products. Check out TerraCycle – one the hottest new trends in reinventing materials.

Renewable – A resource that is not fixed or limited and in theory is inexhaustible. Renewable energy includes wind, solar, or hydroelectric – any natural source not derived from fossil or nuclear fuel.

Scorecard – An index measuring key criteria to determine where a company stands in a particular area of sustainability. A packaging scorecard, for example, looks at how sustainable or efficient a company’s packaging is. Even small and medium businesses can scorecard their products and services. Check out The Sustainable Business CD Library on how to manage and promote sustainable business.

Clear Chain of Custody – This allows companies to track a product in every stage of manufacturing – from raw materials to delivery to the shelf. With certain products, such as jewelry, it helps ensure that proper procedures–both social and environmental –are being followed.

Green Links to follow:

Each industry has its own set of environmental issues and, therefore, criteria to use determining sustainability. Link to these agencies for certifications in your industry.

Wood and Paper Products

World Wildlife Fund’s Global Forest and Trade Network Undertaking the initiative to eliminate illegal logging and transform the global marketplace into a force for saving the world’s valuable and threatened forests.

Forest Stewardship Council Created to change the dialogue about, and the practice of, sustainable forestry worldwide, they developed a set of principles and criteria for forest management that are applicable to all FSC-certified forests throughout the world.

Sustainable Forestry Initiative Look for SFI label as a sign you are buying wood and paper products from a responsible source, backed by a rigorous, third party certification audit.

Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification PEFC works throughout the entire forest supply chain to promote good practice in the forest and to ensure that timber and non-timber forest products are produced with respect for the highest ecological, social and ethical standards.

Food

Protected Harvest Setting standards and third-party certifier of sustainably-grown food products.

USDA National Organic Program Part of the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service, the program develops, implements, and administers national production, handling, and labeling standards.

Global Aquaculture Alliance Advances environmentally and socially responsible aquaculture as the only sustainable means of increasing seafood supply to meet the food needs of the world’s growing population.

Aquaculture Certification Council Certifies social, environmental and food safety standards at aquaculture facilities throughout the world.

Electronics

Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT) – Green Electronics Made Easy A system that helps purchasers evaluate, compare and select electronic products based on their environmental attributes.

Textiles

Global Organic Textile Standard The world’s leading textile processing standard for organic fibers, including ecological and social criteria for the entire textile supply chain.

Water

WaterSense (EPA) Promotes water efficiency and enhances the market for water-efficient products, programs, and practices. The WaterSense label makes it easy for consumers to recognize products that save water without sacrificing performance or quality.

Energy

Energy Star A program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy that promotes energy efficient products and practices.

Buildings and Construction

U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED Program An internationally recognized green building certification system and third-party verification that a building or community was designed and built using strategies aimed at improving performance across all the metrics that matter most: energy savings, water efficiency, CO₂ emissions reduction, improved indoor environmental quality, and stewardship of resources and sensitivity to their impacts.

Certification and Fair Trade

Green Seal An independent, non-profit organization that certifies sustainable products using science-based standards.

EcoLogo The largest, most respected environmental standard and certification mark for environmentally preferable products.

TransFair USA A certification/label guaranteeing consumers that strict economic, social and environmental criteria were met in the production and trade of an agricultural product, including coffee, tea, herbs, cocoa and chocolate, fresh fruit, flowers, sugar, rice, and vanilla.

Green Plus Institute for Sustainable Development (http://www.gogreenplus.org/) Educates and certifies small and medium sized businesses in triple bottom line sustainability: People, Planet, and Performance.

Conservation

World Wildlife Fund (http://www.wwf.org/) The world’s leading conservation organization, working in 100 countries to ensure the delivery of innovative solutions that meet the needs of both people and nature.

Conservation International (http://www.conservation.org) Conservation, working to empower societies to responsibly and sustainably care for nature for the well being of humanity.

Rainforest Alliance (http://www.rainforest-alliance.org) Works to conserve biodiversity and ensure sustainable livelihoods by transforming land-use practices, business practices and consumer behavior.Top of Form

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General Business Industry

Innovation Exchange (http://innovation.edf.org/page.cfm?tagid=31197) Part of the Environmental Defense Fund provides resources, case studies, evaluation forms and more.

Design for the Environment (http://www.epa.gov/dfe/) Works in partnership with industry, environmental groups, and academia to reduce risk to people and the environment by finding ways to prevent pollution, as part of the EPA.

World Resources Institute (http://www.wri.org/) An environmental think tank that works to find practical ways to protect the earth and improve people’s lives in four areas: Climate Protection, Governance, Markets & Enterprise, People & Ecosystems.

National Resources Defense Council (http://www.nrdc.org/) A leading environmental action group, combining the grassroots power of 1.3 million members with the courtroom clout to protect the planet’s wildlife and wild places.

Want to add a favorite organization to this list?  Share practices? Explore topics that will help your business? E-mail Amy Lamb at servcrow@sbcglobal.net. Amy Lamb is a freelance writer focusing on sustainability issues and serves on the City of Fayetteville Environmental Action Committee and writing for Biz2Biz Northwest Arkansas.

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