Filed Under Organisational change

Does Canada Need a Sustainability Literacy Month or a Decade? A Look Back at 2012 and ahead at 2013

Chad Park — Thu, 22 Nov 2012 12:30:32 -0500

Did you know that November is financial literacy month? My trusted friend Wikipedia tells me that financial literacy is “the ability to understand finance.” More specifically, it refers to the set of skills and knowledge that allows an individual to make informed and effective decisions through their understanding of finances. Clearly, this is an important capacity to cultivate.

I think we need a sustainability literacy month – or perhaps more realistically a sustainability literacy decade. As hard as it is for those of us who work in this field to believe, many more people need to realize the seriousness of the sustainability crisis we face, the integrated nature of our social, environmental and economic challenges, and the fundamentals of sustainability science. Sustainability professionals still operate in a relatively small bubble of like-minded individuals and/or face major challenges in engaging their colleagues, customers, employees, investors and others who are often not as sustainability literate.

I’ve come to realize that this is The Natural Step’s core capability. Through our learning programs and within our advisory service engagements, we have proven over the years to be extremely effective at helping individuals with diverse worldviews to see the sustainability challenge differently and to understand its relevance to them. Suanne DeBoer, the past GM of DeBoer’s Furniture, expressed her experience of this just this week in an article she wrote for the Sustainability Learning Centre’s newsletter about The Natural Step’s Sustainability 101 eLearning course.

It has been a terrific year for our sustainability learning programs at The Natural Step Canada. Together with our partners at The Co-operators and supported by dozens of other partners in five cities across Canada, we’ve established a fantastic youth sustainability leadership program, IMPACT! Sustainability Champions, which is making an enormous difference in the lives of the 150 young people who have participated to date and the dozens of mentors and community partners who are supporting them. Two successful MBA Sustainability Leadership Bootcamps have had a profound effect on 70 young and mid-career professionals who are now better equipped to play a sustainability leadership role wherever their careers take them. We have run sustainability leadership courses in cities across Canada, and helped raise sustainability literacy levels for hundreds of individuals through training components in our various advisory engagements with businesses and municipal governments. Leaders in two of our best partner companies, The Landmark Group of Builders and The Co-operators, were even recognized for their sustainability leadership at the Clean 50 awards this year. Those two individuals, Barbara and Reza, are terrific examples of what it means to build sustainability literacy. Five years ago, neither of them would have considered themselves a sustainability leader. Barbara had risen up the ranks of a large insurance company and was a specialist in the insurance business. Reza was a home-builder, having built one of the most successful home building companies in Alberta. And yet, each of them in their own way has become highly “sustainability literate” to the point that this insurance expert and home builder are now being recognized as sustainability leaders. Reflecting back to the definition of financial literacy above, Barbara and Reza have developed “a set of skills and knowledge that allows them to make informed and effective decisions through their understanding of… sustainability.” We need many more like them.

So, what is even more important than what The Natural Step has accomplished in sustainability literacy in 2012 is where we plan to go next. We believe that raising the level of sustainability literacy in Canada is both vitally important and an area where The Natural Step can provide issue leadership and build partnerships and coalitions. In doing so, we will put our learning programs and core capability toward the service of a bigger collective mandate. In practical terms, this means that we will seek partnerships that will create opportunities to build sustainability literacy in strategic domains, such as professional associations, corporate boards, and certain high-profile public contexts. We will also be guided by the collective impact philosophy in how we evolve the model for delivering our courses; for example, by creating real opportunity for regional and local NGOs to benefit by offering the courses in their communities. Further details on all of this will be provided in our next newsletter in early 2013.

Since this is our final newsletter of the year, I close my message the same way we do every year – with a humble request for your support. The Natural Step Canada is a charitable not-for-profit organization that accomplishes its goals in part through the financial contributions of many individuals who care about its mission and support its programs. If you believe in the importance of raising sustainability literacy rates in Canada and in The Natural Step’s capacity to play a leadership role in doing so, please consider making a year-end donation to us. Thank you to those of you who have given in the past and who give regularly. Your support makes a big difference for a small organization with big goals.

Canada

The Biggest Mistake Sustainability Champions Make

Pong Leung — Tue, 23 Oct 2012 09:44:55 -0400

Recently, I spoke on an online dialogue about corporate social responsibility (CSR) in Canada and had an audience member asked me about how business’ CSR investments will be affected by the economic downturn. This great question is one that numerous professionals are concerned with as they move into budget season.

Some recent studies, such as GreenBiz’s State of Green Business Report, show an increased investment in business sustainability initiatives over the past couple of years, in spite of the economic downturn. This flies in the face of conventional (old) thinking that sustainability / CSR initiatives get cut when budgets are tight. However, at the same time, I have talked to some professionals leading sustainability efforts who have seen their available resources decline; so why are there different stories here?

Well, I feel that this relates to the biggest mistake sustainability champions make when trying to gain traction for sustainability in their organizations: they do not position sustainability as an enabling strategy to achieve business priorities. Instead, sustainability is positioned as separate from business success, so it is not surprising that these sustainability initiatives get cut when it comes time to look at the budget. Conversely, the organizations that position sustainability as an enabler of business priorities often see their budgets increase.

What can a sustainability champion do then? Well, first, try to understand the current priorities for the business or department and identify how sustainability can be an enabler:

If winning the war for talent is important, explain how graduates are increasingly using a business’ CSR performance to determine where to work
If cutting costs are important, explain how businesses have saved billions in energy efficiency measures
If brand and reputation are important, explain the increasing expectation of customers and investors for social and ecological performance
...and so on.

One great resource that can help you with this is a set of slides offered by sustainability guru Bob Willard, which are rich with statistics to help build the business case for sustainability.

Once you know the priorities, identify an initiative that can lead to positive social and ecological impacts as well address an important business issue. You don’t even need to call it a sustainability initiative; in fact, perhaps it is better if you don’t. Call it an “efficiency initiative,” “market study,” “leadership training,” “stakeholder mapping,” or whatever makes the most sense in your context. If you need to, position these initiatives as pilots to learn from and only scale them up if they are successful.

If you position sustainability as an enabling strategy you will help people understand how it translates into business value and demonstrate that it’s not just a “nice to do, tree-huggy thing.” It will also help you build credibility as someone who cares about the business.

Canada

"What do we do on Monday Morning?": Target setting and action planning for sustainability

Sarah Brooks — Wed, 01 Aug 2012 10:30:33 -0400

There’s a time in every organization’s sustainability planning when the rubber (er, bike tire?!) needs to hit the road. It’s critical to have a strategic plan in place, and in our experience, the best plans reflect an understanding of sustainability principles and are developed through the process of backcasting from success principles. However, the best laid plans can come to naught if they aren’t acted upon. Recently, we were with The Landmark Group of Builders to help them actualize a one-year action plan that moves them systematically toward achieving their long term sustainability goals.

Landmark is a great partner. Their sustainability work is almost unparalleled in the Alberta home builder industry. They have sustainability goals, an understanding of their key challenges, have implemented many actions on the ground and have recently released their first sustainability report. But, as with all organizations, the journey to sustainability is ongoing. Where Landmark is going right now is really exciting.

Recently we worked on setting 5-, 3- and 1-year milestones for each of Landmark’s sustainability goals to leverage their assets and address their current challenges. Action planning flowed from that – what are the first-year projects that need to be completed to help hit the 1-year targets? Which actions are flexible platforms for future initiatives? Which actions will provide the necessary return on investment to seed future moves? What partners need to be engaged? What resourcing is necessary? Who will own each project charter that delineates the plan for each project, which enables the first year-target to be hit, and what budget is necessary to enable this? Answering these questions allows action planning to feed into fulfillment of strategy and to become embedded in business planning. It’s a way to make sustainability part of the DNA of the organization and it also eases the “What do we do on Monday morning?” question.

Keep your eye on the Landmark Group of Builders. They have a goal to ‘revolutionize the industry’ and with a viable, strategic action plan in place, I think they will.

If you are interested in learning more about our Service Path for Sustainable Business and how we can help your business develop a bold sustainability vision, strategy, and action plan, please contact us or join our next FREE Introduction to Strategic Sustainability for Business in Canada webinar.

Canada

An Alberta Toolkit Symphony

Alaya Boisvert — Wed, 20 May 2009 10:08:41 -0400

What do a symphony orchestra and two exciting new toolkits from The Natural Step Canada have in common?

Both require a collection of diverse talents, a tremendous amount of preliminary practice, and are meant to move their audiences so that they leave forever changed.

Over the past eight months, I have helped develop two new resources for Alberta organizations. To me, the Sustainability Primer and Planning for Sustainability: A Starter Guide represent an extraordinary collective achievement that has drawn on the expertise of TNS’ sustainability advisors, communications team, top management, administrative staff, as well as that of an external editorial committee.

I liken the process of creating these resources to that of a group of classical musicians coming together to perform at their very best. It was as if each person who contributed to these toolkits in smaller and greater ways brought their own musical specialty – based on their background experience working with communities and businesses on strategic sustainable development. Each one offered unique sounds from his or her instrument, and added to the melody of creative ideas that have made these resources not only useful products, but also a testament to what’s possible when co-creation is practiced.

It is my hope that these toolkits will inspire Alberta organizations to embrace a vision of a sustainable future, and equip them with the tools they need to begin that journey today.

With the toolkits launching this week at the Pathways 2 Sustainability Conference, the orchestra is ready to deliver its best. Let the music begin!

Click here to download the toolkits.

Canada

An Interview with our Founder on Think Globally Radio

Richard Blume — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 06:55:58 -0400

Brought to you by Think Globally Radio: A unifying framework for social and ecological sustainability: with Professor Karl-Henrik Robèrt, MD, PhD, Founder of The Natural Step.

Recorded in March 2010, you can now listen to our Founder discuss the history, development and future of The Natural Step and the movement uniting around the framework for strategic sustainable development.

Stream online from the episode archive on www.thinkgloballyradio.org.
Download and Listen

Background to the Interview:

Recently elected as one of Sweden’s first two Ashoka Fellows - leading social entrepreneurs with innovative solutions to social problems and the potential to change patterns across society – Karl-Henrik Robèrt is the founder of the international NGO The Natural Step, professor of sustainability at Blekinge Institute of Technology (BTH), Chairman of the international research program Real Change and recipient of the Blue Planet Prize, the ‘Nobel prize’ for ecological sustainability.

In launching The Natural Step, he has facilitated the outgrowth of a unifying framework for strategic sustainable development, and built a global institutional platform that unites with a coalition of universities, companies, industrial groups, municipalities and larger government entities to pioneer new ways to achieve a world that is socially and ecologically sustainable. This movement includes some of the world’s leading institutions, corporations and communities advancing sustainability, including the host ski resort of the Vancouver / Whistler 2010 Winter Olympics.

Think Globally Radio is heard every Sunday evening at 19:00 on THS Radio 95.3 MHz in Stockholm, and on K103.1 in Gothenburg at 16:00. An extensive archive of past programs can be listened to on demand on the completely redesigned www.thinkgloballyradio.org. Podcasts can also be downloaded via iTunes.

Feel free to join the “Think Globally Radio” group on Facebook.

For more information, contact Eric Paglia eric@rocket.fm or Dave Trouba dtrouba@gmail.com.

Please forward this to anyone who might be interested in issues of the environment or sustainability!

Applying The Natural Step Framework

Chas Martin — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 19:53:50 -0400

Are you the next sustainability leader?

Anouk Bertner — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 17:48:05 -0500

Online applications for the Master’s in Strategic Leadership towards Sustainability (MSLS) and Master’s in Sustainable Product-Service System Innovation (MSPI) at Blekinge Institute of Technology in Karlskrona, Sweden, will be open until January 15th. Both these leading-edge international master’s programmes are based around The Natural Step Framework, and integrate practical, applied course work to empower and enable graduates to make positive change in the world.

This year’s MSLS class consists of 67 students from 21 different countries. Will you join us in the next class?

The MSPI masters will have its inaugural intake in 2010. It builds off BTH’s strong reputation in education for sustainable development, and will incorporate the cutting-edge research conducted at BTH within Sustainable Product-Service System Innovation.

To apply, you will need to complete the online application form at www.studera.nu, and then mail your supporting documents by Feb. 15th, 2010. Spaces in both programmes are limited and successful candidates can receive their decisions in May, with a starting date of classes in late August 2010.

BTH looks forward to receiving your application…

Sweden

Ashforth Pacific, Inc., Portland, Oregon, USA

Chas Martin — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 14:07:31 -0400

A Natural Step Network Case Study

Overview
Ashforth Pacific, Inc. (API), is an investor, owner, and operator providing third-party property management, construction, and parking management services in West-Coast markets. An affiliate of The Ashforth Company, a Connecticut-based firm, API was established in Portland, Oregon, in 1995 and currently has 55 employees. The Ashforth Company presently owns and manages upwards of 15 million square feet of office space, of which 1.5 million square feet is in Portland. In May 1999, API launched an environmental initiative based on its newly created environmental statement and the four system conditions of The Natural Step.

Background
The Ashforth Company was founded as a family owned real estate company in New York in 1896. Throughout the next century, it expanded its services and coverage areas. The creation of the API office extended The Ashforth Company’s services beyond the Northeast to include the rapidly growing Northwest real estate market.

The company strives to bring social and economic benefits to the communities in which it operates. The opening page of its centennial celebration book states, “We owe it to our ancestors to preserve entire the rights they have delivered to us; we owe it to our posterity not to suffer their dearest inheritance to be destroyed.”

Ashforth is dedicated to serving its customers by adhering to its four operating principles: Commitment—to create enduring business relationships that will enhance the value of the company, Quality— to be dedicated to providing the highest level of service with speed and professionalism, People—to foster teamwork, personal growth, creativity and leadership and to encourage respect for the individual, communication, optimism, and a sense of humor, and Practices—to act with integrity and fairness to customers, employees, and community.

Introduction to The Natural Step: the Passion of a CEO
Hank Ashforth, CEO of API and the great-grandson of The Ashforth Company’s founder, learned about The Natural Step (TNS) through his involvement with the environmental community in Portland. Convinced that the business community must be part of the solution of pressing environmental issues, he attended an Oregon Natural Step Network breakfast meeting and quickly saw a good match between API’s principles and the framework TNS provided. In March 1999, he invited Duke Castle to give a briefing for members of the API executive team in charge of property management, construction, leasing, and finance.

The executive team met with Castle again to conduct a visioning exercise and brainstorm potential ideas. The team came up with a list of “low hanging fruit” and sent several employees to the National TNS conference in Portland in April 1999. Its purpose was to gain insight on ways to implement TNS framework, recruit a summer intern to focus on environmental issues, and train employees.

Launching the Environmental Initiative
In May 1999, the executive team hired Wendy Faubert as an intern and worked with her on a strategy for implementing an environmental initiative. They developed an approach that was both top-down and grassroots oriented. This strategy was designed to take advantage of the strong support of the executive team, the small and personal nature of the company, and the existing interest and passion of some employees.

The primary function of the grassroots approach was to develop awareness and interest among office employees in a fun and non-threatening manner. Meanwhile, the top-down strategy involved the executive team formulating an environmental policy statement and the formation of two sustainability teams. The teams’ mandate was to focus on ways that office operations and building-management practices could support the environmental initiative. The two groups, OSCAR (Office, Sustainability, Conservation, and Recycling) and BEAT (Buildings Environmental Action Team), would each be staffed by six employees handpicked by the CEO.

In July 1999, API officially launched its Environmental Initiative at an all-hands meeting—a debriefing meeting attended by all members of the office. The initiative was based on the company’s new environmental statement, “We will be stewards of our environment by taking responsible actions within our business and our communities,” and the four system conditions of The Natural Step. During the meeting, Duke Castle presented TNS framework, Hank Ashforth spoke, and a brainstorming activity allowed employees to write down their ideas for practices that could be implemented within the company.

By the fall it was apparent the Faubert was needed fulltime, and she accepted the job of sustainability coordinator.

Building Employee Support for the Environmental Initiative
From the beginning, building employee interest, awareness, and support for the Environmental Initiative was a top priority. The initial strategy was to keep the activities voluntary and fun. Several different methods were used to educate employees about sustainability and concepts surrounding TNS framework.

A brown bag lunch series served as the primary means of engaging employees. Employees learned about other environmentally conscious businesses organizations such as The Collins Companies, the Sustainable Chef’s Collaborative, Nike, PGE, The Rebuilding Center, and Carsharing Portland.

Other education methods included field trips and a bulletin board displaying relevant articles and information on sustainability and TNS framework. Office games and activities for each system condition kept the initiative and the concept of environmental responsibility in front of employees in a fun and interactive way. One popular activity was the “cookies-for-trash-cans” trade where employees voluntarily gave up their individual trash can and agreed to throw away all of their garbage in a central area. This activity was easy for employees to participate in, succeeded in raising employee awareness about what they were throwing away, and saved API 9,000 plastic trash can liners a year.

Finally, each API office employee attended a two-and-one-half-hour TNS framework training. The sustainability coordinator, office manager, and assistant controller conducted the training in groups of six to ten people during August and September 2000. All office employees attended the training as well as several outside vendors and other organizations interested in The Natural Step. The training focused on understanding the four system conditions through a combination of games, videos, visual aids, and discussions exploring how our actions and purchases affect the environment. The employees also completed a questionnaire that polled their perceptions related to the initiative and their interest in participating in other environmental events.

Results, Results, Results
API’s Environmental Initiative is a vision shared by the entire company, but it is rooted in producing results, results that can be measured and managed. Hank Ashforth has emphasized quantifiable results, believing that “if we know where we are, it is easier to go where we want to.”

Energy. Many of API’s initial projects focused on energy conservation measures. Between 1997 and 2001, the company reduced energy consumption by 18% through lighting and heating/cooling changes in the four commercial properties it owns, saving $654,000 over five years. T-8 lights, compact fluorescents, and LED lights replaced less efficient products; and automatic controls sweep all lights off during evenings and weekends. Thermostats were adjusted by two degrees. As a conservation incentive, sub-meters were installed so that tenants pay for any extra use of electricity above a standard amount. In addition, API has invested 6% of total electricity usage in wind power through Pacific Power’s Blue Sky program. The company is one of Pacific Power’s largest supporters of Blue Sky.

Water. API reduced water consumption in its portfolio properties by 6% by not using air conditioning after hours and not watering lawn areas, saving $43,000 annually. To handle storm water on site, the Liberty Center Parking Garage was retro-fitted with bioswales that filter the runoff and allow it to seep into the ground.

Waste. Through electronic communication and double-sided copying, API reduced paper purchases by 39% between 1998 and 2001. As a further commitment to saving trees, the company switched to 100% post-consumer recycled copy paper and 100% (40% post-consumer) recycled, chlorine-free toilet paper, saving over $15,000 annually. In 1999, when PacifiCorp’s office space was renovated, API’s construction arm made an extraordinary effort to recycle not only metal and wood, but also ceiling tile, window glass, drywall, and carpet. The company is now working to expand recycling options available to tenants to include batteries and packing peanuts and to create a better mechanism for tracking waste and recycling outputs. The centralized trash collection system for the office is on its way to becoming standard operating procedure for all tenant spaces.

Toxics. The company worked with ABM Janitorial Services (ABM) to switch to non-toxic cleaning products in the maintenance of its buildings. First testing the citrus-based Bi-O-Kleen on an outside curtain wall and finding it effective, ABM found it could replace over 20 standard cleaners, from scouring powder to carpet spotter, degreaser to disinfectant, with the same solution in different concentrations. As a result, 25 hazardous chemicals have been eliminated. ABM now promotes Bi-O-Kleen with its other commercial clients.

To reduce landscaping impacts, chemical herbicides, pesticides, and fertilizers are now prohibited in API’s maintenance specifications. Gasoline-powered maintenance equipment has been replaced by propane, electric, or manual equipment wherever possible, and the most polluting two-stroke engines are no longer allowed. Leaf blowers, because of their air and noise pollution, are allowed only at the height of fall season.

Transportation. Not only does API provide free transit passes to all employees, but it also actively supports alternative transportation throughout the Lloyd District. For example, it played an instrumental role in the expansion of Tri-Met’s Fareless Square to the District. That means that workers can travel from downtown to the Lloyd District free of charge. For those who don’t drive to work, API has loaned two parking spaces and purchased a membership in Flexcar, a service that makes a car available when needed during the workday. To encourage bicycle commuting, it provides 34 bicycle lockers in addition to racks and included showers in its newest building. To further encourage employees to use alternatives to single-occupant auto commutes, it offers a special benefit on a trial basis. Those who use alternative transportation 80 percent of the time each month get a half-day of personal time.

Green building. When API remodeled its office space, it installed Interface carpet tiles, allowing worn tiles in high-traffic areas to be sent back to the company without replacing the entire carpet. Low VOC paints were specified for the walls. Environ Biocomposite, a particle board manufactured from agricultural wastes, was chosen for desk surfaces.

Operating from the belief that people want to do their best, API has been pleased by employee ideas that have been generated through the Environmental Initiative. In fact, many of the projects API has worked on or is currently working on came from employees’ suggestions. A sampling of other employee ideas include double-siding fax cover sheets; using glasses, plates and silverware in the office instead of disposables; using envelopes provided by vendors in their invoices instead of API envelopes; and standardizing office supplies with choices based on TNS principles along with efficiency and cost.

Lessons Learned
• Invest time in training workers so they are knowledgeable and excited about the company’s new direction.
• Take small steps. The challenges, changes, and ideas can be overwhelming at times. Look for the easy things to do first, as accomplishments breed success.
• Encourage workers to come up with ideas to support the initiative.
• Set up a structure to make employees’ ideas a reality.
• Communicate environmental goals and policies to vendors to help expand your company’s impact.

API feels that the most important element in launching an initiative is enlisting the support of people working in the company. As Wendy Faubert, API’s first sustainability coordinator put it, “I strongly believe that having taken the time to get people on board, to make it fun, to increase the energy around the initiative before we start [more] projects. . . is going to pay dividends in the long run.” According to the office manager and assistant controller, benefits of involving employees in the Environmental Initiative include improving the cohesiveness of the company, challenging employees to think of new ways to improve existing processes, and better communications among departments.

Challenges
API spent the first 18 months of its environmental initiative pursuing “low-hanging fruit,” primarily in the property management division. The projects were fairly easy to accomplish because they did not radically change business operations (e.g., shifting to a more environmentally friendly cleaner) and demonstrated short-term economic justification (e.g., the energy savings). The company’s next challenge will be changes that alter fundamental practices and are harder to justify economically. Greener construction, for example, often requires a large investment in materials and, initially, more employee involvement and time. In the “time-is-money” world of construction, such challenges can seem daunting. However, API is quick to point out that while construction will be more challenging, there is ample opportunity for significant environmental benefits.

Beginning September 2001, API was selected as property manager for the Vollum Natural Capital Center, a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) gold-rated green building located in Portland’s Pearl District. Involvement with this high-profile project has raised the bar for API to continue to develop innovative and environmentally friendly approaches to property management.

In 2002 API accepted a new challenge—participation in a pilot project of the U.S. Green Building Council to test its new LEED-EB (Existing Buildings) rating system. To date, the Council’s LEED certification system for green buildings has applied largely to new construction. Over the course of the coming year, Ashforth Pacific staff will document Liberty Center’s performance and policies in the areas of cleaning and maintenance, indoor air quality, energy efficiency, recycling and facilities, and landscape maintenance. Where necessary, building systems may be upgraded to bring the building into compliance with LEED criteria.

The Future
The company is now developing a more in-depth approach to sustainability involving all office staff. Smaller teams will focus on revising specific areas of corporate and building operations and working to balance sustainability goals with the needs of tenants, profit expectations, and the constraints of the company’s existing buildings. Each group will conduct a thorough analysis of its area of operations, identify and implement necessary improvements, and track indicators that will help the company measure environmental performance. The four system conditions of the Natural Step will serve as a compass for these groups as they redefine organizational processes and operations.

Many organizations and individuals have contributed knowledge and inspiration to the company’s sustainability efforts. As the work of the Environmental Initiative further unfolds, API will strive to share information and lessons learned with clients, suppliers, and the community at large. While recognizing that much work lies ahead in the company’s quest for
sustainability, Ashforth Pacific intends to continue stepping forward to increase service to clients while improving the environmental and economic bottom line.

Sources
1. Interview with Wendy Faubert, Sustainability Coordinator, Ashforth Pacific, Inc., December 15, 2000
2. Master Recycler News, October 2000, “Profile: Sustainability in Real Estate Management,” Mendola, Kathleen Finn
3. The BEAT Bulletin, November 2000, March 2000, October 1999

This case study was prepared in April 2001 by Vanessa Margolis for The Natural Step Network and updated in October 2002 by the Network.

Axis Performance Advisors, Portland, Oregon, USA

Chas Martin — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 14:42:36 -0400

A Natural Step Network Case Study

Background
Axis Performance Advisors was started in 1990 by Marsha Willard and Darcy Hitchcock as an organizational management consulting firm, specializing ins self-directed work teams. As of today, November 2003, about 53 percent of Axis' work is directly related to sustainability.

Inspiration
In addition to its consulting work, Axis would, on occasion, host one-day think-tank meetings. In 1996, having heard about the concept of sustainability, it hosted a meeting on the subject. At that meeting Hitchcock had an “aha” experience when she realized that Axis was showing companies how to be more efficient and effective in depleting the planet’s resources. She decided that she and Willard had to do “something.” Shortly thereafter Hitchcock was introduced to The Natural Step (TNS) at a Business for Social Responsibility meeting. She says she felt a great relief, because TNS offered the “something” that Axis should do. In 1998 she went to the TNS conference in Chicago and began doing volunteer work for the Oregon Natural Step Network as a speaker and as a contributing writer for the Tool kit.

Action
Upon learning about TNS, Axis first examined the impacts of its own business on the environment. Hitchcock and Willard quickly realized that as a service business, their greatest impact was through their consulting services and the influence they had on their clients. Since they had experience in organizational change, they could help companies become more sustainable.

Axis also examined its internal practices against the four systems conditions. It determined that its greatest impact was greenhouse emissions from energy use, especially transportation, but it was able to take action to reduce its impacts in all four system conditions.

System Condition One (Taking Substances from the Earth's Crust)

Willard and Hitchcock measured their greenhouse gas impact and purchased carbon offsets to be climate neutral with a cost of approximately $20 per year per person (see Appendix 1 for measurements, including tracking alternative transportation).
Hitchcock moved her home office from Vancouver, Washington to Portland, Oregon to reduce travel.
Both Hitchcock and Willard use bicycles and public transportation whenever possible, resulting in 43% of business travel through alternative transportation (up from 0% before 2000)
Hitchcock and Willard both work from their homes, they purchased Green Power for both work and personal consumption.
Hitchcock purchased a Toyota Prius for business and personal use.
Axis purchased Energy Star rated computers (MAC G3s and monitors) and chose not to buy a copying machine.

System Condition Two (Use of Synthetic Substances)

Switched overhead transparency markers to ones that wash off with water instead of isopropyl alcohol.
Decided not to purchase certain products (e.g., glues) that had volatile organic compounds (VOCs).

System Condition Three (Preservation of Natural Resources)

Committed to buying recycled content paper, using 100% post-consumer recycled paper for company stationary.
When copier broke, did not purchase new one. This reduced the number of copies Axis makes.
Transitioned services like its newsletter and Team Booster product to an electronic service to save paper.
Axis does small print runs of the Sustainability SeriesTM booklets so as not to build up a large inventory, which might need to be scrapped later.
Axis has also chosen ShoreBank Pacific for their banking services.

System Condition Four (Meeting Human Needs)

Offered no- or low-cost services for targeted non-profits which would otherwise not be able to afford consulting services and which had a mission related to sustainability (Housing our Families, Planned Parenthood, Oregon Environmental Council, OMSI).
Provided pro bono facilitation services for the Oregon Natural Step Network’s Climate Change Peer Learning Group.

Results
Axis’s expenditures have mainly been in time, although it has paid for some training as well. It characterizes the time and training as R&D because Axis’ goal has been to transform the business to sustainability consulting.

That said, just operating its business more sustainably has saved Axis money over all. It has spent less money on parking fees, equipment not purchased, and printing and postage and has less wear and tear on its vehicles. The combined effect of its transportation efforts resulted in an annual reduction of 4,000 pounds of CO2 emissions. Axis has also learned that measurement does change behavior. It helps inform decisions and makes an immediate impact.

Challenges
One irony is that the more successful Axis becomes the more Hitchcock and Willard have to travel, which will actually increase their environmental impacts. They will address these impacts through the use of offsets.

Because sustainability is the focus of Axis’s business, the biggest challenge is creating a market to sustain all those who want to work in this field. It appears that sustainability is still at the early adopter phase in most sectors so the list of potential customers is limited. Also in tough economic times, people tend to pull back from exploring new options (even if they could save time or money) because they are already feeling stressed and stretched. That said, the challenge for consultants is always: to provide value to customers.

This case study was prepared by Regina Hauser for the Oregon Natural Step Network. For more information contact Darcy Hitchcock (503) 288-7704, darcy@axisperformance.com, or Marsha Willard (503) 284-9132, marsha@axisperformance.com, or visit the Axis Performance Advisors’ Web site, www.pacifier.com/~axis.

Appendix 1

Benchmarking our Progress Toward Sustainability (Webinar)

Kimberley Larocque — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 09:18:38 -0400

Start: Feb 3 2011 - 1:30pm

End: Feb 3 2011 - 2:30pm

Timezone: Canada/Eastern

Discover ways to document the progress that you are making in implementing your Sustainability Plan, to communicate your successes, and to support continuous learning.

Sustainability Practitioners Series
This event is part of The Natural Step Canada’s monthly webinars for sustainability practitioners that explore various aspects of The Natural Step Framework. Presented by The Natural Step Canada’s experienced Sustainability Advisors and special guests.

Cost:

$30 for the public
FREE for all Members of The Natural Step Exchange (Join the Exchange now)

Canada

Benefits for Business

Anouk Bertner — Thu, 08 May 2008 02:47:07 -0400

Reaping the rewards

The Natural Step provides professional and customized education, training and advisory services to leading companies committed to real change. By integrating sustainability and systems-thinking into hearts and minds of employees, and into the core strategies and operations of companies like Nike, Rio Tinto Alcan, and Rohm and Haas we are helping them create innovative, sustainable solutions and driving the transition to a sustainable future. Companies committed to a sustainable vision also enjoy a number of clear commercial benefits including:

Product and Service Innovation-Sustainability principles and strategies inject revolutionary thinking into new product and services, opening up new markets, growing customers, and reducing risk throughout the lifetime of products.
Competitive Advantage - Visionary organisations use sustainability to adapt to competitive pressures through innovative, flexible and adaptable products and processes, with an enhanced ability to quickly respond to change.
Customer and Employee Loyalty and Trust - Enhanced brand equity and reputation accompanies sustainable business practices serving to attract customers and employees alike.
Increased Shareholder Value - Research shows that companies pursuing sustainable business strategies have significantly greater shareholder value than their peers.
License to operate – Organisations that can genuinely and effectively engage communities to deliver ‘triple bottom line’ benefits are much more likely to achieve success in their ventures.
Cost savings - Redesigning energy, material flows and impacts in the direction of sustainability can significantly reduce operational costs while increasing access to capital by lowering risks.
And of course, bringing your organization strategically closer towards environmental and social sustainability in an economically sound way.

Our services are tailored to meet your exact needs with each of our offices offering a number of distinct service offerings and supporting tools based upon The Natural Step Framework. Examples include:

Readiness, baseline and gap analysis assessments
Foundations, capacity-building and leadership training in sustainability
Support in defining the business case for sustainability in your specific circumstance
Vision and strategy development for sustainable business
Networking events and breakfast seminars
Support in value chain collaboration with customers and suppliers
Best practice benchmarking using PROBE for Sustainable Business
Sustainable product assessment and innovation using our Sustainability Life Cycle Assessment approach.

BOORA Archietcts, Portland, Oregon, USA

Chas Martin — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 16:47:08 -0400

A Natural Step Network Case Study

TNS gave us a banner to march behind. It enhanced the spirit that was already here and gave us order and direction. —Eric Miller, BOORA employee Overview BOORA Architects provides architecture, planning, and interior design services to clients throughout the United States and abroad. With one office in Portland, Oregon, BOORA currently has 85 employees and annual gross revenues in excess of $13 million. The firm’s projects include schools, theaters, museums, libraries, office buildings, and recreation facilities.

· LEED implementation: Assisting in the registration and certification of BOORA projects. Currently, four of BOORA’s buildings are LEEDä registered.

· Products library classification: “Greening” BOORA’s interiors and products library so that teams can use the best and most responsible materials available; developing product classifications which describe what makes various products green; and developing a classification form that product representatives can use to provide detailed information
about their product’s sustainability features.

Lessons Learned and Challenges Ahead
· Provide leadership from the top. BOORA management communicated to the staff its commitment to the firm’s sustainability efforts through specific goals and objectives
outlined in the annual business plans.

· Commit to education and training. Strongly encouraging all staff to attend a half-day TNS training session at an early date gave everyone the same knowledge base and vocabulary.

· Take calculated risks. Believing that too much analysis can cause paralysis, BOORA did not get bogged down with elaborate cost-benefit examination or require concrete evidence of assured success before moving forward. It continues to implement ideas that intuitively seem like the “right thing to do.”

· Little successes add up. Having some tangible achievements, especially if they are recognized publicly, inspires staff to take them to the next level. BOORA has received a PGE EarthSmart Innovator Award for the design of George Fox University’s Stevens Center, and two BOORA-designed buildings were selected for the Ten Plus Northwest exhibition organized by Portland’s Office of Sustainable Development, showcasing the
latest and best in sustainable practices and technologies in the Pacific Northwest.

· Share the responsibility. BOORA created a Sustainability Coordinator position, but the position was eventually eliminated. Because the TNS framework touches every aspect of
BOORA’s practice, from architecture and interiors to specifications, marketing, and technology, the responsibility for integrating TNS was too large and undefined for one individual.

· Find quantifiable industry standards . In the United States, The LEEDä rating system of the U.S. Green Building Council is the standard for assessing sustainability in commercial and institutional buildings. Many local governments, higher education institutions, architects, and engineers are already using this standard to assess the “shades of green” of their construction and renovation projects.

BOORA’s efforts over the past several years have focused on “building” a green BOORA—its people, place, and practice. The biggest challenge BOORA will face in the future will be “marketing” green BOORA. This shift from a more “internalized” focus to an “externalized” approach will advance the practice and business of sustainable design and build BOORA’s
reputation for knowing how to do this work.

Developing marketing communications materials that reflect BOORA’s accomplishments and perspectives, presenting seminars on sustainable design, and promoting recent innovative sustainable design approaches and technical systems in trade newspapers and journals all contribute to BOORA’s reputation as one of the most knowledgeable in this specialty. Resources need to be allocated toward these efforts so they don’t take a back seat when other “billable” efforts are pressing.

Learning to become effective advocates of sustainable design will result in better buildings, more satisfied clients, and a strong referral base for future work. Clients may be wary of the benefits of sustainable design, either because they don't understand it, they think it's too expensive, and/or they don't want to take a risk on unproven technology and equipment. Design professionals need to better learn the language of the building owner, facility manager, and CFO in terms owners can understand--first-cost savings, return on investment, and enhanced productivity--to effectively champion the benefits and value of sustainable design.

This case study was prepared by Mary Van Domelen and Julie Wallis of BOORA for the The Natural Step Network.

Brown Bag Leadership Lunch Series - Declaring Your Intention

Chas Martin — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 18:42:10 -0400

Start: Dec 12 2008 - 12:00pm

Timezone: Etc/GMT

Bring your lunch and join us for a series of engaging dialogues, facilitated by LionHeart Consulting, providing practical tools and insights into the real leadership that is required to implement sustainability.

While it is ideal to attend the entire series, each session will be interesting and informative as a stand alone experience.

December 12 (tentative): Declaring Your Intention – great words are at the source of great accomplishments. When you know the deepest wisdom in your heart is guiding your actions, you are no longer afraid to speak powerfully for a bold future.

These brown bag sessions are free. We will meet in the US Bank Room at the Central Library, 810 SW 10 th Ave , Portland, Oregon. We will begin at noon and end promptly at 1pm.

Building Toward Sustainability, Literally

Jennifer Reid — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 15:18:53 -0400

The Landmark Group of Builders is a residential construction company further comprised of seven individual companies with offices in Edmonton, Red Deer, and Calgary. In the fall of 2008, in collaboration with The Natural Step, Landmark embarked on a journey to identify their key sustainability challenges, key innovation goals to overcome those challenges, and to develop a road map for embedding sustainability into their business. TNS advisor Sarah Brooks commends Landmark for “taking a long term perspective in their strategic planning for sustainability.” She points out that by “benchmarking progress from full sustainability rather than compliance regulations, [The Landmark Group] are taking an approach that is rigorous enough to answer the question “how will we know when we’ve arrived there [at sustainability]?””

To date, TNS has been involved in facilitating the Awareness, Baseline, and Visioning phases of TNS ABCD process. This has been accomplished through a series of workshops and webinars held with various members of senior management and members of Landmark’s Green Team. With support from TNS advisors, Landmark Group of Builders has prepared a baseline analysis of their company. This baseline analysis, along with a governance report drafted by TNS representatives, provided a means for the critical review of the company’s business practices which is integral for strategic planning. In preparation for sustainable action, a draft of a sustainability vision has been created by the company’s internal “Green Team”.

This partnership with TNS is only one of many initiatives making Landmark a strong corporate leader in Alberta. Dave Nasseri, the director and coordinator of the “Landmark Sustainability Initiative”, along with a group of dedicated visionaries, have a number of systems and assets in place from which to build. These programs, such as Landmark’s culture of learning, have greatly contributed to the progress made with TNS.

“Landmark is setting a solid foundation to move towards sustainability in a robust, efficient, and comprehensive way while staying viable in the market”, commented Sarah Brooks; “This is a foundation that will help to shed light on the sustainability journey and provide ‘proof of possibility’ for other construction companies interested in taking a similar path.”

Canada

Building with Bricks - The Co-operators recognized for leadership in sustainability

Marieke — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 15:52:39 -0400

Congratulations to our corporate partners, The Co-operators, who have just been ranked number two among the 50 Best Corporate Citizens in Canada by Corporate Knights!

This is the result of several years of hard work on the sustainability front, led by Barb Turley-McIntyre, Director of Corporate Citizenship.

The Co-operators has been working with The Natural Step since 2006 and has made great leaps towards sustainability ever since. They want to act as a catalyst for a sustainable society and one of their efforts towards this goal is the Impact conference, bringing together youth from across the country to talk about sustainability.

Click on the video below to hear The Co-operators CEO Kathy Bardswick talk about their sustainability accomplishments and challenges.

Source: Corporate Knights

Canada

Bullfrog Power sustainability training: What motivates you to work for sustainability?

Kara Stonehouse — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 09:53:19 -0400

As an Intern at The Natural Step Canada, I was thrilled to get the learning opportunity to attend the Bullfrog Power sustainability training. I really appreciate the dedication we have to learning and mentorship at The Natural Step. On the train ride to Toronoto, I read “The 5th Discipline” by Peter Senge and he says a commitment to learning is a leverage point for organizational success. So it all makes sense!

The workshop for Bullfrog was the first time we offered the sustainability learning course to an organization team all together. This was a great fit for our mission of helping organizations transition to sustainable operations and governance. When the whole team understands sustainability together, it’s easier to move forward.

I really enjoyed the workshop for two main reasons. For one, I got to see a master at work. Chad Park, the workshop facilitator from The Natural Step, was very attuned to the group, confident in his delivery and made just the right changes on the fly to make the workshop poignant for the group. For example, He noticed the group was comfortable in the open area, finishing their breakfast in the beautiful Brassaii restaurant, so he started the first learning activity there rather than at the tables and chairs in the meeting room. It was perfect because the first activity was to talk to the people around you to and discuss “What motivates you to work for sustainability?”

The second reason I really enjoyed the workshop was because of the answers to that first question. I was really impressed with the caliber of the team at Bullfrog power. They each had their own perspective to why sustainability is important from business, social good and environmental reasons.

We challenged them to really look at their value creation for their clients from a sustainability planning perspective and asked them to evaluate how a company would judge their service offering in light of three prioritizing questions:

Does this move us in the right direction, towards our goal?
Is this flexible platform moving forward in terms of technology and financial investment? Can we build on it in the future to reach our goal?
Does this initiative offer a return on investment that works for our business? This can include the social return on reputation and brand value as well as a financial return. It can also include your investment of time and the value you get back from it.

I definitely saw some (low energy consumption) light bulbs springing on over people’s heads as we looked at their offering from a fresh perspective. There were “Ah ha!” Moments as well as “Aw, that’s a downer!” realizations as we challenged assumptions about sustainability. We also shared laughs of understanding and learning. I got to facilitate one of the activities and I was the graphic scribe for others. I learned about the whole process and saw how good a learning course can be! The Bullfrog employees got a lot out of the training and now they are more unified in their understanding and values around sustainability. Watch for the Bullfrog as we leap into the sustainable future!

To learn more about how The Natural Step can help equip your team with the knowledge, skills, and tools to embed sustainability throughout your organization, visit one-day strategic sustainability training.

Canada

Cawthron Institute programme embeds sustainability using TNS framework

Simon Harvey — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 06:32:04 -0400

Starting in April, Cawthron - a high quality science and reasearch institute in Nelson, NZ - will be running a programme to embed sustainability throughout the operations of the organisation. Sustainability has been important to Cawthron since it started addressing specific issues such as recycling, composting and energy saving in 2006.

More recently Cawthron began to actively monitor its environmental impact and set targets to reduce it. However, as Ian Challenger (Sustainable Business Analyst for Cawthron) explains, "there is often a gap between engaging staff in the process and actually embedding sustainability into the core of an organisation so it becomes something that gets done without thinking. This new programme has been designed with this outcome very much in mind."

Using the TNS methodologies and tools, Cawthron is hosting a series of workshops across the organisation to explore and understand core sustainability principles; and then to develop a vision of Cawthron as a sustainable organisation. "The TNS methodology was chosen because it is an easy process for people to understand. A simple process will help ensure that sustainability becomes as central to an organisation as health and safety", explains Ian Challenger.

Initially there will be three workshops run between April and June 2010 but further events are planned for the new financial year so all staff will eventually take part in a workshop. It is also planned to write the project up so other organisations can learn from the positives and negatives of Cawthron's experience.

For further details, contact Ian Challenger at Cawthron Institute.

New Zealand

Cerro Matoso Nickel Mine, Colombia

Scott Grierson — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 02:12:22 -0500

The Cerro Matoso operations of BHP Billiton Stainless Steel Materials were reviewed from the perspective of the systematic sustainability framework of the Natural Step. It was not an ‘audit’ in the strict sense, as information was provided in an open way and accepted in good faith. However this engagement, conducted in 2003 by recognised global expert in sustainable resource processing and Director of The Natural Step Australia, Dr. Joe Herbertson, mapped progress made to date and explored new opportunities for innovation motivated by the goal of sustainability.

The story of sustainable development at Cerro Matoso is about creating value and building a legacy to be proud of. It is an excellent case study of business success linked to engagement with the community.

Cerro Matoso is a world class ferro-nickel business operating in Colombia under very challenging social and political conditions. Business leadership, in addition to security of their people and infrastructure assets, is founded on pro-active and effective social programs and a genuine commitment to sustainable development in the region. The fundamental approach is to build capability not dependence. Regional health, education and job creation projects are having a restorative effect in the community. They are designed to assist disadvantaged people, those displaced by the armed conflict and drug trade, the rural poor and the unskilled. They have a positive, indirect effect on security, corruption and social inequity in the region.

The management philosophy is anchored in a systems approach to continuous improvement with an inclusive, people oriented culture. A focus on business success is complemented by humanitarian values.

Cerro Matoso is taking a systematic approach to water management, land care and rehabilitation. These are seen as sustainable practices, provided rehabilitation plans continue to be effective. This should be tested at the end of mine life, and in the interim, by measuring the return of species and bio-diversity to rehabilitated areas.

A core sustainability challenge for Cerro Matoso is related to its use of fossil fuels. The kiln-EAF process is very energy and Greenhouse Gas intensive, particularly since a high proportion of the processed material is discarded as slag. Energy conservation and Greenhouse management plans are in place and these will be reinforced by persistent improvements to the process and new developments to increase nickel feed grades and recoveries. Incremental advances alone cannot, however, deliver a ‘sustainable’ outcome that is Greenhouse neutral. A fundamental, whole system approach, that links the sustainability of the operations with the strategy of regional sustainable development, should be explored at least at the conceptual level. Unlocking the full value of the slag is an enormous challenge that may present the innovative opportunity for moving towards the aspirational goal of zero waste and emissions.

For more information on how The Natural Step in Australia can add value in the Resources Sector, please contact us.

Australia

Championing Sustainabiltiy in Your Organization

Kimberley Larocque — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 10:10:58 -0400

Start: Jan 12 2010 - 1:30pm

End: Jan 12 2010 - 2:30pm

Timezone: Canada/Eastern

Bob Willard, (http://sustainabilityadvantage.com/) author of the Sustainability Advantage and other books, will explain how you can champion sustainability in your organization. Learn how to be credible and stay credible, to advance transformational and lasting change.

Canada

City of Santa Monica, California, USA

Chas Martin — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 21:18:42 -0400

A Natural Step Network Case Study

Overview
The City of Santa Monica is located on the western edge of the Los Angeles Basin in southern California. It is a small city of 88,000 people within 8.3 square miles that faces Santa Monica Bay and the Pacific Ocean to the west and is surrounded by other urban areas to the north, east, and south.

The City is defined largely by its relationship to the beach and ocean. Not surprisingly, it was degradation of Santa Monica Bay in the early 1980s that first galvanized action on behalf of the environment by citizens and community leaders.

Santa Monica has generally affluent citizens, high property values, and a strong economy based on high technology, entertainment, tourism, and retail. These factors mean that City government has a strong tax base with which to design and implement programs. The City government has approximately 1800 permanent employees in 13 different departments and an annual budget of $365,000,000.

Background on Santa Monica’s Sustainable City Program
Santa Monica’s Sustainable City Program (SCP) grew out of a Task Force on the Environment appointed by the City Council in 1991 to review the city’s environmental policies and programs. Seeing the concept of sustainability as a unifying theme, the Task Force recommended a program to define what sustainability means for the city, develop a plan to get there, and then implement the plan. After substantial public involvement, City Council adopted the SCP in 1994.

The Role of The Natural Step in Santa Monica’s Sustainable City Program
As part of the general land-use planning process required under California state law, Santa Monica began a review and revision of the conservation element of its general plan in 1998. The conservation element is one of seven state-required general plan elements. The city used this update as an opportunity to incorporate the systems-oriented, holistic approach of the SCP and to codify the SCP into the conservation element. This strategy would strengthen the environmental components of the City’s general plan because all elements of the plan are required by state law to be internally consistent with each other.

The company hired to help re-write the conservation element, Rincon Consulting, proposed using The Natural Step’s (TNS) system conditions as a unifying framework for the document. This was accomplished by developing four core objectives for the conservation element modeled after the TNS system conditions. Each objective is followed by a set of policies, which were taken from the SCP. The objectives in the conservation element read as follows:
Objective 1: Strive for the sustainable use of nonrenewable and limited resources such as fossil fuels, metals, minerals, and water. Related policy topics include energy, water, and others.

Objective 2: Minimize the accumulation of human-made substances in the water, air, and earth. Related policy topics include water, air, waste, and others.

Objective 3: Preserve the productivity and diversity of nature. Related policy topics include Santa Monica Bay, habitat, and others.

Objective 4: Seek to provide for the range of human needs in a fair and efficient manner, with a priority on meeting basic human needs. Related policy topics include environmental health risks to disadvantaged communities, promoting mixed use development, affordable housing, and others.

Attachment 1 is a sample page of the conservation element; showing objective 1 and specific energy policies. Finally, the conservation element charges the SCP with translating these policies into action.

During the revision of Santa Monica’s conservation element, both the City’s Planning Commission and its Task Force on the Environment received presentations about The Natural Step and discussed using it as the unifying framework. Both bodies enthusiastically approved this approach. City staff have not received any specific training in TNS framework, although the City co-sponsored, with the local Chamber of Commerce, a workshop open to the general public; several city staff attended.

TNS framework itself did not play a role in the city’s sustainability effort until after the latter was well underway. The primary role of TNS has been to provide a conceptual framework that gives clarity, elegance, and unity to what was once a complicated SCP. TNS framework is mentioned only as a footnote in the written conservation element, and there are no references to the framework per se in any SCP communications and marketing materials.

The Sustainable City Program Today
As stated above, the SCP is responsible for implementing the policies of the conservation element of the City’s general plan. It includes the following key elements:
1. Guiding principles (adopted in 1994):
    A. The concept of sustainability guides city policy.
    B. Protection, preservation, and restoration of the natural environment is a high priority for the City.
    C. Environmental quality and economic health are mutually dependent.
    D. All decisions have environmental implications.
    E. Community awareness, responsibility, involvement, and education are key
elements of successful programs/policies.
    F. Santa Monica recognizes its linkages with the regional, national, and global
community.
    G. Those environmental issues most important to the community should be
addressed first, and the most cost-effective program and policies should be selected.
    H. The City is committed to procurement decisions which minimize negative environmental and social impacts.
2. Goals in four main areas: resource conservation, transportation, pollution prevention and public health protection, and community and economic development.
3. Targets and indicators for each goal area. Eighteen targets and indicators spread among the four goal areas allow the City to measure progress. Attachment 2 is a copy of the resource conservation indicators and targets.
4. Periodic review to determine program effectiveness. A bi-annual review identifies accomplishments to-date and obstacles to future success.

Results
The SCP has achieved some impressive results:
Resource conservation
• Waste diverted from the landfill increased from 13.8% in 1990 to 55% in 2000.
• Citywide water use decreased 6.3% from 1990 to 2000.
• Greenhouse gas emissions decreased 5.2% citywide from 1990 to 2000.
• Santa Monica now purchases 100% of its energy from renewable sources, and all facilities have been retrofitted to improve energy efficiency and reduce costs.

Transportation
• Annual ridership on the City’s Big Blue Bus increased 17% from 1990 to 2000. Big Blue was ranked the number one urban transit system in the US in 1997, 1998, 1999, and 2000 (based on a comparative study by the University of North Carolina’s Center of Interdisciplinary Transportation Studies).
• The percentage of City fleet vehicles operating on reduced emissions (natural gas and electricity) increased from 10% in 1993 to 70% in 2000.

Pollution Prevention and Public Health Protection
• Untreated, dry-weather urban runoff entering Santa Monica Bay from City outfalls decreased by approximately 95% from 1990 to 2000.
• Citywide wastewater flows have been reduced more than 14% between 1990 and 1999.
• The City’s Urban Runoff Reclamation Facility (SMURRF) came on-line in 2001. It treats up to 500,000 gallons per day of urban runoff that can be reused for landscape irrigation and indoor toilet flushing at various sites around the City.

Community and Economic Development
• The number of publicly assisted affordable housing units in the City increased by 47% between 1990 and 1998.
• The total amount of open space in the City increased by 10% between 1990 and 2000.
• The number of trees in public spaces increased 8% between 1995 and 2000.

Lessons Learned
• Bring TNS into the discussion as early as possible. Had TNS framework been around when the SCP was developed, it would have helped Santa Monica’s sustainability effort achieve a clarity of purpose and a simpler, more coherent organizing framework sooner. Because the framework is simple and easy to understand, it helps build consensus on the vision of where a sustainability effort is trying to go. It helps people understand the problem and defines a shared goal.

• Start small. The SCP did not try to solve every problem immediately. Instead, it focused on the obvious problems and the low-hanging fruit to demonstrate early success and then used those successes to help sell the next steps. Also, the SCP often took a pilot project approach to an issue that began with a limited scope and resources. If successful, the pilot was then replicated on a larger scale, incorporating lessons learned from the pilot.

Example: Toxics-Use Reduction Program. Santa Monica began its Toxics-Use Reduction Program as part of its effort to reduce its use of hazardous materials. It targeted custodial cleaning supplies because there was a clear risk to both employee health and public health as well as the environment. The process relied heavily on involvement of custodial staff and testing the effectiveness of alternative products. The project resulted in 1) replacement of 15 of 17 cleaning product categories with less-toxic but equally effective alternatives; 2) reduced hazardous materials use by approximately 3200 pounds per year and saved approximately 5% in costs; 3) a set of procurement specifications for custodial cleaning products; and 4) improved morale of custodial staff. Equally important, the custodian pilot served as a successful model that has now been replicated in fleet maintenance, public facilities maintenance (painting, plumbing, and woodworking), printing, and pest management.

• Start where the issues and conflicts are in your community. Don’t try to force people to pay attention to things that are not on their radar screen, especially in the beginning. This is especially true if there is a local environmental “crisis” of some sort: use the issue at the heart of the crisis to begin the process towards sustainability.

• Set specific targets. SCP staff believes that specific targets drove policy change and accelerated action. Targets make the effort more compelling to the public and elected officials. If elected officials adopt the targets, they feel responsible for achieving them. Also, targets demand periodic performance reviews and set in motion continuous improvement.

Example: Bus ridership. The initial target was to increase ridership by 10% between 1990 and 2000. By 1995, however, ridership had dropped by almost 8%. The City Council said this was not acceptable and tasked the Transportation Department to develop a strategy to meet the target. The department started a service improvement program that included hiring a technical consulting firm to review operations and survey riders on what they liked and disliked. This led to improved safety en route and at bus stops, route changes, smaller and larger buses on specific routes, and schedule changes. These changes were implemented in 1997, and ridership started increasing shortly thereafter. By 2000, the City had surpassed its target, with ridership 17% greater than in 1990, and it had been voted the number one urban transit service in the US four years in a row.

• Support from the top matters. SM received support from the top elected and appointed officials early on. The city manager incorporated meeting SCP goals into performance criteria for department heads. This level of support gets all players on board, especially those who may resist the concept of sustainability or change in general.

• Respond to the public’s specific needs. Whenever possible, talk to public audiences about specific problems and the actions needed to fix those problems. People can relate to a polluted bay and the specific actions needed to clean it up; they cannot relate to vague terms like sustainability or The Natural Step.

The Future
City staff do not see any direct threat to the SCP because it has strong support among city leadership, and the city has a strong economic base. Also, the program only has one staff person who coordinates activities with staff in other departments. This keeps program overhead low. Finally, the staff has developed a variety of partnerships with other cities and the business community in support of the program and several other general public outreach tools. The business partnerships include annual Sustainable Quality Awards for businesses that meet certain criteria as well as a Sustainable Works program that provides free technical assistance to local businesses. General public outreach tools include an environmental directory for all city residents; a “Green Map,” which includes, not only parks and green spaces, but also electric vehicle stations, green buildings, green retailers, and other environmental resources; educational programs in schools taught by local nonprofits; a web site; and publicity around is bi-annual progress reports.

The SCP faces three challenges in the future:
1. Resource use in the City is increasing, both generally and on a per capita basis, despite the success of the SCP. This is the result of a strong local economy and a high day-time occupancy rate, which is due to the strong tourism component to the economy and the large number of people who work but do not live in the City (often because they cannot afford to do so). The high day-time occupancy rate also leads to greater regional traffic congestion and pollution.

2. Affordable housing is declining. Teachers, service sector employees, and other middle income earners often cannot afford to live in the City due to high property values and high rental rates. Also, the State of California recently passed a vacancy decontrol regulation that hampers the ability of local governments to control rent.

3. Social equity and economic development concerns should be included in the SCP.
The initial focus of the SCP was on environmental concerns; the program is just now expanding to include social and economic concerns. The City has been doing significant work related to homelessness, seniors, and children and spends more per capita in these areas than neighboring cities. But it is just now starting to formally and explicitly include these areas in the SCP by educating city staff who work on social and economic issues about their role in sustainability and involving them in development of new indicators and targets.

Attachment 1

Source
Interviews with Dean Kubani, Sustainable City Program Coordinator, City of Santa Monica, in November and December 2001.

This case study was prepared by Mike Riley of Conservation for Central Oregon (dba The Recycling Team), Bend, Oregon, for the Oregon Natural Step Network. You can reach Dean Kubani at (310)458-2227 or dean-kubani@ci.santa-monica.ca.us. The Web site for the Sustainable City Program is http://pen.ci.santa-monica.ca.us/environment/policy/. Copyright 2002 Oregon Natural Step Network City of Santa Monica
Attachment 1
Copyright 2002 Oregon Natural Step Network City of Santa Monica

City Shifters - How on earth should we begin greening our metropolises?

Anouk Bertner — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 10:23:05 -0400

How on earth should we begin greening our metropolises?
By asking the right questions, says The Natural Step.

Dave Cieslewicz, the Mayor of Madison, state capital of Wisconsin, US, has a favourite ‘nuts and bolts’ story about sustainability. We could start by asking the right questions.

“We have this huge converted factory, where we store all our 240 buses overnight,” he explains. “There’s a small part of the building where we fuel them up – and, for the comfort of our employees, we’d been keeping that warm.”

What the council hadn’t registered was that they were unnecessarily heating the bus storage area as well. So in 2007 they bought a door – which cost $70,000, but would pay for
itself, through energy savings, in two years.

Like many green solutions, the Madison bus garage door seems so obvious – but, according to Cieslewicz, it didn’t come about by chance. “It was such a simple answer,” he says. “But you don’t get the right answers unless you ask the right questions.”

What got Madison asking those questions in the first place was its engagement with The Natural Step (TNS) in a radical ‘change process’ to guide it towards the goal of ‘sustainability’ – and help it become one of the first Eco-Municipalities in North America.

TNS’s ‘municipal sustainability planning’ is different from your average city-level strategic plan, explains John Purkis of TNS Canada, in that it doesn’t only involve municipal officials. > download the article below to learn more.

This feature was written by Green Futures - a partntner of The Natural Step. Sign up for free online updates from Green Futures.

Green Futures is the leading source of information, opinion and debate on progress towards sustainable development. It is published online and in print for senior decision makers in business, the public sector, environmental organisations and the media. In Green Futures, positive visions of a low-carbon, opportunity-rich future sit alongside a practical 'can-do' approach that is grounded in today's business reality.

Climate and Insurance, The Co-operators

Anouk Bertner — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 12:59:50 -0500

climateandinsurance.org took five minutes to interview Barbara Turley-McIntyre, Director, Sustainability and Corporate Citizenship, The Co-operators Group Limited and Mark Feeney, Vice President, Personal Lines and Packaged Commercial, The Co-operators General Insurance and HB/Coseco Insurance about their work on sustainability at The Co-operators.

Barbara and Mark describe The Co-operators' journey to sustainability, the imputus for their organization's actions and some of the benefits: "Every part of our organization – distribution, claims, facilities management, corporate donations, and government relations – is working sustainability into their strategic plans for 2009 and beyond. Many of these are focused on the environment, but they also involve ways that we can contribute to enhancing the economic and social well-being of our communities and our planet."

Click here to read the interview.

Canada

Climate change lawsuits now asking for economic damages

Regina Hauser — Tue, 15 May 2012 14:05:27 -0400

When our best friends’ first son was born five years ago, I ran to the bookstore and bought a copy of “Where the Wild Things Are,” which remains one of my favorite books. The author, Maurice Sendak, believed that children need to confront the scary and fearsome things in life. And there are a lot of scary and fearsome things facing children these days.

Last year, a group of teenagers filed suit (Alec L. v. Lisa Jackson, et al, C11-02203) in federal court alleging that the federal government was violating its duty to protect the public by not acting to protect the public trust: our land, water and atmosphere. They request injunctive relief requiring the federal government to act to reduce carbon emissions, create a carbon inventory and create a carbon reduction plan.

Last month the judge hearing the case allowed the National Association of Manufacturing and others to intervene. Predictably, the association argued that what the plaintiffs are asking for would cripple industry by dramatically increasing the cost of doing business. It has asked that the case be dismissed.

I don’t know what the outcome of the suit will be, but it won’t surprise me if the case is dismissed. The remedies requested are extremely broad, and it is difficult to imagine a court issuing such an injunction. However, the case is important for other reasons.

First, this case is probably on the leading edge of suits to come. Lawsuits asking for economic damages for health or property damage due to climate change are also being filed in various courts and probably will increase. Litigation is expensive and time-consuming, but can be a vehicle for social change even absent specific legislation: Product liability and tobacco liability cases come to mind.

The manufacturing interests have the argument half right. Addressing climate change will cost current generations of businesses more. What the argument omits is that failure to act costs more as well. This isn’t news. However, when we make economic decisions, future generations and children aren’t represented.

This issue is currently front and center as Oregonians debate whether to bring coal to the Pacific Northwest. In Oregon our one coal-burning plant will be closed in a few years, but we are now debating whether coal should be shipped by rail and by barge to China and India through our ports.

This week I attended the anti-coal rally in Portland and also read about ECO Northwest’s study that barging coal down the Columbia will create new jobs. There simply is no way to reconcile this choice as one that will not have a negative effect on future generations globally.

One of the first things I learned from the Natural Step is “there is no away.” The laws of thermodynamics don’t care if coal is burned in Boardman or in China. It doesn’t matter where the coal is burned. And right now there is no such thing as “clean coal.” If we choose to get on the coal train, we are making a choice that will affect us, our children and grandchildren everywhere.

While at The Natural Step, I worked with many companies that understood the road to resiliency and prosperity in the future is to tackle energy and environmental issues sooner rather than later. Numerous books have been dedicated to the efforts of Wal-Mart, Coca-Cola, Nike and others to make their companies more sustainable. What the teens’ lawsuit highlights is that these actions are valuable, but not enough.

We need policies that apply to all businesses and provide a level playing field. All commerce must internalize the costs of climate action to be fair and effective. We cannot just look at one part of the coal industry (transportation through Oregon); we have to look at the whole industry – including mining, transportation, use and its waste.

If we look at the industry from beginning to end, what are its environmental effects? What are the health effects on communities in the mining areas, the transportation corridors, and the Chinese and Indian cities and towns where the coal is burned? What is the cost of damage to our oceans and our climate?

These costs should be weighed along with the benefits of jobs and value to shareholders. If we only look at the portion of a system that affects us immediately, we will continue to leave monsters for our children to fear.

Regina Hauser is a board director for The Natural Step International and a sustainability consultant. Contact her at hauseregina(at)gmail.com.

source: djcoregon.com

College Housing Northwest, Portland, Oregon, USA

Chas Martin — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 15:51:49 -0400

An Oregon Natural Step Network

Overview
College Housing Northwest is a non-profit organization providing housing for students at Portland State University (Portland State) and Central Oregon Community College. It has 120 employees and approximately $9.8 million in annual revenues.

Background
College Housing Northwest (CHNW) was founded in 1969 by a group of students and faculty members at Portland State. At that time, Portland State was not allowed to have housing on its campus and planned to demolish several apartment buildings and convert them into parking lots as part of a redevelopment effort. Students recognized the need for the preservation of those housing resources and convinced both the University and the State Board of Higher Education to allow them to form a non-profit organization to operate student housing called Portland Student Services. This organization later became College Housing Northwest. Portland Student Services was truly a product of the ‘60s’ culture, which included taking care of the earth. For example, the founding group also formed Portland Recycling Team, which operated a drop site on campus.

CHNW currently operates 1,407 apartments at Portland State and a 108-bed residence hall at Central Oregon Community College. Together they house approximately 1,920 students. CHNW owns 384 of the apartments it operates and partners with the Housing Authority of Portland for operation of 96 units at Portland State. The rest are owned by the two client schools.

Since 1988, Gary Meddaugh has been the CEO of CHNW. Meddaugh came to the job with an extensive background in both business management and earth stewardship. Through the ‘70s and early ‘80s Meddaugh managed a United Methodist Camp and Conference Center that had a two-acre organic garden, solar greenhouse, and vegetarian food program and offered several programs on the stewardship of the earth.

Introduction to The Natural Step
After coming to Portland as CEO of what is now College Housing Northwest, Meddaugh was able to find a model that made sustainability meaningful and workable in a business environment. Through his friend John Emrick of Norm Thompson, he was invited by Dick and Jeanne Roy of The Northwest Earth Institute to attend one of the early Natural Step workshops in Portland. Excited about the concepts and the possibility of building a business model that incorporates a healthy relationship with the environment as part of its business strategy, Meddaugh encouraged each member of his management team to go to a Natural Step workshop.
While the management team found The Natural Step framework to be a meaningful and important way to move the organization forward, it agreed that some outside assistance would be helpful to incorporate the concepts into the business. Russell Barton of Ekos International worked with CHNW over the course of 18 months to develop the vision, the goals, and the strategies to incorporate sustainability into the company.

Implementation of the NEXUS Model
What evolved out of this work is what the company calls The Nexus Model, referring to the nexus of three converging circles: human enhancement, organizational excellence, and environmental sustainability. The Natural Step principles serve as a framework for the environmental component. After the management team and an expanded group of 23 employees developed this approach, it was presented to the Board of Directors, which adopted it with this strategic directive: “Implement Nexus to achieve our mission and be the provider of choice for innovative and eco-friendly student housing.”

The company launched a program to educate all employees and develop plans for making the changes to the organization. It operated with the belief that the fundamental way to make this change successful over time was to focus early efforts on changing the culture, instead of just doing "green" things. Training programs about the Nexus model and The Natural Step were begun first for managers, then all employees. A workbook was created entitled “Solutions at the Nexus: Sustainable Excellence at College Housing Northwest.” The workbook served as the centerpiece of the company-wide training effort. The initial training was four hours long. It covered the history of CHNW; a sustainable vision for CHNW; a discussion of the environmental, social, and political challenges to sustainability; an introduction to operating at the Nexus; an overview of The Natural Step system conditions; and discussion of a company-wide Nexus implementation plan.

To allow wide involvement in the program and achieve early success, the company allowed employees, without management interference, to look for low-hanging fruit throughout the company. An employee Low-Hanging Fruit Team was formed to promote, review, recognize, and celebrate ideas. At the same time, the expanded Nexus group worked on strategies to move the company forward using the Nexus model. When the managers looked at all processes and practices of the company, however, they became overwhelmed. As a result, several adjustments were made.

A senior executive was put in charge of implementing the change. CHNW has found great value in having one person in the organization be responsible for making sure everyone is actually doing things, not just talking about them. That person needs to have management support, must be very direct, and must both engage the staff and work with them to find even better and more appropriate products and ways of doing things. For example, if the painting department group says it is doing well and that it has replaced oil-based paint with recycled paint for certain applications, it can still be challenged and engaged to make certain it is looking deep enough and examining every option for improvement: “Have you considered low/zero-VOC paint?” CHNW appointed Vice President Dan Potter, who had been with the company for 28 years, to fill this role. His new, restructured position includes responsibility for budget preparation, new acquisition start-up, and new construction and remodeling supervision, as well as the Nexus program development.

The company also set up a new annual plan strategy called GAME (Goals, Actions, Measurements, and Excitement). Each year the Board sets overall goals, the management team determines how they will be accomplished, and each supervisor writes a GAME Plan. Measurements include task completion, a key indicators report (occupancy, revenue, HR, statistics, etc.), and responses from an annual customer survey. A group of employees was put in charge of excitement. CHNW found that excitement is one of the keys to keeping the Nexus approach in front of employees at all times. This involves communication both with employees and CHNW's customers--its tenants. The employee team refined a monthly tenant newsletter to include Nexus-type information and added a quarterly employee newsletter that emphasizes Nexus.

The company decided that if it wanted to walk its talk, it needed to do a better job of training. The total training budget—not just Nexus--has nearly doubled, from $25,000 to $42,280. All new employees receive orientation at the start of employment and additional training within the first 30 days. This training, presented by CHNW staff, includes the Nexus program as well as the mission, policies and procedures of CHNW, employee safety, and customer service.

During the first year Potter has focused most of his efforts in the areas of purchasing and energy. He went to each group—paint, mechanical, carpentry, cleaning—and tried to determine where the opportunities were for more sustainable products. He took his employees on field trips to local sources of sustainable supplies, such as Endura Woods, Rebuilding Center, and Environmental Building Supplies; got a copy of Green Specs published by Environmental Building News, and met with painting and cleaning vendors. He then gave his employees the task of renovating an old storage area into a studio apartment using what they had learned. They had a chance to try reclaimed wood, waterbased wood finish, cork flooring, low-flow plumbing fixtures, zero-VOC paint, energy conserving light fixtures, and recyclable carpet. This exercise helped the employees to start thinking differently and gave them positive encouragement.

Potter also formed an energy conservation group that meets once a month to decide what projects to undertake. The company did have an energy audit for two buildings by the gas utility, but Potter found that it’s more helpful to have his in-house experts make suggestions and determine pay-back times. When a project is complex, he hires an outside engineer to help make a decision.

Initial Results
The first year of the program resulted in 83 submissions to the Low-Hanging Fruit Team. Approximately 55 percent of them met the Nexus test, as determined by the team and the appropriate department supervisor, and were implemented. They were primarily small steps such as using double-sided copies, increasing all forms of recycling from broken window glass to office paper, using e-mail instead of paper, replacing paper dishes with reusable ceramic ones, being aware of energy and resource usage, etc. From these initial steps, the company realized financial savings of approximately $5,000 a year, but, more importantly, they were the beginning of a change in the cultural mindset. Paint. As a result of extensive research, College Housing has selected a zero-VOC paint. Potter had put together a matrix that considered important factors, such as quality, appearance, environmental impact, odor, and cost, and let his employees test the paints. Sherwin-Williams Harmony best met all criteria.

Cleaning products. Potter met with the company’s vendor Coastwide Labs to request more environmentally sustainable cleaners, and employees tried all sorts of “green” products. They didn’t find any that satisfied them until Coastwide Labs came out with a hydrogen peroxide product that replaces three conventional cleaners. Since that decision, Coastwide Labs has received third-party certification for six “Sustainable Earth” products.

Energy. In the laundry rooms, top-loading washing machines were replaced with more hot-water-efficient side-loaders, saving $15,000 in utility costs. Occupancy sensors were installed in these rooms to turn out lights. LED (Light Emitting Diode) bulbs were installed in all exit signs. And in common areas, the fluorescent bulbs were replaced by more energy-efficient T8 bulbs. Other measures have been carried out in single buildings: an ultra-low-flow shower head retrofit, a switch to compact fluorescents in dorm rooms, and replacement of an electric water heater with a high-efficiency natural gas one.

Water. A water study in conjunction with a doctoral student at Portland State has resulted in a plan to retrofit plumbing fixtures in older facilities that will ultimately affect over 1,000 units. CHNW completed an informal study in three of its buildings to gauge the results of various actions with and without water conservation education. In one building, it made many retrofits to improve water consumption efficiency combined with an educational program for the employees and tenants. In another building, it implemented just the educational program, and in the third (control), it did neither. In the control building and the building with just education, there was no real difference in outcomes. There were significant improvements in the building with retrofits and education.

New student housing at PSU. A 134-unit housing complex to be completed at PSU by summer 2003 is seeking a LEED (a national environmental performance ranking system) silver rank. The architect firm was selected because of its experience in sustainable construction and has considered life-cycle operational costs as well as up-front construction costs. The units have been designed in the European style—with less floor space than traditional American ones. In a closet by the front door will be a space for hanging a bicycle. The building will be so well insulated that computers, lights, cooking, and bodies will provide most of the heat. Rainwater will be captured for flushing toilets and irrigating landscaping. As the water comes through downspouts to the ground, it will be sent through a bioswale for filtering and then stored in an underground tank. Before use, it will be treated with filters and an ultraviolet light. The heat from shower water will be captured and used to heat cold entry water to the hot water tank. Other features include wheatboard cabinets, and low-toxicity finishes.

So far, the financial results include a two percent increase in occupancy (to 97.5%) and $120,000 per year in additional income. The company has saved approximately $10,000 per year from recent retrofits to reduce utility consumption.

The Future
Potter’s next focus will be on carpet purchases, additional energy savings measures, and improvements in residential recycling. CHNW knows that if the recycling system is more convenient (containers close to where they are needed) and more materials are accepted, more students will participate.

Lessons Learned

Prioritize the projects and break them down into manageable pieces. Trying to analyze every system at once was not very effective. It was overwhelming for a small organization not used to taking on things of this scope. Starting out that way was unnerving to some people for a period of time and made them feel as though they were losing.
It is important to understand that cultural change is an ongoing process, and management needs to be consistent in its approach to succeed. Not everyone shares the view that the world is in trouble and that we need to help save it. Not everyone wants to understand that view or make it their first priority. To change the culture, continual training is necessary.
CHNW found there is great value in having a champion to get people motivated, someone who has the responsibility of implementing the vision, whose job is to challenge employees and work with them to find better and more appropriate products and ways of doing things. As this person starts to do things and lead by example, others see what the company is trying to accomplish. Then they have ideas and make meaningful contributions toward the common goal.
Source
Interview with Gary Meddaugh, President, in March 2001 and phone comments from Dan Potter, Vice President, in May 2001.

This case study was prepared by Kent Snyder for the Oregon Natural Step Network in May 2001 and updated by the Network in October 2002.

Creating sustainability change agents within the chemical industry and related value chains

Richard Blume — Mon, 02 May 2011 10:27:28 -0400

Chemicals are the building blocks of life and are used in products all throughout society. The challenges for sustainable chemical use span across industries and multiple value chains, and to make meaningful progress, collaboration is essential. Course partners, Blekinge Institute of Technology and The Natural Step, are therefore pleased to announce that the second Leading Change for a Sustainable Chemical Industry course kicked off on April 28, 2011.

This course is a means to build competence of industry leaders, facilitate value chain dialogue and deliver business results to participating companies. These objectives will be met through online lectures, face-to-face workshops, and collaborative project work between April and November 2011. A key feature of the course is the combination of theory and practice. Participants will learn about scientifically robust methods and will be teamed up with professional sustainability advisors from The Natural Step's global sustainability network for support to apply them in their respective organizations.

This year's course welcomes participants from seven countries (UK, Austria, Sweden, Kuwait, Switzerland, the Netherlands, and Colombia) and various value chains dependent on industrial chemical production. Participating companies include Chemson, Beckers Industrial Coatings, Ernst & Young, the Dow Chemical Company, and DSM. The participants will be trained over several months to become change agents for economic, social and ecological sustainable development within their respective companies.

Blekinge Institute of Technology and The Natural Step developed the original course concept with support from the chemical industry companies Hydro Polymers, Rohm and Haas and Chemson in 2008. The second edition of the course is being organized with support from the Dow Chemical Company. Some of the guest lectures announced for the course include Dr. Karl-Henrik Robèrt and Dr. Göran Broman, both professors at BTH, Bob Willard, author of The Sustainability Advantage, and Dr. Jason Leadbitter, Sustainability Manager, IneosChlorVinyls.

For enquiries about subsequent courses and collaboration opportunities, please contact Treva Wetherell (treva.wetherell [at] bth.se) at Blekinge Institute of Technology, or Richard Blume (richard.blume [at] thenaturalstep.org) at The Natural Step.

Sweden

Dialogue on a Gold Standard for Sustainable Business At The Green Living Show (Toronto, ON)

Pong Leung — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 12:49:53 -0400

Start: Apr 12 2013 - 12:00pm

End: Apr 12 2013 - 2:30pm

Timezone: Canada/Eastern

Does your business see sustainability is a key driver for success?

If so, please join us to share your views and expertise to help shape a benchmark for truly sustainable business performance.

This dialogue is the initial step in The Gold Standard for Sustainable Business project, a collaborative initiative aiming to help consumers, businesses, investors, and employers that aim to support truly sustainable business practices through the decisions they make. During this dialogue we will explore the questions:

•    Why a Gold Standard for Sustainable Business?
•    What are the Pros and Cons of a Gold Standard?
•    What issues do you feel are most important to address in a Gold Standard?
•    How can we leverage existing efforts and work together to establish a Gold Standard?

A complimentary lunch is provided, and seats will be limited to the first 50 registrants.

To register and learn more please visit Dialogue on a Gold Standard for Sustainable Business.

Distance Learning

Anouk Bertner — Fri, 01 May 2009 11:20:27 -0400

Think Globally, Learn Locally

The Blekinge Institute of Technology (BTH) and TNS collaborated to launch a new graduate distance learning course entitled Introduction to Strategic Sustainable Development in 2008. Since then, the course has run several times and attracted students from around the world, from Colombia to Canada to New Zealand to Kenya. The purpose of this graduate-level course is to learn about core concepts in Strategic Sustainable Development (SSD), including a thorough understanding of a structured planning and decision making model for application to real world issues.

The course focus includes:

Sustainability challenges facing today's society, including some of the causes of both environmental and societal problems
The major components of a framework for strategic sustainable development
Independent application of a strategic planning tool (the “ABCD” analysis) in an organization
Foundational concepts of sustainable development, including basic science, economics, organizational learning and strategic management.
Different tools and concepts relevant to sustainable development – participants will apply the SSD framework to describe how these tools and concepts are best utilised.

The course is delivered through pre-recorded online lectures, readings, 2 group assignments, live class webinars, an individual presentation and final exam.

This is a part-time study course worth 7.5 ECTS Credits at the Masters Level. Students should expect to commit approximately 4 hours per week to view online materials and participate in online sessions. Additional worktime is required for assignments and readings.

For more information contact: sustainabilitydistancelearning@bth.se

Edmonton Airports Authority Adopts Sustainability

Jennifer Reid — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 15:43:28 -0400

www.flickr.com

Edmonton Airports Authority recently adopted “Sustainability” as one of its core values and the organization is committed to translating this into on-the-ground actions and results. To support this commitment, Edmonton Airports has begun working with The Natural Step to develop its sustainability vision and build a roadmap that outlines the journey ahead.

The first steps in the collaboration with TNS include internal capacity building around sustainability and an organizational sustainability review. Some of the steps include interviews with senior managers, a survey distributed to all staff, a look at key sustainability trends for the industry and a scan of best practices. This information will be used to inform work with organizational leaders, outlining their vision for a sustainable airport authority and will inform actions in integrating sustainability across the organization.

We will continue to report progress on this project as it unfolds and look forward to sharing some of the exciting developments.

>Visit our blog for updates

Canada

Electrolux

Chas Martin — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 13:14:53 -0400

A Natural Step Case Study

Overview
Electrolux, a global group of about 500 companies, is the world's largest manufacturer of household appliances (refrigerators, washing machines, vacuum cleaners), commercial appliances (refrigeration and laundry equipment), and outdoor appliances (chain saws, lawn mowers, and trimmers). Some of the better known companies in the US include Frigidaire, Eureka, and Kenmore. Today, employees number approximately 106,000 and net sales for 1997 were over $14 billion.

Background
Electrolux began operations in 1901 manufacturing kerosene outdoor lamps and in 1912 designed the first household vacuum cleaner. In the 1920s Electrolux bought AB Arctic, the world's first producer of refrigerators, thereby beginning its history of acquiring appliance and garden/forest-product companies. The Electrolux strategy has been to acquire companies and allow them to operate as individual units. It has become a multi-cultural, flat-management-style company that values cooperation, individual development, efficiency, and the environment.

Introduction to The Natural Step
Prior to the 1990s Electrolux was reactive and defensive about the environment. CFCs were becoming an industry issue, especially after the Montreal Protocol in 1987. The company was trying to find reasons not to change and was pointing to others around the world as worse violators than it. This strategy proved fruitless as the company began to see changes in market forces and demand for environmental goods in the early 1990s.

In 1991 top executives approached Karl-Henrik Robèrt, founder of The Natural Step (TNS), after a customer expressed concern over the use of CFCs (chlorofluorocarbons) in refrigeration equipment. The customer had told Electrolux that the use of CFCs would violate the second system condition of The Natural Step. Because the customer was canceling a large contract for commercial refrigeration units, senior executives had become involved. Through meetings and dialog with Karl-Henrik Robèrt, these executives learned that environmental leadership was the key to long-term survival and the surest way to satisfy environmentally aware customers and avoid unexpected costs resulting from environmental degradation.

As a result of this experience, former CEO Leif Johansson decided to be proactive and to embed environmental considerations into the company's business strategy. In 1992 Electrolux adopted an environmental vision and policy based on TNS principles. (See p. III-8.) Management liked TNS because the framework focused on causes rather than symptoms, could be understood and agreed to by most people, and was not controversial.

Implementing the Environmental Vision
Electrolux adopted a total approach in its environmental efforts. This approach implies an active commitment to the environment in all operations and a contribution from all employees. In addition, every phase in a product's life cycle is evaluated to minimize negative environmental impact and reduce consumption of raw materials and energy. In the words of current CEO Michael Treschow:

"Environmental protection is a long-term question of survival for individuals, companies and society. Activities must be adapted to nature's own limitations in terms of resource use and pollution. Environmental care must be a cornerstone in our operations and characterize our daily work."

To make Electrolux an industry leader, management decided to drive environmental developments in the respective markets rather than just keep ahead of legislation. It established an Environmental Board, with the CEO as chairman, to make decisions on major strategies. All product lines (some 20 divisions) were required to present plans to implement the environmental vision and policy. To advise the Board and to assure implementation of these plans, an Environmental Affairs unit was formed under Senior Vice President Per Grunewald. Integrating environmental and business strategies.

Environmental Affairs establishes minimum company-wide standards for environmental management systems, employee education, measurement, and reporting. However the business units are responsible for carrying out the environmental work. This is accomplished through a network of 70 environmental coordinators who are appointed by and report to product line managers. Through a number of seminars and workshops, Environmental Affairs has raised the coordinators' awareness and helped them create environmental strategies within their business areas.

In 1995 Environmental Affairs introduced the Environmental Change Program as a method of
identifying opportunities and integrating environmental concerns into business strategies. The
initiatives are driven by three forces:

Potential legislation and treaties
Cost reduction opportunities through resource efficiency
Market demand for ecological products

Product-line management and staff explore environmental issues and develop action plans in
three phases:

Analyze the existing situation and draft alternative policies for addressing future environmental issues. Identify the business opportunities that might arise from the proposed solutions.
Develop and implement an action plan from the best business opportunity(ies).
Assess results to be woven into the organization as continuous improvement.

This program determines which environmental concerns receive attention from the operating units. The process helps to avoid disastrous environmental problems and create environmentally superior products.

Life cycle analysis. In the early 1990s Electrolux Research & Innovation performed life cycle assessments on different product groups. It discovered that only about 10% of the total environmental impact of the products occur in production. Most of the impact is generated in the form of energy and water consumption during the use of the product and the emissions and waste once the product is at the end of its useful life. As a result Electrolux chose, not only to become a leader in the development of environmentally sound products, but also to create demand for these products.

It places a strong emphasis on cutting the energy and water needs of its products and making them recyclable. Engineers look closely at the ease with which products can be dismantled and seek to eliminate undesirable materials. Some product lines have begun printing dismantling instructions.

Training
Training of 106,000 employees in over 60 countries has been a decentralized process at Electrolux. Some business units have used TNS directly; some have not. However, the company has developed a training package called Eco Know How that can be used for presentations, group exercises, or independent study. Module one, "Basic Training," introduces environmental issues and then basic principles of building an ecologically sustainable society. In this module the four TNS system conditions are highlighted as the guiding principles for Electrolux's environmental activities. The second module, "Electrolux and the Environment," details the holistic view that Electrolux has adopted. Information includes the environmental strategy and products. Both modules one and two are available to the general public on the company's internet site. Module three, "Environment at Work," provides employees with guidance and examples of environmental work in areas such as purchasing, product development, and distribution.

An important aspect of the training is to demonstrate that environmental management, as Per Grunewald puts it, "has everything to do with business." As individual companies implement their environmental management systems, they are finding that most of the work does not involve the technology or machinery; instead it involves changing people's behaviors and habits.

The plant in Vallenoncello, Italy, when it was seeking initial certification of its environmental management system, trained its employees to see that real environmental quality comes from thinking about plant activity as a continuous process that starts from product planning and continues all the way to disposal and recycling.

Environmental Management System
Electrolux uses an environmental management system designed according to ISO 14001, developed by the International Organization for Standardization. This prescribes an environmental policy, planning, implementation, monitoring and corrective action, and management review. Once a manufacturing facility has a system fully operating, it can be ISO 14001 certified or registered with the European Union's Eco Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS). Electrolux is committed to have an environmental management system in all 150 manufacturing sites around the world by the year 2000. By the end of 1997 approximately 30 had ISO 14001 certification. Another 19 are expected to receive certification in 1998.

Results
Through its total approach to the environment, Electrolux has made many changes to products and processes to comply with the TNS system conditions. Some examples are highlighted below:
To reduce dependence on substances from the earth's crust

A solar powered lawnmower that runs on solar cells
A portable vacuum that uses cadmium-free rechargeable batteries
The use of canola oil, a biodegradable vegetable oil, in its chain saws
Utilization of the railway system (more fuel-efficient than trucking) for 75% of product distribution in Europe
Brush cutters and trimmers that consume 30-35% less fuel than earlier models

To reduce dependence on unnatural substances

Refrigerators and freezers that use no CFCs or HCFCs in the cooling system or insulation
New equipment that replaces the dangerous solvents in commercial dry cleaning. The equipment uses water and biodegradable detergents, but avoids shrinkage by computerized timing, temperature, and moisture controls.
Use of water-based and powder paints instead of solvent-based paints on white goods, resulting in an emissions reduction of 45% between 1992-95 by Electrolux's US white goods company
Reduction of hazardous waste by 95% in 1994 by a St. Cloud, Minnesota plant
An Eco vacuum cleaner containing no PVC
Reduction in discharges of 17 chemical substances by 93% between 1988-1996 in North American factories

To minimize dependence on exhausting nature's biological diversity and ecocycle

A wastewater cleaning system that recycles water within a Nashville, Arkansas weed eater plant instead of discharging it into the sewer system, saving 10 million gallons of water per year

To stop wasting resources and get more out of less

A new dryer that uses a heat pump to cut electrical energy consumption in half
Frigidaire's front-loading washing machine that saves about 18 gallons of water per load
A series of AEG dishwashers using 26 components made from recycled plastic, reducing annual consumption of new plastic by 220,460 pounds
Eco-vacuum cleaners in which 40% of plastic parts are recycled, many large plastic parts are uncolored to ease recycling, and plastic and rubber details are marked for easy recycling
Ovens which use 60% less energy than comparable products
Purchasing policies at AEG Hausgerate that require suppliers to use reusable packaging to the greatest extent possible. Between 1992-94 reusable packaging increased from 45% to
58%.

Environmental and Financial Benefits

Electrolux tracks environmental impacts of production through six key ratios, four of which are related to added value--the difference between total manufacturing costs and direct material costs:
1. Energy cost per added value
2. Energy consumption per added value
3. Carbon dioxide emissions per added value
4. Water consumption per added value
5. Energy consumption per square meter of heated surface area
6. Direct material efficiency--the amount of incoming material compared to the amount in the finished products

The most significant improvements occurred between 1991 and 1994. Continued improvements are more difficult because the easy steps have already been taken and because some plants with old technology have been acquired.

By 1996 the company had introduced four internal environmental performance indicators:

Share of total sales represented by environmentally leading products
Average annual environmental improvement of product range
Increase in recyclability of products
Environmental improvement of manufacturing facilities

Electrolux has been open about the results of its environmental efforts, recognizing that the availability of this information can help fuel further success. The Environmental Affairs unit has produced environmental reports each year since 1994. Senior Vice President Per Grunewald believes that governmental and non-profit education of the general public is not enough. In his view, the manufacturers and marketers are in the best position to persuade consumers to choose environmentally sound products.

The aggressive environmental strategy has been shown to be profitable. Data from 1996 show that the most environmentally sound products generated 3.8% higher profits than conventional products. Electrolux has introduced the first front-loading washing machine in the U.S. Many in
the company were quite concerned they would not succeed because the price is almost double that of other machines. The company advertising has emphasized the better washing quality and long-term cost savings, and the machine got the highest rating from Consumer Reports. Now they are selling more than they can produce.

Lessons Learned
Integration of The Natural Step framework into business strategies has changed the way Electrolux thinks about product design. For example, the company initially improved lawn mowers by adding catalytic converters, and it supported tougher emission legislation in California. Then the designers began to ask, "Why do it this way? What is the basic service?"

As a result of looking at how sheep "mow" grass, they designed a solar mower to work randomly when the sun comes up like sheep do. The design uses an embedded wire to keep the mower within bounds. Currently the model is too expensive. However, Electrolux got lots of media attention, and the few purchasers, such as restaurants and conference centers also got PR value. The company is developing a core competency in this area that it can use in future years when solar cell costs come down.

Sources
1. Electrolux Environmental Reports for 1994, 1996, and 1997.
2. Interview with Henrik Troberg, Product Ecology Manager by Duke Castle and Clem Laufenberg, September 14, 1998.
3. Email from Henrik Troberg, September 29, 1998.

This case study was prepared by Heidi Owens for the Natural Step Network.

Embedding Sustainability into the Culture of Municipal Government (FREE Webinar)

John Purkis — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 15:48:43 -0400

Start: Nov 3 2011 - 1:00pm

End: Nov 3 2011 - 2:00pm

Timezone: Canada/Eastern

A culture of sustainability is one in which organizational members hold shared assumptions and beliefs about what sustainability means for their organization, where they are in relation to that, and what they are doing to bridge that gap.

Join us on November 3 to learn more about Embedding Sustainability into the Culture of Municipal Government.

Over the past year The Natural Step Canada, in collaboration with Dr. Stephanie Bertels of Simon Fraser University, conducted research on the activities municipal governments are working on to embed sustainability into their organizational culture. Our team has worked with municipalities from across the country to tailor the approach to the municipal context and distil lessons learned about implementation on the ground in municipalities from across the country.

We’ve worked hard to create a useful resource for municipal governments and practitioners who are supporting them. Our aim is to provide practical guidance for municipal practitioners and organizations, based on leading research, to support a culture of sustainability in municipalities across the country. Download a Summary of Key Findings to date here.

During the webinar you will receive a brief overview of the portfolio approach to embedding sustainability into the culture of municipal government and hear some of the innovative “Best” and “Next” practices municipal governments are working on. Participants will receive an advance copy of our report and we will also provide a brief overview of our newest training offering on this topic.

We are also offering a series of 1-day workshops across Canada for those who wish to add this resource to their sustainability tool belt. Learn more and register today!

Toronto, ON (November 17)
Vancouver, BC (December 7)
Ottawa, ON (February 2012, details TBA)

If you would like to learn more about this webinar, the project, the final report, and/or the workshops, please contact John Purkis at jpurkis(at)naturalstep.ca or 613.748.3001 x227.

We’d like to extend our gratitude to our generous funders, HB Lanarc (A Member of the Golder Group of Companies), ISL Engineering and Land Services and Enerkem, and to all of the participating municipalities for their contributions to this project. Thank you, as well, to the Network for Business Sustainability for their support of practical research to advance the sustainability field.

Canada