CA World Preview: Carbon Management: The Next Frontier Of Collaboration Between Corporate IT And Corporate Real Estate

The Energy & Sustainability team is very excited to have Michael Jordan of Jones Lang LaSalle on tap at CA World to lead a session on “Carbon Management: The next frontier of collaboration between corporate IT and corporate real estate.” Michael Jordan leads JLL’s corporate energy & sustainability services in the Americas and is the firm’s SVP of sustainability strategy.  Michael is a LEED AP, a six sigma master black belt, and a trained facilitator in The Natural Step sustainability framework.  His current clients include Deutsche Bank, Coca-Cola, Apple, and Pfizer and he sits on the supplier sustainability board for Procter & Gamble.  Michael lives near Portland, Oregon with his wife and 4 sons and took up kayaking last year.

We asked Michael a few questions about his session in a recent email conversation:

Q. Tell us about your upcoming session at CA World 2010.

A. I’m excited to be participating in CA World this year.  Although I am now in the commercial real estate industry, I spent 10 years in high tech in a company called Sun Microsystems (perhaps you remember it).  Long before sustainability was an issue, there were challenges aligning the Corporate Real Estate and IT departments.  And since Sun was basically one big IT department, the opportunities were many.  I thought that although the need for alignment is not new, sustainability does bring it to the forefront in new ways.  Let’s explore this symbiotic relationship.

Q. What are the top 3 things you want attendees to learn from your session?

A. There is no doubt that IT professionals possess core weapons that are important to the battle against climate change.  (Insert your favorite D&D metaphor here if you like.)  For one, I find my friends in IT to be tremendous systems thinkers.  We’ll talk a bit about how systems thinking applies in corporate sustainability and where IT and Facilities fit in the system.

At the end of the day, I’m at this session representing Facilities Managers (and Energy Managers) in corporations everywhere.  We have something to say to you, IT People!  We need things from you.  I can’t promise you bigger offices in return, but if you bear with me, you can improve your power over the planet and perhaps earn some sort of eternal salvation (so you’ve got THAT going for you, which is nice.)  Let’s look at trends in SMART BUILDINGS that can affect corporate networks, not to mention the fact that sustainability is a new driver for employee mobility and mobility has implications for corporate technology.

We will also talk about where all this is coming from.  What’s going on in the outside world and how can IT and Facilities stand together with the right data and information (“right” being what’s needed by our business colleagues around the company).

Q. Tell us about some of the end user cases you will highlight in your session.

At one company, we were exploring energy efficiency opportunities in datacenters and I think we’re still waiting for access to the consumption data.  Elsewhere, we’ve used some great analytical tools to help improve energy efficiency.

I’ll also talk about corporate efforts at managing and reporting energy efficiency programs within the IT department.  What is in this report that makes the CFO read it?

Elsewhere, Facilities is plugging in more devices that generate more data.  We’ll talk about what the devices are that were installed and what else that company would like to have done.
       
Q. What do you hope to take away from attending CA World 2010?

A. I will be there to take the pulse of the community.  Follow my experience on Twitter @thetravellingmj.

Be sure to visit the Jones Lang LaSalle Green Blog for the firm’s take on sustainability and energy topics.

For additional information on the Energy & Sustainability focus area at CA World 2010, visit our topic page here.

For the latest event updates, follow @CAWorld2010 or search for our event hashtag #CAWorld.

 

Background on Jones Lang LaSalle

Jones Lang LaSalle (NYSE:JLL) is a financial and professional services firm specializing in real estate.  JLL manages 1.4 billion square feet of property worldwide.  JLL is an EPA ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year, having saved clients in 2009 about 840 million kilowatt hours of energy consumption equating to 465,000 tonnes of carbon and over $100 million in cost savings across 20,000 facilities.  They have over 500 LEED APs on staff and have advised clients on over 110 LEED certification projects around the world.  For further information visit

www.joneslanglasalle.com

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Is ‘Greenwashing’ Really Affecting Consumer Behavior?

As consumers increasingly scrutinize business actions, they want to see transparent, more credible information on what companies are doing to meet ‘green’ claims. Product and service buyers now expect more information on what companies are actually doing to be environmentally and socially responsible.  This has many out there discussing the growing problem of ‘greenwashing’ .  But is greenwashing really affecting consumer behavior? 

Despite the challenges of the current economy, consumer reports indicate general eco awareness is on the rise and the demand for environmentally friendly sustainable products and services continues to remains high. In fact, the 2009 Cone Environmental Survey found that attitudes toward environmentally responsible products remain strong despite a weak economy.  The results reveal:

•    35% of Americans have higher interest in the environment today than they did one year ago

•    35% of Americans have higher expectations for companies to make and sell environmentally responsible products and services during the economic downturn; and,

•    70% of Americans indicate that they are paying attention to what companies are doing with regard to the environment today, even if they cannot buy until the future.

According to BSR, a leader in corporate sustainability, businesses who engage in greenwashing are putting themselves at risk.  In a recent report published in partnership with Futerra, Understanding and Preventing Greenwash: A Business Guide, people want products that they believe are better for the environment, but they are skeptical of messages when they come in the first person.  When consumers recognize false or misleading information, they are likely to punish companies with less sales.

Leading businesses recognize the growth in eco awareness and are actually leveraging consumer knowledge to their advantage.  BSR outlines eight areas that are becoming expected business sustainability practices for shaping and delivering claims about product environmental attributes.

•    Know your products’ biggest impacts
•    Be transparent
•    Bolster your claims with independent verification
•    Avoid making claims “in a vacuum”
•    Enable and encourage consumers to act
•    Understand your customers and target different market segments in different ways
•    Anticipate game-changing technology
•    Participate in the rule-making

At Taiga Company, we are excited by the fact that eco awareness across all demographics is on the rise, general consumer preference for greener products continues to be strong, and consumer expectations continue to drive the development of more competitive green products.  As a sustainability consultant working with business and individuals to create a business sustainability plan or a more sustainable lifestyle, we encourage clients and friends to make a choice for ‘green’ at the cash register.

Posted via web from 3BL Media, CSR News, and Emily

Blog from Oviya: Welcome to ‘Empowering Sustainability’

This blog post is dedicated to sharing thoughts, ideas and best practices on Sustainability. Here, we will discuss and offer solutions on:

• How to empower organizations with the necessary tools, technologies and best practices.

• How to effectively manage and monitor compliance programs that will enable organizations to realize their goals through transparency, collaboration and credible/verifiable reporting. 

(Organizations include companies, governments, NGO’s and any other public/private entities, big or small, whose operations and actions can impact the sustenance of the planet.)
 
“Sustainability” is no longer just a nice, feel-good buzz word. It has redefined everything – from the way we live our everyday life, to how we conduct business in a global economy, how governments govern and how we treat others. It is imperative that we each choose to face this reality by taking our individual roles and responsibilities seriously. We must get ready to change our un-sustainable habits, become conscious of our actions, and commit to sustainable, transparent and verifiable business practices.
 
“Corporate Sustainability” (the focus of sustainable practices on business) is paramount because of the enormous impact the actions and operations of business have on our world. By adapting sustainable practices into every step of their operations, organizations will not only contribute to a sustainable planet but benefit in various ways such as: preventing brand damage to their brand, gaining brand value, increasing top and bottom line growth through improved public good will and more efficient operations.

Oviya Systems will enable you to:

• Craft well defined goals to achieve sustainable business operations

• Define a compliance program to manage, monitor and achieve those goals

• Use appropriate tools and technologies to effectively implement and transparently manage a compliance program that results in active collaboration and accountability from all participants in the value chain

• Produce and Publish credible and verifiable ‘Sustainable Reports’

The Empowering Corporate Sustainability blog strives to look at sustainability from the organization’s point of view and offers appropriate solutions to address their needs. In order provide the right solution, it is important to understand how organizations perceive sustainability, the challenges faced by them, their beliefs and disbeliefs. While organizations have a moral obligation to conduct their operations in a manner that aligns with sustainable development principles and standards, they are also entitled to benefits that will inevitably result from their commitment to sustainability. These benefits, in turn, motivate them to continue their commitment to sustainable operations. The solution, design, and implementation of any such compliance program should provide clear visibility to those benefits.
 
Here are a few key elements to ponder and discuss:

• How to help companies understand their inherent responsibility towards the planet’s sustenance – without any strings attached.

• How to address company concerns around how the adaptation of sustainable business practices may impact their top and bottom line growth.

• How to address concerns about the initial challenges of incorporating sustainable business practices into existing operations.

• What are the best practices and standards that can help companies create a compliance program and put together a code of conduct and other appropriate specifications that will support sustainable goals?

• How can we ensure that all the partners in a company’s operations (including employees) adhere to established standards and follow them religiously? How can people be held accountable whenever they deviate from the standards?

In what ways can we enable organizations to pick and use appropriate tools and technologies that will effectively manage, monitor and measure compliance toward sustainability goals?

Join us on Facebook

Visit our website

Connect with us on Linkedin 

 
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Splish Splash: 20 Ways to Green your Bathroom

The concept of living a sustainable lifestyle is easy to get but translating the ideas of going green to practical life can sometimes get lost.  Part of our eco friendly consulting is aimed at identifying daily habits that can be altered to meet current needs but also reduce the impact on the environment.  Bathing is a daily activity that offers tangible eco actions that make it easy to translate the concept of going green to living green. 

In our sustainability consulting, we’ve offered many suggestions to go green.  Following are some of our client’s favorites in greening a bathroom: 

1. Go organic with your bath towels.  Consider organic cotton, bamboo, or hemp bath towels.  Favorite sites include: Rawganique and Goodfibers.

2. Keep your feet dry and environment safe with a bamboo bath mat

3. Look for recycled bath accessories: recycled glass soap dishes, soap dispensers and toothbrush holders.

4. Store your shampoo and soap on a bamboo shower caddy.

5. Switch to recycled toilet paper

6. Use an environmentally friendly shower curtain: When it’s time for a new curtain, opt for a green one instead.  Consider organic cotton to recycled plastic, or hemp. 

7. Green your personal care

8. Use your products…until they’re gone (my personal favorite)

9. Choose either a replaceable head or recycled/recyclable plastic toothbrush

10. Use replaceable-head razors instead of disposables

Click here to read 10 more ways to green your bathroom. 

Home to one third of the earth’s trees, the Taiga is the largest land-based biosphere and encircles the globe. Its immense oxygen production literally changes the atmosphere and refreshes the planet. It is this continuous renewal that has shaped Taiga Company’s vision to drive similar change in the business world. Taiga Company seeks to be the “oxygen for your business”

Posted via web from 3BL Media, CSR News, and Emily

12 Ideas for Eco Friendly Promotion

Selecting the perfect trade show product can be time consuming.  Limiting your choices to environmentally friendly promotional products can help significantly. You will be narrowing your search to include only promotional products companies that offer eco friendly promotional products. 

As we have seen in your sustainability consulting, businesses are realizing the benefits of implementing sustainability concepts into their operations.   One way of doing so is by using eco awareness for promoting the company’s name. 
 
The best way to select an eco friendly promotional give away is to choose a product that is appealing as well as functional. 
 
Following are some suggestions offered in our professional consulting practice.  Eco friendly products that can be used as promotional gifts:

• Eco friendly USB flash drives

• Plantable Seed Cards

• Eco Friendly Apparel

• Eco-Friendly Bags

• Eco-Friendly Pens, Pencils, and Notebooks

• Promotional Drink ware 

Many of our clients have preexisting promotional material for their events.  We encourage clients to transition their traditional products to incorporate sustainable concepts in their promotional offerings.
 
For a trade show exhibit: click here to continue reading.
 
Home to one third of the earth’s trees, the Taiga is the largest land-based biosphere and encircles the globe. Its immense oxygen production literally changes the atmosphere and refreshes the planet. It is this continuous renewal that has shaped Taiga Company’s vision to drive similar change in the business world. Taiga Company seeks to be the “oxygen for your business”.
 
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Posted via web from 3BL Media, CSR News, and Emily