Taiga Company – Business Sustainability: Building Your Core

As an avid cyclist and a competitive mountain bike rider, I understand the value of a strong core.  It is the foundation for movement and body stabilization that can be a differentiator from the competition at the finish line.  When it comes to business sustainability, building on a strong core is just as important to the stability of the company.

When you take a first pass scan over a variety of organizations, the differentiating factors that most often jump out are the products and services being provided.   Drilling down further you might find that the true distinguishing characteristics are the competencies that went into the producing them.  These competencies are based on the strength of the company’s core talent.

In our professional consulting, we find that many companies live and die by the quality and effectiveness of their staff.   However, building and strengthening the company’s core in today’s environment takes more than management or the actions of any one person.  Many companies are looking to sustainability as a means to engage the organization and build on core competencies.

•    Company has a genuine commitment to business sustainability that is visible at all levels within the organization.

•    Company has active dialog with key stakeholders on sustainability issues.

•    Company leverages employee eco awareness to engage organization in the sustainable direction of the company.

•    Company promotes a culture that empowers employees to define and make sustainable change in their daily work activities.

Our sustainability consulting works with businesses to understand the value of an engaged  workforce.  By leveraging sustainability as an organizational enhancement, highly effective companies are creating business sustainability cultures with a strong set of motivated core talent.  

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

Magic Carpet Ride for Business

How many of you struggle with sales, growing your business, being profitable, and negotiating pricing with your clients? Anyone out there struggling with this?

 This was a wall post on facebook to which, as a sustainability consultant, I could not resist the urge to reply with a single word answer: sustainability. 

 As far as we are concerned at Taiga Company, business sustainability is the power that fuels the profitable business model of the future.  It makes invisible opportunities –visible, unlikely business partners –allies, illuminates risk not on your radar, and raises the consciousness of the impacts of business choices.

 Sounds like magic.  It’s not.  But understanding what it is might be.  One way to look at it is to ask, what drives profitability in your business?  Cost? Revenue?  Shareholder return?   Business sustainability is best appreciated when viewed through the lens of your business.  Consider how business sustainability programs can help your business to improve sales, grow your business and differentiate your business from the competition. 

 Reduce business cost:
Sustainable business strategies of waste reduction, energy efficiency, and other operational efficiency measures reduce costs and enable competitiveness.   By adding general eco awareness or simply incorporating a few sustainability concepts into and existing supply chain as best practices, companies can proactively address supply stability and quality issues from a different perspective.

 Improve Sales:
Business reputation matters. Developing and delivering commercially successful products and services that build customer loyalty are essential in today’s markets. 
•    Integrate sustainability concepts into product and service development
•    Shift sustainability from a cost add-on to a value driver
•    Change perceptions to build stronger brands
The result: increase sales, new revenue streams, improved brand loyalty.

Stay ahead of the curve:
The Environmental Protection Agency is set to complete its determination that greenhouse gases pose a danger to human health and the environment, paving the way for regulation of carbon dioxide emissions from vehicles, power plants, factories refineries and other major sources.   As a result, it has become critical for many companies to have comprehensive business sustainability strategies to address emissions. 

 Differentiating your business from others comes down to implementing the right actions that will promote growth.  By taking a sustainable business approach, you are positioning your company to leverage sustainability concepts and best practices from across industries to implement specific solutions that deliver targeted value to your business.

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

Wood You Support Sustainable Harvesting?

Wood is one of the most practical, useful and beautiful elements on earth, suitable for everything from building construction to high-fashion jewelry. But, as with any natural resource, exploitative harvesting of wood can exact too great a price.

Rain forests around the world are being destroyed at an alarming rate,  and two of the biggest culprits are timber logging and farming. The solution? Create financial incentives for locals to preserve the rain forest. Luckily, there is growing awareness and a bigger market for sustainably harvested wood. That means wood that’s collected on a small scale by responsible harvesters, or recycled from other products.

When you look for artisan items made from sustainable wood, you support a market for alternative and responsible uses of this land. This also puts talented artists to work, doing what they love.

Here are a few awesome items we found that prove our point: Sustainable wood is fabulous!

Olivewood “S” Bowl and Service Set by Dwelling — No two pieces are alike, as the dramatic and gorgeous swirls of the olivewood are unique to each one. Hand-carved by artisans in Kenya, these sustainable Dwelling pieces make great gifts for weddings, bridal showers, cooks, foodies, domestic divas and anyone who appreciates beautiful wood pieces.

Rainforest Wood and Seed Jewelry by Rainforest Native — This versatile 3-strand bracelet and earrings set can be worn every day and is perfect for women who want to look effortlessly chic. Rainforest Native uses only organic, sustainably harvested South American materials and donates a portion of its profits to charities dedicated to conservation and reforestation.

Sterling Silver and Sathorn Wood Cufflinks by Pineapple Seed — Putting Thai artisans to work in fair-trade conditions, Pineapple Seed combines modern design concepts with traditional Thai artistry. These cufflinks are made from brushed silver and reclaimed sathorn wood in a powerful, masculine design.

Obama Inauguration Jigsaw Puzzles by Wentworth — Highest-quality puzzles made on wood certified sustainable by the Forest Stewardship Council. The images were taken by Paul Morse and the puzzles created by Wentworth in the style of the Golden Age of puzzles with special pieces to match the puzzle’s theme.

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

Four High Impact Areas of Personal Eco Action

In a previous post, A Personal Plan for Climate Change, we wrote that a personal sustainability plan  is about making and sustaining a change in your life that you can be inspired and passionate about.  While passion is a great driver, we have learned that not everyone has the enthusiasm for a sustainable lifestyle plan.  But, that does not discount the other personal drivers that can help create a lifestyle of environmental choices.

The truth of the matter is that one does not have to live a sustainable lifestyle to make a significant difference.  By aligning personal incentives to just a few sustainability concepts, a person could reduce their carbon footprint significantly and almost immediately.  

If you thought about it, making a small change in any one of the following areas would not be that difficult, could make an immediate impact, and could add personal and financial value. 

•    Vehicle Fuel Consumption: Probably the most significant area of personal impact and sphere of influence.  Potential actions include fuel efficiency and personal reduction (commuting, ride share, alternative transportation).

•    Electricity Consumption: By switching to wind or renewable sources, the average family could save the equivalent to thousands of miles driven in a car.  Potential actions include source control (wind, renewable, offsets), home efficiency (energy star appliances), and personal energy management.

•    Water Consumption: Clear fresh water is rapidly becoming an endangered resource in even the most developed countries.  Potential actions include water management (personal use and outdoor watering) and waste water management (controlling what goes down the drain and into the storm drains).  

•    Waste Disposal: A large portion of what goes into the average garbage can is recyclable.  By separating your plastics, glass, and paper, the weekly volume sent to the landfill could be cut by more than half.  Potential actions include inquiring about recycling programs with traditional collectors and locating recycling centers in your area.

At Taiga Company, we encourage our clients to find creative ways to express eco awareness in their daily life.  By making high impact changes that do not significantly alter one’s day-to-day world, the process of incorporating sustainability becomes much easier.  Our eco friendly consulting is here to help define and address the sustainability concepts that are right for you.

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