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Join Andrew Winston, co-author of the critically acclaimed "Green to Gold," for a summit of leading innovators who are leveraging sustainability to drive new operating efficiencies, reduce risks and costs, and build stronger ties to shareholders, employees and the communities in which they work.

Welcome to Sustainable Brands International!

Over 100 sustainable brand leaders are already registered and 300 are expected to convene at Sustainable Brands International, December 9-11 in Miami Beach, FL.

What is Sustainable Brands International (SBi)?

At SBi you'll find the antidote to negative world news. A place where change makers gather to share their latest learning and ideas about how to create new business value in today's rapidly changing landscape.

SBi convenes a dynamic mix of big global brands and innovative start ups. Of product designers, sustainability thought leaders and brand communications experts. This mash up people from different market sectors, geographic regions, company sizes and business responsibilities creates one high energy, thought provoking, personally challenging experience that past participants say goes down as among their best conference experiences ever. Its no wonder that past speakers become the first to return as registrants to the next event.

www.sustainablebrandsinternational.com

SAS, the leader in business intelligence, is helping organizations accurately measure and manage their environmental impact. Today's announcement of SAS® for Sustainability Management introduces the first decision-support software platform for proactively identifying innovative strategies that effectively address complex environmental, social, and economic situations while achieving stakeholder objectives.

"While most executives agree that a green strategy is a good idea, few know how to value or prioritize their initiatives," said Kimberly Knickle, Practice Director, Emerging Agenda, Manufacturing Insights, an IDC company. "They struggle with the business case, waiting to implement strategies until outcomes can be predicted more reliably."

According to a McKinsey survey [1] , environmental issues including climate change top the agenda in executive suites worldwide. But measuring and managing environmental impact is difficult, intricate work that stretches across an organization's operations.

Causal relationships connecting issues such as greenhouse gas emissions, use of scarce resources, ethical sourcing and regulatory compliance make it extremely complex to invest in green technology and expand sales of products and services with measurably better environmental performance.

"Lessening our impact on the environment and mitigating the future risk of depleting our planet's natural resources is becoming a priority in shaping every organization's strategy," said Jim Goodnight, CEO of SAS. "With SAS, organizations can optimize business strategies for minimizing risks and costs, developing new lines of business, and improving resource use, environmental or otherwise."

Cisco is using SAS to support its sustainability efforts. "Cisco believes that new innovative technologies and the power of collaboration are keys to achieving our sustainability goals and minimizing our impact on the environment," said Laura Ipsen, Co-chair of Cisco's EcoBoard and Senior Vice President of Cisco Global Policy and Government Affairs. "By partnering with SAS and utilizing SAS for Sustainability Management, Cisco can better prioritize projects and resources that create a positive return for the environment, shareholders, and our employees. The SAS solution will enable us to simulate the impact on carbon footprint, waste reduction targets, greenhouse gas emissions and other goals so we can more effectively predict and manage the impact of our operations on the environment."

SAS for Sustainability Management, based on the SAS Enterprise Intelligence Platform, uses the Global Reporting Initiative framework to report on Triple Bottom Line indicators. These indicators relate to the three spheres of sustainability – environmental, social, and economic, using SAS' predictive abilities to validate strategies, identify causal relationships, forecast improvement scenarios and drive innovation.

The SAS Corporate Social Responsibility Report (PDF) conforms to the Sustainability Reporting Guidelines developed by the Global Reporting Initiative.

In the face of fast growing populations, straining infrastructure, increasing regulation, and long-term drought conditions, water agencies across the country are challenged to deliver a reliable, high quality water supply to their customers. The pressure is not likely to ease.

Based on a survey of state water departments, the U.S. General Accounting Office concluded that 36 states will have “water shortages in average rainfall years by 2010.”



Grappling with other water-related issues, many agencies have decided to delay conservation projects until the public perceives a critical shortage.

According to WeatherTRAK, who draws on years of experience in designing and implementing landscape conservation programs, some agencies face political barriers or consumer resistance to saving water. Past conservation programs have produced largely disappointing results, causing enthusiasm to dwindle.

SUCCESS STORY:  25% Savings

The widespread implementation of low-flow plumbing devices has saved significant amounts of water in the past decade. In Los Angeles, California, the powerful combination of a federal code requiring low-flow plumbing devices in new developments and rebates for installing these devices in homes and commercial sites has reduced water demand by twenty-five percent.

New Conservation Efforts Transitioning from the Indoors to the Outdoors

Water agencies must ensure that their water infrastructure can satisfy peak demand and emergency flow requirements. Peak usage is in the hottest weather period when demand for landscape water is greatest.

Analysis has shown that agency demand curve peaks have been pushed to artificially high levels because landscapes need significantly less water than is typically applied to them.

If landscape water use were efficient, the water infrastructure and supply would accommodate many more customers without costly upgrades. Moreover, customers would pay less for water. The result is a win-win for elected water officials: a more reliable water supply and satisfied customers.

SUCCESS STORY: 45% Savings

Examining current agency programs and past studies data, we see that it is likely that as much as 50% of current landscape water could be saved. For example, in Irvine, California, landscape water conservation programs have reduced commercial irrigation by 45%.

The advantages to landscape water conservation are far-reaching. Not only is the need for expensive infrastructure upgrades reduced, but there are also measurable environmental benefits. Efficient landscape water use yields significant dividends by reducing the tremendous costs incurred in pumping and transporting water.

It is estimated that it requires 10 TO 30% of California’s total energy supply to move water from its source to the regions in which it is consumed (California Urban Water Conservation Council, 2001).

Landscape water runoff contains pollutants from fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides that are now being measured in our lakes, streams, bays, and oceans. Metropolitan Water District of Orange County (MWDOC) conducted a peer-reviewed study that documented the relationship between landscape water waste and non-point source water pollution.

Consumer support can be quickly won through significant cost savings in individual water bills and overall water delivery system costs.

Landscape water efficiency is likely to be a water provider’s cheapest supply of new water.

Weather Based Irrigation Controllers can Save 35% of Landscape Water Use

Based on results of a California pilot program that were extrapolated across a larger customer base, one water district found that the installation of weather-based irrigation controllers would save 35% of water currently applied to landscapes in the service area.

The water district determined that installing the controllers would cost 29% less than securing more water through infrastructure expansion and water purchases.

Indoor water savings have been realized in most communities. But the American Water Works Association (AWWA) reports that 58% of non-agricultural water is applied to residential and commercial landscapes, whereas toilets use just 11%.

Low-flow toilets save water automatically with every flush, but they were a tough sell to many consumers. By contrast, convincing consumers to adopt effective outdoor conservation appliances has been easier because people enjoy spending time in their gardens.


Water district staff reports that water use is actually higher today in new homes than in older homes with comparable lot and structure sizes. This is despite:
1) increased agency conservation programs,
2) mandated installation of low-flow plumbing devices into all homes built since 1992, and
3) use of low water need plants suggested by state legislation (AB 325).

Efficient indoor water use is considered a widespread practice in the area, which points to increased landscape water use, despite conservation measures.

Traditional methods for reducing landscape water demand have proven to be difficult to enforce and monitor, expensive for long-term use, politically unpopular, and, in some cases, actually counter-productive. In light of study results about typical landscape watering behavior, these lackluster results are not surprising.

Study after study has shown that nearly everyone, from novices to experts, over-waters.

Why? Scheduling irrigation requires complex scientific equations that must be calculated daily as local weather changes. The fact is that accurately setting and adjusting irrigation schedules is difficult and time-consuming. Add to that, many homeowners mistakenly believe that the more water applied, the healthier the landscape. It’s time to stop deluding ourselves about the willingness and ability of homeowners and professionals to calculate efficient irrigation scheduling. Water providers are charting a new course for achieving their goals.

Introducing Weather-based Irrigation Management

In 1998, the first weather-based controller was tested for its ability to accurately schedule and adjust irrigation by MWD and the Irvine Ranch Water District (IRWD). Existing residential controllers were removed and replaced with WeatherTRAK-enabled controllers in forty homes. New levels of water usage were compared against historical water usage for the same households.

Following are the results of this study:

• Landscape water use in average water use households was reduced by sixteen percent to twenty-five percent.
• Plant health and appearance improved.
• Water bills were reduced.
• Customer satisfaction was measured at ninety-seven percent.

Homeowners reported that their plants looked as good as or better than they did prior to WeatherTRAK installation, their water bills were lower, and that they did not have to do anything. Participants appreciated the convenience offered by the WeatherTRAK-enabled controller, which fully automates irrigation. This study, which opened the eyes of agency officials, marked the first time a controller was shown to maximize conservation by accurately irrigating in accordance with plants’ varied needs and daily, local weather conditions.

A broad range of studies with varied settings and objectives has proven the benefits of weather-based irrigation management. WeatherTRAK-enabled controllers, now available from The Toro Company, Irritrol Systems, and HydroPoint Data Systems, have been tested more than all other products combined.

One of many programs worthy of note is the California EPA-funded study of the use of WeatherTRAK-enabled controllers in micro-watershed areas. Study methodology tested the controllers in neighborhoods of three-to-four-hundred homes with street landscapes as well as homeowner association common areas and parks.

The goal was to measure the ability of weather-based irrigation controllers to reduce urban runoff and non-point source water pollution through precise calculation of water applications.

The study found that:

RUNOFF in neighborhoods with WeatherTRAK-enabled controllers was reduced by 71%, when compared to control neighborhoods.

Mass  loading of pollutants into the waterway was correspondingly reduced by 71%.

These impressive results led directly to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation providing $1.5 million in rebate funds for Orange County-based water agencies to distribute to consumers who install approved smart controllers.

The ability to broadcast weather-based data (local evapotranspiration, or ET, values) and automate plant-specific irrigation scheduling provides additional benefits, including:

Peaking Management Service: daily, wireless transmission of ET data for maximum water use efficiency.

Rain/Winter Shut-off Service: automated irrigation suspension during rain and the winter season, particularly useful in colder climates.

Drought Management Service:  broadcasting during emergency drought conditions, is a powerful tool for enforcing water conservation.

To read the full explanation of adopting and implementing a new water conservation program for your community, contact WeatherTRAK for their white paper by Tom Ash, entitled, "How to Implement a Cost-effective Landscape Water Efficiency Program".

WeatherTRAK
www.weathertrak.com

There are now compelling commercial and reputational reasons for companies to take a proactive approach to managing their emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs).

A key lesson is that companies seeking to develop their strategies should first analyse their value-at-stake under a variety of scenarios.  Among the objectives that matter most in preserving natural resources for raw materials and support of human life (and other species) are strategies such as:

• Energy performance of buildings
• More efficient use of electricity and natural lighting and ventilation
• More efficient use of materials in buildings and furnishings
• More environmentally effective use of chemicals in maintenance, production and packaging
• Vehicle fleet and transport reduction of miles traveled and emissions produced
• Reduce total number of miles traveled by staff, goods movement and consumers
• Muse of more efficient vehicles and more sustainable modes of transport
• Replace non-renewable sources of energy and raw materials with renewable sources that are sustainable produced.

To increase understanding and awareness of our impacts upon the environment and how we can all reduce those impacts for long term and distributed social responsbility.

The rapid emergence of the carbon market has significant commercial and reputation impacts for companies. It provides a strong rationale for taking a proactive approach to designing and implementing strategies to manage their emissions of GHGs. Over the past decade, ICF Consulting has worked with approximately 50 companies among the Global Fortune 500 to help develop climate change strategies that are aligned with broader commercial and corporate responsibility strategy.

ICF is an International, professional services firm that partners with government and commercial clients to deliver consulting services and technology solutions in energy, climate change, environment, transportation, social programs, health, defense, and emergency management.

RESOURCE:
www.icfi.com

Planting a billion trees is an astonishing number! The Nature Conservancy's Plant a Billion Trees Campaign will preserve and restore Brazil's Atlantic Forest.

The threat is dire. "No tropical forest on earth has come closer to total destruction," says Claudia Picone, an information resource coordinator for The Nature Conservancy.

The Atlantic Forest is a spectacularly complex and biologically diverse expanse of tropical rainforest on the coast of Brazil. Once twice the size of Texas, only 7 percent of the original forest remains—it has been ravaged by ranching, illegal logging, agriculture, and other pressures.

The campaign to plant one billion trees in the Atlantic Forest continues The Nature Conservancy's mighty efforts to preserve the very special ecosystem. According to Picone, "We've finally turned the corner, and people are starting to realize that there are economic benefits to leaving the forest standing instead of cutting it down."

Since The Nature Conservancy's founding in 1951, it has protected more than 117 million acres of land and 5,000 miles of rivers around the world. The group has more than a million members and works in all 50 states and more than 30 countries.

If you want to lend a hand…
Give to the Conservancy's Plant a Billion Trees campaign
www.plantabillion.org

We can't live the same way we've been living and expect different results! We are facing mass extinction of many of the millions of species that weave our natural systems and biosphere. This is serious business and only by facing the pain can we understand deeply enough to change what we are doing TODAY.

What do you do when you see the scope of the damage happening around us today? Getting past denial is step one. This short film will help us face reality.

This is a preview from "Call of Life: Facing the Mass Extinction," a feature documentary now in production.

This is a preview from "Call of Life: Facing the Mass Extinction," a feature documentary now in production. The loss of biodiversity on earth has become so acute that scientists are now calling it a "mass extinction event." The crisis has many causes, all of which are related to human activity. Through interviews with eminent biologists, psychologists, anthropologists, historians, and many others, the film not only presents the facts of the shocking decline, it also explores the ways in which culture and psychology have conspired to determine our collective and individual response to this situation, and how the latest insights into natural systems could help us turn back the tide.

The film weaves biology, psychology, and cultural history into a clear and accessible story of our changing world. The audience is taken into the depths of the human psyche, through the toughest problems of our times and into the cutting edge of what nature has to teach us. The mass extinction is quite possibly the greatest threat that humanity has ever faced. Those of us alive today have been given a choice—one last opportunity to save the diversity of our planet. The decisions we make or fail to make in the next few years will affect the habitability of earth for millennia to come. This is the greatest adventure of all time—with the future of life itself in the balance. Species Alliance