Sustainability: April 2008 Archives
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
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.
Give to the Conservancy's Plant a Billion Trees campaign
www.plantabillion.org
