Alder Associates Brings Collective Expertise to Business Strategy Development
Written by Linda Kelly
Alder Associates formed in 2001 with the commitment to use combined skills and experience to leverage their clients' success, and bring a seamless combination of knowledge and expertise that enhances clients' thinking, leadership and organizational capability.
As part of their commitment to their own operational success and sustainability, Alder Associates recently joined the CarbonFree® Business Partnership program. We commend Alder Associates for making this commitment to environmental responsibility and thank them for their partnership.
Alder Associates works with clients to co-design fully integrated approaches in which leadership alignment and strategy implementation are dominant and integral threads in the fabric of the business. Alder Associates provides a seamlessly integrated set of capabilities: strategy implementation, leadership development, and cultural transformation.
For more information, visit http://www.alderassociates.com/index.html.
Good Corporate Citizens: MWW Group - Corporate Responsibility Report
Written by Alterra
A corporate responsibility report means that a company is taking responsibility for its actions. More and more we see that corporate responsibility and corporate sustainability are becoming synonymous with each other. And it makes sense – responsibility, sustainability, and accountability are all good business practices and all illustrate a company’s commitment to both the community and planet. To communicate these commitments, businesses often engage in reporting practices highlighting the steps they are taking in corporate responsibility. Sometimes referred to as a Corporate Sustainability Report (CSR) or a Corporate Responsibility Report (CRR), these corporate communication tools have become essential to alerting stakeholders of the recent goals met as well as some of the objectives for the future. In fact, 2011 KPMG International Survey of Corporate Responsibility Reporting finds that 95% of the 250 largest companies in the world now report on their corporate responsibility (CR) activities.
Carbonfund.org partner, MWW Group, takes CR a step further and seeks to be “good corporate citizens” communicating that companies have an obligation to look beyond the walls of their business and into the community and world in which they operate. Earth Day 2012 marked the official release of MWW Group’s 4th Annual Corporate Citizenship Report that highlights the three core areas of their corporate responsibility initiatives which include, working with nonprofits and organizations for the greater good; working with clients to enhance their corporate responsibility and sustainable practices; and a commitment to continuously improve their CSR efforts. This approach allows them to highlight their philanthropy support, their environmental work, and their commitment to leading by example.
“Our 2012 CCR report is an overview of the good work being done by our firm, our employees, and our clients in the communities we serve,” said Michael Kempner, president and CEO at MWW Group. “It is a representation of our commitment to corporate social responsibility. The report demonstrates that we believe our 'Matter More' philosophy makes us not only a more responsible business, but a better business, and that we’re guided by a holistic strategy that not only helps us reach our CSR goals but attain our business objectives, as well.”
To read more about MWW’s approach please visit their CCR Landing Page.
Campus Conservation Nationals 2012 a Huge Success
Written by Linda, excerpted with permissionU.S. Green Building Council and Lucid's Campus Conservation Nationals 2012 inspires college students across the country to compete to reduce their electricity and water consumption
The Center for Green Schools at the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), through its USGBC Students Program and in partnership with Lucid, Alliance to Save Energy and the National Wildlife Federation, is pleased to announce the results of the 2012 Campus Conservation Nationals (CCN) competition. This year, nearly a quarter-million students at 100 colleges and universities across the U.S. collectively saved 1,739,046 kilowatt-hours of energy, equivalent to 2.6 million lbs of CO2 emissions and $157,925 in savings — effectively removing 151 U.S. homes off the grid for a year. This year's results surpassed the original competition savings goal of one gigawatt-hour of electricity. Students also saved 1,554,814 gallons of water, equivalent to 10,300 shower hours.
"When you see a mobilization this large to actively reduce energy consumption and promote sustainability, it's clear that students are tired of waiting around for decision makers to address the issues at hand," said Pat Lane, USGBC Students program lead at the Center for Green Schools. "The individuals we work with through USGBC Students are eager to put in the hard work it takes to see real change set in. The 1.74 gigawatts saved is just the beginning, as our students work to leave lasting sustainable legacies on their campuses and take those experiences into the job market."
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Carbonfund.org Foundation was honored to serve as one of the "teammates" to the 2012 Campus Conservation Nationals and provided a commemorative e-certificate to each participating school recognizing their campus' contribution to averting a cumulative 2.6 million pounds of CO2 emissions during the competition.
Plant-a-Tree for a Greener Tomorrow: An Arbor Day Message from Dell
Written by Alterra
You did it! More than half a million trees planted in the course of five years.
On Arbor Day (April 27), Dell, Carbonfund.org Foundation and The Conservation Fund are pleased to share the success of our Plant-a-Tree Program. Since 2007, thousands of customers have donated more than $2.3 million to plant native trees and restore deforested areas. Trees provide many environmental benefits: they help trap CO2 from the atmosphere, filter water, prevent soil erosion, slow flooding and create habitat for animals. Thanks to your donations to Plant-a-Tree, we’ve helped plant more than 528,000 seedlings, which will trap more than 400,000 metric tons of CO2 equivalent in their lifetime — the equivalent to annual greenhouse gas emissions from 80,228 passenger vehicles*. (*Source: Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies Calculator. http://www.epa.gov/cleanenergy/energy-resources/calculator.html#resul)
“While every individual donation to Plant-a-Tree is relatively modest (it’s only $2 to offset the CO2 emissions of your notebook, for example), we know that even ‘small change’ can change the world,” said Jena Meredith with The Conservation Fund. “With each gift, we can clean the air we breathe and filter the water we drink – and that’s no small feat. It’s something that each of Dell’s customers can be proud of.”
Together with Dell and its customers, The Conservation Fund and Carbondfund.org have used Plant-a-Tree donations to restore 1,629 acres — almost twice the size of New York’s Central Park.
“Each Plant-a-Tree location has tremendous need,” said Meredith. “These lands used to be fertile forests, and they can be again – with your help. Together we can bring these lands, and the wildlife that depends on them, back to life, one donation at a time.”
On behalf of our customers, Dell was pleased to accept an award from Carbonfund.org, in the Lifetime Achievement category of the 2011 For Planet and People Awards. "Carbonfund.org is thrilled to honor Dell for their leadership helping to solve climate change by developing an innovative program that is having real and positive effects for our planet," said Eric Carlson, president of Carbonfund.org. "The ‘For Planet and People Award’ highlights the extraordinary efforts of Dell, their employees, customers and stakeholders to be part of the solution to climate change."
Go to Dell Plant-a-Tree to participate, and share your experience with people so you can help us regrow forests again. Plant-a-Tree is about more than planting trees; it is the connection between people and their environment to create a better world for the present and future generations.
PLANT-A-TREE ROOT REPORT
Small change – big results
Donations: $2.3 million
Trees: 528,000
Tons of CO2*: 409,000
Acres: 1,629
Parks and wildlife locations: 11
*Estimated over 100 years
123RF.com is one of the world's largest players in the royalty-free microstock photography industry. Since its debut in June 2005, 123RF.com hosts over 13 million stock photographs, vector illustrations and stock footage to date, with over 100,000 contributing photographers, illustrators and videographers. The website enable artists to showcase their talent, promote and sell their images to a worldwide audience through a sales profit sharing model between 123RF and each contributor.
With images going for less than $1, 123RF.com is committed to make high quality stock photographs, illustrations and video footage affordable for everyone. 123RF.com also offer its clients the flexibility of acquiring images via subscription plans or credit packages, whichever suits their budget requirements.
Providing the best stock images across various categories that includes wildlife and nature is what 123RF.com is passionate about. Helping to protect and conserve the environment is a daily goal that 123RF.com has set to accomplish in its operations. To make this goal a reality, 123RF.com enrolled in the CarbonFree® Small Business Program in an effort to reduce and offset the amount of carbon that is being released into the atmosphere.
Additionally, the staff at 123RF.com uses recyclable and biodegradable printing papers and has reduced the use of laminated plastics when printing and designing marketing materials. The staff at 123RF.com are also committed to help save the earth by making changes in their working and personal life to reduce energy consumption and waste by re-using what they can and recycling what they can’t. 123RF.com feels that this is just one of the numerous ways of moving towards a greener environment.
"Eager to make a positive change in the world today, 123RF.com is very keen to create a partnership with Carbonfund.org. With Carbonfund.org's main motto being 'Reduce what you can, offset what you can't.', 123RF.com will step up and take the responsibility by repairing the damage caused by our own carbon footprints produced at the office and the daily lifestyle of each staff member. Saving the earth is not an easy task but with the help of Carbonfund.org and other similar organizations that are committed towards environmental conservation, all 123RF.com staff will each do their part, no matter how small – every little helps!" - Stephanie Sitt, CEO
REpower Solutions Delivers Power for People and the Planet
Written by Linda
REpower Solutions helps business owners and homeowners in Northeast Ohio who want to better understand and implement sensible energy solutions to their energy usage challenges. REpower Solutions designs and installs solar electric and wind energy systems, and plans and implements lighting upgrades and electric car charging stations, for residential and commercial customers, and for government and institutional facilities.
REpower got its start when the owner, Erika Weliczko, was investigating renewable energy options as a homeowner in Cleveland. Finding limited options inspired Erika to establish REpower Solutions to deliver realistic renewable energy and efficiency options to Northeast Ohio. REpower currently works throughout the state of Ohio and in the adjoining states as a contractor and consultant.
REpower Solutions is proud to offset the impact of shipping materials and driving to job sites through investing in energy efficiency, renewable energy and climate improvement projects funded by Carbonfund.org. REpower also recycles the waste generated by the construction process from cardboard and wood to metals and Styrofoam, with a goal of minimal waste, and they support their customers' efforts to do the same.
Carbonfund.org thanks REpower Solutions for renewing their CarbonFree® Business Partnership for the third consecutive year.
Sourcemap – The Crowdsourced Directory of Product Supply Chains and Carbon Footprints
Written by Jessie
Want to know what route your orange juice or laptop took from creation to the final product in your hand? Or what's the carbon footprint of your favorite brand of shoes? Check out http://sourcemap.com/. Sourcemap is the crowdsourced directory of product supply chains and carbon footprints.
In 2007, Leonardo Bonanni was looking for a tool that his product design students at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology could use to measure carbon footprints. The most widely accepted method, Life-Cycle Assessment (LCA), is costly and uses complicated software. So Leonardo and his colleagues built a simple carbon footprint calculator that measures every phase of a product’s life: raw material extraction, manufacturing, shipping, use and end-of-life. They referred to publicly available information on the impact of industrial processes and the sources of commodity materials. Students could visualize the life-cycle on a map – a sourcemap – showing where each part comes from and the carbon footprint of shipping it around the world. Another benefit is that if designers have real-time feedback on the impact of their design choices, then they can make more sustainable products available to the rest of us.
The "wisdom of crowds" is a popular Web 2.0 buzzword, popularized by James Surowiecki's book of the same name. Crowdsourcing is an application of the “wisdom of crowds” concept, where the knowledge and talents of a group of people are leveraged to create content and solve problems.
So put your wisdom to use; go take a look at http://sourcemap.com/ and register to contribute or stay informed about Sourcemap’s work.
Travel Green This Earth Day with Jetson E-Bike's Special Offer and Donation to Carbonfund.org
Written by Linda, reprinted with permission
Jetson E-Bike, the first affordable, eco-friendly, super stylish electric bike is celebrating Earth Day 2012 with a special free shipping discount on all bikes purchased between April 22- 30.
Jetson will also donate $50 per bike to Carbonfund.org Foundation, a leader in the fight against global warming by creating easy and affordable ways to reduce carbon footprints.
Jetson meets a growing consumer desire to find safe, sustainable and environmentally friendly transportation alternatives. A trend that has steadily increased for both city and non-city residents, with the rapid rise of gasoline prices, continually clogged roadways, expensive taxi fares, and consistently crowded and expensive public transportation.
The electric bike requires no license or registration to drive and runs on highest-grade quality rechargeable lithium battery on the market, which allows 40mph on each full charge for 1,000 lifetime charges. The Jetson bike offers both the classic bike and pedal experience with the option of simply “going electric” when and where you want and need it to power up.
With speed up to 20 mph, a forty-mile range per charge and a 500w motor, LCD digital screen and heavy-duty disc brake system, Jetson is safe and legal for urban and non-urban biking.
To activate the free shipping and donation to Carbonfund.org, purchases must be made via http://www.jetsonbike.com or by calling (888) 976-9904, using promotional code “EARTH.”
The Jetson E-Bike is also available in the Summer Catalog of Hammacher and Schlemmer, at the NY retail location of HammacherSchlemmer and online at both Brookstone.com and HammacherSchlemmer.com.
About Jetson: Two friends from New York founded Jetson with a vision to start an environmentally and socially conscious company that would add value to people and their communities. Coming from a background in big business, they decided to leave the rat race and follow their passions. The result is the launch of Jetson, the first eco-friendly electric bike for people of all ages. For more information go to www.jetsonbike.com
