The hyperlink e-zine

 

December 2009: Volume I

 

What is Sustainability in Business?

Sustainable business, or green business, is enterprise that has no negative impact on the global or local environment, community, society, or economy—a business that strives to meet the triple bottom line [people, planet, profits]… 

…A sustainable business is any organization that participates in environmentally-friendly or green activities to ensure that all processes, products, and manufacturing activities adequately address current environmental concerns while maintaining a profit.

Source: Wikipedia -  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sustainable_business 

 

Quote:
“"We are seeing the birth of a new perspective of the world, where ecology and economics are two sides of the same coin."- Leif Johansson

 

Did You Know These California Green Industry Facts?

·         Between 1995-2008, green businesses increased 45 percent, green jobs grew 36 percent while total jobs in the state grew only 13 percent.

·         Employment in Energy Efficiency increased 63 percent from 1995-2008.

·         Employment in Green Transportation has increased 152 percent since 1995.

·         Green Logistics is an emerging field, only in the Bay Area at present, with employment growing by 1144 percent since 1995.      More

From the article:  Next 10 Report Shows Diversity and Distribution of California’s Green Job Growth   

Source:  My Green Education and Career (www.mygreeneducation.com) 

Green-Collar Jobs Overview

Green For All believes green-collar jobs are well-paid, career track jobs that contribute directly to preserving or enhancing environmental quality. If a job improves the environment, but doesn’t provide a family-supporting wage or a career ladder to move low-income workers into higher-skilled occupations, it is not a green-collar job.

Here are some other key characteristics of green-collar jobs:             More

Source: GreenForAll  (www.greenforall.org) 

 

White Paper

“From Challenge to Opportunity: The role of business in tomorrow’s society”

We are publishing this paper at a time of intense debate about the role of business in society, particularly in relation to major global issues such as poverty and climate change. Directions set in the next few years will have profound consequences for future generations, and in such a context, we believe business should be clear about its purpose and candid about its dilemmas…

In this paper we:

·         Set out a model that we believe provides a constructive way for companies to see their role;

·         Put forward what we believe to be the main issues with which companies should engage;

·         Ask some critical questions that companies and those they work with need to discuss and resolve.                      More 

(Note: Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader, www.adobe.com)

Source:  A paper from the Tomorrow’s Leaders group of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (www.wbcsd.org)

The Eight Biggest Myths about Sustainability in Business

GreenBiz.Com article:
In our research, and in engagements with dozens of Fortune 1000 companies, we are sometimes surprised at the reluctance to pursue environmental sustainability initiatives, because of misconceptions about their cost or benefits. But we have also seen how some companies have embraced sustainability whole-heartedly, and are profiting from it.

As a way of helping to get every company on the journey to sustainability, here are some of the most common myths we have heard from otherwise successful companies. As surprising as some of these might sound -- like the idea that there is no money to be had from sustainability efforts -- these ideas persist in companies large and small and in any industry.          More

Source:  GreenBiz.Com – Business Voice of the Green Economy (www.greenbiz.com)

Green Is Good: How Sustainability Grows Your Talent Image

Fran Durekas, Talent Management Magazine, Decenber 2009

Going green is no longer a fad.  Organizations that build sustainability into their daily operations are able to realize significant cost savings as well as improve their image in the marketplace.

Though practices vary greatly by level of incorporation and participation, formal support for sustainable or green policies has emerged as a growing trend as companies look to reduce costs, help support employees’ interest, create a loyal workforce and attract new talent…       More

Source: Talent Management Magzine (www.talentmgt.com)

 

Green Prosperity: How Clean-Energy Policies Can Fight Poverty and Raise Living Standards in the United States

Robert Pollin, Jeannette Wicks-Lim, and Heidi Garrett-Peltier from PERI

…investments in a clean energy economy can significantly drive down the unemployment rate and provide job opportunities to Americans across all skill and education levels. Through increased employment and lower energy bills and transportation costs, the standard of living for low-income people in particular would rise. 

"Green Prosperity" focuses on job creation and the economic impact of clean-energy investments on lower-income families nationally, as well as in forty-one metropolitan statistical areas and Congressional Districts.                     More

Source: Green For All (www.greenforall.org)

 

Resources to Share with Students

Green Education Resources
http://www.mygreeneducation.com/

 

CONFERENCES, WORKSHOPS, WEBINARS

 

NBEA Annual Convention
March 30-April 3, 2010
National Business Education Association - San Diego, CA
Register at: https://www.nbea.org/conferences/annual10.html 

 

BESAC Conference
April 29 – May 1, 2010
Costa Mesa, CA
Registration forms at: http://www.calbusinessed.org/ConferenceRegistrationForm.pdf