Hi Barrett,

See if these answers work for you.  If not, feel free to reply back for further information or clarification.

“1. What are some of the more egregious examples you've come across of a company trying to pass off its products or serves as "green" without actually working towards such a thing in any meaningful way?”

I really don’t want to call out names with this, but one that sticks out to me was the Hummer/Prius comparison that came out a few years back.  Having a background in Life Cycle Assessment, it was pretty disconcerting how multiple traits of LCA were discussed, but no details or apparent consistency between the true functionality of the two vehicles being studied.  I don’t think any executives in the Hummer family have really and truly been working towards a more sustainable world… at least not in the public eye.

“2. What advice would you give to a company that's taking its first steps towards environmental responsibility? Even before taking into account such things as the life cycle assessment of the items and services it uses and sells, are there any simple steps that an organization can follow to get on the right track?”

Start with a general concept, goal or mission around sustainability.  It needs to have support from senior management.  Then formulate a plan of attack.  Start with what is referred to as “low hanging fruit”; those things that are easily obtained and provide fast results.  It helps engage everyone and excite them about what you are doing.  As far as where to start specifically, keep in mind that sustainability has three ‘legs’ to it: Environmental, Social and Economic. If a program is completely uneconomical (no payback and a drain on resources), then it won’t be sustainable.  Today, most people expect companies to have something in place that addresses the following areas:

·         Greenhouse Gas strategy for reductions/mitigation; many are considering this to be standard operating procedure now

·         Energy policy through reductions or efficiency gains as well as a plan to move towards more renewable or alternative energy sources

·         Material utilization including waste management and recycling that addresses office and production wastes; often you see this as a part of an overall material usage strategy with the 3Rs: Reduce, Reuse and Recycle; included in this type of strategy is normally something about bio-based, natural or recycled materials as a means of moving away from virgin materials

·         Employee engagement and well being plan stemming from social sustainability; it is generally accepted that employees that are engaged and are shown that their employer cares will be more productive, have lower turnover, etc.

·         Purchasing policy to address purchasing habits and criteria to aid in using more sustainable materials

I hope this is what you were asking for.  If not, feel free to give me a call of send another email.

Paul

Paul M. Firth

Vice President, Technology

The Green Standard ^TM

Global Sustainability through Products and Practices

243 Hillcrest Circle Chapel Hill, NC 27514 USA

www.TheGreenStandard.org

P: (706) 668-7658

Paul-

Thanks for getting back to me. I had a couple of quick questions for you; would you be able to shoot back a response sometime today?

1. What are some of the more egregious examples you've come across of a company trying to pass off its products or serves as "green" without actually working towards such a thing in any meaningful way?

2. What advice would you give to a company that's taking its first steps towards environmental responsibility? Even before taking into account such things as the life cycle assessment of the items and services it uses and sells, are there any simple steps that an organization can follow to get on the right track?

Thanks again for your time; I look forward to hearing from you.

Barrett Brown