Kurt Kuehn and Lynette McIntire wrote an article called “Sustainability a CFO Can Love” in the April 2014 issue of Harvard Business Review. The article addresses the long standing problems of acceptance by financial professionals of sustainability as producing acceptable returns on investment. I normally find that many of the articles on sustainability that I
Wind Turbines – A Different Breed of Noise?
This article appeared in Environmental Health Perspectives, Volume 122, No 1, January 2014. It talks, initially, about a case where a family built a house just under 5,000 metres from a wind turbine. One of the family members began to experience headaches, dizziness, insomnia and a ringing in her ears. Two years later, the family
Working with Waste – Guideline on Recycling of Solid Waste
This Guideline was published by the South African Department of Environmental Affairs & Tourism as one of a series of guidelines to assist municipalities in the implementation of the South African National Waste Management Strategy. Having said that, the Guidelines have considerable value to other stakeholders in the management of waste. The 62 page, freely
WBCSD – Global Water Tool
The World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) Global Water Tool is a free, publically available resource for identifying corporate water risks and opportunities which provides easy access to, and analysis of, critical water data. The spreadsheet-based Tool includes a workbook (data input, inventory by site, key reporting indicators and metrics calculations), a mapping function
THE WH2OLE STORY- Water and Business: How to avoid the Coming Crisis
THE WH2OLE STORY- WATER & BUSINESS: HOW TO AVOID THE COMING CRISIS This freely downloadable 53 page booklet was produced by Context, a consultancy specialising in corporate sustainability strategy and communications. The PDF version is downloadable here. The publication is light, easily readable and contains plenty of useful throwaway facts to get people’s attention. It
Environmental Ponderings No 3: Does Sustainable Living Come Naturally to Human Beings?
Does sustainable living come naturally to human beings? I was sitting on a long haul flight recently, (I spend a great deal of time on these types of flights and yes, I know, my carbon footprint must be enormous…) looking at the plastic supper tray in front of me, thinking about the enormous amounts of
Environmental Ponderings No. 1: What Can I Do To Make A Difference?
Have you ever thought to yourself, “I’m only one person, I can never get this done/changed/fixed?” Sometimes, the sheer, seemingly, hopelessness of a situation is overwhelming and results in endeavours and tasks never even getting started. Often, the inspiration of what others can do, or have been able to achieve, can provide the nudge to
Carbon Offsets Paper Published For Comment
The National Treasury has published a Carbon Offsets Paper for public comment. The paper outlines proposals for a carbon offset scheme that will enable businesses to lower their carbon tax liability and make investments that will reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This document needs to be read in conjunction with the “Carbon Tax Policy Paper:
Carbon Footprinting Guide
The Carbon Footprinting Guide is published by Nedbank, in collaboration with Stellenbosch University’s Sustainability Institute. The stated aim of the book is to demystify carbon footprint approaches and help readers grasp the main concepts and assist them in carrying out the actual carbon footprint calculations. The Guide is broadly broken up into four sections:- Background,
ICMM Water Stewardship Framework
The International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM) has produced a four page, Water Stewardship Framework, an outline of its members approach to using a shared resource that is an essential part of all mining and metals operations. The framework is built around four key elements: 1. be transparent and accountable 2. engage proactively and inclusively
UNEPLive Knowledge Platform Launched to Fill Gaps Between Data Providers and Consumers
The UNEPLive data searchable website was launched in January 2014. As yet, it is still to be fully populated although it is already searchable, and country data is available. According to UNEP, UNEPLive aims to support the growing demand for substantiated, contextualised knowledge about the environment, and to this end, UNEP has developed rich sets
Corporate Carbon Footprint Tool
The Promethium Corporate Carbon Footprint Tool was designed to do a basic calculation of your carbon footprint based on energy consumption and other data. It offers a tutorial on the use of the Tool with reference to the source documentation. The Tool reports on Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions (The Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Protocol defines
Wind Atlas for Southern Africa
The Wind Atlas for Southern Africa (WASA) aims to assist in the development of large grid-connected wind farms and to provide more accurate wind resource data to identify potential opportunities for off-grid electrification. Mapping has been carried out in the Western Cape, parts of the Northern Cape and the Eastern Cape. More funding from the
The Downfall of the Plastic Bag: A Global Picture
The Downfall of the Plastic Bag: A Global Picture is a thorough and detailed global review of plastic bag usage and controls produced by the Earth Policy Institute. The side bar of the web page containing this article also includes a table of worldwide plastic bag regulations, as well as a number of papers and
Interface – A Company Walking the Talk of Sustainability
Since “sustainability” became a buzzword in the nineties, many companies have “dipped their toes into the water” to varying degrees, to proclaim their commitment to achieving sustainable business practices. However, very few have been really successful and are committed wholeheartedly and completely to the philosophy…and then been able to show the results. One of the
Cape Town City Council’s EnviroWorks Newsletter
EnviroWorks was a biannual environmental publication produced by the City of Cape Town’s Environmental Resource Management Department in collaboration with other City departments. It has been used by many and varied people and organisations to gain, teach and share knowledge on environmental issues, both in Cape Town and further afield. Sadly, the publication is no longer
WBCSD Business Guide to Water Valuation
WBCSD BUSINESS GUIDE TO WATER VALUATION The World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) publication, Water valuation: Building the Business case aims to demonstrate the business case for companies to engage in water valuation. It is supported by a review of 21 business case studies that illustrate why and how different companies have carried out
Global Chemicals Outlook: Towards Sound Management of Chemicals
The United Nations Environment Organisation (UNEP), in collaboration with the Organisation for Economic Cooperation (OECD), the World Health Organisation (WHO) and other organisations of the International Organisation Programme for the Sound Management of Chemicals (IOMC), is developing a Global Chemicals Outlook to frame current understanding of trends in chemical production, use and disposal, economic implications
How Do You “Do” Environmental Management?
During the course of my environmental management consulting work, I have come across a number of situations where it was quite clear that the client had no idea how environmental management featured in his business. That was a hindrance to his deluge of instructions and requirements to me, his environmental consultant. I was not given
RISING ENERGY AND WATER COSTS – FALLING AVAILABILITY AND RELIABILITY – WHAT CAN BE DONE?
It is well reported that South Africa has gone through, and is going through, a number of crises regarding the dependability of supply of electricity and water. This is resulting in abnormal rises in the cost of electricity and water. Past and present political interference halted or delayed development and implementation of long term strategies
ICMM Launches Materials Stewardship Toolkit
The UK-based International Council on Mining & Minerals (ICMM) has launched an on-line toolkit on materials stewardship, incorporating industry specific tools and case studies of materials stewardship in practice. The Toolkit complements the previously published ICMM Guidance document, Maximising Value: Guidance on implementing materials stewardship in the minerals and metals value chain. The Guidance document
Inquiry into the Design of a Sustainable Financial System
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) used the World Economic Forum meeting in Davos, Switzerland, as a platform to launch an inquiry into policy options for guiding the global financial system to invest in the transition to a green economy. Mobilising the world’s capital is seen as an essential part of the transition to a
UNEP Green Economy Initiative
UNEP Green Economy Initiative UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme) has developed a working definition of a green economy as one that results in improved human well-being and social equity, while significantly reducing environmental risks and ecological scarcities. In its simplest expression, a green economy can be thought of as one which is low carbon, resource
Finding out about Environmental Management & Sustainability Tools
The Global Environmental Management Initiative (GEMI) has been around for over 20 years and describes itself as follows:- “…an organization of leading companies dedicated to foster global environmental, health and safety (EHS) and sustainability excellence through the sharing of tools and information to help business achieve environmental sustainability excellence.”
GEO-5 For Business – Impacts of a Changing Environment on The Corporate Sector
UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme) has long recognised the importance of Business in contributing to the sound management of the environment and has established many programs and published guides to help in this area.