Sustainability Planning
Sustainability | Corporate Social Responsibility | Business Continuity Planning
Cadiz Design Studio
Architectural design firm, specializing in hospitality. In order to capitalize on the growing demand for sustainability within the hospitality industry, I helped develop a template for sustainability planning specifically designed for hotels. Hotels provide an excellent illustration of the complete sustainability planning process – including the actual design and construction of the buildings, energy reduction measures, interior design and furnishings, daily management and operations procedures, waste management, and the sourcing of the products for gift shops, restaurants, and daily needs of guests.
Marko Foam
Manufactures products made from recycled Extruded Polystyrene (EPS). Although Marko Foam manufactures many products that are already sustainable, we identified various practices and processes they could incorporate in order to augment what they already do, thus solidifying their sustainability efforts. We then developed and wrote a branding narrative illustrating their contributions to surf culture by offering “green” surfboard blanks that local shapers can use to become part of the “green” surf movement.
Akzo Nobel
World’s largest manufacturer of surface coatings. The Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI) Supersector Leader for Chemical manufacturers, Akzo Nobel, contacted Ecofficiency.org to help train their newly formed North American Sustainability Team, showing each team member how to understand sustainability through the Ecofficiency Philosophy. Our seminar – presented over two days – was each team member’s first exposure to sustainability, demonstrating its importance to their corporate philosophy.
“The Slam”
Costa Mesa (CA) community skateboard competition and punk rock show.We coordinated all sustainability aspects of the event; we powered the event with 100% renewable energy, worked with food vendors to eliminate styrofoam and promote eco-friendly products, printed all marketing materials on recycled paper with vegetable based inks, installed manned recycling stations as part of our comprehensive recycling program, and implemented an environmental and sustainability education component.
Planning
Jesse Baker, PhD – Business Sustainability Planning
Understanding the interplay between social and environmental impacts – and their consequences – is a fundamental aspect of understanding how to comprehensively address sustainability. Each business is unique, making it difficult to identify exactly where, and how, to tailor specific practices that appeal to consumer demand for responsibly produced goods and services.
Chrissy Gray – Sustainable Event Planning
Planning events that minimize negative impacts, while maximizing positive ones is a complex process that cannot be taken lightly. There’s a lot to consider: alternative energy, minimizing waste, recycling and composting, connecting with the community, and marketing (branding) without the fear of “greenwashing.” We excel in combining these elements into a plan that enhances the experience, impact, and success of your event.
Process
A well thought out sustainability plan provides the structure necessary to identify – and prioritize – where and how, to implement practices that have long-term positive impacts.
- We first examine the norms and practices of your industry, and their associated impacts
- Then we analyze your business or event, and the upstream and downstream effects that you have, isolating all available opportunities for addressing sustainability through economy, ecology, and equity
- We prioritize all potential sustainability practices, integrating aspects of corporate social responsibility, and business continuity planning
- We design a long term plan, identifying the easiest and most impacting actions first, leading to more detailed actions for the future
- We develop strategies for marketing your efforts in adopting sustainable practices
- We work with you every step of the way, making sure to keep our planning within your vision, capabilities, and budget
Consumer demands for responsibly derived products and services are rapidly increasing. To capitalize on these demands, your business must address this trend; the risk, however, is that if not done appropriately, you will be accused of “greenwashing,” thus leading to a damaged reputation and potentially significant financial loss. Our expertise will keep this from happening to your business or event, while maximizing your return.
For more information, please contact
Jesse Baker
(714) 280-2045
jesse@ecofficiency.org
Chrissy Gray
(714) 369-0128
chrissy@ecofficiency.org
