The Business Guide to Sustainability: Practical Strategies and Tools for Organizations

First edition:
Winner of Choice Magazine - Outstanding Academic Titles for 2007

Sustainability promises both reduced environmental impacts and real cash savings for any organization - be it a business, non-profit/NGO or government department. This easy-to-use manual has been written by top business consultants specifically to help managers, business owners, organizational leaders and aspiring environmental managers/sustainability coordinators to improve their organization's environmental, social and economic performance.

The authors demystify 'sustainability', untangle the plethora of sustainability frameworks, tools and practices, and make it easy for the average person in any organization to move towards sustainability. Organized by sector (manufacturing, services and office operations, and government) and common organizational functions (senior management, facilities, human resources, purchasing, environmental affairs and compliance, marketing and public relations, and finance and accounting), the authors show how organizations can incorporate sustainability into their everyday work through the application of useful tools and self-assessments.

This fully updated edition includes a new chapter on information and communication technology (ICT). The authors have also added many new facts, stories, practices and resources throughout the book to keep up with this rapidly emerging field and have updated their widely used SCORE sustainability assessment.

Darcy Hitchcock and Marsha Willard, principals of the sustainability consulting firm AXIS Performance Advisors (based in Portland, Oregon, USA) also co-founded and help manage the International Society of Sustainability Professionals. They both teach in Bainbridge Graduate Institute's MBA in Sustainable Business and are the authors of The Step-by-Step Guide to Sustainability Planning.

Part I - Foundation Concepts * Sustainability as a Strategic Issue * Change Agent/Sustainability Coordinator: How to Keep a Sustainability Effort on Track * Part II - Sustainability by Industry Sector * Sustainability in Services and General Office Practices * Sustainability in Manufacturing and Product Design * Sustainability in Government Agencies * Part III - Sustainability by Organizational Function * Senior Management: How to Lead the Sustainability Effort * Facilities: How to Save Energy and Water, Improve Productivity and Reduce Waste * Human Resources: How to Support the Change Process and Bolster Employee Commitment * Purchasing: How to Determine What to Buy and How to Work with Suppliers * Information Technology: Making electronics part of the solution, not part of the problem * Environmental Affairs: How to Support the Move Beyond
Compliance and Eco-efficiencies to Sustainability * Marketing/Public Relations: Whether and How to Promote Your Sustainability Efforts * Accounting and Finance: How to Account for Environmental and Social Impacts