Business Actions: Sustainable Business Leadership

Sustainable Business Leadership:

Lead your company to triple-bottom line success, delivering profit, social benefits and environmental stewardship

Business for Social Responsibility) Provides information, tools, training and advisory services to make corporate social responsibility an integral part of business operations and strategies. (www.bsr.org)

Coalition for Environmentally Responsible Economies Is a national network of investment funds, environmental organizations and other public interest groups working to advance environmental stewardship on the part of businesses. (www.ceres.org)

Global Environmental Management Initiative Business helping business improve environmental, health & safety performance, shareholder value and corporate citizenship. (www.gemi.org)

GreenBiz.com Comprehensive free information resource for large and small companies seeking to align environmental business practices with business success. (www.greenbiz.com)

The Natural Step Management assistance for making your operations more sustainable (www.naturalstep.org/com/TNS_for_business/)

World Business Council for Sustainable Development) Brings together international companies in a shared commitment to sustainable development through economic growth, ecological balance and social progress. (www.wbcsd.org)

World Environment Center Promotes sustainable development and the efficient use of natural resources in multinational corporations. (www.wec.org)

Climate Change:

Develop your company's strategy to respond to global climate

Business Council on Climate Change Unique collaboration of Bay Area businesses and government which provide technical resources from business peers on how to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. (www.bayareacouncil.org/bc3)

Business Roundtable Climate RESOLVE Seeks to have every company in every sector of the economy undertake voluntary actions to control greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of the U.S. economy.

California Climate Action Registry Helps companies and organizations with operations in the state to establish GHG emissions baselines against which any future GHG emission reduction requirements may be applied. (www.climateregistry.org)

California Climate Change Portal One-stop shopping for information about state action on climate change www.climatechange.ca.gov

Climate Group Advances business and government leadership on climate change (www.theclimategroup.org)

Pew Center on Global Climate Change Research on global warming, its causes and effects, greenhouse gas emissions trends, environmental impacts, and possible solutions. (www.pewclimate.org/)

Sustainable Silicon Valley Collaboration of businesses, governments, and non-governmental organizations that are identifying and addressing environmental and resource pressures in the Valley. (www.sustainablesiliconvalley.org/)

WEF Global GHG Register (www.weforum.org/en/initiatives/ghg/index.htm) enables multinational companies to disclose, monitor and compare their GHG emissions across the world.

Community Engagement:

Give back to the community you operate in by exploring volunteer opportunities for employees and helping those in need.

East Bay Community Foundation Charitable giving programs for Alameda County and Contra Costa (www.eastbaycf.org)

Fullcircle Fund An alliance of emerging business leaders who address public problems through engaged philanthropy and public policy advocacy (www.fullcirclefund.org)

Non-Profit Housing Association of Northern California Promotes housing solutions for low-income people who suffer disproportionately from the housing crisis in Northern California. www.nonprofithousing.org/actioncenter/campaigns/index.atomic

Peninsula Community Foundation Connects people, ideas and resources for the common good in Silicon Valley and the San Francisco peninsula (www.pcf.org)

San Francisco Foundation Leading agent of Bay Area philanthropy (www.sff.org)

Urban Habitat Works in partnership with low-income communities and communities of color to advance social, economic, and environmental justice in the Bay Area region and beyond. urbanhabitat.org/

Volunteer Center The one-stop resource for volunteers and nonprofit agencies in San Francisco and San Mateo counties. (www.thevolunteercenter.net/)

Green Product Design

Integrate sustainability criteria into your material selection, manufacturing process and develop an end-use disposal plan for your product while still honoring quality, cost and functionality.

The Center for Clean Products and Clean Technologies (EERC) Evaluates cleaner products for many industries.

Center for Sustainable Design (CfSD) Facilitates discussion and research on eco-design and broader sustainability considerations in product and service development. (www.cfsd.org.uk)

Chemical Strategies Partnership Works with you to reduce chemical use, waste, risks, and cost through the transformation of the chemical supply chain (www.chemicalstrategies.org)

Green Seal Identifies and promotes products and services that cause less toxic pollution and waste, conserve resources and habitats, and minimize global warming and ozone depletion. (www.greenseal.org)

U.S. EPA's Design for the Environment Program A voluntary partnership program that works with industry to integrate health and environmental considerations into business decisions. (www.epa.gov/dfe)

U.S. EPA's Product Stewardship Program Assists those in the product lifecycle-manufacturers, retailers, users, and disposers-to reduce the environmental impacts of products. (www.epa.gov/epaoswer/non-hw/reduce/epr/index.htm)

Sustainability Reporting:

Encourage stakeholder confidence and investment by reporting on all facets of your operations.

Global Reporting Initiative Assists companies on how to report on economic, environmental, and social performance. (www.globalreporting.org)

Supplier Management & Procurement:

To produce a sustainable product in the marketplace, work with your suppliers to get sustainable materials. Include sustainability criteria in your procurement policies.

Buy Recycled Business Alliance Business membership initiative that develops education and information programs on recycled content of products. (www.greenbiz.com)

Center for a New American Dream Washington based organization that focuses on responsible consumption. (www.newdream.org/procure)

County Green Business Directories For procurement of environmentally-friendly products and services available at: www.abag.ca.gov/bayarea/enviro/gbus/ShopGreen.html

Global Environmental Management Initiative Business helping business improve environmental, health & safety performance, shareholder value and corporate citizenship.

Green Seal An independent, non-profit organization that identifies and promotes products and services that cause less toxic pollution and waste, conserve resources and habitats, and minimize global warming and ozone depletion. Extensive source of information on pollution prevention technologies and implementation, for industry, and businesses. (www.greenseal.org)

U.S. EPA's Environmentally Preferable Purchasing (EPP) program Comprehensive site for designing procurement documents that maximize cost-effectiveness, environmental-friendly, and performance (www.epa.gov/epp/)