As part of our ongoing webinar series, on February 16th the US BCSD and BrownFlynn presented the webinar captured above on the topic of employee engagement. This webinar discusses the importance of employee engagement around sustainability initiatives: basics, benefits and best practices.

Featuring:

• Moderator: Margie Flynn, Principal & Co-owner, BrownFlynn
• Sasha Bailey, Strategic Communications Manager, ThyssenKrupp Elevator Americas
• Cindy Cicigoi, VP Sustainable Initiatives and Facilities, RPM Building Solutions Group
• Russell Shaffer, Global Associate Communications, Walmart

Slides from the presentation can be downloaded by clicking here.

Through donations and Goodwill store purchases, Goodwill Industries of Houston had annual revenues of $55 million in 2010, and currently employs 1300 employees in the Greater Houston area. Goodwill Houston is growing rapidly. In 2011 they opened 9 new stores, and every store means 25 new jobs for the community. Goodwill hires many veterans and employees that most other companies won’t hire due to disabilities or other barriers.

Introductions at the meeting included a welcome of David Wall, The Meadows Group, who has recently joined the project and Valori Ransom, who recently joined Dixie Chemical as their Environmental Manager.

Information about how to use Cirrus™ and an overview of new cirrus functionality was presented by Michael Snyder of Dow Chemical. The ability to post MSDS reports and pictures of materials will help cirrus users more efficiently screen materials. Members can also now sort materials to see what has been posted since their last visit to Cirrus or in a particular time period, e.g., the last week.

Members then explored current synergies, synergies under evaluation, and new materials at roundtable discussions. Topics of discussion included the EPA’s findings on the combination of red mud from aluminum production, waste material from phosphate mining, and fly ash for use in levee construction in the Gulf Coast and Greater Houston area.

Following the meeting, Jim Thompson, Operations Director for Goodwill Houston led a tour of the Goodwill Swain Center, where Goodwill employees perform light assembly work for a wide range of Houston businesses.

The next GHBPS Working Meeting will be held April 18th. Companies and organizations in the Greater Houston area interested in joining the project can contact Susan Fernandes, Project Manager, at fernandes@usbcsd.org.

The meeting, led by the US Business Council for Sustainable Development (US BCSD), kicked off the Louisiana Water Synergy Project, a structured forum providing the opportunity for watershed users to identify water quality, quantity, and storm water management issues in the New Orleans to Baton Rouge Mississippi River Corridor, find solutions that work, and get them implemented. Through this project, the US BCSD seeks to work with local business leaders to achieve tangible water conservation and quality improvements, and establish a long-term water collaboration plan in the region by harnessing collective industry capabilities and interests. In addition, it plans to develop a replicable work process that could be applied in other water-challenged regions.

Susan Fernandes, US BCSD Project Manager for the Louisiana Water Synergy Project, wraps up the Project Kickoff Meeting.

“The opening session of the Water Synergy Project provided the workshop design team with a solid foundation of information regarding industry’s relationship to natural waters in the regional watershed. We are now eager to explore challenges and opportunities of the future of water in Louisiana,” said Dr. Robert A. Thomas of Loyola University.

The meeting was hosted by Entergy Corporation in New Orleans. Steven Scheurich, VP, Customer Service and Commercial & Industrial Accounts, Entergy Louisiana, set the stage for the meeting with opening remarks emphasizing the importance of industry collaboration to get ahead of water management challenges that otherwise could damage the economic viability and attractiveness of Louisiana to both residents and businesses.

The 45 attendees at the February 8th meeting included representatives from the oil and gas, chemicals, steel, fertilizer, and food and beverage industries, other businesses, and regional planning organizations. The project has also raised interest from municipal water management agencies, local and regional planning organizations, and water specialists. Partnerships with governments and non-governmental organizations such as parks and wildlife organizations and water conservation groups, are expected to be added as specific water management strategies are prioritized for action.

In development since October 2010, the project will apply the US BCSD’s facilitated collaborative work process to provide a safe zone where public and private stakeholders can identify issues, find and prioritize alternative solutions, and craft implementation plans for their watershed/region. The project also seeks to build partnerships in the region and has already established a memorandum of understanding with Waggonner & Ball Architects, the lead contractor selected by Greater New Orleans, Inc. to develop a long-term water strategy for the New Orleans region.

Attendees participated in small breakout sessions to discuss water quality, quantity, and storm water issues at their facilities.

“Water management can create a better community, leveraging existing structures for reinvestment in a sustainable city, enhancing safety and insurability, improving urban and environmental quality, and spurring creative industry and entrepreneurship. Community-wide cooperation on a regional scale, including support from business and industry stakeholders, is essential to achieve these aims,” said David Waggonner, Waggonner & Ball.

The project also introduces an innovative financing mechanism that allows participants to pay for energy efficiency retrofits of their water systems with little or no upfront costs. The Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) program was authorized in Louisiana under SB 224 in 2009. While a number of additional development steps are required prior to implementation of this program, the US BCSD’s national PACE collaborator, Ygrene Energy Fund and its banking partner, Barclays Capital, have pledged an initial $100 million to finance viable energy saving projects from project participants.

The US BCSD has a 15-year track record of successful By-Product Synergy and afforestation projects. This track record demonstrates that collaborations can be highly productive, usually grow in value and scope, lasting years, or even decades, and are capable of accomplishing long-term results that generate economic returns while improving the environment and society — the triple bottom line.

The US BCSD is a results-focused non-profit business association whose members work on authentic sustainability projects with industry, governmental and other key stakeholders, www.usbcsd.org. It is part of a network of 60 national councils worldwide focused on actually implementing sustainable development. It is also a partner of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, a global network of 200 international companies with members drawn from 30 countries and 20 major industrial sectors, www.wbcsd.org.

To be one of the 101, individuals were evaluated on:

• Ability to reach a national and/or international audience;
• Ability to create a community of pros with shared interests;
• Current, active participant and contributor as subject matter expert;
• Ability to draw and/or generate national media coverage;
• Personal access to corporate management executives; ability to create, manage and/or change large corporate EHS cultures;
• Personal access to Washington federal safety and health policy makers;
• Ability to influence federal safety and health policy; corporate policy; professional society policy; labor union policy; international policy;
• Ability to start up and/or manage a successful safety-related business; volunteer organization; display of commitment and management acumen;
• Innovation and creativity — development of EHS-related research, theories; models; performance measures; communications products; best practices.

Click here to view the full list.

Fiksel is an internationally-recognized expert on sustainability and resilience, and is currently serving as Sustainability Advisor to the U.S. EPA Office of Research and Development. Since sustainability is a critical challenge in India, the Center for Resilience is currently working with The Ohio State University’s Office of International Affairs to help establish a new OSU Gateway Office in Mumbai, India, scheduled to open in March 2012.

Join with other southern Louisiana business leaders for the Kickoff Meeting of the Louisiana Water Synergy Project. This structured forum provides an opportunity for you to work with other watershed users to identify water quality, quantity, and storm water management issues in the New Orleans to Baton Rouge Mississippi River Corridor, find solutions that work, and get them implemented. Find out what is new about this project, and how participation can provide direct benefits to your company and to the communities where you operate. Key elements include:

• Cross-industry collaboration, where minimal time investment yields high value returns
• Industry connection to public initiatives, creating a voice for industry
• Innovative financing for water system energy efficiency retrofits

Click Here to RSVP Now!

Preliminary Agenda

This is a project where participants set the agenda, because few people know the watershed issues facing Southern Louisiana better than you do.

In the morning, starting at 9:30, you will participate in an interactive session to collectively identify watershed concerns and challenges in a facilitated but open discussion with other project participants. These are issues that everyone deals with, including water sources, use and disposition, regulations and other limitations.

After lunch, we’ll reconvene to discuss how the project will work and answer your questions. We will also provide details about how you can access private financing through a comprehensive PACE program to pay for energy efficiency retrofits to your water systems. The meeting will adjourn at 2:00pm.

Meeting Logistics

Date: February 8, 2012; 9:30 – 2:00pm

Location:
Entergy Corporation
639 Loyola Avenue
New Orleans, Louisiana

Click here for more information on the Water Synergy Project.

Please click here to RSVP now!

Date:
Wednesday, January 18th, 2012
8:30am – 12:00pm

Location:
Goodwill Industries of Houston
1140 W Loop N
Houston, TX 77055
Onsite Contact: Jim Thompson, 832.978.5037
Click here for directions.

Agenda:
8:30 – 9:00 | Networking
9:00 – 9:10 | Welcome from Goodwill, Steve Lufburrow, CEO
9:10 – 9:30 | US BCSD News and Updates
9:30 – 9:45 | Cirrus Updates & Best Practices, Michael Snyder, Dow Chemical
9:45 – 11:15 | New Synergy Ideas: Interactive Discussion and Working Groups
11:15 – 11:30 | Wrap Up and Next Steps
11:30 – 12:00 | Tour of Goodwill Swain Center

For more information, contact Susan Fernandes, Project Manager, at fernandes@usbcsd.org.

Please click here to RSVP now!

Following a Safety Moment and summary of the Baker Hughes facility by Melanie Brook-Lander and Eric Murray, we heard comments about current synergies from all attendees. Michael Snyder of Dow Chemical, who was attending for the first time, gave a summary of the company’s five facilities in the Houston area as well as potential synergy opportunities.

Larry Covert, Alternative Fuels Manager, CEMEX made a presentation about the New Braunfels, TX Kiln Alternative Fuels Operations that have now been significantly expanded following receipt of a modified permit from TCEQ. This facility is now permitted to receive: Tire-derived Fuel (TDF), Wood-derived Fuel; Refuse-derived Fuel; bio solids; agricultural wastes and dedicated energy crops like sorghum; and other alternative fuels.

Following the general discussion, working groups separated to continue development on current and new synergy opportunities. The Recyclables Working Group, for example, introduced how a sample of the plastic sheathing used in Baker Hughes’ cables is currently under evaluation by CEMEX. The group also discussed alternatives for shredding baled textiles from Goodwill so they can be used by CEMEX as an alternative fuel. An action item was to identify additional quantities of similar materials, like oily rags, to justify purchase of a shredder. The Chemicals Working Group identified several synergy opportunities in individual meetings and focused their general discussion on strategies to increase company participation in the Greater Houston BPS project.

Following the working groups, Kieran Sikdar and Susan Fernandes presented to the group a number of new additional projects being tackled by the US BCSD. This included highlights from our Fall Meeting and an overview of comments the Business Council recently submitted to the EPA in response to the proposed changes to the definition of solid waste. Comments can be accessed by clicking here.

The meeting ended with a tour of the Baker Hughes waste management area, led by Eric Murray.

The next GHBPS working meeting will be held at Goodwill Industries of Houston on Wednesday, January 18, 2012. Contact Susan Fernandes, Project Manager, at fernandes@usbcsd.org if you’re interested in attending.

The highly successful network was started in 2006 by the Chicago Manufacturing Center and the US BCSD in partnership with the City of Chicago Department of Environment, the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, and US EPA Region 5.

When the Network was launched in 2006 it had the objective of identifying and facilitating waste exchanges that would result in cost savings to participating businesses. The US BCSD has expanded upon the former model by proposing integration of an innovative private sector financing model for viable energy-saving synergies and collaboration beyond waste reduction and reuse to include a broad spectrum of sustainability-related issues that directly impact the Chicago Climate Change Action Plan. The US BCSD intends to create a forum for this collaboration that will meet both in person and on-line, which will link the Chicago Network to other US BCSD BPS projects throughout the US and world.

“We have seen in Chicago and elsewhere around the country that cross-industry collaboration opens the door to a wave of economically viable reuse and efficiency opportunities, resulting in significant job creation and wide-spread economic development,” said Andy Mangan, US BCSD’s Executive Director. “A new accelerator is that we now have a private sector financing model to fund implementation of those viable projects.”

The WTP Network addresses Chicago’s sustainability needs by working together with Chicago area companies, institutions, and City of Chicago departments to identify and implement by-product synergies that reduce waste and greenhouse gas emissions and deliver economic impact.

“The re-launch of the Waste to Profit Network will allow Chicago and the region to improve upon our waste diversion strategies, reduce green house gas emissions, and just as importantly maintain jobs during these rough economic times”, said Karen Weigert, Chicago Chief Sustainability Officer. “We can’t ignore the many success stories that have taken place as a result of the Network. The foundation is in place and we must continue to build on those accomplishments and explore ways to improve the process.”

The US BCSD is a non-profit business association that provides opportunities for its members to work on authentic sustainability projects with industry, government, academia, and other key stakeholders who might not otherwise have the chance to collaborate and network. The projects generate economic returns while improving the environment and society — the triple bottom line. The US BCSD is part of a broad network of 60 national councils worldwide, and is a partner of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, a global network of 200 international companies with members drawn from 30 countries and 20 major industrial sectors.

The US BCSD’s Goals for 2011-2012 Chicago WTP Network include:

• 75 member organizations
• $5MM in savings from landfill diversion
• Reduction of 15,000 tons of CO2 equivalent

Stats regarding the Chicago WTP Network since 2007:

• Over 225,000 tons of solid waste diverted;
• Approximately 0.16 million metric tons CO2 eliminated;
• $20M in estimated economic impact/business bottom line impact;
• Over 45 jobs created or retained.

Previous case studies:

• Glass cullet from Engineered Glass Product recycled into glass countertops by Gilasi/Innerglow Surfaces;
• Mixed contaminated plastics recycled into plastic curb stops used by Department of Fleet Management;
• Diversion of 20,000 tons of industrial bleach from Abbot Laboratories to ArcelorMittal Steel;
• Numerous cases of increased recycling of challenging commodities.

For more information about US BCSD and by-product synergy, please visit http://bps-hub.org