GREEN
BUSINESS, ECONOMICS AND FINANCE
Business
for Social Responsibility
www.bsr.org
Business for Social Responsibility (BSR) is a membership organization
for companies seeking to sustain their commercial success in ways that
demonstrate respect for ethical values, people, communities, and the environment.
BSR is one of the most respected sources for information on green and
responsible business practices. This site contains information on corporate
social responsibility, business ethics, community involvement, community
economic development, the market place, the workplace, governance and
many other related issues. They offer global resources and membership
information to members, and a free email newsletter to any subscriber.
Canadian
Business for Social Responsibility
http://www.cbsr.ca/
Corporate Social Responsibility: it's a term you'll be hearing more
and more of in the next few years. Beyond the typical greenwashing that
has occurred in the marketplace the last few years, CSR encompasses a
company's commitment to operate in an economically and environmentally
sustainable manner, while acknowledging the interests of a variety of
stakeholders. CSR is determined by an organization's policy and continuous
action in such areas as employee relations, diversity, community development,
environment, international relationships, marketplace practices, fiscal
responsibility and accountability. On an international level, CSR is rapidly
growing among leading corporations. Many governments are beginning to
support socially responsible business practices as a result of the strong
business case for CSR and pressure from investors, customers, suppliers,
employees, communities and activist organisations.
Here's a
list of 10 steps your business can take to become a CSR company:
1. Involve
employees in decision-making.
2. Create opportunities for employee ownership and profit sharing.
3. Promote from within and institute fair and open performance management
practices.
4. Develop an employee volunteer program.
5. Practice the 3 R's - reduce, reuse and recycle.
6. Develop an ethical purchasing policy.
7. Donate 1% of pre-tax profits back to the community.
8. Work in partnership with community groups to achieve mutual goals.
9. Audit social and environmental performance.
10. Be profitable!
Canadian
Environment Industry Association
http://www.ceia-acie.ca/
This site is the home for CEIA the BC Chapter. It contains information
on CEIA, current global news on the environmental industry, and a range
of services for CEIA members. CEIA BC is a voluntary non-profit business
association whose members provide a variety of products and services affecting
the environment. Their missiong is to represent and promote the business
and professional interests of the British Columbia environment industry
in a manner consistent with the objects of the Canadian Environment Industry
Association. CEIA provides a forum for exchanging information in the environment
industry, promotes research and training, develops standards and advises
government on environmental problems and regulation.
Centre
for Small Business and the Environment
www.geocities.com/aboutcsbe/mission.html
This site provides a range of information on greening a small business.
It is supported by the Tides Foundation. It outlines key ways small businesses
can and are profiting from implementing green strategies.
Climate
Neutral Network
www.climateneutral.com
The Climate Neutral Network is an alliance of companies and other organizations
committed to developing products and enterprises that eliminate their
impacts on the earth's climate. The Network's mission is to support the
development of profitable Climate Neutral innovations and partnerships
and to create a new marketplace in which sustainability considerations
are a valuable part of consumer and company purchasing decisions. Through
the Climate Neutral Network, forward-thinking companies can obtain information
to assist them in creating Climate Neutral products and enterprises. The
Network's design principles -- drafted in consultation with leading environmental
groups such as NRDC, the Nature Conservancy and Rocky Mountain Institute
-- can help companies develop a portfolio of projects that are both scientifically
sound, highly credible, and merit broad stakeholder support.
Coalition
of Environmentally Responsible Economies
www.ceres.org
Ceres Network Coalition is a U.S. coalition of environmental, investor,
and advocacy groups working together for a sustainable future by endorsing
and pursuing the CERES Principles, a ten-point code of environmental conduct.
CERES also promotes environmental auditing and reporting for all businesses.
Conservatree
www.conservatree.com
This site contains extensive information on paper. Conservatree is a nonprofit
advocate for ecologically sustainable paper markets, combining environmental
commitment with paper industry and technical savvy to provide practical
tools and realistic strategies for successful conversion to environmentally
sound papers. Conservatree used to be a paper distribution company but
now offers information and some consulting services in addition. The site
contains excellent information on all aspects of the paper industry.
Design
for Environment Guide
http://irap-pari.nrccnrc.gc.ca/english/sustainabledevelopment_e.html
This is an excellent Canadian site that addresses the Design for Environment
approach NRCAN is promoting. DfE offers businesses opportunity to enhance
environmental performance, while simultaneously improving their bottom
line. DfE can also provide a means for establishing a long-term strategic
vision of a company's future products and operations. In general, DfE
is an enabling force to shape more sustainable patterns of production
and consumption. The site offers information, databases, and a step by
step approach to designing for the environment.
EMAS Toolkit
for Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises
www.inem.org/emas-toolkit
The EMAS Tool Kit for SMEs brings together a set of tools proven effective
in helping small companies introduce an environmental management system
and attain EMAS registration. It is the result of co-operation among 14
European organisations which have experience in working with small and
medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and in implementing environmental management.
It offers a toolkit, case studies, downloads, and advice on financing.
Environmental
Management Accounting
www.EMAwebsite.org
This website is intended to be a source of comprehensive information on
Environmental Management Accounting (EMA) for the international community.
An initiative of the new EMA Research and Information Center (EMARIC),
this website will undergo a continuous process of updating and improvement
as additional EMA information is added and new features are developed.
LIBRARY--
The most important element of the website is the Searchable library currently
containing over 170 annotated entries (75 available for immediate download),
including books, reports, journal articles, training materials, case studies.
All items selected to ensure relevancy to EMA.
Ethical
Funds
http://www.ethicalfunds.com/Do_the_right_thing/
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into the investment decision-making process. Socially responsible investors
link financial and social goals, striving to deploy investment capital
in a manner that is consistent with the needs of society and the limits
of ecosystems. This site offers a wide range of information on the Ethical
Funds group that offers a range of funds that meet social and environmental
criteria.
Innovest
Stategic Value Advisors
www.innovestgroup.com
This site is from Innovest, an investment company and the brainchild of
Mathew Kiernan, one of the brightest lights in the strategy/ finance/
sustainability game and the company's proprietary eco-value rating scheme
is one of the few models that withstands scrutiny. This is one of the
best sites to understand the relationship between environmental performance
and financial performance.
SAGE -
Solvents Alternative Guide
www.clean.rti.org
Don't be put off by the name of this site / organization. This American
organization's site contains an enormous amount of information about a
very wide range of materials - not just solvents. It has a searchable
database that contains information on material's physical properties,
coatings, cleanliness requirements, and process information, so you can
find environmentally benign alternatives for materials. It also has a
good links page.
Social
Investment Forum
www.socialinvest.org
The Social Investment Forum is an American website that offers comprehensive
information, contacts & resources on socially responsible investing. It
includes reports, studies, investment tracking, links to related sites,
and access to credible investment advisors. It also includes a valuable
search tool and extensive data bases on banks, credit unions, and other
financial institutions that are investing in a responsible manner. It
also tracks and introduces a range of socially responsible mutual funds
and releases key research into successful responsible investment strategies
that were given the Moskowitz Prize.
Social
Investment Organization (SIO)
www.socialinvestment.ca
This is the home of the SIO, and includes a range of information on socially-conscious
investing. Socially responsible investing is the application of peoples'
values to their investments. It includes all the financial decision-making
processes that are a part of a prudent investment management approach,
but it also includes the selection and management of investments based
on peoples' ethical, moral, social or environmental concerns. In Canada,
assets of socially responsible investments totaled nearly $50 billion
by June 30, 2000. This site includes a wide range of information on positive
and negative investment screening, community investing and shareholder
advocacy. It also includes a list of socially-responsible investment advisors
in provinces in Canada.
Total
Value CreationŽ Website
http://www.cica.ca/index.cfm/ci_id/17150/la_id/1.htm
Total value creation is an ambitious research effort co-sponsored by the
Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants (CICA) that is trying to unlock
the contribution non-financial performance measurement (stakeholder relations,
environmental excellence, etc.) The research has merit and it's a credit
to the accounting profession that they're spearheading this effort.
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