Expanding Your Sustainability Expertise

Welcome, everyone. Last week I presented a webinar, Strengthening Internal Support for Sustainability Initiatives, and I wanted to share the recording for those of you who were unable to attend or want to watch it again. In the presentation, I covered various strategies to engage members of your organization in your sustainability program to drive progress and reach your goals. Following the presentation, I answered some great questions from attendees that will also provide valuable insight on the challenges others are facing and approaches to overcome them.

The video is embedded below, along with links to my website and YouTube channel, where you can find other free resources. My next webinar, scheduled for Tuesday, November 4, will be a brief information session about my upcoming seminar, Corporate Responsibility Revolution: Strategy to Success, scheduled for January 28, 2015. If you have been following along with my program and want to learn more about the significant value this seminar delivers, I highly recommend you join me for this presentation. For more information on the January seminar, you can also visit my website.

I will be attending the Greenbuild International Conference & Expo in New Orleans next week, and I hope to see many of you there. If you are attending and want to connect, send me an email at tad@tadradzinski.com to set up a meeting, or stop by the GreenCircle booth, #1948. I will be speaking on a panel, titled Balancing Act: Sustainable Office Design from Multiple Viewpoints, on Wednesday, October 22, at 11:00 a.m. and Thursday, October 23, at 10:30 a.m. at Saint-Gobain Booth #1423. Find out more about this free education opportunity.

– Tad Radzinski, PE, LEED AP, SFP

Links:

1. My website
2. YouTube Channel
3. Seminar Info
4. Register for the Seminar Info Session 

Meeting Sustainability Objectives with Internal and External Collaboration

Welcome, everyone. Since the October webinar, Strengthening Internal Support for Sustainability Initiatives, will be held next Thursday (October 9), I am releasing both of the lead-in videos today. This series is all about ensuring the success of your corporate responsibility program. The videos, below, and upcoming webinar focus on managing the critical factors that will deliver optimal performance and return on investment.

The first video is about building internal support for your sustainability initiatives. In order to gain momentum, support is needed from all stakeholders, including employees, shareholders, executive management, customers, and suppliers. Executive buy-in is essential for budgetary purposes; but for sustainability to be truly embedded in the corporate culture, it is necessary to engage all employees.

The second video builds upon stakeholder engagement by discussing the importance of collaboration, both internally and externally. Internal collaboration stems from engaging and empowering employees. Getting everyone involved helps foster unique perspectives and innovation to meet organizational goals. External collaboration can include working with suppliers, customers, and yes, even competitors. These partnerships help drive far-reaching sustainability objectives and can have a measurable impact.

Next week, I will expand upon these topics and provide further guidance on successful implementation of your sustainability program. As always, there will be time at the end of the presentation for questions, so come prepared with any challenges you are facing and I can directly address your needs. If you would like to access any of my other resources, check out my website. Thanks for following along!

– Tad Radzinski, PE, LEED AP, SFP

Links:

1. Register for next week’s webinar
2. View my other educational resources
3. Don’t forget to register for the January 2015 seminar 

Strengthening Internal Support for Sustainability Initiatives

Welcome, everyone. Yesterday I presented the Formulating the Framework – Designing Your Corporate Responsibility Program. There was a great turnout on the webinar and some very engaging questions. If you missed the presentation or want to watch it again, it has been recorded and can be found embedded in this post (below) or on my YouTube channel.

In October, I will continue along in the video series with videos and a webinar pertaining to ensuring effective implementation of your sustainability plan. This is critical because even the best laid plans can fall flat without proper execution. One component that is vital to the success of your plan is to gain internal support for sustainability initiatives of all stakeholders. On October 9, I will be leading a webinar, Strengthening Internal Support for Sustainability Initiatives, which will empower you to get managers, executives, shareholders, and employees on board with your sustainability program. Don’t miss this opportunity to ensure your plan’s success.

As I mention in the webinar below, the seats for my January 28 seminar are filling up, so make sure you register now! Check out the seminar page on my website for more information and to hear the realized results of past attendees.

– Tad Radzinski PE, LEED AP, SFP

Links:

1. Register for the next webinar 
2. Check out my YouTube Channel
3. Learn more about the seminar

Making Sustainability a Win-Win Strategy

Welcome, everyone. One week from today is this month’s webinar, Formulating the Framework – Designing Your Corporate Responsibility Program. As a lead into this topic, I am releasing the second video in the series (below), titled Creating Compounding Returns. This video focuses on an important aspect of creating a successful, long-term sustainability program, securing continued financial backing and increasing returns. If your Corporate Responsibility budget is limited or the advancement of a sustainability plan is based on quantifiable results, this is an especially important topic.

Creating Compounding Returns is about first finding the “quick wins” that provide cost savings or deliver sources of revenue in your sustainability program. Successfully implementing this system bolsters management support and provides additional funds that can be reinvested. Funding sustainability through sustainability establishes a system where the return on investment and your program grow collectively.

For years, I have helped organizations design their sustainability plans to utilize savings from operational improvements to fund further sustainability initiatives. This video offers doable first steps to identify and implement quick wins; and we will examine this topic in depth in the September 25 webinar. Be sure to subscribe to the blog (top right) to receive updates on posts and other complimentary resources. Also, if you want to get up-to-date the program, you can view all the previous video and webinar series on my YouTube channel.

– Tad Radzinski PE, LEED AP, SFP

 Links: 

1. Catch up on past videos
2. Register for the webinar
3. Learn more about me and my program

Designing Sustainability to Further Business Objectives

Welcome, everyone. In preparation for my upcoming webinar in two weeks, Formulating the Framework – Designing Your Corporate Responsibility Program, I am building upon last month’s Materiality series with the video below. This video, titled Assessment to Action, focuses on using the insights gained from benchmarking, materiality assessments, and stakeholder surveys to develop your plan to address each challenge and opportunity identified.

At this stage, it is critical to address the aspects you have determined as material to designing an effective sustainability program that bolsters your existing business strategy. This will ensure that sustainability goals do not conflict with business interests, but are aimed at protecting those interests. In the video, I use Ford as an example to demonstrate how materiality assessments have dictated the priority of its sustainability goals and initiatives.

If you haven’t already, I invite you to sign up for the webinar on September 25; you can do so by clicking here. Also, these video and webinar series are all going to culminate at my January 28 seminar in Philadelphia. Seats are going quickly for this hands-on event, so make sure you reserve your space now to take advantage of the Early Bird discount. For more information on the seminar, click here.

– Tad Radzinski PE, LEED AP, SFP

Links:

1. Register for the webinar on September 25
2. Ford’s Materiality Matrix
3. Learn more about January’s seminar
4. Catch up on previous videos

Materiality – Managing Long-term Risk

Welcome, everyone. Yesterday I wrapped up my Materiality series with the webinar Materiality – Managing Long-Term Risk. If you weren’t one of the many people in attendance, or if you would like to view the webinar again, the video is embedded below for on-demand viewing.  The topic of materiality is critical when developing and progressing a corporate sustainability program. The information covered in this webinar and the accompanying videos provides a guide to identify the sustainability issues that are critical to your program, as well as your core business strategies. Stay tuned for the next series that will cover how to use this information to address the key issues you have identified.

As I mentioned in the webinar, we will be covering Materiality in depth at my seminar on January 28, 2015. This hands-on event will give you the skills you need and includes interactive workshops to help you to apply them directly to your organization. If you want more information on the upcoming seminar, visit my website.

Also, do not miss out on the webinar I will be presenting Thursday, September 4! Aaron Smith, Director of Sustainable Building Solutions from ASSA ABLOY Door Security Solutions, will be joining me in this cutting-edge session, How Sustainability is Redefining Product Innovation. I will be providing my insight into sustainable product design based on years of practical experience, and Aaron will be providing real-world examples of ASSA ABLOY’s product innovation and the value they have realized through sustainability. To register for this webinar, click here.

I hope you to see you on these upcoming events and continue to welcome your comments, feedback and questions.

– Tad Radzinski PE, LEED AP, SFP

Links: 

1. Learn more about the seminar
2. Register for the Sustainable Product Innovation webinar
3. Catch up on other free educational videos

Employing Sustainability to Bolster Your Business Strategy

Welcome, everyone. As we prepare for next week’s webinar on materiality, I have included another video, Creating Sustainability Goals that Supplement Your Business Strategy, below. This video focuses on using materiality to align sustainability strategies with existing corporate objectives. One reason we consider materiality is to identify and prioritize the key areas that are important to stakeholders and critical to the continued success of the organization.

Materiality is becoming increasingly important as organizations strive to find innovative ways to mitigate future risks and capitalize on market opportunities. This video demonstrates how to use the results of a materiality assessment to develop strategic goals.

Utilizing a triple bottom line approach to focus on ESG issues allows organizations to better prepare for the ever-changing global economy. Companies that consider and address long-term ESG factors are typically forward-thinking industry leaders that are realizing significant economic benefits. Make sure you register for next week’s webinar for a deeper dive into materiality and to have your questions answered.

Subscribe to my blog (top right) to receive email updates and be the first to get new releases. I look forward to speaking with you on the webinar.

– Tad Radzinski PE, LEED AP, SFP

Links:

1. Register for the webinar
2. Catch up on other videos

How Does Corporate Responsibility Fit into Your Organization?

Welcome, everyone! Back after a brief hiatus, I wanted to share some more information with you to help you move forward with your sustainability program. Below, you will find a video, Identifying How Corporate Responsibility Fits Your Organization, which covers the topic of materiality. Given the forward-thinking approach that materiality assessment embodies, it continues to be a significant focus when talking about effectively implementing sustainability into a corporate strategy. This video leads in to my August 28 webinar, Materiality– Managing Long-term Risk, which will provide insight into identifying what is material to your organization and how you can use this information to bolster your business strategy. Register today to reserve your spot!

Also, last week I announced that, following the success of my Corporate Responsibility seminar in May, I will be hosting an encore seminar on January 28, 2015. For more information, or to register for this upcoming seminar, visit my website. There, you will find video testimonials, the brochure, and realized values from previous attendees.

I am glad to see so many people following along with the webinar and video series I’ve released; and as always, please provide comments or questions so I can address your specific sustainability needs.

– Tad Radzinski, PE, LEED AP, SFP

Links:

1. Register for the Materiality Webinar
2. Learn more about the Corporate Responsibility Revolution Seminar

Expand Your Sustainability Expertise with These Webinars

Welcome, everyone. As you may know, I believe the best way to advance sustainability is to educate and empower change agents. Members of my team and I are constantly finding ways to share our expertise in ways that provide real, applicable value. Below is our upcoming webinar schedule. Feel free to sign up for as many as you would like, they are offered at no-cost, qualify for PDHs and CEUs, and will help guide you and your organization to a more sustainable future.

– Tad Radzinski, PE, LEED AP, SFP

HPD 101 - A Crash Course in Health Product Declarations
Date: Thursday, June 26
Time: 2:00 pm
Presenters: Jim Mellentine and Annie Bevan

As demand for material content disclosure continues to grow, companies have an opportunity to gain a competitive advantage by reporting on material safety and ingredient hazards. In particular, the Health Product Declaration (HPD) is the preferred disclosure format in the green building community. HPDs disclose the contents of products and their potential health hazards in accordance with the Health Product Declaration Standard.

Sustainable Solutions Corporation and GreenCircle Certified will present unique industry experts’ perspectives on HPDs. You will benefit by learning: how to create an HPD, how to use HPDs in your sales strategy, the challenges and value of material content disclosure, and the HPD verification process. Register for this complimentary webinar and become your company’s HPD hero!

Register here.

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Benchmarking and Measurement – Understanding Operations, Setting Meaningful Targets 
Date: Thursday, July 24
Time: 2:00 pm
Presenter: Tad Radzinski

In order to integrate Sustainability into a strategic business plan and establish well-defined goals and direction, you must first understand your current position. This webinar will demonstrate the value of benchmarking your operations and will provide practical tools to utilize this data to set corporate goals. Based on over 30 years of applied experience, Tad Radzinski will cover topics including: identifying vital metrics to track and understand for your organization, methods of data collection, using this data to set goals, and leveraging benchmarking to address shared concerns throughout your supply chain.

Register here.

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Lean & Green Manufacturing Using Sustainability Assessments
Date: Thursday, August 7
Time: 2:00 pm
Presenters: Jim Mellentine and Cara Watson

Increase your profit margin, reduce waste, and improve production efficiency by conducting a facility Sustainability Assessment. A Sustainability Assessment is a useful tool to evaluate manufacturing operations, identify sources of waste of all types, and provide innovative solutions that save money while reducing environmental impacts. Companies can also use this tool to quantify and highlight the advancements your facility has already made to improve overall sustainability. This webinar will teach you the basics of conducting a Sustainability Assessment and how it can benefit your facility’s bottom line.

Register here.

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Materiality – Managing Long-Term Risk
Date: Thursday, August 28
Time: 2:00 pm
Presenter: Tad Radzinski

Materiality is defined by the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) as “those topics that have a direct or indirect impact on an organization’s ability to create, preserve or erode economic, environmental and social value for itself, its stakeholders and society at large”. Corporate Sustainability principles embody a forward-thinking approach that considers all relevant factors to develop a successful, long-term business strategy. As our world continues to change and new risks and opportunities emerge, it is imperative that companies identify the resources that are essential to sustain their operations. This webinar will provide insight and guidance on employing sustainability to support effective long-term strategies. Topics will include: determining what is critical to the continued success of your organization, addressing risks and opportunities key to long-term viability, and creating sustainability goals that enhance your business strategy.

Register here.

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Enhance Building Optimization with Energy Modeling
Date: Tuesday, September 9
Time: 2:00 pm
Presenter: Mike Campbell

Energy Modeling is a valuable tool to enhance both new construction and existing buildings. Energy Modeling is the process of determining the energy use of a building or process based on computer simulations. It can be used to predict the energy usage in a new building or estimate the potential savings of energy efficiency improvements for existing buildings. Whole-building Energy Modeling provides valuable information that can be used to optimize the building design for improved energy performance, reduced carbon emissions, and decreased operating costs. This webinar will demonstrate the benefits of Energy Modeling for performance optimization in both new building design and existing buildings.

Register here.

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Strengthening Internal Support for Sustainability Initiatives
Date: Thursday, September 25
Time: 2:00 pm
Presenter: Tad Radzinski

Internal support is a common challenge faced by sustainability professionals. With limited budgets, resources, and backing, sustainability programs can falter. It is important to engrain sustainability into the overall corporate strategy so that Corporate Responsibility goals do not conflict with your business plan, but rather, are an integral part of its success. In order to gain momentum, support for these initiatives must come from all stakeholders – employees, shareholders, customers, suppliers, and especially executive management. This webinar will empower you to get managers and executives on board with your sustainability program by learning how to: translate sustainability into business language to engage senior management; demonstrate quick wins and business successes that will garner leadership support; increase employee engagement and build urgency throughout your organization; and prioritize sustainability across all job functions.

Register here.

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Sustainable Product Innovation
Date: Thursday, October 9
Time: 2:00 pm
Presenter: Tad Radzinski and Jim Mellentine

As global competition continues to grow, forward-thinking organizations are looking for ways to ensure their success in future markets. In 2013, the Carbon Disclosure Project S&P 500 Climate Change Report identified Sustainable Product Innovation as the most successful tool for creating long-term value for reporting organizations. Sustainable Product Innovation enables product development teams to consider alternative materials, processes, sourcing, marketing, and other aspects of a product. This can result in decreased environmental impacts and costs throughout the product’s cradle-to-grave life. These programs are part of an effective long-term strategy that addresses risks, capitalizes on opportunities, and supports overall business objectives. Learn from leading industry experts and advance your product lines with this cutting-edge webinar.

Register here.

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Advancing Your Business with Life Cycle Assessment 
Date: Wednesday, November 12
Time: 2:00 pm
Presenters: Jim Mellentine and Cara Watson

Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs) are a core component of a sustainable product innovation program. It assists designers and engineers with improving the environmental performance of a product beginning with product inception. There is growing demand to quantify and publish life cycle environmental impacts, and an increasing number of organizations— such as Wal-Mart, 3M, Unilever, and Apple— are utilizing Life Cycle Assessment data to evaluate their products and suppliers. This webinar will demonstrate the value of LCA as a cornerstone of your efforts to foster sustainable products and reduce environmental impacts. Hear from leading experts in Life Cycle Assessment and have your questions answered.

Register here.

Increasing the Value of Existing Buildings

Welcome, everyone. No matter what a company’s goals are, when we look at integrating sustainability into an organization, we first go after the low-hanging fruit. In many cases, this means reducing impacts through efficiency improvements through low- and no-cost measures. Regardless of what industry you are in, your company relies on buildings. Whether you rent commercial office space or you own and operate warehouses or large portfolios, increasing the value of your existing buildings can help achieve corporate-wide sustainability goals and can be a source of revenue.

Operating costs for buildings can represent a significant portion of corporate expenses, and existing buildings can represent one of the biggest opportunities for reducing environmental impacts. There are many easy ways to increase building efficiency that any facility manager can handle. Also, with Green Building rating systems, standards, and codes, there are many great resources to reference and utilize when attempting to improve your portfolio.

One rating system that is getting a lot of attention is new LEED Version 4. After three years of development, six public comment periods, and plenty of heated debate, LEED v4 was launched last year at the November Greenbuild Conference. As a result of the many changes in the new version, I will be leading a webinar tomorrow to help clarify some of the updates in LEED v4 for Existing Buildings: Operations and Maintenance, as well as, provide insight into how this rating system can be used to increase the value of existing buildings. If you are interested in attending this webinar, simply register here. If you aren’t available to attend the webinar but want a recording sent to you, fill out this form, and you will receive the slides and the video.

– Tad Radzinski, PE, LEED AP, SFP

Links:

1. LEED v4 – Increasing the Value of Existing Buildings
2. Sign up to receive the webinar recording
3. Check out previous LEED v4 webinars my team has conducted

Sustainability Strategies in Action

Welcome, everyone! On Wednesday I hosted my full-day seminar, Corporate Responsibility Revolution – Strategy to Success. We sold out the room and had a great, diverse group of organizations attend. I have to say, I am very excited about the positive results I saw. Each and every participant worked directly on their specific sustainability needs and left with an action plan to make real progress in their organization.  

I really enjoyed watching the attendees from different companies, and from different levels in sustainability implementation, collaborate to develop realistic solutions to challenges they face. Working with myself and our team of experts, the attendees were able to hone in on their opportunities and develop a solid plan to meet their goals. Following the overwhelming success of this seminar, I am looking forward to next year’s (topic and dates TBD). I invite those of you who missed the seminar to check out my website for some powerful, complimentary resources that can help you advance your sustainability strategy.

– Tad Radzinski, PE, LEED AP, SFP

Links:

1. Resources page

Critical Crash Course on Corporate Responsibility

Welcome, everyone! As I continue to gear up for my May 7^th seminar, I recently led a webinar called the Critical Crash Course on Corporate Responsibility. I am happy to say that there was a great turnout for that webinar, reinforcing the significant value Corporate Sustainability provides organizations. The webinar is recorded, so if you missed it, you can watch it on-demand below or on my YouTube channel.

If you are interested in learning more about Corporate Responsibility, I invite you to check out the other videos I have posted and subscribe to this blog (top right) to receive ongoing releases. I hope you find my content helpful, and please keep providing feedback so I can continue to cover topics that are relevant to you and your organization. I’m looking forward to next week’s seminar and hope to see many of you on future webinars!

– Tad Radzinski, PE, LEED AP, SFP

What is the Driver Behind Corporate Sustainability?

Happy Earth Day, everyone! I have been travelling a lot lately and have been engaging in many discussions at events and online. Recently, I was asked a question about corporate intent for integrating sustainability. They were wondering whether, in general, companies are seeking sustainability because it is the latest buzz word, or because there is a true awakening to the need for advanced business practices. This question was specifically posed about the auto industry, but I believe it translates over to many other product and service sectors.

I believe that there are really two ends of the spectrum when defining the reasons for corporate response to sustainability. Sustainability may be a buzz word in some industries, but there are many forward-thinking organizations that realize that, in order to ensure long-term success, they need to evolve their current business practices. These companies understand that they cannot continue doing business the old way and are often leading their industries in both innovation and profits. There are others, however, that use sustainability as a short-term marketing strategy to capitalize on market demand, rather than moving the needle and providing real value.

In my 30+ years working closely with companies in developing and implementing sustainability programs, I have found that, the more an organization commits to sustainability, the greater the reward. Sustainability fosters a long-term strategic focus and, in that respect, organizations that view sustainability as an investment stand to create lasting value.

Hopefully, while you all take time to reflect on this Earth Day, you think about your organization and the benefits sustainability adds to your long-term strategy. If you want to hear more about using sustainability to support your business strategy, register for my webinar next week, Critical Crash Course on Corporate Responsibility.

Keep posting comments, subscribe to my blog for future updates (by providing your email address at the top right), and check out my website and LinkedIn groups for great discussions and other resources.

– Tad Radzinski, PE, LEED AP, SFP

Links:

1. See more resources on my website
2. Sign up for next week’s webinar
3. Connect with me on LinkedIn
4. Check out my recorded webinars and videos on my YouTube Channel

What's Missing from Your Sustainability Program?

Welcome, everyone. I strongly believe that business/industry must lead the way in creating a paradigm shift in sustainability. The key to getting corporations on board is training. I believe that, to truly make progress, training needs to go beyond raising awareness; it must empower people to move the needle. Much of the sustainability training available in the market today is more theory-based, and lacks specific, actionable steps.

The issue with the training and education I have seen to date is that raising awareness merely establishes the problem, but doesn’t provide real solutions. Corporate Sustainability programs often fall short without clear direction. Companies can see the end goal, but fail to reach it without the appropriate knowledge and tools. Without forward movement, organizational commitment wanes and sustainability falls to the wayside.

Having worked in this industry for 30+ years, I have found that the best way to alter behavior and opinions toward sustainability is to demonstrate the tangible benefits to people. In my corporate consulting firm, we often encounter resistance toward changing a system that works; but once a green process is proven to be a sound and financially beneficial option, attitudes shift.

I see a real need for action-oriented sustainability training to help conscious corporations deliver on their sustainability goals and achieve measurable value. In that regard, I have developed my upcoming seminar to provide cutting-edge, relevant information and the tools to drive your sustainability program. Watch the video below and learn how you can be at the forefront of your industry, capture market share, and stay profitable with sustainability. There are only 4 weeks left until the seminar, so reserve your spot now!

– Tad Radzinski, PE, LEED AP, SFP

Corporate Responsibility Revolution: Strategy to Success

Welcome, everyone. Yesterday, I presented the 6^th webinar leading up to the seminar on May 7. The video for yesterday’s webinar, Vision to Value – The Profit in Corporate Responsibility, can be viewed below. For those of you who have been following along over the past few months, we have covered the entire process of designing and implementing a sustainability strategy.

The intent of the videos and webinars was to provide you with action-oriented information that will help you advance your sustainability initiatives. To take things to the next level with your Corporate Responsibility program, I strongly recommend attending my seminar. It is designed to be specific to each attendee so you will get the most value possible. The seminar schedule outlines the main stages in developing and implementing a sustainability program; however, the final content will be determined by the attendees and their particular needs. We have limited the number of attendees to enable us to work personally with each participant on their specific sustainability goals and initiatives throughout the day.

Accompanying me in the instruction and workshops will be my entire team from Sustainable Solutions Corporation and GreenCircle Certified, LLC. Our team prides ourselves in delivering comprehensive sustainability expertise that will allow you to directly address your initiatives and concerns. For instance, if product life cycle concerns are a focus, our Corporate Sustainability team, which includes two Life Cycle Assessment Certified Professionals, will help develop your action plan. If reducing energy within your facilities is a priority, our Sustainable Buildings and Operations staff will be there to help you and other attendees better understand their buildings and develop steps to improve performance.

Additionally, you will be among individuals who have gone through similar situations. Having real-world success stories and learning from actual challenges others have overcome will help you in defining and meeting your goals. Seats are filling up quickly, so register for the seminar here now!

– Tad Radzinski, PE, LEED AP, SFP

Links:

1. Register forthe Seminar
2. Catch up onpast videos

Quantifying the Benefits of Corporate Responsibility

Welcome, everyone. Today, I am releasing the second half of my March video series, Vision to Value – The Profit in Corporate Responsibility. This video, Quantifying the Benefits of Corporate Responsibility, focuses on measuring the benefits of your sustainability program. For those of you who have been following along, this is really the culmination of all your efforts. Previous videos have walked you through designing and implementing your program; now we now are focusing on evaluating the results of your sustainability initiatives.

The most important thing to note in this process is that not all benefits can be quantified with distinct metrics. There are many tangible, as well as intangible, returns when implementing sustainability as a business strategy. A great example of an intangible benefit is the impact that Corporate Responsibility has on your brand equity. What metric could you use to track that? Obviously, brand equity is not as easy to measure as energy and cost savings from efficiency initiatives, for instance.

The way I would measure the value of intangibles is to look at their impact on the tangible aspects of your business. Typically, sustainable organizations attract high-quality employees, strengthen customer loyalty, and increase sales revenue. Although these things aren’t solely related to sustainability, assessing gains in these areas can help you communicate the rewards of your Corporate Responsibility program internally.

For more examples on quantifying your sustainability ROI, watch the video linked below. Please remember to sign up for next week’swebinar which will dive deeper into this topic and provide you the opportunity to have your individual questions answered. Also, to directly refine your sustainability program, register for my upcoming seminar. This seminar is designed to be specific to each participant so they can advance their organizational initiatives and get the most value possible.

– Tad Radzinski, PE, LEED AP, SFP

Links:

1. Register for this month’s webinar
2. Get more information on the Seminar
3. Watch my other video series

Leveraging Sustainability to Increase Sales

Welcome, everyone. Today, we begin the March video series, Vision to Value – The Profit in Corporate Responsibility. This series is one of the most exciting, because it is all about realizing the benefits of all your efforts up to this point. To recap, our previous video series have covered the process of developing and implementing your Corporate Sustainability program; to view any videos you may have missed, click here. Today’s video, titled Leveraging Sustainability to Increase Sales, which can be watched below,  focuses on using Corporate Responsibility to stand out in the market and meet customer demand.

A major benefit of implementing your sustainability strategy is that it sets you apart and can establish your organization as an industry leader. It is vital to promote your program, including the goals you’ve developed, the action plan you have in place, and the successes you’ve achieved so far. By communicating this information, you can leverage your sustainability story and position your brand for success in the green economy.

Once you have established your program, it is essential to educate your sales teams on sustainability. I have always been an advocate of increasing training and education on sustainability, and I have seen countless examples of the value it brings to organizations. Empowering your sales teams with sustainability training allows them to reach new markets and drive sales to new levels.

Check out the video for more information on this topic, and for strategies to promote your sustainability program. Also, be sure to register for this month’s webinar where you can ask me questions directly and we can discuss these topics further.

As I mention in the video, my upcoming seminar in May is filling up fast, so be sure to reserve your spot today. This seminar is not “Sustainability 101”! It is designed for you to work directly on your Corporate Sustainability program and develop concrete steps to advance your organization. For more information on the seminar, download the brochure here.

Thank you all for joining, and please keep providing your feedback. If you haven’t already, make sure you subscribe to my blog for weekly updates (top right of this page).

– Tad Radzinski, PE, LEED AP, SFP

Links: 

1. Catch up on all my video series at my YouTube Channel
2. Register for this month’s webinar
3. Download the seminar brochure

New Video Series: Vision to Value – The Profit in Corporate Responsibility

Welcome, everyone. Yesterday, I presented a webinar on From Strategy to Success – Ensuring Effective Implementation. There was an excellent turnout and some great questions. If you were unable to attend the webinar or would like to view it again, the video is available below or on the Resources page of my website. This webinar further explored the topics I covered in my February video series.

The next series I will be releasing in March will be Vision to Value – The Profit in Corporate Responsibility. In order to support a long-term business strategy, sustainability initiatives need to provide cost savings and/or generate revenue. Monetizing sustainability ensures continued management support and drives responsible growth. Optimizing and quantifying the financial benefits of Corporate Responsibility can be challenging. This series will provide insight on measuring the benefits of your Corporate Responsibility program and offer strategies for maximizing return on sustainability investments. Similar to the previous series, I will be presenting a live webcast on March 25 to delve deeper into this topic. Register here to secure your seat on the webinar now.

If you want to take your knowledge of sustainability to a new level, and apply it directly to your organization, I will be hosting a seminar titled Corporate Responsibility Revolution: Strategy to Success on May 7, 2014 in Philadelphia. This interactive full-day seminar will provide a roadmap to develop and implement an effective Corporate Responsibility plan that supports a successful business strategy. The videos and webinars I am releasing should be used as prerequisite learning for this seminar. They will provide a core understanding and critical steps to advance your business. Registration is open for May’s seminar, and you can find more information on it here.

Be sure to subscribe to the blog (top right) to get email notification of my video releases and future webinars to continue building upon the content I have already released. Also, use the link below for more details on the seminar and reserve your spot today. I hope you are enjoying the content and keep coming back for more.

– Tad Radzinski PE, LEED AP, SFP

Links:

Register for next month’s webinar.

Catch up on the February videos:

1.            Building Internal Sustainability Support

2.            The Importance of Collaboration

Collaboration – The Critical Component

Welcome, everyone! This week we continue our February video series with part 2 of From Strategy to Success – Ensuring Effective Implementation. Today’s video is titled The Importance of Collaboration, and highlights collaboration as a key aspect in successfully integrating sustainability into your organization. Collaboration in Corporate Responsibility can come in many forms, both internally and externally.

The best example of internal collaboration is employee engagement. Creating a sustainability team that includes members from every sector in the organization including management, operations, logistics, sales, and marketing is important in fostering collaboration and truly ingraining sustainability throughout the corporate culture. Tapping into a diverse group of contributors also allows for different perspectives and innovative solutions. This is increasingly important in organizations with several business units. Oftentimes, managers and employees in different business units are either not concerned or not informed regarding other business units, but sustainability can be used as a tool to break down these barriers and benefit the organization as a whole.

External collaboration is beneficial when your sustainability goals stretch beyond the organization itself. A common example is sustainable supply chain initiatives. In these situations, spreading sustainability throughout the supply chain requires extensive collaboration and communication with suppliers and even customers. As we continue to see a shift toward the sustainable economy, external collaboration is becoming more prevalent. This shift has even brought together competitors in order to collectively advance their industries.

We will dig deeper into the topic of collaboration in next week’s webinar, so be sure to register and reserve your spot now. These webinars are a good opportunity for you to ask any questions you may have, and have very well received over the past few months. Don’t forget to subscribe to my blog, top right, and keep providing your feedback and comments.

– Tad Radzinski PE, LEED AP, SFP  

Links:

1. Catch up on the videos and webinars you may have missed
2. Register for next week’s webinar: February 25 at 12:00pm EST

Waste Not, Want Not: Waste Diversion as a Direct Path to ROI

Welcome, everyone. I hope you are enjoying the February video series, From Strategy to Success – Ensuring Effective Implementation. The second video in that series, The Importance of Collaboration, will be released next week. This week, I wanted to discuss a major focus in the sustainability space, waste diversion.

Formerly serving as the EPA’s Waste Minimization Program National Expert for ten years, I have seen first-hand the significant impact that addressing waste has on the environment, as well as an organization’s bottom-line. Through collaboration with industry during my tenure at the EPA, we were able to implement initiatives that reduced 100 million pounds of waste, saved 1.6 billion gallons of water, and saved the industry $42 million. Many businesses are facing growing pressure to reduce waste generated from operations and to divert waste from landfills; however, this also presents financial opportunity, as waste equates to lost resources and profits. Reducing all forms of waste is critical to an effective and sustainable business strategy, and is one of the simplest ways to achieve ROI.

Each organization is unique, and there is no “standard solution” to reducing waste; however, the first step you should take is to fully understand material flows and wastes. You need to measure, characterize, and quantify material flows and all waste streams in order to properly understand your operations. When working with organizations to reduce waste, my consulting firm always starts with this process, because gathering information is critical to developing your action plan.

Last Thursday, two members of my team led a webinar titled The Path to Zero Waste - Reduce Impacts, Save Money, Get Certified, which you can view on-demand below or by following this link. This webinar provides you with vital information on how to reduce waste from your facility, and avoid sending waste to landfill, by implementing a comprehensive waste reduction program. Check out the webinar and make sure you subscribe to my blog (top right) to receive more free resources on sustainability.

I look forward to releasing next week’s video, and I hope you all can join me for this month’s webinar, From Strategy to Success –Ensuring Effective Implementation.

– Tad Radzinski PE, LEED AP, SFP

Links:

1. Last week’s video: Building Internal Sustainability Support
2. Register for the webinar February 25th

Building Internal Sustainability Support

Welcome, everyone. Today we kick off the February video series, From Strategy to Success – Ensuring Effective Implementation. The first video in this series is titled Building Internal Sustainability Support. Garnering support for your Corporate Responsibility program within your organization is a crucial factor that will affect its success. As discussed in the video below, there are several ways to increase internal support of your Corporate Responsibility initiatives.

It is important to engrain sustainability into the overall corporate strategy so the goals of your Corporate Responsibility program do not conflict with your business plan, but rather, are an integral part of its success. In order to gain momentum, support for these initiatives will need to come from all stakeholders, including employees, shareholders, executive management, customers, and suppliers.

Executive buy-in is critical for budgetary purposes; but for sustainability to be truly embedded in the corporate culture, it is necessary to engage all employees. Fostering employee engagement can be difficult; but training is a key tool for instituting organizational change (think safety, diversity, etc.). By empowering employees, innovative solutions to further advance your sustainability goals can be found throughout your organization.

For more guidance on building internal sustainability support, watch the video and register for this month’s webinar to explore this topic further. Be sure to subscribe to the blog (top right) and keep sending me questions and comments. Your feedback is helpful in developing valuable content to aid you in advancing sustainability in your organization.

– Tad Radzinski PE, LEED AP, SFP

New Video Series: From Strategy to Success – Ensuring Effective Implementation

Welcome, everyone. On Tuesday, I presented a webinar on Formulating the Framework – Designing Your Corporate Responsibility Program. We had a great turnout and very engaging questions. If you were unable to attend the webinar or would like to view it again, the video is available below or on the Resources page of my website. This webinar went deeper into the topics I covered in my January video series, Assessment to Action and Creating Compounding Returns.

The next video series I will be releasing in February will be From Strategy to Success – Ensuring Effective Implementation. Even a well-designed Corporate Responsibility program can fail without effective implementation. There are many factors that affect the outcome of sustainability initiatives, and properly managing these factors will lead to optimal performance and return on investment. This topic will culminate with a live webcast on February 25. Secure your seat on the webinar here.

If you want to take these topics to a new level and apply them directly to your organization, I will be hosting a seminar titled Corporate Responsibility Revolution: Strategy to Success on May 7, 2014 in Philadelphia. This interactive full-day seminar will provide a roadmap to develop and implement an effective Corporate Responsibility plan that supports a successful business strategy. The videos and webinars I am releasing should be used as prerequisite learning for this seminar and provide a core understanding and steps to take action in advancing your business. Registration is open for May’s seminar, and you can find more information on it here.

Be sure to subscribe to the blog (top right) to get email notification of my video releases and future webinars to continue building upon the content I have released. Also, use the link below for more details on the seminar and reserve your spot today. I hope you are enjoying my content and keep coming back for more.

– Tad Radzinski PE, LEED AP, SFP

Links:

Register for next month’s webinar.

Catch up on my videos

1.       Assessment to Action

2.       Creating Compounding Returns

Learn more about the May 2014 seminar.

Designing Your Corporate Responsibility Program – Creating Compounding Returns

Welcome, everyone. Today we continue in our January video series, Formulating the Framework – Designing Your Corporate Responsibility Program. The video below, titled Creating Compounding Returns, is focused on designing a sustainability plan that uses savings from operational improvements to fund further sustainability initiatives. This is especially important when your Corporate Responsibility budget is limited or the future of a sustainability plan is based on quantifiable results.

Generating Compounding Returns is about first finding the “quick wins” that provide cost savings or deliver sources of revenue in your sustainability program. These successes bolster management support and provide additional funds that can be reinvested to reach further sustainability goals. Funding sustainability through sustainability establishes a system where the returns on investment compound and grow collectively.

This video offers some easy first steps to get a quick win, and we will examine this topic in depth in the upcoming webinar on January 28. Be sure to subscribe to the blog (top right) to receive updates on posts and other complimentary resources. Also, if you are behind in the program, you can view all the previous video and webinar series on my YouTube channel.

– Tad Radzinski PE, LEED AP, SFP

Links:

1. Register for the Webinar: Formulating the Framework – Designing Your Corporate Responsibility Program
2. My YouTube Channel