Thursday, August 7, 2014

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



Thursday, June 12, 2014

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!



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.



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.



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.



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.



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.



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.



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.


Wednesday, May 21, 2014

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

Friday, May 9, 2014

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


Thursday, May 1, 2014

Critical Crash Course on Corporate Responsibility

Welcome, everyone! As I continue to gear up for my May 7th 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


Tuesday, April 22, 2014

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


Wednesday, April 9, 2014

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