Looking Back on 2012 and Wishing You Happy Holidays!

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Where did 2012 go?  It was a great year for us and in the midst of so much activity it really flew by. Looking back, some of our favorite projects have included helping companies finalize their carbon footprints for annual Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) reports and working with clients on their annual Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI) assessment. 

We wrapped up several CDP reports for our clients, and helped Chicken of the Sea in their sustainability journey as they moved to publish their first-ever sustainability report! We were also busy with client projects like providing independent verifications for Montgomery County's Green Business Certification, celebrating with our client Teck Resources on their continued inclusion in the DJSI, and providing ongoing support for green nonprofits through our work with NeighborWorks America.

Jennifer was elected Vice Chairman of the Coalition for Responsible Fire Protection and was still able to attend several key conferences and events while keeping up with the SSC pace.  One of our favorites was a stakeholder workshop hosted by Verite and Walmart, bringing together members of the food and agriculture value chain to talk about social sustainability standards. We also really enjoyed FMI/GMA Sustainability Summit that focused on sustainability activities in the food and agriculture industry.

We finished another onsite waste audit, and despite the "dirty work" it was great to meet new faces from the SSC Consultant Network and work together! A special thanks to all those who reached out and especially to those who participated ... we are proud to have such a great network!

It’s been another successful year for SSC (our seventh in fact!) and we're so grateful for your loyal support across the years. Here were some of your favorite SSC resources and articles from this past year:

Top Ten SSC Blogs and Articles in 2012

  1. Three Ways Retailers Can Help Their Suppliers Tackle Sustainability
  2. The Brutal Truth about Sustainability Reporting
  3. Four Things Your Company Needs to Know About The Carbon Disclosure Project
  4. Reasons Not to Publish a Sustainability Report (At Least Not Yet)
  5. Case Studies Enliven Sustainability Reports
  6. The Untapped Potential of a Sustainability Story
  7. Seven Questions to Focus Sustainability Leadership
  8. Is the Sustainability Consulting Market Reaching Maturity?
  9. Setting Targets and Encouraging Behaviors That Work
  10. Why You Should Wait to Act on Sustainability

Top Ten SSC Resources in 2012

  1. Green Retrofitting 101
  2. Every Last Drop: Water and the Sustainable Business
  3. Engaging Employees in the Company's Sustainability
  4. Choosing Sustainability Management Software for Your Business
  5. Become a Sustainability Champion: At any Career Level
  6. Sustainable Manufacturing: Comparing Lean, Six Sigma, and Total Quality Manufacturing
  7. Sustainability Consulting 101 - Introduction to Sustainability Consulting
  8. Sustainability Change Management: We’ve Had the Green Audit...Now What?
  9. Sustainability Certifications and Standards
  10. SSC Green Auditor Certification

This is our last blog for 2012, and we will be signing off to enjoy the holidays!  We will be closing our office December 20, 2012 and will reopen on January 7, 2013 ... except for previous commitments to existing clients.  From the team at SSC we wish you happy holidays and hope that a happy, healthy, and prosperous 2013 is had by all!

Infographic: Where Will Climate Change Hurt You the Most?

We love a good infographic -- and we recently came across this great visualization on climate change vulnerability. Vulnerability is grouped into four categories: health impacts, weather disasters, habitat loss, and economic stress. Circles on the left side of each set indicate relative magnitude of vulnerability in 2010, circles on the right indicate the same for 2030. Click on the image to view a larger version:

While the data is pretty interesting on its own, it can also be a valuable tool to assist companies with supply chain risk assessment -- particularly if you are a Walmart supplier responding to the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) Report questionnaire. Identifying the types of vulnerability in the geographies where you source raw materials (or contract manufacturing) can make it easier to pinpoint what kind of issues you may be facing in the future.

Source: DARA, a Madrid-based humanitarian advocacy organization, recently partnered with the Climate Vulnerable Forum, comprising countries particularly vulnerable to climate change, to create Climate Vulnerability Monitor 2010, an atlas of vulnerability. This infographic presents a small portion of the picture the Climate Vulnerability Monitor paints. 

Was the Recession Actually *Good* for Sustainability?

There are some compelling reasons to believe that the 2008-2011 economic slowdown was (contrary to popular belief) beneficial to the sustainability movement. Don't believe us? Then you'll definitely want to check out the last of four video clips with Kenton Harmer (you can read Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3 in case you missed them), one of the lead researchers on the Agriculture Emissions Supply Chain Report by the Carbon Disclosure Project. In this video, Kenton opines on the future of sustainability benchmarking, why the recession was good for sustainability, and next steps for carbon accounting.

A Conversation with Kenton Harmer of Common Fields - Part 4 of 4

Thanks, Kenton, for your insight -- we learned a lot from spending an hour with you!

About Kenton Harmer

Kenton Harmer is the Senior Vice President of Milepost Consulting and Co-Director of Common Fields.  Common Fields, the agriculture practice of Milepost Consulting, is an industry leader at creating and implementing evidence-based sustainability strategies for the agriculture sector.   As one of the founding partners of Common Fields, Kenton’s experience is in developing methodologies and systems that measure the sustainability performance of agricultural operations and sectors.  With an MBA in Sustainable Management, Kenton specializes in translating this technical data into strategies and lasting changes that improve an organization’s market position and long-term profitability.  Contact him at kenton@common-fields.com.