Leslie Davis undertook a webinar presentation for the Arkansas Environmental Federation titled:
Sustainability 101 (“Presentation”)
Ms. Davis is a principal in the Little Rock, Arkansas, environmental engineering firm of Harbor Environmental.
Ms. Davis has been an environmental consultant for over 27 years. She co-founded Harbor Environmental in 2007 and has experience in hazardous waste management, environmental assessment, remediation and a number of related areas.
The topics addressed by Ms. Davis’ Presentation include:
- What is Sustainability?
- How Did We Get Here?
- Who is Driving?
- Where Do I Start?
- When Do I Set Goals?
- What else Can I Do with the Data?
- Lessons Learned
The Presentation initially defined the term “sustainability” to include:
- The ability to be sustained, supported, upheld, or confirmed.
- Environmental Science. The quality of not being harmful to the environment or depleting natural resources, and thereby supporting long-term ecological balance
Further, the interest of people to “do well and do good” and make a difference in the world was noted.
The timeline and steps in the sustainability/environmental movement process was reviewed starting in the late 1800s to today.
The drivers behind sustainability were listed:
- Stockholders
- Customers and Consumers
- Employees
The Wal-Mart sustainability program was referenced.
The drivers behind the methodology were also noted, which include:
- Global Reporting Initiative
- Carbon Disclosure Project
- World Resources Institute
- Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
- Sustainable Development Goals
- Government Agencies
The starting point for the process was noted as including:
The importance of data was noted along with the following:
- Customer Surveys
- Employee Communications
- Industry Associations
- Facility Comparisons
- Incentive programs
- Regulatory Reports
- Engineering Projects
- Capital Planning
- Marketing
- Energy Efficiency Projects
Ms. Davis concluded noted by “lessons learned:”
- Mandatory reporting is coming
- Enlist help when you can
- Develop a system that can grow with you
A copy of the Presentation can be downloaded here.
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