Beta Gamma SigmaBeta Gamma Sigma

Kevin WilhelmKevin Wilhelm

Sustainable Business Consulting

Tuesday August 30th, 2011 

(during the Sounders Open Cup Semis)

What I’m going to talk aboutWhat I’m going to talk about

How I got my start

Facts about sustainability in industry

Why sustainability is important to companies

Who’s making $ by doing the right thing

What you can do to help

How I got startedHow I got started

Okay, how I really startedOkay, how I really started

Today: Sustainable Business Consulting

Facts about Sustainable Business Facts about Sustainable Business

…and why it’s important to companies, youyou, and your career your career ambitions.

The State of SustainabilityThe State of SustainabilityThe Government almost defaulted and was downgraded

The US is involved in three wars right nowOur political system is brokenClimate Legislation isn’t just stalled, it is deadThe EPA is under attack for enforcing GHGsPeople are increasingly skeptical of green and climate change regardless of the science

Yet, business needs to pay attention because there is big $ at stake

“In the middle of difficulty

lies opportunity.”

Albert Einstein

Indisputable EvidenceIndisputable Evidence

Some Major Effects Some Major Effects

Extreme weather Destabilization of local 

climates Glacier retreat and 

disappearance Sea level and temp rise, 

acidification Desertification Water scarcity Increased spread of disease Economic implications

Regulation is coming! Regulation is coming!

Upcoming Regional and Local Regulation Upcoming Regional and Local Regulation

EPA 14,000 largest emitters (> 25,000 MT) in ’11

WA Requiring then 10,000 MT CO2e

Higher Fuel Efficiency Standards: 35.5 mpg, up to 54Renewable Portfolio Standards: 35 states & DCToxic Waste Limits, REACH ACCORDSFTC rulings on “green” International reporting: UK, Japan, etc

U.S. Mayors Climate Protection AgreementU.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement

    As of August 2011, 10541054 cities signed the   “US Mayor’s Climate Protection Agreement.” 

Why is Sustainability Important in your Industry?Why is Sustainability Important in your Industry?

What’s Happening in the MarketplaceFuel Prices: on everything, from air travel to lettuce

Supply Chain: Wal-Mart, Target, HP, Microsoft, SAC  

Equity Investors: ESG, SRI, SEC Guidelines 

Carbon Disclosure Project: $64 Trillion in Assets

Insurance: E&O Insurance

Debt: Equator Principles 

FTC: Rulings on “green”

Other: Genesis Covenant, Pope’s comment, Sports Business Alliance

 

Our Philosophy and ClientsOur Philosophy and Clients

Language and buy-in

ROI & NPV

Environmental, Social, Climate

External & Internal

Implementation

The old way of doing businessThe old way of doing business

Have FUN Have FUN while doing the work that needs doing! while doing the work that needs doing!

Examples of Companies Making $ Examples of Companies Making $ while making a differencewhile making a difference

Optimized energy and distribution at its facilities added new technologies with lower energy consumption improved yields from manufacturing processes.

DuPont: Energy EfficiencyDuPont: Energy Efficiency

Reduced its CO2 emissions 72% below Kyoto target and saved $3 Billion! Reduced its CO2 emissions 72% below Kyoto target and saved $3 Billion!

Reconfigured the plastic bottles for its Suave shampoo.

Changed production from curly noodles to straight noodles and then redesigned packaging to shave 20% off the size of its packaging.

From Waste to Revenue From Waste to Revenue Use excess foam from Therm-a-

Rest ProLite models as raw materials for camp pillows which “sell like crazy”.

* Bi-Product synergy group recently launched in WA* Bi-Product synergy group recently launched in WA

GSB Law: Office PracticesGSB Law: Office Practices

Installed six high-speed scanners to scan every correspondence coming in to the office

Web based storage allowed to them to convert storage rooms into office space.

Saved paper, time (filing, copying, shredding), and opened up floor space on each of its three floors.

Net Savings over $1,000,000Net Savings over $1,000,000

Began using video conferencing provided showers, lockers, onsite bike tune-upsZipcars & shuttle every 15 minutes downtown

Scott Eklund / P-I

Amgen: Employee Productivity and Commuting Amgen: Employee Productivity and Commuting

How You Can Get InvolvedHow You Can Get Involved

Best place to make change is where you are.

Join your company’s Green Team. If none exists, start one! 

This is a good career move.

Take the case studies posted and put to action

Attend conferences, go to Green Drinks, volunteer

Get some additional training: City U, Bellevue College, 

Bainbridge Graduate Institute

Get Involved!Get Involved!

What’s Happening in the Industry?What’s Happening in the Industry?

Where are the jobs? (by industry)Geographic hot spots (Seattle, Portland, Vancouver, San Francisco, London/EU)

Who is doing it and how many are doing it?What are the jobs? (CSR director/manager, sustainability consultant, other)

Local Resources Local Resources Seattle Climate Partnership (SCP) www.seattle.gov/climate/partnership.htm Business Leaders for Climate Solutions www.climatesolutions.org Bellevue Green Business Challenge –Paul Andersson Pandersson@bellevuewa.gov

Reporting and GHG ProtocolsReporting and GHG Protocols Climate Registry EPA Climate Leaders Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) GRI

General Climate info General Climate info Climatebiz, Pew Center of Climate Change, UW Climate Impacts Group, Climate 

Institute, US Global Change Research Program, Safe Climate.net 

For Taking Action For Taking Action 350.org (McKibben),  Climatecrisis.net (Gore)

Top 100 sites on Climate Change Top 100 sites on Climate Change World Environmental Organization www.world.org/weo/climate

Helpful ResourcesHelpful Resources

What you can do?What you can do?People ask us: What can your 4 person firm do? LEADNamed a best small business to work for in Seattle, Bronze medal winner from Environmental Business Journal

Remember I started out not even knowing the term “sustainability” so you are already ahead of where I was when I started

Come talk to me Come talk to me after !after !

Kevin WilhelmKevin Wilhelm

Sustainable Business ConsultingTuesday August 30th

Closing Closing In closing….we have an amazing opportunity ahead of us. And with this 

comes amazing responsibility. The challenge is huge, but How many of you have read Tom Brokaw’s 

book “The Greatest Generation.” They were uniformly declared this for the 20th century, because our parents and grandparents were the ones that stood up to Fascism.

We can be this century’s greatest generation, the ones who planted a flag in the ground and decided that “we”, “we” were going to be the ones to avert this potential global catastrophe. Not only because this is the right thing to do, but also because as I’ve detailed here tonight because it is an effective way to increase profitability, reduce risk, meet customer and investor expectations, and improve the value of your brand at the same time.

This is your opportunity. This is your responsibility. Please join us in making this happen