 |
 |
Sustainable Pittsburgh’s Sustainable Business Solutions (SBS) and Sustainable Community Solutions (SCS) consultancy provides Sustainability Assessment services to businesses and communities in the Pittsburgh region. The Sustainability Assessments are intended to build capacity and provide specific quantified recommendations to save money in operations, conserve resources, enhance civic stewardship, and foster a culture of sustainability practice.
Integrated Multidisciplinary Expertise
SBS and SCS bring together a team of experts in a wide range of topics to conduct these comprehensive Sustainability Assessments—integrated examinations of a client’s energy usage, waste streams, storm water management, transportation, landscapes, management practices, policies, strategic assets, and other areas. The assessments have led to considerable savings stemming from efficiency improvements, with short payback periods. The results have provided the catalyst for organizations to transition smoothly to more sustainable business practices—finding a value-producing alignment among economic, equity, and environmental factors.
Systems Approach with a Triple-Bottom Line Emphasis
SBS and SCS use a whole systems approach. Recommendations include estimates of expected costs and benefits with a focus on those solutions that will save or make money and increase efficiencies. The solutions help organizations becoming better stewards of the environment and their community. The approach is to focus on opportunities that emphasize continuous improvement where the interests of people, business and the environment meet. The process of sustainability strives to simultaneously maximize benefits to all three.
Much of what it takes for a business to be more sustainable does not require intensive capital investment. Rather, integrating sustainability into day-to-day management and operations translates into inexpensive modifications to practices and policies that pay off in terms of cost savings, employee morale, and customer loyalty.
Sustainability as Emergent Process from Managing Complexity
Organizations are increasingly embracing the practice of sustainability because of the complexities of managing an extensive enterprise. Large-scale organizations continually struggle in today’s business environment to anticipate and respond to rapidly-changing market conditions, to align and focus the necessities of what makes that enterprise profitable and functional, and to discover new ways of distinguishing themselves from competitors.
Sustainability is what happens as a result of the choices that an organization makes and how it operates. Sustainability follows from the culture of practice within an organization that allows that organization to continue, adapt, and thrive, despite continuous challenges. The ultimate goal for an organization that embraces the concept of sustainability is therefore creating this culture of practice—an integrated functioning of resources (such as material items), energy, people, ideas, and information, all aligned to ensure that the organization may continually adapt to complex changes.
Rewards
- Reduce operating costs through efficiency increases (energy, water, manufacturing, and other systems)
- Avoid costs of hauling away "non-products" not sold or recycled
- Turn environmental and social opportunities into bottom line benefits
- Design products, packaging, facilities, systems -- and business alliances -- through new opportunities
- Engage internal and external stakeholders to drive innovation
- Shorten time to market
- Stay ahead of new regulations
- Increase credibility to profit from consumer demand for socially conscious and "green" products and behavior