In a previous post, we had alluded to the environmentally sustainable ideal of systems thinking versus the reality of linear thinking, particularly in manufacturing processes, and promised to provide examples of each to better explain these concepts.
Archive for the ‘Waste Management’ Category
Systems Thinking versus Linear Thinking
Posted in Product Life Cycle, Waste Management, tagged socio-environmental issues, senterra consulting, environmental issues, cradle-to-cradle, zero-waste, green products, recycling, linear thinking, systems thinking, design innovation, biomimicry, manufacturing, product cycle, gDiapers, Pangea soap, Interface on December 21, 2009 | 4 Comments »
If you do what you’ve always done…
Posted in Product Life Cycle, Waste Management, tagged corporate ethics, cradle-to-cradle, cyclical thinking, environmental issues, Gordian Knot, green business, Industrial Revolution, life cycle assessment, linear thinking, senterra consulting, socio-environmental issues, System Dynamics, zero-waste on October 23, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Whether you’ve learned it from Mark Twain, Zig Ziglar or Anthony Robbins, it rings true that “If you do what you have always done, you’ll get what you’ve always got.” If we apply this thought to the manner in which we have conducted business since the Industrial Revolution, we may realize that, despite breakthrough technological and scientific advances, not much has changed about the ways in which we approach production.
Should Your Organization Choose Reusable or Recyclable Cups and Plates?
Posted in Corporate Ethics and CSR, Energy, Product Life Cycle, Supply Chain, Waste Management, tagged cafeteria, corporate budget, corporate ethics, cost-cutting, cradle-to-cradle, CSR, dishes, eco-friendly lunchware, environmental issues, green business, life cycle assessment, recyclable, reusable, senterra, triple bottom line on July 23, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
We’ve recently encountered an academic facility that tried to determine whether reusable, compostable or recyclable lunchware was the most practical and environmentally friendly option for use in its cafeteria. The issue of recyclable versus reusable has multiple variables that make conclusive studies challenging to conduct and constant emergence of environmentally sustainable products and processes may cause frequent shifts towards one or the other.
Recycling is not the solution
Posted in Corporate Ethics and CSR, Product Life Cycle, Supply Chain, Waste Management, tagged corporate ethics, cradle-to-cradle, CSR, downcycling, environmental issues, green business, product design, recycling, reproduct, senterra, senterra consulting, socio-environmental issues, technical nutrients, zero-waste on July 15, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Recycling continues to be advocated as a key component in managing waste responsibly and it remains one of the first initiatives corporations and individual households implement in the move towards environmentally sustainable practices. As compared to disposing of waste in landfills, recycling is, in fact, the better alternative, but in the creation of long-term waste solutions, it is merely a stepping stone.
The daunting task of green product design
Posted in Corporate Ethics and CSR, Education, Product Life Cycle, Supply Chain, Waste Management, tagged corporate communication, corporate ethics, cradle-to-cradle, CSR, education reform, environmental education, environmental issues, green business, green design, green products, life cycle assessment, Product Life Cycle, senterra, senterra consulting, socio-environmental issues, toxic products, zero-waste on June 22, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
When I first read William McDonough’s and Michael Braungart’s “Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the way we make things” back in 2003, it occurred to me that responsible product design had to be the most daunting tasks imaginable to the world of manufacturing. The point is not to redesign everything we make to be indefinitely reusable and non-toxic by next Friday, the point is to really start thinking about what we make, how we make it and why.
Green indoor building products promise improved air quality for workers
Posted in Green Building, Indoor Environmental Quality, Supply Chain, Waste Management, tagged building environmental impact, CSR, employee health, environmental issues, Green Building, green building products, green business, green flooring, IEQ, indoor air quality, Indoor Environmental Quality, LEED, low VOC building material, low VOC paint, no VOC paint, senterra on June 18, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Considering the scientific, medical, and technological breakthroughs of the past few decades, it seems somewhat odd that green materials are just now becoming a matter of interest in commercial indoor environments, when the toxicity of their traditional counterparts and their impact on employee productivity have been known for years.
Is Zero-Waste a realistic business goal?
Posted in Waste Management, tagged closed-loop, corporate budget, corporate ethics, cost-cutting, CSR, eco-industrial parks, environmental issues, environmental policies, EPA, green business, process optimization, senterra consulting, socio-environmental issues, waste diversion, waste planning, waste strategies, zero landfill, zero-waste on June 16, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
The city of Atlanta, GA, recently made headlines when it lost a convention to a “greener” city and consequently began implementing a zero-waste strategy, a groundbreaking move in a state where the waste production per individual is twice the national average. Downtown Atlanta’s convention district and participating providers, such as the Hyatt Regency Atlanta and several restaurants, teamed up with the Green Foodservice Alliance (GFA) and the EPA, among others, to create a closed-loop materials system.
Can small businesses benefit from going green?
Posted in Communication, Corporate Ethics and CSR, Energy, Green IT, Indoor Environmental Quality, Waste Management, Workforce Optimization, tagged corporate budget, corporate communication, corporate ethics, cost-cutting, CSR, environmental issues, environmental policies, green business, Green IT, Indoor Environmental Quality, lighting optimization, senterra, small business sustainability, socio-environmental issues, triple bottom line on June 12, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
From technological innovation to expansive socio-environmental initiatives, corporations like Google and Cisco, Continental Airlines and PG&E have incorporated environmental objectives into their overall business strategy. Many of their green projects required substantial financial investments, the capacity to reengineer processes and systems, the willingness to take risks and the allocation of time and resources.
The E-Waste Problem: Part 2
Posted in Corporate Ethics and CSR, Green IT, Waste Management, tagged corporate budget, corporate ethics, cost-cutting, CSR, e-waste, e-waste management, e-waste recycling, electronic waste, environmental issues, environmental policies, EPA, Green IT, hosted IT, IT hardware reduction, senterra, senterra consulting, socio-environmental issues, virtualization on June 8, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
The majority of businesses today depend on a highly functional IT infrastructure, requiring frequent hardware upgrades and thereby contributing significantly to the electronic waste stream. Yet, IT departments remain largely ignored in corporate sustainability efforts.
The E-Waste Problem: Part 1
Posted in Corporate Ethics and CSR, Environmental Policy, Waste Management, tagged 60 Minutes, China, CNN e-waste, corporate ethics, e-waste, electronic waste issues, environmental issues, environmental policies, senterra on June 5, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Late last year, CNN reported on the illegal shipping of electronic waste to China. Watch the complete segment here and read what your company can do to help control this problem in our upcoming e-waste post.
