Newsletter // GreenBuzz :: The First Green-Collar Grads, Yahoo! Abandons Offsets, and More

Energy efficiency, long the underalued underachiever among business activities, seems to be finally getting its day in the sun. Credit the economic doldrums with instilling a more urgent need to trim costs (and the slowed-down business pace that gives companies more time to do it). Credit the inevitability of carbon costs. Credit the CEOs and operations chiefs who finally "get it."

Whatever the impetus, energy-efficiency stories seem to be taking center stage nearly every week. Last week, Yahoo! announced its newest-generation data center — one of the most efficient ever — along with a shift in strategy to abandon carbon offsets in favor of more aggressive efficiency goals. (More about carbon offsetting trends in a minute.) The daily news carries a steady drumbeat of stories, from electric utility subsidies to tougher standards on lighting to government programs to help small firms save energy to company programs to go beyond the low-hanging fruit, 

The positive stories notwithstanding, implementing energy efficiency measures isn't always easy. You've got to make the business case, often competiting with ROIs of other, non-green initiatives. You've got to identify new products and vendors, always a challenge. You've got to educate colleagues about changes in operations or daily habits. Inevitably, you make mistakes, learn from them, and move on.

What's your secret to success? I'd love to hear what strategies have worked — and what haven't — to move your organization to more aggressively and profitably pursue energy-efficiency measures. We'd welcome your tips or, better yet, a few hundred words we can share with other readers. Please drop us a note if you are interested.

Carbon Offsetting Trends 2009: Also this week, we'd like to invite you to contribute your views to the Carbon Offsetting Trends Survey 2009. This important piece of research builds on last year’s findings to further evaluate the key issues facing corporate buyers of carbon offsets in the current climate.

EcoSecurities is partnering with Baker McKenzie, as well as our own ClimateBiz.com, in conducting the survey. And we'd be grateful for your participation to ensure the report is insightful, informative, and valuable to all who read it. I hope you will take the few minutes to contribute your opinions. Please note that EcoSecurities adheres to the Market Research Society's Code of Conduct. All answers are anonymous and no personal data will be shared with third parties. To participate in the survey, click here.

Natural Logic CEO Gil Friend brings together 52 crucial facts and insights leaders must know to successfully go green. This book delivers quick, plain-English explanations that executives, decision-makers, and entrepreneurs can actually use, no matter what kind of businesses they’re running, or what their environmental and profit goals are.

The 12th edition of the quarterly scorecard focuses heavily on toxics-reduction goals and achievements, punishing three companies for failing to remove BFRs and PVC from their products.

In this 50-minute session, four experts will discuss their companies' journeys toward sustainability using data analytics, modeling and a whole- systems approach. They will address the benefits of increasing efficiencies to save costs, improve performance and meet environmental targets using IBM Green SigmaTM, a proven methodology for delivering value to key stakeholders while driving out waste and inefficiencies. And they will discuss how they have joined with other sustainability- focused companies to form the Green Sigma™ Coalition and bring this successful methodology to others.