Last week, Wall Street Journal journalist Christina Binkley wrote that a group of about 100 apparel makers and retailers developed a software tool that rates the environmental impact of their apparel and footwear, from production to garbage dump. The Eco Index is scheduled to be unveiled at the Outdoor Retailer trade show next month, but the group is unsure when it will be unveiled to the public.   

There are several stages companies should go through before publicly announcing their “greenness,” according to Christoph Lueneburger and Daniel Goleman in “The Change Leadership Sustainability Demands.” To do so (before going through the necessary stages) can set the organization up for negative publicity and the accusation of “greenwashing.”

As Luenenburger and Goleman state, “First, sustainability is about operational reality first, and public perceptions second. Companies that market their external image beyond their actual accomplishments are risking serious damage to their corporate reputations, the impact of which can extend far beyond any individual brands.”

The first stage of an organization’s sustainability initiative, when it just begins, is not the time to make public announcements, as there is no track record to substantiate claims of success. The sustainability initiatives are just being planted and haven’t been ingrained operationally, yet.

The second phase is when sustainability systems have been adopted and there are measureable, short-term commercial successes. The organization is proactive on sustainability and tracks its economic, environmental and social metrics over the business-planning cycle. 

But it is not until the third phase that sustainability becomes “embedded in the corporate DNA.” At this point, sustainability is incorporated into long-term strategic planning and decisions can be made that may not be immediately profitable, but have a greater positive business and environmental impact further down the road.

This is when an organization can publicly share its sustainability practices for maximum effect. Providing information on production processes—from acquisition of materials through production, to the obsolescence and disposal of the product—will be a competitive advantage for those organizations that have a longer term track record of sustainability. Consumers are demanding more and more transparency, and those who provide it, along with a history of sustainable business practices, will have the edge over those who do not.

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If you haven’t seen the latest modular home designs, you really need to check them out.  If you think you’ve seen it all, you are infor a surprise: They are cool, funky, creative and green!

-There’s the Dice House, a 30’ by 30’ by 30’ cube that produces 90 percent of the home’s energy needs through a photovoltaic umbrella dome.  This dome traps heat, which warms water and heats the home, and with photovoltaic cells, produces approximately 33 kilowatt hours per day.

-Then there’s the Hip Pod House, made from renewable materials

 -The Magma Design LoftFloat, which is completely solar powered

-The Hillside Pod Home, offering 360 degree views

- Straw and Hemp homes, which are airtight, mold resistant and completely carbon negative

- and the Global Sustainable Home by John Farag, which eliminates sewer and water infrastructure by using dry composting toilets and  air-to-water condenser to create fresh water .

If ever there was an industry that needs an overhaul, it is the construction industry.  Most of its practices, from ripping apart and eroding the natural landscape to emitting untold toxins into the soil and air, can be eliminated, or nearly so, in the controlled environment of a modular buildings factory.  Why modular buildings have not gained greater ground in the construction industry is a mystery, but probably due mostly to inertia. Modulars are gaining ground, however. 

Once relegated to rural construction, where it wasn’t economically feasible to build site-built homes, modular homes are now becoming mainstream. 

Once relegated to rural construction, where it wasn’t economically feasible to build site built homes, modular homes are now becoming mainstream.  Not to be confused with mobile homes, which are built to codes generally considered to be of lesser quality, modular homes are built to the same high standards of site homes. They are constructed in factories far away from their ultimate destinations and when completed, are essentially indistinguishable from typical site-built homes. Yet, many agree that modular homes are not only equal to site-built homes, but indeed superior to them.

Consider these advantages of modular homes:

They are economical:  By being built in factories, economies of scale prevail and bulk pricing for materials are passed on to the homeowner. Delivery fees, which are significant for site built homes, are non-existent for modulars. Construction site theft is not an issue, and construction delays disappear. Finally, the speed of construction means a faster return on investment. 

They are environmentally friendly:  Under modular factory conditions, waste is monitored and reduced; with site built homes, the waste can fill several dumpsters.  Airborne dust and pollution are controlled in a factory setting, and workers are protected by state and federal health mandates.  With site-built homes, workers usually have to commute many miles to the worksite, as do delivery trucks, numerous times over the course of several months.  By contrast, the amount of energy spent on transportation with a modular home is reduced to a single delivery. Further, with site-built homes, the lot’s natural vegetation is scraped away so the typical two to ten delivery trucks a day can come and go easily. The land is often further degraded by toxins from engine leaks and spilled solvents. With modulars, toxins are minimized, and there is little disruption to the landscape, as there is no need to remove much, or any, of the natural vegetation.

They are stronger, tighter, more energy efficient:  When FEMA studied the destruction in Dade County, Florida after Hurricane Andrew, they concluded that modular and masonry homes fared best compared to other construction, such as typical “stick” construction.  In addition to being stronger, modular homes are more energy efficient.  Because it doesn’t face the vicissitudes of weather, the wood in modular homes doesn’t warp, leading to tighter construction and better insulation.  And some modular homes are built with solar panels, rainwater harvesting and water saving systems, as well.    

They are cool and customizable:  There are modular commercial, office, industrial, educational and health care buildings too, with designs that range from traditional to ultra contemporary. 

Next time you consider moving to or building a new home or office, look into modular buildings first.  You may be able to get exactly what you want for less cost to you and to the environment.

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I love interactive charts and maps. Especially the ones that allow real-time tracking of data.

There are flu trackers  such as Google’s data-mapping of searches in relation to the swine flu. And there are energy tracking tools and carbon-footprint tracking tools.

Since we are in the business of letting employees track their eco actions and benchmark them against others in the organization, I like to look under the hood and see how other tracking tools empower users. Data is of little value unless you can map it, compare trends, look for blind spots, and ultimately use it to improve or change something. Without that interactive component it’s as helpful as a spreadsheet.

Take a look at this interactive Energy Usage Comparison Chart for cities in the US: You could enter a zip code and look at a score for the city’s carbon emissions and carbon footprint.

• I entering the zip code 78727 (for Austin, Texas) and it pulled up a variety of data points, including a bar-chart with a carbon footprint score of 10. (There’s a further break down of carbon use, in major sectors.)
• Entering the zip code 85287 (for Tempe, Arizona) brought up a carbon footprint score of 36, and so on. You could see the results here.

The footprint tracking business is so popular, there is even a footprint conference in 2010, in Italy (who wouldv’e thought!) where you could “Participate in scenario workshops that can help you identify robust strategies for your company, city, or country in resource-constrained future.” Details here.

Two more footprint trackers worth looking at:

1. The Nature Conservancy — an online calculator that lets you track your energy consumption at home, your carbon footprint from flying and driving, from food consumption, and from recycling.
2. Arizona State University’s Tempe campus – It’s web-based tool, named Campus Metabolism tracks real-time energy use in buildings, and is displayed in the lobby of the Global Institute of Sustainability.

If you come across an amazing tracking tool, give me a shout, or post a comment here.

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