Easy way to get into the sustainability field

Sustainability is a growing field with many jobs already produced, and many more to come. People have come to realize that we have to change our ways of doing things or we will decimate the environment that we live in. We have already seen these realizations, for example, through the wind farms scattered around the country. If any part of sustainability interests you, then why not pursue a career that it is involved in? Many schools around the country are installing class, or already offering classes to teach students the ways to help you produce products in ways that do not hurt the environment that we live in. In the case of my school, Illinois State University, they offer specific classes such as marketing sustainable products, and have implemented a new minor called Business Environment and Sustainability this year. Sustainability can be seen growing throughout universities and the business world, and it seems like it is going to stay that way.

                If anyone is trying to look for specific jobs that are related with sustainability, there are a few different sites that I myself have looked for on job related topics. The first website is Greenbiz, which has anything and everything that comes with sustainability. They have blogs, news, events, and job offerings that a listed on the site. It is easy to follow and has very good information that can help you. The second website that you can find job postings on is Cleantechnica. This website is similar to Greenbiz having blogs, news, and job postings as well. I know I have mentioned these two websites before, but in my opinion, they can be very helpful in allowing you to learn and possibly pursue careers in the sustainability field.

http://www.greenbiz.com/

http://cleantechnica.com/

A top company in the sustainability field

While taking a class last semester called Marketing Sustainable Products, we talked about some companies that had taken on the idea of being a sustainable company. One Company in particular was Timberland. Timberland was brought up a lot during class due to the way they manufacture new shoes and their use of recycling the old ones. They have come to realize that the manufacturing processes that they use to produce their products is one of the largest environmental impact that they cause, so in return, they recycle their old products to help create the new ones.  Timberland believes in producing products with a cradle-to-cradle attitude. That is that once the product has come to the end of its life, it is then recycled and used in the manufacture of new products. They also have realized that they have a long way to go from the point that they want to be at. Here is a quote on how they perceive their recycling efforts. "While we have a long way to go to determine full recycling pathways for every material, we'd rather recycle even a few parts over consumers discarding them entirely." I think that this is the mindset that companies need to have. With a mindset like this we can really combat the effects that we cause on our environment.  Now Timberland is not the only company out there that has this type of culture, but they are one of the leaders of the pack. And that is something that we need.

http://responsibility.timberland.com/product/?story=1#product-recycling

Apps that take you farther

In this post I wanted to inform all of the owners that drive electric vehicles on three OnStar apps that have been previewed at the GM Electrification Experience. There were three total smartphone apps that were previewed at the GM Electrification Experience. Two of the three apps are used to figure out the "range anxiety" and the public charging costs in the areas that you are in. The third app gives driving an electric vehicle a competitive spin. The three apps that can be used are Waypoint, Park-Tap-Charge (PTC), and the Volt Driver Challenge app.

The Waypoint app is used to help drivers figure out if they can reach a certain destination on the current charge that they have. If they cannot reach that destination, Waypoint will map out a route with specific directions to that final destination that have charging stations along the way. The only drawback of this app is that it will only work with GM's new Chevy Spark model. This app is set to come onto the market in 2013 when the Spark is schedule to come out.

The Park-Tap-Charge app is used to give drivers an estimate of the charging costs of the specific areas that they are in. This app will provide the hourly rate of using the charging station, and the estimate time and cost of a full charge. Drivers will pay these costs through the PayPal method.This app is still in the developmental stages but is in the works to being completed.

The final app, the Volt Driver Challenge app will allow electric vehicle owners to compare their driving stats against others around the globe. Everyone has some sort of competitive drive within them, so this app creates, in a sense, a game that challenges drivers to be more efficient with their driving. This app will award badges and more mileage to those who are more efficient compared to other drivers. This app, as you can see also only works with one vehicle, the Chevy Volt and can be used by any Volt owner with an OnStar account.

These three smartphone apps show us how far technology can take us. Two of these apps give you vital information that people may need while driving from place to place. The third app gives a competitive spin to drive more efficiently, which in turn benefits the environment that we live in. With technologies like this we are on the right way of becoming environmentally friendly.

I found this information off of cleantechnica.com if any of you would like to see for yourself. Here is the link for you to check it out.

http://cleantechnica.com/2012/11/26/new-smartphone-apps-will-help-boost-range-of-gm-electric-vehicles/

Sustainability at Illinois State

Many colleges throughout the nation have been moving towards the idea of sustainability. Schools are implementing new technologies, teaching classes, and many other things that are involved with sustainability. In this post I wanted to talk about the school that I go to, Illinois State University.  This past year, they have implemented a new minor called business environment and sustainability due to the increasing demand for sustainability throughout the university. Fortunately, I was one of the first students to get accepted into the minor.

Along with the implementation of the new minor, Illinois State University was recognized in The Princeton Review's Guide to 286 Green Colleges.  Some qualities considered, according to the Pantagraph, were “the campus's quality of life, how well an institution prepares students for employment in a green economy, and whether school policies are environmentally responsible.” Also according to the Pantagraph, in ISU’s case, they were recognized for “its active Green Team sustainability committee, having a full-time sustainability coordinator, its recycling program, energy efficiency measures, and providing transportation alternatives such as campus shuttle buses and car and bike share programs.”

This is just one example of how the idea of sustainability is spreading not just the business world, but also in schools as well. The world is going heading in the direction of sustainable ways, and ISU is doing their part in helping us get there.  With the continuing trend of schools moving towards the sustainable ways, we may be able to halt the damaging affects we are causing to our environment.

http://sustainability.illinoisstate.edu/

Three products to support Green World Living

Three products that I wanted to let you know about are two T-shirts and an Iphone case that I am selling through cafepress.com. The first T-shirt is a fitted shirt that has the Green World Living logo on the upper left side of the chest. This T-shirt can be used for just wearing out on an everyday occasion. Or it could be worn to help promote the Green World Living Brand. The second T-shirt is a performance dry T-shirt. This could also be worn around and about on an everyday occasion, but it is more likely to be worn when doing some sort of exercise. Exercise is a good thing for you to do to keep you healthy, and living sustainable, energy efficient life is good for keeping our environment healthy. So why not do both at the same time? The third and final product that I am selling through cafepress.com is a Iphone charger case. The Iphone is a very popular phone out on the market these days, and in a lot of cases people can't go about their days without it. I myself have the Iphone and rely heavily upon it. So, when the time comes when you need to charge your phone, you don't have to plug it in. All you need is this case to charge it for you while you are on-the-go. “Time is money” is the saying that a lot of people follow here in the U.S. so why spend time charging your phone by plugging it into the wall. Here is a link to the products if you would like to check them out for yourself.

http://www.cafepress.com/greenworldliving

Saving on energy and creating it at the same time

                In this post I wanted to promote a few products that are out there that can help you save on your home energy costs, and if you would like, create your own energy. The two products are both “do-it-yourself” books that give you step by step instructions to help you save. The first product is called “Save on Home Energy” and the second product is called “Home Made Power Plant.”

                The book “Save on Home Energy” is written by Peter Lindemann who has over 35 years of experience with advanced energy solutions. He also has a website on alternative energies that is one of the most popular websites in the world. A few things that the book goes into is cutting hot water heating costs by 70%, cutting oil heating costs by up to 25%, spending less while keeping your thermostat turned up, and cutting the costs of lighting your home by 50% to just name a few.

                The book “Home Made Power Plant” is written by Frank Patrick who is an alternative energy researcher. On the website where you order this book, it states “Discover How To Pay Only $3 For Electricity This Month... Next Month... Forever... It's Legal, It's Easy, And You Can Do It Today!” Now I don’t know about you but paying $3 a month for electricity would make my life a lot easier, especially since I am a college student. The book goes into the basic solar power system that includes a solar panel, wind turbine, emergency generator, charge controller, inverter, battery box, and a control panel. By using this energy system, you can save tons of money and create it at the same time.

Here are the links to follow if you would like to check these products out for yourself.

http://www.save-on-home-energy.com/index.html

http://www.homemadepowerplant.com/?hop=0

Top sustainability blog you may want to check out

                In this post tonight I wanted to let you know, if you don’t already, about another blog that has very good information on all aspects of sustainability. Greenbiz.com is a blog site that has many different things that you can search for. There are blog posts, job listings in the sustainability fields, and sustainability events. By just looking at the home page, there are blog posts on how Walmart taught a student about sustainability, destructions brought on by hurricane Sandy, how IKEA plans to take their building to be energy-neutral, how an upstart helped Samsung beat the Iphone in energy efficiency, and many more topics related to the sustainability field.

                Also after looking up GreenBiz on social media sites, they seem to be having some success like Cleantechnica has. GreenBiz has over 24,000 followers on twitter, 4,050 likes on Facebook,  and over 36,000 members on Linkedin. With this many followers, likes, and members, it shows the success that GreenBiz is having.

                In my opinion, I think GreenBiz is one of the better known websites based on the sustainability topic, but for those that have not heard of GreenBiz, I think you should check it out. I am now comfortable with the website because I check out some current news on the topic and also look at potential job opportunities  because I am graduating this coming Spring. Even though I know what I am doing with the website, it is an easy website to follow when you first use it. It has everything grouped into categories that are easy to find. By looking at blogs such as Greenbiz.com,  I feel like I am becoming a more knowledgeable blogger on the sustainability topic. By furthering my knowledge, I will hopefully help the readers that follow my blog in a better way.

http://www.greenbiz.com/

http://cleantechnica.com/

New LED Lighting

After messing around on the internet for a while, I came across a blog post from Cleantechnica about three new LED light bulbs that are being produced by Phillips. The three different bulbs are the Dim Tone BR30, the A21 22-watt, and LED T8 replacement lamp. LED technology in lighting seems to be on the up and up, and these three new bulbs will continue to help. The Dim Tone BR30 is designed for dim, restaurant type setting. This light bulb can also last up to twelve times longer than the old candescent light bulbs. The A21 22-watt light bulb is one of the first LED light bulbs to replace the traditional commercial 100 watt candescent light bulb to hit the market. This light bulb uses up to 78% less energy than the traditional light bulbs and can last up to 25 times longer. The post says that this bulb can save business and individuals up to $200 per light bulb, which everyone nowadays is trying to save money wherever they can. The final light bulb, the LED T8 replacement lamp uses up to 35% less energy than the traditional lamps, and can last up to 50,000 hours of continuous use. I don’t know how long the traditional lamps last, but 50,000 continuous hours seems like an impressive amount of hours to me. Like I said early, people nowadays are looking to save as much money in any way that they can. These light bulbs seem to be able to help you out in doing that.

If you would like to read the post on the three light bulbs, here is a link for you to do that. Enjoy!  

http://cleantechnica.com/2012/10/30/philips-launches-led-retrofit-lamps/

Things I have learned in ACC 255 So Far

1.  The first thing that I have learned so far in ACC 255 is how to set up and use a blog.
2.  The second thing that I have learned is how to set up and run my own website.
3.  The third thing that I have learned is how to create my own products to sell using Cafepress.
4.  The fourth thing I have learned is that a list post is easy for readers to scan through.
5.  The fifth thing that I have learned is how spyder, index, and query software work. The spyder crawls the web, the index captures everything from the spyder, and the query is what is shown when using a search engine.
6.  The sixth thing that I have learned is what "evergreen" means, which is content that readers in the future will go back to for references.
7.  The seventh thing that I have learned is that there are many different types of blog posts that you can do, ranging from lists, to about me pages, etc.
8.  The eighth thing that I learned was that the about me page gives readers transparency to what who you are and what you are doing.
9.  The ninth thing that I learned was that using your email on your website to have people contact you can result in people being spammed.
10.  The tenth thing that I learned was that linking to other bloggers posts can help give your readers more value, and help you widen the views of your own blog.
11.  The eleventh thing that I learned was that websites posts are used for more in depth articles, and blog posts are used for more of the new ideas and general information.

The Better Posts of This Past Week

Tips for Becoming a Sustainable Business

There are many ways to become a sustainable business, but with these four basic ways, you will be a sustainable “mean, green, fighting machine.”

·         Material You May Find Interesting

“Companies that Invest in Sustainability Do Better Financially.” This is an appealing little thought in my opinion.

A Top Blog in the Sustainability Niche

CleanTechnica, the third ranked blog in the Top 100 Green, covers several of the key areas of sustainability ranging from wind turbines, increases in electric scooters, sustainable energy projects in overseas countries, intelligent energy-storage-powered high rises, and even smart phone apps that anyone can download to help them live a more sustainable and energy efficient lifestyle. And that was just on the first page!

More Oil Pipelines?

Everyone needs to be using more oil right? I guess in Mitt Romney’s opinion we need more pipelines to be brought into the U.S. from different countries to further our dependence on oil.

·         Sustainable Practices

      An up and coming website that you might want to check out. Involves the concept of sustainability involved with the business environment. Oh, and one other thing, it’s my website!

        Apps to Keep You on the Road

      A smart phone app, called PlugShare, allows you to access information on electric car charging stations in, or around your area. It even allows you to offer your own house charging station if you want to be the Good Samaritan and help out fellow electric car brethren. 

·         

      Having a Green Roof

      If you love tending to your own garden, or have many flowers around the house, why not have them on the roof? 

Having a Green Roof

    Have you ever thought about having your roof be a garden? Or how about having some of your favorite flowers growing on your roof? In this post, I wanted to talk to all of you about the benefits that you can have from creating a green roof. Green roofs come in all different shapes, sizes, and wildlife selections. Depending on where you live, you can fit your roof to the specifications that it needs to grow.

    If you are a little skeptical on why green roofs are a good choice for you, I’ll tell you about some of the benefits that they bring. The first benefit that they help with is the heating and cooling of your house. During the summer or warm parts of the year, the green roofs collect that sunlight and protect the house from heating up. In the winter or colder parts of the year, they keep the heat that is in the house from escaping. What's not to like about that?

    Another benefit that can be taken advantage of is having a garden. If you would want to grow your own food, a green roof would be a perfect place to do that. It would reduce the costs that you would have by going to the grocery store, and it would also be a healthier choice for you. By growing your own food, it will be fresh, which in my mind always tastes better, and free of the preservatives that are put into the food so it can be transported.

    So, after reading about a few benefits that green roofs can supply you, hopefully you will now possibly consider implementing the idea for your own uses.

Also, here are some facts on the benefits of green roofs.

http://www.thedailygreen.com/green-homes/latest/green-roofs

Apps to Keep You on the Road

    Good evening readers, tonight I was reading some articles and found one on a smart phone app that allows you to get information on electric car charging stations in the area that you are in, and I wanted to give it a review. According to the post, the app was launched last year and initially monitored 500 charging stations, and it is now currently up to 11,000. It is an international program, but most of the charging stations that are shown are located in the United States.

    After reading this, I decided to check it out for myself. Now, I do not have an electric car, but after looking over the app it does seems to have some very helpful information. So, if you do have an electric car, then this may be something that you would want to look into. Another thing that the article went into was about being able to include your own charging station at your house to its database if you choose. They allow this so if there is someone in need of a charge they could come to your house to do it. Now, in my opinion, I don’t think that I would do this. You never know who may show up at your door. But, if you feel like being the Good Samaritan and help these people out, you have that option.

    This post I thought was a good post, in the sense of getting this app out to more people. It showed what features were available, and, in today’s world, most people have smart phones so it is easily accessible. So, I would give this article a 4 out of 5.

Here is the link to the article if you would like to read it for yourself.

http://cleantechnica.com/2012/10/04/need-to-top-up-your-ev-battery-but-dont-know-where-theres-an-app-for-that/

Sustainable Practices

    Good evening readers, in this post I would like to promote the website that I also run, along with this blog. The website that I run is called SustainablePractices.com. While my blog posts contain smaller posts, reviews, and other things, my website contains the larger, more detailed posts containing all of the subjects related to sustainability in the business environment. The blog is for more of an up-to-date, recent events type of information, while the website will be a more detailed reference that you can go back to if you need it.

    As of now, my website is still in the developmental stages so there is not as much information on there right now. But, in the next few days I will have the pillar articles that can be read and then referenced at any time when certain information is needed. The design of the website is setup to have a business casual type of feel. I wanted this type of feel so that readers have the sense of comfort, but also have that business attitude. The website will contain any relevant information on sustainability within the business environment like my blog but in just a more detailed manner. Also, as of right now, I am not using any social media sites, but I do plan on getting involved with some social media sites to help further the exposure of my website.

    If there are any questions, comments, or concerns, please feel free to comment on this post or contact me on the website at any time.

http://sustainablepractices2.webs.com/

More Oil Pipelines?

    In a blog post that I read today, Mitt Romney is supposedly supporting a new pipeline called the Keystone XL Pipeline. The post is written by Tina Casey, on CleanTechnica, a site that has many blog posts on the subject of sustainability. In the world that we live in today, why do we need another major pipeline coming from another country to support our energy needs? These pipelines are big risks that we are taking on due to the possibility of oil spills and the impacts on the environment from building them.  We have already experienced what oil spills do to our environment, so why do we need to be relying on more, less efficient energy sources. Just in the last year the Keystone pipelines had twelve oil spills. Do we really need more oil or should we move from oil to renewable energies?

    Another thing that the blog said was that the oil from the Canadian oil sands, which is where the pipeline would come from,  are harder to clean up due to the density of the oil sands making the carbons solidify rather than release into the air. If there is a major spill with this type of oil, there will be a major impact on the environment. Is it necessary to take that risk just for more oil? In my opinion, this is a big risk to take on when we have the resources to produce the energy that we need. We have all of the renewable energies that can replace oil which will also be good for the environment at the same time. This is the link to the blog if anyone is interested in reading. Also, if there are any questions, comments, or opinions feel free to leave a comment.

http://cleantechnica.com/2012/10/04/in-debate-romney-supports-keystone-pipeline/

A Top Blog in the Sustainability Niche

    In this post, I wanted to analyze another blog that would help me in becoming a better blogger. CleanTechnica, which is the 3rd ranked blog in the Top 100 Green, is a site that has many blog posts over several areas of sustainability. In just the few posts that are showed on the first page of the website, they have  posts ranging from wind turbines, increases in electric scooters, sustainable energy projects in overseas countries, intelligent energy-storage-powered high rises, and even smart phone apps that anyone can download to help them live a more sustainable and energy efficient lifestyle. So, in a sense, they have blogs that communicate to everyone, from countries, to businesses, and all the way down to individuals that want to live in an eco-friendly manner.

After searching a bit, CleanTechnica is on many social media sites, which include Facebook, Twitter, and Google+. By being involved with these social media sites, it seems like they have had success. They have 5,062 likes on Facebook, 9,469 followers on Twitter, and 989 followers on Google+, so they have really put themselves out there where the public can engage with them and follow the posts that they are doing.

When first coming to the site, I got the impression of being a very clean, uncluttered, and easy to follow website. An option that they give other than all of the blog posts is a green job search. This I think is a good idea in the fact that their followers are more than likely interested in the “sustainability” concept and may want to pursue a career in it. After seeing the setup CleanTechnica , it has given me some ideas on how to further my experience with being a blogger, and hopefully will lead to better posts in the future.

http://cleantechnica.com/

Material You May Find Interesting

    I found blog post by another author that I thought that you, my readers, may find interesting. The post was by Gerrit Heyns, called "Companies that Invest in Sustainability Do Better Financially." I thought that this may appeal to you because he gives some statistics showing a resource efficient financial company called MoRE World compared to a less efficient company called MSCI World. It shows that from 2005 to 2012, MoRE World has outperformed MSCI World each year in annual investment returns. He also gives statistics on how MoRE World has higher net margins, return on assets, and return on equity, which is a big advantage to the company over its competitors.
    Not only do the resource efficient companies have better annual returns, they also bring to the table immense levels of innovation and entrepreneurship. This could also become a huge advantage. If an organization is more innovative than their competitors, they could cut costs and raise their profits through any part of the organization. They could implement new, more efficient equipment, or more efficient strategies. These strategies or qualities, and new equipment could put these businesses miles ahead of their competitors, which creates a happy environment for that organization. Employees will be happy due to better job security, and management will be happy with the position that the organization is in in the marketplace and the position they have to their competitors.

    He ends his post describing why these efficient strategies are good things that companies should have. They indicate how organizations are performing economically, and that managers should be "taking advantage of the data." Here is a link to his blog if anyone is interested in checking it out. Also, feel free to contact me with any questions, comments, or opinions at any time.

http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2012/09/sustainable_investing_time_to.html

Tips for Becoming a Sustainable Business

There are many ways for businesses to convert from the traditional business practices to the up and coming, sustainable ways. Now, I am not an expert by any means in helping businesses move into the sustainable practices, but I thought I would give a few tips on what I have learned over the years of my education.

1. Construct LEED certified buildings

Having LEED certified buildings will help create an atmosphere of sustainability. It will also create a healthy environment that the employees of the organization will want to work in. This will put you on your way to becoming a sustainable business.

2. Use bio-diesel for company cars

Bio-diesel is good for the environment, and it can be made onsite! The bio-diesel that I have been exposed to is made with left over cooking oil from fryers. There are some steps that are involved with making bio-diesel but it will help save money for the organization by making it rather than paying for gas or regular diesel fuel.

3. Use renewable energies

The use of renewable energies is good for the environment, and also lowers the costs for the organization once the set-up costs are paid for. In some cases, the set-ups for the renewable energy could become an aesthetic view for employees to relax with while on breaks, or consumers to see.

4.  Release sustainability reports

Be transparent! By releasing reports on emissions and other things related to the business creates a sense of trust with the consumers of the organization’s products.  If there is a sense of trust between the organization and the consumers, then a prosperous relationship will continue to thrive.

These are just a few tips that I think would help business intertwine sustainable practices into their organization. If there are any other tips to add to these, please feel free to comment.

About Jimmy Green

Hi, I am Jimmy Green, which is a pseudonym that I will be using for my work, and I write the Sustainable Business blog to help businesses transition from conventional business practices to new sustainable business practices, while still making a profit. I just started the Sustainable Business blog to help businesses make the tough choices of leaving behind the conventional ways to do business, and transform them into long term sustainable practices. Before starting this blog, I have completed my associates degree at Highland Community College, which is in the town I grew up in, and I am now currently in my senior year working towards a degree in Business Administration at Illinois State University. I am the middle child in a family of five, and have been very big into sports since I was very young.  I first came in contact with sustainability involved in the business world last year after taking a class on marketing sustainable products. After taking this class my perspective on the environment that I live in has changed. Before that class I have never even thought about the effects that businesses can have on the environment. The old conventional ways have an immense effect on the environment, and with a sustainable approach, businesses can help reduce the effects they are causing to our environment. Hopefully I can help give some insight on how sustainable business practices help, and persuade business to change their ways. If there are any questions, concerns, suggestions, or opinions, please contact me at the provided link below.