A. What is Sustainability?

“Green” is a common expression that originally referred to those products, actions or organizations that were thought to be environmentally superior. In recent years, more people have begun to associate the term with sustainable development or sustainability. Sustainable development carries many definitions, the most common of which was articulated by the UN’s Brundtland Commission in 1987: “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. ”

From the perspective of organizations, the goal of sustainable development –often referred to in the shorthand as sustainability –entails meeting the “Triple Bottom Line” of economic, social and environmental responsibility. It is about fostering respect for people and other living things while at the same time wisely using and managing environmental and economic resources. It calls for a careful balancing that takes into account the interests of key stakeholders—employees, customers, suppliers, investors, governments, and others—the very parties whose support is critical to the success of any organization.

Over the last few years, many businesses, cities, non-governmental organizations, and academic institutions have realized they have a role to play in the march toward sustainability. Certainly commercial businesses have an important role, too.

B. General Guidance on Implementing a Sustainability Program

(1) Use Guidance: Prioritize.
If your organization desires to pursue sustainability, it should do so in a practical way– in a way that is most suitable to its resources, location, structure, culture, and nature of operations, and service. The approach should be one that adds the most value to the organization. The checklists and other guidance above and below can provide ideas on how that might be done. It is not expected that the organization adopt all of these practices; indeed, there may be other practices that are as effective for the organization, if not more so, than those listed. Also, given the breadth of sustainability, it is advised that you prioritize and pace your efforts toward implementation over the course of years. Take a few short steps, gain some success, and then move on to others.

(2) Systematic Approach.
A simple management system approach, though not essential, may prove helpful in pursuing sustainability. This entails a sequential process of planning, implementing the plan, reporting and evaluating performance, adjusting the approach, and periodically repeating these steps for continual improvement. Here are some more specific steps that may be worth considering, too:

• Secure Buy-in: Discuss with employees what you are trying to accomplish by adopting this sustainability initiative and why you think the organization should do it; secure employee buy-in.
• Adopt and Post Policy: Adopt, sign and post a sustainability policy in one or more prominent places in your office area. This will inform everyone about your purpose and objectives. For ideas about the content of such a document, see the two model policies in Appendices 3 and 4.
•  Appoint Coordinator: Identify a person from the organization as a sustainability coordinator to oversee your implementation of the policy, and track and report progress.
• Assess Status: Use the checklists and other recommendations of this Guide to assess the current status of sustainability of your organization.
•  Create Plan with Goals: Establish a plan for implementing the sustainability policy in a way that makes sense for the organization. One way to do this is to have teams propose a few objectives, metrics, and goals, and then the organization’s leaders can select the priorities and spread them across a number of years so that progress is steady but not overwhelming.
• Identify Implementation Leaders: Assign people within the organization to lead the implementation of each key objective or goal. A supporting sustainability team may also be useful for implementing some items.
• Evaluate Performance: After a period of implementation—say, one year– commence an annual evaluation of progress and challenges.
• Report Progress: Periodically communicate the organization’s progress in implementing the policy. Do this internally first, then publicly. This is most credibly done when noteworthy achievements and best practices are conveyed along with a description of challenges and plans for further improvement. A public report may take the form of a brochure or other publication for customers. It may also entail posting a simple progress report on the website of your organization. Guidance on public sustainability reporting and ideas for performance measurements may be found at the Global Reporting Initiative website: http://www.globalreporting.org/
• Recognize Achievements: Celebrate success; recognize exceptional performance; have some fun.
• Adjust and Repeat Process: Adjust the objectives as appropriate, and repeat the process for continual improvement. Eventually meld the process into the organization’s regular business planning. Make this part of the organization’s culture.
• Tell Others: Share your experience with others outside the organization (customers, new recruits, other organizations, communities, media, etc.); inspire others to undertake a similar commitment.

This is part IV of our series of green guides. Here is Part I, Reduce Carbon Footprint, Part II, Greening Office Product Line, and part III, Improve Environmental Impact in Business Operations.

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Below are some environmental practices that you may want to consider, in order to reduce the environmental impact of your daily operataions. This is part III of our series of green guides. Here is Part I, Reduce Carbon Footprint, and Part II, Greening Office Product Line.

A. Resource Conservation and Pollution Prevention

(Check all that currently apply or interests you)

• Drinking Water. Use filtered tap water instead of bottled water. It takes approximately 17 million barrels of oil to make all the plastic bottles used for the bottled water consumed by Americans each year.
• Reusable Utensils. Use durable plates, cups, glasses, and utensils in the kitchen and conference rooms
• Printer Cartridges. Recycle printer cartridges and buy recycled cartridges.
• Recyclables. Recycle the following to the extent practicable:
  1. Glass bottles
  2. Aluminum cans
  3. Batteries
  4. Plastic bags
  5. Tyvek envelopes
  6. Cardboard
• Reuse Center. Establish a re-use center for binders, file folders, and other items.
• External Reuse. Sell or donate old office equipment, furniture, and supplies that can’t be reused internally.
• Doormats. Use good doormats or entryway track-off systems to prevent people from tracking dirt into the building. Less dirt means fewer resources used for cleaning.
• Grounds Management. Conserve the use of water for grounds watering, where applicable and to the extent that can be decided or influenced by the organization. Use natural landscaping and minimize the use of chemical fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides, to the extent lawn maintenance is within the control of the organization.
• LEED Building Features. Adopt “green building” features and practices, such as those encouraged under the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program of the US Green Building Council, to the extent that can be decided or influenced by the organization. See http://www.usgbc.org/ . Every day, over $464 million worth of construction projects are registered with LEED.

B. Reducing Supply Chain Impacts

• Orders and Deliveries. Use supplier e-systems to order and pay for products and services. Consolidate multiple sources and deliveries of products and services to reduce environmental impacts.
• Product Recycling, Take-back Programs. Arrange with product manufacturers, the Link 360 Program ( http://www.link360recycling.com/ ) , E-Cycle Environmental (http://www.ecycleenvironmental.com/ ) or other reputable firms to take back customer products after use.
• Caterers. Use caterers that minimize disposables.
• Inks. Specify the use of soy inks and paper with recycled content for all print jobs
• Landlord. If the office is leased, work with the landlord and office building manager to help minimize the adverse environmental impacts and risks of the operations and maximize the beneficial ones.
• Facility Improvements. Incorporate environmental criteria in the design and construction of office and other facility improvements.
• Green Hotels. Select hotels with “green” practices for conference sites or regular use. See the CERES Green Hotel Initiative for best practice checklists and other tools: http://www.ceres.org/ then search for hotel.

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The 2008 Summer Olympics debuted in Beijing with one of the most impressive and the most expensive opening ceremony. Beijing based company Lenovo, one of the first partners of the Olympics, released several official series of Usb flash drive inspired the events - probably in an attempt to make back some of the money poured into the sponsorship program.

The first Usb Drive released is made out of the has the same material as the Olympic torch. The $980 RMB 4GB thumbdrive features the game logo in the center which is surrounded by some swirly cloud in red.

The Mascot-series consists of six 4GB flash drives with their front side printed with a Fuwa image and the one with the Beijing Olympic logo. This set goes for $199 RMB.

The third set is five medallions, engraved with the Fuwa characters (and is said to be USB drive as well, though the port is mysteriously hidden in the pictures). Sadly they are sold out, so you will just have to be on the lookout on Ebay.

The last set was released only in very limited amount - 10 to be exact - and contains with five 1GB titanium drives with swiveling USB plug and the mascots engraved . The set comes into a mahogany box. How classy

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Recently at the place I work, a dearly missed coworker left his position to be with another company. In the familiar tradition in our office upon the departure of an office worker, we proceeded to respectfully divide up his possessions both to commemorate his existence, and frankly, office supplies are a scarcity in our office. I have the honor of inheriting the ever fun and useful rubber band ball. What’s a person to do with all these colorful and stretchy rubber bands, waiting for some knowledgeable master to help them spring into mischievous actions? I compiled this list of ultimate rubber band hacks next time you have bunch of rubber bands resting at your fingertips waiting to be sprung into action.

1. Keep Food Fresh – Wrap a rubber band around a bag of chips, salad, or baking flour to seal in the freshness.
2. Bookmark – Wrap a rubber band around a specific page in your planner, or the book you are reading so you can easily flip to the last place you were at.
3. Preventing Slippage – Wrap a couple of rubber bands around a TV remote or ash tray to prevent it from sliding, and scratching the table’s surface.
4. Hold Various Objects Together – …like pencils or index cards. This one is obvious.
5. A Hair Tie – Anytime you need a hair tie, don’t discount your rubber bands, these rubberized surfaces are perfect for holding super slippery hair in place because they do provide more traction than regular hair ties
6. A Paper or Poster Scroll – Roll it up and put a rubber band around it. It’s ready for storage.
7. A Safety Strap for Eye Glasses – Break a rubber band in half and tie each end to the part of the glasses frame that sits over your ears. You can secure the glasses to your face if you make the rubber band short enough.
8. Finger Workout– Bunch all your fingers together and place them through the center of a rubber band. Spread your fingers out and let them contract. Or, wrap a rubber band from your index finger to your pinky and move your index finger away from the other fingers. Repeat this process for the other fingers.
9. A Handle Grip – Wrap several rubber bands around the end of a pole or stick to create a handy grip.
10. Secure a Lid onto a Container – If you don’t want the contents to spill, put a rubber band around it.
11. Quick Tagging – Are these batteries at the bottom of my bag charged or uncharged? Tag your batteries with rubber bands so you never have to guess. You can differentiate between various groups of objects by tagging each group with a certain color rubber band, or a specific number of visible rubber bands.
12. Stress-Relieving Rubber Band Ball – If made soft enough, a rubber band ball can make for a perfect stress relieving squeeze toy. It helps out when you’re in a fidgety mood.
13. Mark the Level of Liquid Remaining in a Solid Color Container – Take a paint can for instance… before you pound the top back on, wrap a rubber band around the outside of the can at the same level as the paint remaining in the can. Next time you need it you’ll know exactly how much you have left in a single glance.
14. Slingshot / Catapult – Every kid’s favorite thing to do with a rubber band, but if you think hard enough, I bet there are some practical uses for making one of these.
15. Simple Art – Take a pegboard and stretch different color rubber bands in various shapes until every peg has been used at least once. Fun, creative and simple.
16. Melt and Use as an Adhesive – It’s not glue, but a melted rubber band does make a darn good adhesive.
17. A Distraction – Pull the famous rubber band gun trick and shoot a rubber band across the room. Try to hit something that makes a sound, or just catch your victim’s attention. As soon as they look the other way, make your move.
18. Tie-Dye – The style may have died in the seventies, but who really cares… a DIY tie-dye project can be a blast. If you have kids, it’s a cheap, creative way to entertain.
19. Prevent the Mixing Spoon from Sliding into the Bowl – Wrap a rubber band around the upper part of the spoon’s handle just above the point at which the spoon touches the rim of the bowl. Now the spoon can’t slip and slide in.
20. Insulate Electrical Current – Rubber bands can act as insulators for low wattage electrical current. Wrap a rubber band around an exposed region of a wire (before the wire is live).
21. Design Fancy Easter Eggs – Wrap several rubber bands in different directions around the eggs before dunking them in the Easter egg dye. This will create interesting designs on the dyed eggs.
22. A Pencil Eraser – Fold a rubber band in half a few times and use it to erase pencil markings. It works surprisingly well.
23. Keep those Files IN the Manila Folder – Manila folders are a great tool for filing papers until you accidentally drop a one. Since a manila folder is nothing more than a sleeve, the files will spill out everywhere. A rubber band can fix that problem in jiffy.
24. Kitty-proof or Puppy-proof Your Toilet Paper – Kitties and Puppies love to shred things. Toilet paper is one of their top 10 favorites. Wrap a rubber band around the roll of toilet paper to avoid the dangling temptation.
25. Grip that Jar Lid – Place a thick rubber band around the rim of a jar lid and use it to grip the lid while you twist it off.
26. Limit Soap Dispenser Output – Put a rubber band around the neck of pump-style soap dispensers to limit the amount of soap dispensed per pump.
27. A Car Visor Receipt Holder – Wrap a few rubber bands around your car’s driver-side sun visor. Conveniently slip all your miscellaneous receipts, parking stubs, etc. under the rubber bands until you have time to sort them out.
28. Keep Wires or Yarn Untangled – Wrap a rubber band around it before the mess gets out of control.
29. Toddler-proof the Cabinets – Stretch a few rubber bands tightly between the left and right cabinet knobs to lock them in place.
30. Rubber Band Motor – Create Kinetic energy with a rubber band. I’ll let PBS explain this one: The Rubber Band Motor
31. Draw a Straight Line – Stretch a rubber band out and trace that perfectly straight line.
32. Paint Brush Wiper – Stretch a rubber band around an open paint can from top to bottom so it crosses over the opening just above the paint. Wipe the excess paint off on the rubber band instead of getting the side of the can all messy.
33. Break-in a Baseball Glove – A brand new baseball glove is stiff. First, it must be broken-in to be an effective tool for catching balls. Bend the leather, beat on it with a rubber mallet, apply shaving cream all over the glove, put a ball in it and wrap a rubber band around the whole glove. Let it stand for awhile to mold the shape of the ball. Repeat every few days as necessary.
34. Keep a Sliced Apple Fresh – This one may seem bizarre, but I tried it and it works fairly well. Slice and apple into wedges. Then place all the wedges back together and wrap a clean rubber band around them so the apple looks whole again. It will keep the apple wedges from browning about 50% longer than just tossing the wedges in a standard sandwich bag.
35. Cure an Overbite – When stretched between opposite ends of the upper and lower jaw over a period of time, the force of a rubber band can correct a minor overbite. Orthodontists typically employ this method in conjunction with braces.
36. A Wallet Replacement – Is you wallet always bulging out of your pants pocket? Get rid of it. Instead, wrap your cash around your ID and credit card and then wrap a rubber band around the outside of the cash.
37. Revive an Old Broom – Are the broom’s bristles a bit worn? Tighten them up. Wrap a thick rubber bands halfway up the broom’s bristles to hold them in place.
38. Create Traction Between Two Flat Surfaces – Spread out several rubber bands between two flat surfaces to create traction between them.

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We have seen recently more and more efforts towards more eco-friendly and sustainable products. Sustainable products are these products that provide environmental, social and economic benefits while protecting public health, welfare, and environment over their full commercial cycle, from the extraction of raw materials to final disposition.

The company Hacoa brings this notion full circle with a collection of elegant wooden office products. The collection is quite diversified going from keyboards, to paper clip holder and even USB flash drives, and all products have a nice Zen feel to them. Enjoy

Paper Clips holder

Apple Keyboard Stand

Keyboard

Usb Flash Drive

Mouse Pad

Stapler

The only fear I have about using these products is the amount of splitters you might get, especially while typing on the keyboard.

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