Michal Lenchner's blog

Smarter Buildings: Courtesy of IBM

Many leaders from various industries and geographies indicate that the emerging sustainable economy will be the biggest economic game changer in the next two decades. At West Coast Green conference in San Francisco last week, IBM Corporation announced new Smart Energy-Management and Sustainability Solutions for the enterprise.

The new technological offerings address energy efficiency and sustainable buildings in commercial settings and are part of IBM’s expanding collection of solutions that are designed for creating smarter urban infrastructures.... read more

The current metering devices for generating, transmitting and distributing electrical informationr are vulnerable to failure. The need to revamp this outdated technology is apparent, especially in an age of renewable energy. Original image from freefoto.comThe smart grid creates opportunities beyond new meter devices and simple data collection.

People believe there is enough fresh water and that all we need to do is ‘harvest’ it. We should remember that where water falls is not necessarily where people live or need it. Certain geographical areas have abundance, but we cannot utilize water everywhere, as usage depends on where people live, produce, and function. ... read more

Acterra’s 2010 Business Environmental Award reception will be held in Palo Alto, California on June 3.

Acterra is an environmental non-profit organization in the San Francisco Bay Area, which brings people and businesses together to create local solutions for a healthy planet. See more information about Acterra's programs below. Image from flickr.com... read more

Today, customer demand is driving manufacturers and suppliers to become sustainable. Procurement can play a key role in driving the supply-chain towards sustainability. Green procurement refers to acquiring products, services, utilities, and work not based on criteria of price/quality only, but also with considerations of minimizing environmental impacts, of fairness and social justice, and economically viable, now and in the long term.   

Read more about Successful sustainability initiatives in corporate America and Sustainability best practices among leading companies.

Examples of green procurement range from the purchase of energy-saving lightbulbs to utilizing 'green' office supplies, retrofitting buildings with solar panels or recycled materials. purchasing organic food to be served in cafeterias, replacing vehicle fleet with electric vehicles, and more. The ultimate green procurement is the avoidance of the purchase altogether.Companies that implement sustainability initiatives develop and publish a 'Sustainable Development Procurement Guidelines and Procedures' to their supply-chain.

However, there are varying shades of  Going Green and some of the considerations for the supply chain may be:... read more

• •    Recycled content
• •    Bio-based content
• •    Assessing toxic content (like Mercury in fluorescent lights)
• •    Energy or water consumption
• •    Products take-back and actual recycling