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Green Business Council: August 2009

Green Omaha Coalition

A Resource for the Accountants on your Green Team

Friday, August 14, 2009


The Professional Accountants in Business (PAIB) Committee of the International Federation of Accountants, who is "Leading the development of the global profession",  has a new-ish (Feb'09) IFAC Sustainability Framework that you can find at http://web.ifac.org/sustainability-framework/splash . It includes good material on performance indicators and other technical references.  Since it is almost certain that the vast majority of working accountants, do not know about this, you can be the resource-savvy team member to enlist their help in greening your organization.  Thanks to my friend Burt Hamner at www.cleanerproduction.com for the tip.  02/06/09 Press Release: http://www.ifac.org/MediaCenter/?q=node/view/614

posted by P2RIC @ 2:44 PM

Business Scorecard Draft Available For Review & Comment

Thursday, August 13, 2009


We need your input!  First draft of the GBC Business Scorecard (see Objective #4 in the strategy below) is available for your review.  Please ask for your copy to review from Erin at <aebass@mail.unomaha.edu> or give her a call at 554-2176.  If you have comments in to her by Friday, September 11, she'll compile the comments and make changes that we'll distribute at the September 23rd meeting. 

posted by P2RIC @ 2:10 PM

Omaha Green Team Roundtable & Open House

Tuesday, August 11, 2009


     WasteCap Nebraska is hosting their Omaha Green Team Roundtable Wednesday, 11:30-1:00 at WasteCap's new Omaha Field Office, 5002 South 24th, in the Lower Level Conference Room. Brown Bagger Style (bring your own lunch) Beverage and Desert will be provided.  This meeting is designed to provide businesses an opportunity to network, share what green programs are working for them, and trouble shoot areas that need improvement.
     Since this is an Open House celebrating our WasteCap's Omaha Field Office, they will give an overview of WasteCap's programs in addition to our regular networking and educational presentation.  This month's presentation is about the State of Nebraska Waste Characterization Study commissioned by NDEQ.  
     Please RSVP to rbeckman@wastecapne.org if you plan to attend.  

posted by Marcella Thompson @ 3:23 PM

Mission

Create a network of businesses interested in sharing sustainable practices and recognize leading green businesses in Omaha.

Background

In support of the Green Omaha Coalition (GOC),  an alliance of organizations pursuing a common goal of a “Green Omaha,” the Green Business Council (GBC) will establish a collaborative network of businesses implementing sustainability programs to improve the environmental performance of their operations.

Focus

The GBC will engage interested businesses from all industries to improve the sustainability of their operations.  The GBC will address a wide variety of environmental programs, including but not limited to: procurement, resource efficiency (energy and water), waste reduction (solid and hazardous), climate change, and green building.

The GBC seeks to involve two business groups: (1) those already implementing sustainability programs and (2) those interested but lacking the resources to pursue and implement sustainable strategies.  Ultimately, the GBC will become a centralized resource for businesses to share, learn, and promote sustainable business practices.

Alliances

The GBC recognizes the importance of collaborating with existing organizations to more effectively and efficiently reach businesses to provide educational and networking opportunities. The following provides a preliminary list of strategic alliances the GBC will pursue:

  • Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce (GOCOC)
  • Neighborhood Business Associations
  • Flatwater Chapter, U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC)
  • WasteCap of Nebraska (WasteCap)
  • Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA)
  • International Facility Management Association (IFMA)
Objectives

The GBC has identified four primary objectives to establish a coalescing network of sustainable businesses to share environmental best practices and assist emerging green businesses in identifying better environmental strategies through education and networking with other businesses. A detailed description of the objectives described below are including on the following pages.

Interested in joining or learning more about Green Business Council email: greenbusiness@greenomahacoalition.org

Green Business Council Brochure (PDF)

Figure 1 | Objectives of the Green Business Council

Short Term Long Term
Objective 1
Establish a Framework for Ongoing Leadership of the Green Business Council. 		Objective 2
Provide Networking and Education Opportunities to Businesses. 		Objective 3
Develop, Maintain, and Distribute a Green Business Directory. 		Objective 4
Establish an Awards Program to Recognize Green Businesses.
Establish a leadership team and organizational guidance to manage day-to-day functions of the GBC Collaborate with alliance organizations to provide networking and training opportunities to Omaha-area businesses.  Compile a directory of individuals responsible for managing sustainability programs for Omaha-area businesses. Establish a framework for recognizing businesses for exceptional environmental performance.