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The extinction of large animals from tropical forests could make climate change worse – according to researchers at the University of East Anglia.

New research published in Science Advances reveals that a decline in fruit-eating animals such as large primates, tapirs (pictured above) and toucans could have a knock-on effect for tree species. This is because large animals disperse large seeded plant species often associated with large trees and high wood density - which are more effective at capturing and storing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere than smaller trees.

Seed dispersal by large-bodied vertebrates happens via the ingestion of viable seeds that pass through the digestive tract intact.??Removing large animals from the ecosystem upsets the natural balance and leads to a loss of heavy-wooded large trees, which means that less CO2 can be locked away.

The study was led by researchers from São Paulo State University in Brazil, in collaboration with UEA, the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) and the University of Helsinki, Finland.

Prof Carlos Peres, from UEA’s School of Environmental Sciences, said: “Large birds and mammals provide almost all the seed dispersal services for large-seeded plants. Several large vertebrates are threatened by hunting, illegal trade and habitat loss. But the steep decline of the megafauna in overhunted tropical forest ecosystems can bring about large unforeseen impacts.

“We show that the decline and extinction of large animals will over time induces a decline in large hardwood trees. This in turn negatively affects the capacity of tropical forests to store carbon and therefore their potential to counter climate change.”

Food waste is a growing scandal which now has the public’s full attention. In the United States and much of Western Europe, food scraps constitute around 19% of the waste dumped in landfills, where it ends up rotting and producing methane, a greenhouse gas. This is not only undesirable in terms of sustainability and environmental impact but costly for food retailers paying high disposal costs.

So imagine if this food waste could be turned into zero emissions energy which in turn is used to manufacture the food sold on the supermarket shelves. This is the neat solution being pioneered by the Helsinki based Finnish retail conglomerate Kesko Corporation which has more than 1,500 stores across Scandinavia, the Baltics, Russia and Belarus.

Kesko’s unavoidable edible food waste is already largely distributed to charities as food aid. Now food which is no longer fit for human consumption – is moldy or rotten or has been in some other way contaminated – and which has previously been composted or burnt, is collected and turned into 100% renewable Finnish biogas which is piped into the factories producing Kesko’s popular Pirkka own-brand foodstuffs.

In one move food waste is abolished and products on the shelves are made using zero emissions renewable energy. With this perfect example of the circular economy in action Kesko is able to push ahead with its commitment to sustainability as well as steal a march on its competitors.

“We are always looking for ways to do better, to keep reducing our environmental impact, reducing wastage and the volume of waste that ends up composted or in burning facilities,” says Matti Kalervo, vice president of Corporate Responsibility at Kesko Corporation. “Of course this is about standing out from our competitors but it also reflects our genuine commitment to the environment which I am passionate about. As a big company we are in a position to make a difference.”

Indeed, Kesko is already is a sustainability forerunner having risen to fifth place in the Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations in the World list announced earlier this year at the Davos World Economic Forum and the company has appeared on the list every year since it was established in 2005.

In 2008, Kesko committed to save 65 GWh by the end of 2016. As much as 98% of this objective has already been achieved.
So when Kalervo presented the biogas idea to Kesko’s grocery division a year ago it was an easy sell within the company. Almost a year of negotiations followed with Gasum, which manufactures the biogas, and with the two Kesko own-brand production facilities chosen to pioneer the project.

“The negotiations mostly involved costings as biogas is slightly more expensive than the natural gas the factories were previously using,” says Kalervo. “In order not to pass the cost onto the consumer, we agreed to split the costs with the factories which meant only a small increase each and which should easily be offset by the reputational benefits both for us and for our suppliers.”
The beauty of replacing natural gas with biogas is that the switch itself is cost and hassle free as biogas is piped through existing natural gas pipelines so there are no logistical or installation demands on the customer.

Now biowaste from almost 100 K-food stores in the Uusimaa region as well as the Keslog warehouses in Hakkila, Vantaa, is taken to the Labio biogas plant in Lahti, and the biogas produced is transmitted via the Gasum gas network to the Myllyn Paras and Wursti production facilities which make Kesko’s popular own-brand Pirkka range.

Recycling waste into biogas and using this energy in the manufacturing of Pirkka products will help cut annual carbon dioxide emissions by 380 tonnes – equivalent to the emissions generated by driving a car for more than three million kilometres.
The first “made with 100% renewable Finnish energy” labelled products appeared on Kesko shelves in Finland in September – meat rice and egg rice pasties from the Myllyn Paras factory and sausages and cold cuts from Wursti – backed up by a customer education campaign.

The products appeal to customers on two levels - firstly that they are, including the energy used in their production, 100% Finnish and secondly because the use of biogas eliminates both food waste and carbon emissions. “It is hard to say which of these two they like most,” says Kalervo.

Olli Nevalainen, Product Manager for biogas at Gasum agrees. “The fact that biogas is 100% Finnish is as attractive as the fact that it has zero emissions,” he says. “Natural gas, in Finland, is imported from Russia and involves CO2 emissions. Biogas not only has zero emissions but also uses 100% Finnish waste and is produced in Finland making it local, renewable and sustainable.”
Despite being marginally more expensive than natural gas, biogas is gaining in popularity across Finland with both large companies and private householders opting to switch.

“Our upgraded biogas is as efficient to use as natural gas and can be used wherever natural gas is currently used,” says Nevalainen, “from powering industry to household heating, restaurant kitchens to transport fuel. We started producing biogas in 2011 and already have a 60% share of the Finnish transport market in gaseous fuels with buses and private drivers switching from natural gas to biogas.”

Indeed, a study (Eurobarometer 2013) shows that 84% of Finns are happy to pay 5% more for environmentally friendly products. Better news still is that the more customers who switch to biogas the cheaper the production becomes. “Obviously we have started small, with just three plants” says Nevalainen. “Production and maintenance costs are higher in a small scale operation. However we now have another plant opening soon and we are continually looking for ways to make the plants themselves more energy efficient and sustainable.”

Back at Kesko, with the initial biogas produced products selling well, Matti Kalervo and his colleagues are now negotiating with a further twenty supplier factories to make the switch to biogas. “The Pirkka brand alone offers 2,500 products and so far only 15 of these are being made with biogas so we have plenty of room to expand the initiative.

“The two factories that have already switched are delighted with the results. They have benefitted both by reducing their emissions and boosting their reputation as pioneers in sustainability initiatives. Plus, of course, the more popular the products become the more they will benefit from increased orders.

“We are all winners,” he says, “the producers, we the retailers by standing out from the competition and our customers who are able to make a positive choice in favour of zero emissions products. And most importantly, of course, the environment.” 

When broadcast giant Sky teamed up with WWF back in 2009 it was one of the biggest corporate conservation partnerships going – and also one of the first. It all centred on tackling one of society’s biggest issues: deforestation and climate change. So what triggered an entertainment company into thinking it could take on such a challenge?

Fiona Ball, Head of Responsible Business at Sky, says that prior to the collaboration, Sky’s sustainability focus had very much concentrated on internal priorities such as examining its own carbon footprint and working towards becoming a carbon-neutral organisation. The WWF partnership however shifted that focus to become more outward-looking.

“We declared ourselves carbon neutral in 2006 and we were looking more and more at energy efficiency. The energy consumption of our set-top box was a big part of our thinking and at the time we were also printing a monthly magazine, so paper and, ultimately deforestation, were also very much on our customers’ radar,” explains Ball.

The entertainment company felt that this was an area where it could engage consumers on the environment. “It was fitting for a communications business to be involved in this way and at the time no one else was doing it,” recalls Ball.

As a result, the six-year campaign with WWF to help save one billion trees in the Amazon was born. Called, Sky Rainforest Rescue, it aimed to protect rainforest covering over three million hectares in the state of Acre in Brazil.

“It was very much a tri-partite agreement between Sky, WWF (both in the UK and Brazil) and the State of Acre in Brazil. You need that to actually achieve on the ground,” says Ball.

One of the biggest challenges at the outset of such a big partnership was working out what exactly was each organisation’s role. “Over time agreements became more robust as roles were clarified. Sky’s involvement was very much on the commuications side and WWF brought the forestry expertise,” explains Ball.

Another of the early challenges was that it was two big brands coming together for the first time. “We had to get used to the way the different brands worked and communicated. Even the language we used in advertising was different,” Ball recalls.

Early on in the campaign the key performance indicator was the amount of money raised. Sky knew that it had to raise £9m in order to reach its goal of helping to save 1bn trees – it ultimately reached £9.5m (including Sky’s match funding of£4m) - so the focus was very much on that. High profile British stars like Lily Cole helped in promoting awareness of the campaign and the reach was not confined to Sky television channels. “There was outreach advertising on Channel 4 and ITV too,” says Ball.

Once the funds were raised, and there were results from the activity on the ground, the partnership focused on raising awareness of deforestation in the UK and Ireland and helping people to take action. “We needed to see what behaviours were changing,” says Ball. Indeed, Sky monitored its awareness building work through regular surveys. “Every quarter we’d ask our customer base about the initiative.”

Almost half of its audience (47%) were aware of the campaign and committed to changing their behaviours, Ball maintains. “They made hugely personal and individual commitments such as changing the way they travel to work one day a week.”

Results on the ground in Acre have been impressive. By 2016 it’s estimated that the project will have avoided 8,300 hectares of deforestation, saving over 3.7 million tonnes of CO2 emissions. Fifteen hundred local farmer families have signed up to Sky’s sustainable farming scheme, which has helped increase their income while enabling them to access new markets and get a fairer price for sustainable products, and to commit not to deforest. Sixty processing plants have helped improve the market conditions and price for wild rubber, giving rubber tappers a viable alternative to cutting down trees and helping to create new demand for their products.

As an entertainment company, Sky has been able to bring the subject to life on screen. Over the lifetime of Sky Rainforest Rescue it has aired over 12 weeks of environment-themed programming, from Flintoff’s Road To Nowhere to its most recent commission, Richard Hammond’s Jungle Quest, which aired on Sky 1 in October. “We’ve managed to show many different angles on the same subject, bringing a serious issues to life in an entertaining way,” says Ball.

Supportive programming is continuing into December 2015 too with a climate change documentary by Stephen Emmott, Microsoft’s Head of computational science research who has spent five years as a scientific advisor to the Chancellor of the Exchequer about the consequences of the world’s population reaching ‘10 billion’(aired to coincide with COP21) and a documentary entitled How to Change the World that charts the birth of the modern environmental movement and Greenpeace.

Public awareness has also been raised by enabling people to experience the wonders of the Amazon here in the UK. “We have a partnership with the Eden Project in its rainforest biome,” says Ball. “It’s in situ indefinitely and is focused on wild rubber and the creation of a sustainable economy for rainforest dwellers.”

Over 600,000 people have visited the wild rubber exhibit at the Eden Project, with Sky data revealing that 53% of visitors left the exhibit with a better understanding of the issue of deforestation.

Sky also worked with the Forestry Commission in the UK promoting Discovery Trails, where over 500,000 people learned more about the rainforest.

Sky’s research shows the partnership has given around 7.3m people an increased understanding of deforestation.

Sky retail stands in shopping centres have also been involved in raising awareness, as have their engineers’ vehicles, often emblazoned with one of the Amazon’s endangered species. And, as in Brazil, it has also spread the word to the next generation, with 80,000 primary school children having taken part in its ‘I Love Amazon’ Schools initiative.

Ball is happy with the campaign’s achievements. “We have achieved our goal of helping to save one billion trees in the Amazon, by making long-term changes on the ground as well as raising awareness about climate change in the UK.”

While the campaign is no longer fundraising, Ball says that the commitment to Acre will continue for another 18 months. “That is our legacy. There has been lots of work on the ground to create a sustainable, locally-managed economy in Acre. They’re now farming Açaí berries and Brazil nuts as well as wild rubber.”

There is no doubt in Ball’s mind that WWF and Sky will continue working together to support Sky’s environmental strategy to minimise impacts and to raise awareness of the environment, inspiring consumers to take action on climate change.

“We are now looking at where else we can work together to reach conumers,” maintains Ball. Sky will get behind Earth Hour, encouraging people to join the global movement to switch off lights, for one hour on 19 March 2016, as well as showcasing the beauty of the planet through environment-themed programming. All part of Sky’s desire, as a media company, to help bring the issues of climate change to life in ways that people can truly understand.  

Founded in 1976 by royal decree and 70% government owned, Riyadh based SABIC is already one of the world’s largest petrochemical manufacturers with over 40,000 employees working in 50 countries.

The company’s aim was to use the by-products of oil extraction to produce value added commodities such as chemicals, polymers and fertilisers in order to create new industries allowing developing Saudi Arabia to diversify and develop. With production in 1985 of 6.3 million metric tons (mmt) rising to 69 mmt by the end of 2012, SABIC is one of the world’s fastest growing companies and today remains committed to further expansion.

With manufacturing plants in the Americas, Europe and Asia Pacific and research hubs in the USA, Western Europe, Saudi Arabia, Southeast and Northeast Asia, SABIC is also in a prime position to make a positive global impact with its corporate citizenship initiatives.

Having invested some SAR 2.7 billion (£477 million or US$719) over the past ten years in supporting education, healthcare, community development and environmental protection initiatives, SABIC, like many leading corporations, is now focusing on active involvement in addition to traditional chequebook philanthropy such as donations and sponsorships.

Employee Volunteer Programmes (EPVs), whereby employees are encouraged to get involved in local non-profit or charity programmes, often during working hours, are win-win initiatives. Not only do they make a real impact on the local community as well as giving the company a personal presence in the community and promoting the company’s corporate image, but they also promote valuable soft skills in employees such as leadership, team building, problem solving, mentoring and communication, often at far less cost than traditional leadership training programmes. In addition, corporate volunteering engenders a sense of pride and wellbeing in the employee, promoting engagement, reducing staff turnover and attracting new recruits.

SABIC already recognises the importance of employees, through their volunteer activities around the globe, acting as ambassadors in their communities. The company encourages staff in each of its business regions to participate in SABIC-sponsored events, opportunities to volunteer during specified work hours and incentives for employees to do community service on their own time – reflecting the company’s “culture of giving.”

The challenge, however, is to identify opportunities which both reflect the company’s values and at the same time inspire employee engagement. Having identified food and water security, urbanisation, population growth and environmental stewardship as the key challenges facing today’s world, SABIC this year launched its RAISE programme to enhance employees’ opportunities to participate in community service.

RAISE is a strategy that ensures that volunteer projects reflect both SABIC’s corporate identity and employees’ interests by guiding, organising and streamlining the company’s community involvement and investment in order to address employee-nominated community needs and create a lasting, positive, socially responsible impact.

RAISE highlights four priority focus areas that align with SABIC’s global business strategy and 2025 Corporate vision: science and technology education; water and sustainable agriculture; environmental protection; and health and wellness. At employee level, RAISE provides for the development of regional committees. These regional committees allow local and regional input about community needs whilst enabling SABIC to ensure that these initiatives align with the company’s global vision and strategy.

During certain periods throughout the year, SABIC employees are encouraged to submit their CSR project ideas to the RAISE committee in their business regions. With support from the Corporate CSR team, these committees evaluate CSR opportunities by scoring them on whether and how well they meet the RAISE evaluation criteria and how well they align with the four priority focus areas. Projects that receive a threshold score are considered for funding.

Finally, the programme measures and evaluates SABIC’s CSR efforts on a quarterly basis, examining initiatives by criteria such as focus area, geography and financial commitments. This allows the company to fine tune initiatives and respond to community needs on a real time basis. Measuring impact, not just output, is a unique component of RAISE.

Examples of SABIC employee-lead projects include the SABIC Science Caravan, the Global, the Blood Drive in India, the Back to School Campaign and the SABIC Health Beacon.

The Science Caravan’s purpose was to promote the spirit of scientific research among future generations by offering a series of interactive programs, workshops and science experiments in chemistry, mathematics, space, innovation, and information technology. Staffed by some 500 volunteers, the Caravan passed through seven cities in Saudi Arabia – Riyadh, Al-Ahsa, Al-Khobar, Jubail, Yanbu, Jeddah, and Madinah – and was visited by over 25,000 students.

More than 3,500 people, from SABIC employees to students, took part in the Global Waste Free Environment Campaign in three countries and five cities – Riyadh, Jubail and Yanbu in Saudi Arabia; Sittard in The Netherlands; and Cape Town in South Africa – collecting and recycling waste.

In India, SABIC selected World Blood Day, June 14, around which to organise a blood drive awareness campaign to promote blood donation. The drive encouraged residents in six Indian cities to help address the country’s shortage by donating blood and brought together thousands of participants including SABIC employees, neighbouring companies, customers, suppliers, and local residents.
Back to School is a worldwide drive coinciding with the start of the school year. More than 80,000 primary and middle school students are provided with bags of basic school supplies and the programme also includes student workshops on chemistry and technology and volunteer efforts to repair schools and repaint classrooms.

In Riyadh, twenty five public and private partners participated in the SABIC Health Beacon which saw some 15,000 visitors engage in an innovative event promoting the importance of adopting practices for health living.

With RAISE, SABIC is now able to to embed social responsibility on a global scale while meeting the needs of the communities where the company operates and its employees live. This expands the company’s commitment to a a robust, integrated and measurable CSR global program.

Through the unique process to determine RAISE projects, employees are engaged in the company’s CSR initiatives and add value in terms of their subsequent volunteer efforts as well as their commitment to a company that values employee involvement.
 

With a busy week behind you and the weekend within reach, there’s no shame in taking things a bit easy on Friday afternoon. With this in mind, every Friday TriplePundit will give you a fun, easy read on a topic you care about. So, take a break from those endless email threads and spend five minutes catching up on the latest trends in sustainability and business.

By Alison DaSilva and Lisa Manley

As 2015 draws to a close, the growing and urgent rallying cry from people around the world to address critical global issues has reached a fever pitch. From star-studded events like the Global Citizen Festival (headlined by Beyoncé, Coldplay, Stephen Colbert and others to take a stance against poverty), to the hundreds of thousands of individuals who took to the streets just two weeks ago at 2,300 separate climate marches, there’s no denying a heightened level of  awareness, activism and enlightenment around the world’s acute social and environmental issues.

And companies are taking note. Not only are business leaders taking a seat at the table to address these issues, but many of them are leading the way. Consistent with the aspirations of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the conversation in Paris at the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) COP21, companies are convening and collaborating in novel ways to reach a scale and impact we haven’t seen before.

As 2015 comes to a close, Cone Communications has evaluated a year’s-worth of corporate social responsibility (CSR) tracking to share the top 10 trends of 2015.

1. Gearing up for global goals

From the SDGs, the most comprehensive and ambitious set of goals put forth yet, to the new COP21 Paris pact, which President Barack Obama said is “the best chance we have to save the one planet we have,” 2015 was a landmark year of major commitments. And business stepped forward with unprecedented leadership.

In advance of the SDGs’ adoption, SABMiller created Prosper, its own sustainability development strategy, which outlines five shared imperatives that address the company's most material issues and align with the SDGs. Dow Chemical Co. also launched its own 2025 Sustainability Goals that seek to address each of the 17 SDGs. Meanwhile, in conjunction with COP21, Citibank made a $100 billion environmental finance goal, and Bill Gates led more than 20 other billionaires in supporting clean energy through the Breakthrough Energy Coalition.

2. Susty collab

In 2015, companies invited competitors, consumers, academics and even hackers to problem-solve sustainable solutions, embracing the philosophy that sometimes open doors can create more dynamic and lasting solutions.

To that end, Unilever launched a global crowdsourcing community, Unilever Foundry, to accelerate sustainability solutions, while H&M put forth a $1 million prize to anyone who can offer up better ways to recycle. Facebook hosted its second annual Sustainability@Scale gathering, with major partners like Levi’s, Walmart and Salesforce, to develop far-ranging corporate sustainability remedies.

3. Going against the grain

In a world where most businesses are beholden to shareholders and have an eye on short-term returns, it can take a lot to stand up for values over dividends; but the benefits to business and society can be major.

Eileen Fisher led the way this year, putting its own business practices under the microscope and making “No Excuses” toward a goal of 100 percent sustainable practices by 2020. REI put its employees first when it opted out of arguably one of the biggest shopping days of the year, Black Friday, to instead give employees a paid day off. And Unilever, the pioneer of going against the grain in the name of sustainability, proved doing so can pay off – the CPG giant reported its “sustainable living brands” account for half of the company’s growth and grow at twice the rate of the rest of the business.

4. Kick-starting startups

Sometimes it takes the fresh thinking and ingenuity of a startup to solve pressing global issues – and major companies are paying attention.

In 2015, several big companies invested in the “little guy,” including JetBlue’s BlueBud program to give training, insight and a potential vendor contract to socially-minded entrepreneurs in the food and beverage space. In the search of solutions for drought-ridden California, Shock Top partnered with IndieGogo to invest in innovative water-saving inventions. And Patagonia proved the power of its $20 Million & Change venture fund when it awarded $1 million to biochemical company Beyond Surface Technologies to create solutions for toxic chemicals in performance materials.

5. Employee engagement 2.0

With nearly three-quarters of Americans stating they consider CSR when deciding where to work, it’s no wonder companies are thinking differently about how to engage employees, especially millennials, in CSR initiatives.

PwC is attracting values-driven millennial talent by infusing its new purpose statement into how it engages with employees; the initiative was kick-started with a TED-style Summit on Social Purpose event in New York. For its part, Starbucks has extended its college tuition plan to four years and is partnering with U.K. nonprofit Shelter to offer home loans for employees under 25, while Clif Bar shows how employees are central to its CSR efforts by focusing on five bottom lines: business, brand, community, planet and people.

6. Cause cue

Move over ribbon. This year marketers found more personal and identifiable symbols to associate with their causes.

A celebrity-filled PSA from Safe Horizon encouraged advocates to paint one fingernail purple to “Put a Nail” in domestic violence, while Project Semicolon promoted semicolon tattoos or drawings to start a global conversation around mental health. On the grassroots side, artist Molly Gochman poured red sand into sidewalk cracks to raise awareness for people who “fall through the cracks” and into human trafficking.

7. Retail closes the loop

Although product take-back was all the rage in 2014, this year apparel companies worked to truly “close the loop” on pre- and post-consumer waste. H&M partnered with Worn Again and Kering to create a textile-to-textile recycling technology to turn materials from old clothing into new yarns. Speedo also created a leaner, less-wasteful supply chain by incorporating post-manufacturing scraps into cutting-edge performance swimwear.

8. Packaging for change

No stranger to using its brand to advocate for issues, Ben & Jerry’s* launched Save Our Swirled in 2015 to raise awareness in advance of the Paris climate summit in December, paving the way for a number of companies that transformed iconic packaging for a cause.

Coca-Cola tinkered with its globally recognizable red and white cans when it replaced the words “Coca-Cola” with "Labels are for cans, not people” to promote acceptance. Then Doritos donned a rainbow of colors in support of LBGT communities in partnership with the It Gets Better Project.

9. Cause gets shocking

This year we saw organizations employ sobering, eye-popping and, frankly, shocking images and messages to grab the attention of consumers for important causes.

The Salvation Army South Africa jumped on the viral conversation around The Dress to highlight the real black and blues of domestic violence, while Surfrider Foundation showed animals at “gunpoint” to exemplify how “irresponsible consumer consumption can kill animals.” Arrowhead Mills and Arrive Alive reminded college students of the dangers of drunk driving by inserting wrecked toy cars into cereal boxes, and AT&T highlighted what’s really at stake when drivers text behind the wheel by displaying a slow-motion crash in the viral video “Close to Home.”

10. Water, water … where?

What CSR trends roundup would be complete without acknowledging the record-breaking drought in California and the impacts to business, society and the environment. As the drought continues, businesses are creating solutions and adjusting business models to minimize impacts.

Miller Coors has worked to reduce its total water use by 26 percent over the past five years, while Starbucks’ Ethos brand committed to move bottled water production out of California completely in 2015. VMware engaged its employees in water reduction efforts at home using gamification, and sustainability nonprofit Ceres rallied major companies from across industries to urge for more aggressive measures to maximize the efficient use of water resources.

As the demand for solutions to critical issues reaches new heights, many organizations are exploring new perspectives on CSR. Instead of focusing on addressing issues within their own walls, companies are taking a more global stance, setting their sights even higher to create real and lasting change for the world. As we move into 2016, we look forward to seeing even more innovative, bold and impactful approaches to CSR.

Want to know what’s new and trending in CSR and cause marketing all year long? Sign up for Cone Communications' Prove Your Purpose newsletter and TriplePundit's Weekly Dispatch newsletter for the latest innovations and insights.

*Cone client

Image credit: Flickr/Jonathan Gross

Alison DaSilva is the Executive Vice President of Cone Communications’ CSR Planning and Insights group, where she is responsible for tracking and identifying trends to keep our clients on the leading edge of CSR. For the last 14 years, Alison has led the development of Cone’s groundbreaking benchmark research, exploring the attitudes and behaviors of American consumers, employees and executives towards corporate involvement with social issues and responsible business practices. With this in her arsenal and the learnings gleaned from years of program development, Alison collaborates with account teams to keep clients at the forefront of this rapidly changing arena.

Lisa Manley is the Executive Vice President of Cone Communications’ CSR Strategy Team. She is a seasoned sustainability professional with nearly 20 years of experience. As a leader of the agency’s CSR Strategy group, her infectious passion for sustainability and social impact energizes the award-winning strategy and communications practice. Additionally, Lisa has extensive client-side experience after serving as Group Director for The Coca-Cola Company’s Sustainability communications team, where she led worldwide corporate communications and stakeholder engagement in areas of water stewardship, climate protection, sustainable packaging, women’s economic empowerment and active healthy living.

Commercial composting programs are growing in cities across North America. More than 30 states in the U.S. are now equipped with composting facilities, according to a 2014 survey conducted by Biocycle. If that number doesn't sound too impressive, consider that in 2009 less than 10 states had composting facilities that handled food waste and other compostable materials.

That's an important improvement when it comes serving the needs of the robust restaurant sector of a city like Seattle or Portland. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, 14.5 percent of the municipal solid waste sent to landfills from both commercial and residential sources in 2012 was food waste. That works out to 37 million tons that has the potential to be diverted for reuse through composting.

But many cities and, surprisingly, many rural areas still don't have comprehensive composting programs built into their waste management systems. Biocycle estimates that there are almost 5,000 composting services spread throughout the U.S. in semi-urban areas to deep rural communities, but the lion's share don't accept food waste.

The reasons are varied and many: complaints about odors from nearby residents to our own ingrained habits when it comes to compostable materials.

No city may better illustrate this complex challenge than the city of Portland, Oregon, a metropolis with a deeply committed ethos when it comes to green practices. In 2006, the city launched the voluntary Portland Composts! program. By 2012, truckloads of stinky compostable stuff was being trucked to the Recology Natures Needs facility, a half-hour's drive outside of the city limits. The city's curbside composting program was off to a good start, supported by a growing number of do-it-yourself composting endeavors.

But in 2013 the metro program hit a snag. Washington County Board of Commissioners, under pressure from semi-rural residents near the composting facility, voted to end Natures Needs' commercial composting license. Nearby residents said that the smell was too much to put up with, and although an alternative was being explored, county commissioners opted to discontinue the facility's commercial services. The city was forced to change composting facilities.

But odors aren't the only challenge that Oregon Metro's composting system has had to overcome. In 2014, Portland announced a dramatic restriction to its list of eligible materials for its commercial composting program. Restaurants and other businesses could now only compost food scraps. Paper plates, napkins, cardboard and similar materials were overloading the methane digester of the new facility, which wasn't designed to handle the volume of such materials from a metro area like Portland. Although residential customers can continue to compost paper and certain plastic materials, commercial institutions must now separate materials that would otherwise be considered compostable.

But that doesn't mean that composting isn't working quite well in other cities like metro Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, where curbside composting is now mandatory.

"Large producers of food waste appear to be complying well with the organics disposal ban," said metro Vancouver's director of solid waste planning, Andrew Marr. The city implemented the ban on food scraps entering the landfill in January of this year. Garbage haulers are responsible for doing a cursory check of the garbage they pick up and issuing fines for those that contain substantial banned substances, like food waste. Marr said the new regulations are working.

"Since enforcement began, [in] only a few vehicle loads each week, less than 1 percent of the loads received are being found to contain excessive food waste. So, the vast majority of loads (and the homes and businesses from which those loads were collected) appear to be diverting much of their organic waste."

The city of Vancouver (which is within the metro Vancouver area) employs a multi-pronged approach to encouraging composting of food scraps. First, it lets the business decide and develop its own "food waste diversion plan," and the city has the right to demand an outline of that plan if it so chooses. Second, a business isn't required to contract with a hauler if it wishes to convert an area on its property to compost food scraps. The city provides tips on how to determine whether on-site composting is a better and more economical choice for the business, as well as a list of haulers to contact.

Marr said that while the transition has been more difficult for some businesses than others, the hauling companies have also worked hard to adapt their service to the particular needs of businesses throughout the metro area.

"Fortunately, most of the companies that provide collection services for organics are quite innovative and can address their clients’ concerns by suggesting special bins, more frequent pickups, and bin cleaning," Marr said.

Like Oregon Metro, metro Vancouver has faced challenges when it has come to the odorous aspect of composting food scraps on a volume basis. Harvest Power, situated toward the south end of metro Vancouver's jurisdiction in the city of Richmond, processes the compostable materials with the help of an anaerobic digester that produces energy for the local power company. It has gone through its own growing pains as a composting facility that handles commercial food waste, and it is conscious that large-scale composting of food substances can, at times, be a stinky business. According to Harvest Power, the smell is due not to the food scraps from residents' kitchens or the volume of such discards, but "the high-calorie commercial food waste from restaurants, grocery stores and food processors" that has more fat and sugar in it than what we generally cook with at home. But rather than doing away with composting commercial food waste, both Harvest Power and metro Vancouver are working to overcome the issue.

"Metro Vancouver is educating residents and businesses that produce food scraps about ways to minimize odors at the source and at the processing facility, such as wrapping food scraps in paper or freezing animal-based food scraps before collection," Marr noted. Harvest Power's conditional operating permit also requires the company to measure emissions and respond to odor complaints, as well as look for constructive ways to improve operations.

"It is important to remember that every locale that has implemented an organics disposal ban has experienced some temporary growing pains as local processors, businesses and service providers become accustomed to new practices, volumes of waste and technologies. Disposal bans have been proven effective in getting more organics out of the garbage and into the composting stream," Marr said.

Robert Reed, a spokesman for Recology's San Francisco curbside composting services, said the success of curbside composting programs has long been demonstrated by San Francisco's own program, which began as a voluntary initiative in the late 1990s and was signed into city ordinance in 2009. More than 600 tons of urban compost materials are collected every day and trucked to Recology's Vacaville plant an hour and a half's drive east of San Francisco. There it is turned into soil that is sold to farmers. The end organic product not only keeps food waste out of the landfill, but it's also a highly sought after product by farmers and gardeners, Reed said.

"We can't make nearly enough," said Reed, who added that curbside composting is a win-win in a city like San Francisco, because it not only substantially reduces what goes into the landfill, but also helps ensure good quality soil for agricultural practices that take less water and grow better crops.

Reed said that the tonnage of compost materials picked up by haulers in San Francisco has now surpassed the volume of recyclables picked up in the city.

"Think about that," Reed said. "Composting has surpassed recycling in San Francisco. The only city in North America where that has occurred."

Reed said he wasn't able to answer questions about how Recology addresses odor problems at its Vacaville plant. However, an odor management compliance report filed with Solano County Department of Resource Management in June 2014 indicates that, as in other locations, odor is a regular maintenance issue. No citations were reported during the 2013-2014 reporting period, but investigating and following up on neighbors' phone calls remained an ongoing process. Twenty-two complaints were registered at the plant stemming from its windrow compost system, and were addressed.

Despite the success of the San Francisco and Vancouver commercial curbside composting programs, the concept of composting is still dependent on municipal and county resources. Spokane, Washington, a city of 210,000, provides information on its website detailing how residents can self-haul compost materials like yard debris and "food and food-soiled paper" but doesn't handle "kitchen scraps." Adjacent towns and rural areas in East Washington and Idaho still send their food waste to the landfill.

Reed says that steady, patient education of the community was the key to San Francisco's success in implementing a city-wide composting program. He was adamant that it can work in other communities as well. But he admits that there is "no magic bullet" when it comes to incentivizing communities on this issue.

"There's no one trick to solve a complicated problem," Reed said. But he believes that motivating other cities and rural areas will happen when they "are aware of the benefits" and they realize that they can directly contribute to a healthy environment by managing the way they manage, use and dispose of their own resources at home.

Images: 1) Torbakhopper; 2) Bureau of Land Management; 3) Jan McLaughlin

It's easy to travel the world without really seeing anything.

We've all done it: With only a few days to spare, we reduce our chosen destinations to checklists of 'must-see' tourist sites. Our trips become formulaic: Go, snap a photo and move on to the next. Without immersive experiences, we're often left with little to show for our adventures but a few poorly-composed landscape shots, which, let's be honest, the Lonely Planet photographer is way better at capturing anyway. The vibrant cultures we visit beckon us, but it's up to us to answer the call.

Here at TriplePundit, our favorite way to do this is through adventure in its most literal sense: Get outside. Hike the road less traveled. Appreciate the beauty of your surroundings, and ask locals what it means for them.

REI Adventures is working to make that philosophy easier. Taking the love of the outdoors projected by its parent company, REI, to new heights, REI Adventures invites travelers to get off the beaten path on 150 trips that span all seven continents. I recently returned from a seven-day hiking trip with them through Machu Picchu and Peru's Sacred Valley. And it didn't take me long to realize the outdoor focus is not only essential to REI Adventures' trips, but it also defines REI Adventures as a company. Cynthia Dunbar, general manager of REI Adventures, seemed to agree:

"One of the things that sets us apart from other adventure travel companies is we're focused on activity. We really embrace the activity segments that REI is behind: hiking, climbing, backpacking, kayaking, cycling. We create trips all over the world that support those activity segments -- and really our focus is being active in some of the world's best places."

Traveling authentically

In a sea of Selfie Sticks and laughably impractical footwear, our merry band of backpack-toting travelers was easy to spot. REI Adventures tour groups are generally small, hovering around 10 people, and local guides give adventurers an insider's perspective -- from secluded hiking trails to local customs.

While other groups of 40-plus travelers dozed off to history lessons in monotone, we skirted the crowds and learned about local culture in digestible and vivid snapshots -- delivered with contagious enthusiasm by guides who looked as happy to be there as we were. Of course, this is no accident. REI Adventures hand-picks each of its local guides, partnering with individuals and operators who share the company's values: enjoy the outdoors through travel while leaving a light impact.

"We have a long-term philosophy around working with people who live in, love, care for and know the places we visit like the back of their hands," Dunbar told 3p.

This attention to detail isn't lost on travelers. For Carolyn Herbst of Asheville, North Carolina, the journey to Peru marked her fifth trip with REI Adventures, and she plans to keep coming back. "We're well taken care of," Herbst told 3p. "REI has some of the best guides. Period. And I've done a lot of travel in my years."

Community impact

REI Adventures partners with local guides and operators in each of its destination cities. For REI Adventures, working with locals not only to creates an authentic travel experience, but also ensures the company leaves a positive impact on the communities in which it operates.

"We believe in supporting local communities, local economies," Dunbar said. "We want to see our colleagues in the outdoor industry really thrive as well and be great partners for REI."

For guides and operators both inside and outside the United States, a partnership with a company like REI can make it possible to have a viable profession in the outdoors. "That's what REI is all about," Dunbar told me, "helping build community."

We'll take a closer look at that community over the next week. You'll hear from guides and locals about how ecotourism impacts them, and we'll explore how REI Adventures operates sustainably in some of the world's top adventure destinations. Follow the series here.  

Image credits: Mary Mazzoni

Ed Note: Accommodations, travel and guidance in Peru were courtesy of REI Adventures. Neither the author nor TriplePundit was required to write about the experience. Opinions are our own.

Forget the The Donald’s vapid threat to end Starbucks’ lease at Trump Tower over those supposedly 'politically correct' red cups. The coffee giant has bigger headaches. Yesterday, a coalition of NGOs, including the Sierra Club, Rainforest Action Network and Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS), has accused Starbucks of contributing to deforestation worldwide.

Insisting that Starbuck’s demand for paper and palm oil has links to the Southeast Asian haze crisis, this coalition is urging the company to make far bolder moves in order to cut deforestation and irresponsibly-sourced palm oil and paper out of its supply chain. Backed by a petition with 300,000 signatures and 70,000 social media messages, the letter admonishes Starbucks and says its supply chain is “endangering customer trust and loyalty.”

Calling Starbucks out for what they infer are lukewarm pledges to prevent dodgy paper and palm oil from entering its supply chain, these NGOs urge the company to follow the lead of one of its largest competitors, Dunkin’ Donuts, which announced a change in policy last year.

Watch for these accusations to intensify as consumers become more aware of the havoc that palm oil is wreaking on people and the environment in Southeast Asia. Warnings about the health effects of partially hydrogenated oil have led to a surging demand for palm oil in recent years, which has replaced one problem (clogged arteries) with a bevy of others (demolished forests, land grabs, human rights violations). Vague promises such as “pursuing,” “a stronger focus” or “we are working to ensure” will not cut it with stakeholders who seek policies that are transparent and backed up with traceable evidence.

As with many companies, Starbucks has promised to procure palm oil certified by the Roundtable for Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) — to which both sides on this controversy agree does not have strong enough teeth to ensure such supplies are traceable and verifiable.

As a result, UCS has given Starbucks an “F” (10 out of 100) on the responsibly-sourced palm oil front. If there is any consolation for the company, however, it has plenty of peers: Walmart, Whole Foods and another coffee competitor, McDonald’s, do not fare much better,  according to UCS’ analysis.

Much of the discussion of deforestation in Southeast Asia has centered on palm oil, but environmental organizations, from the more corporate-friendly WWF to the strident Greenpeace, have also raised concerns about the risks the paper industry poses in this region. While the larger companies within the pulp and paper industry, such as Asia Pulp and Paper and Asia Pacific Resources International Holdings Ltd. (known as April), claim they are halting deforestation, UCS and its allies maintain that the industry, and its customers including Starbucks, are not doing enough on the sustainable procurement front.

By its own count, Starbucks goes through at least 4 billion cups annually. Considering all that paper, not to mention the palm oil-laden pastries, that fly out of Starbucks’ stores on a daily basis, the company cannot deny its environmental impact. And the company has a long road ahead until the sustainability crowd is satisfied it has turned a corner.

Image credit: Leon Kaye

By Nancy Mancilla

Last month we delivered sustainability reporting trainings in Kenya -- the first GRI Certified and CDP Certified trainings offered in Africa. It is a time when we are revisiting responsibilities for the actions that shape the global economy, as we debate how to define the relationships between the developed and developing nations of the world as it relates to valuable resources and impacts on our environment and social well-being. Our contribution to this debate is to equip those on the ground, and in the trenches, with the tools necessary to engage in true self-determination toward greater sustainability.

Over the years, we developed a successful model empowering change agents in the United States, and we are looking to replicate the same value proposition in sub-Saharan Africa. Our expectations after the first trip to Africa have now been met, even surpassed, as we learned some valuable lessons that we are keen to share with the world.

We believe we can increase the speed of change in our world by taking the skills and experience we have with the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) and CDP (formerly referred to as the Carbon Disclosure Project) training to Africa. You’ve likely heard the statement, “ignorance is bliss.” We had no idea what we would find, but we were optimistic that our gut instinct propelling us in that direction would be justified. We left enlightened and with a greater sense of responsibility to participate in the charge in the best way we know.

After nearly a year of scheduling and rescheduling, going back and forth to determine which countries would be likely candidates for launching our sub-Saharan trainings, we finally determined that it was now or never, purchased tickets a week out, and traveled to Kenya. Our partner on the ground, South Africa-based AMC International, had put its efforts into calling many companies located in East and West African business centers to identify who, if anyone, works with “sustainability” efforts and if they would be interested in joining the training. Teams from KPMG, subsidiaries of Wrigley and Heineken, Kakira Sugar, and the Nigerian and Ugandan financial communities responded promptly to our call -- ready to roll their sleeves up and put their considerable knowledge to work using the tools we brought with us.

The ISOS corporate social responsibility (CSR) team, comprised of Eric Dziedzic and Jennifer Roney, prepared materials that would set the stage for sustainability as we were unsure what the depth of the knowledge would be. Even though taking the time to establish shared terminology was valuable, the participants came to the training very knowledgeable and ready to apply their skills. Everyone grasped key concepts quickly and began thinking immediately of how implementation in their businesses and in their communities would take shape.

Some interesting lessons were learned from our first cohort in Nairobi this past November.

First, the term corporate social responsibility is perceived as strictly charitable giving. You see, the history in this region includes many corporations neglecting the needs and rights of the people and the environment in the areas where they do business. These corporations assuage their acts by providing charitable contributions in the name of CSR. This was seen by those we met, as a method for covering the wound, not necessarily healing it. CSR is seen as limiting: a term that has not promoted real accountability for long-term impact. Handouts aren’t wanted -- knowledge and empowerment are. By referring to 'sustainability,' (the preferred term by our participants) a more comprehensive look at how the environment, society and governance structures are managed is implied.

It made us think about the chain reaction that our actions have and the, often times, superficial discussions we have about them. For instance, when a fair trade coffee company identifies a resource-rich, scalable coffee plantation in Guinea, low-cost labor is migrated to the area. Growth is ignited, and various informal industries blossom. Without the proper policy infrastructure in place to control growth in a systematic manner, human rights are quickly degraded; labor rights, gender rights and children’s rights are impacted. As Priscilla Achakpa, a climate warrior showcased by Vogue, recently put it:

“The impact of climate change on women is huge. The men are forced to migrate and they leave the women, who are now the caregivers because they find they cannot leave the children . . . We don’t want a top-down solution to climate change- we want bottom-up.”

Which leads to our second lesson learned. For sub-Saharan Africa, much of what we talk about in sustainability are really social justice issues. Social justice issues are not new. They have been at the forefront of international concern. But as we spoke to the participants in Nairobi, we saw that every challenge -- whether it be environmental, economic or governance -- was defined by the impacts it had on people. For example, environmental degradation from over-farming and poor farming practices was viewed as a social impact due to the inhalation of dust from the fallow fields. Gas flaring in the Niger Delta is first viewed from the perspective of the horrible health impacts it is having on the people in the area. Problems like the corruption that lies beneath some of these issues were acknowledged, but the participants in our training were focused more on developing solutions than criticizing either the governments or the companies involved.

The scientific community provides convincing evidence that human activity, much of it attributed to big business, is contributing significantly to climate change. We also are coming to understand that the impacts of climate change will be felt most profoundly by those living in developing economies due to lack of infrastructure, disproportionate share of environmental degradation and inability to respond when disasters strike. Like it or not, the participants in our training will be on the front line of dealing with these impacts.

The third lesson learned was that these leaders in this part of the world are eager and ready to take on the challenge, and they are interested in learning from us. However, they are not looking for us to solve the problem for them. Our training discussions were more of a collaborative discussion than anything, and that is the way we like it!

Our final lesson learned is that sub-Saharan Africa is ready to tackle Integrated Reporting. Some are already integrating sustainability topics within their annual reports. Others are working to define value creation based on the six capitals used in the framework. All are hungry to define financial impacts in social and environmental terms. Related to this is their desire for reporting to be a vehicle for organizational and social change. We see this in the U.S., but the motivation is stronger in Africa, in our estimation, to move to the change more quickly than what we have seen as a slower progression in the U.S.

Those who have completed our recent GRI Training, infused with a bit of CDP, are bridging the gap in a form that speaks to the developed world. They have entrusted their sense of place, community and the role each shares in their destiny. By using non-financial frameworks for assessing material issues, explaining local context, demonstrating firm management systems, and reporting performance against national and international objectives, the participants in the first sub-Saharan ISOS CSR training are ready to develop solutions to their current challenges and to build a more sustainable future.

By already conceptualizing how to advance immediately to integrated reporting, they’re not going to waste time either. In their words, it’s time to “raise the boats” for all involved. We’re fortunate to have had the chance to contribute.

In their words...

"I attended GRI training offered by ISOS. I run a consultancy firm that offers professional guidance on CSR and responsible business. One of the products we offer is CSR reporting and the training offered an ideal opportunity for us to build skills and competencies. The training was delivered by experienced professionals who were able to deliver the content in a way that one was able to comprehend. There were practical examples and exercises that enabled us to apply the training to our workplaces. All in all it was a great learning experience and the trainers were top notch."

-- Rosemary Wahome Founder and CEO Beyond Profit, Ltd.

"For over two years, I had seen a few sustainable development reports published by multinationals and I always wished I could write a similar one for my company. When I was invited to the GRI Training, I knew without a doubt that I should attend. The training was so specific and it perfectly brought out issues that a company should report on. The company that I work for does good things – taking responsibility for people and natural resources… and I believe all stakeholders should be aware of this."

-- Kenneth Musings Barungi Assistant General Manager, Kakira Sugar, Ltd.

Images courtesy of ISOS Group

Nancy Mancilla is the CEO and Co-Founder of ISOS Group, a sustainability consultancy focused on all aspects of sustainability reporting.

A handful of cities are moving strategically to make their electric grids more secure, reliable and sustainable. That may not sound sexy even by energy industry standards, but the return on their investments gets more appealing with each dollar spent.

It might surprise you to know that cities such as Austin, Texas, Chattanooga, Tennessee, and Naperville, Illinois, are at the front of the pack. Why and how they got there and what their energy leaders are doing to build on their achievements to date is a story building behind headlines dominated by global climate talks, the U.S. Clean Power Plan and dirt-cheap energy prices.

Austin, Chattanooga and Naperville are leading because they want to better serve their customers and distinguish themselves among key stakeholders, including future customers. They’re doing it in part with a program known as PEER.

PEER, or performance excellence in electricity renewal, has been relatively slow to gain traction. But its first corporate partner -- S&C Electric Co. – has plans to target the value proposition with eyes on fresh revenues by taking the PEER business case directly to customers. As the new year begins, they will stand up cities such as Chattanooga as live examples of how local power grids can benefit.

“Until now, there has been no independent way to design, measure and verify the benefits of a smarter, more sustainable grid,” said David Chiesa, senior director of development at S&C Electric. “Now we can answer the question: What did our upgrade to a smarter system deliver for our customers? That’s what PEER delivers. It gives you the measurement tool to prove your success through third-party validation.”

PEER is the brainchild of John Kelly and Greg Rouse of the Green Business Certification Institute (GBCI), an offshoot of the U.S. Green Building Council. GBCI is an independent, third-party nonprofit launched in 2008 to ensure precision in the measuring of sustainable building performance and credentialing. It fosters worthy initiatives in much the same way the U.S. Green Building Council has led the charge with its LEED (leadership in energy and environmental design) campaigns for sustainable buildings over the past 22 years.

PEER grew out of an electricity initiative launched in 2005 by Robert Galvin, after he finished his career as CEO of Motorola, to accelerate innovations in the electric industry. Galvin envisioned something like PEER as a program for open-sourcing innovations in much the way coders develop apps for today’s smartphones.

Galvin was looking for a model his initiative could lean on to help attract and drive electricity innovations from the bottom-up – individuals up to organizations and cities – rather than top-down by regulated utilities. They opted for the model demonstrated by the U.S. Green Building Council and its LEED program. Galvin admired LEED’s model for incentivizing sustainable design and other features into commercial and government buildings.

The ground-up approach enables PEER to incentivize power grid operators to change without relying on the century-plus constraints and regulations that often inhibit genuine forward-thinking by even the most sophisticated utilities.

“We established four performance categories to focus how best to drive waste out of electricity systems,” Kelly said in an interview. “And they’re starting to catch on.” The categories are:

• Reliability: Ensures the reliable delivery of and power quality of electricity


• Environmental impact: Measures the environmental impact of electricity generation and transmission while encouraging the adoption of clean and efficient energy


• Elimination of waste: Identifies and eliminates waste


• Innovation: Encourages and facilitates innovations by the customer to its local power grid.

Investor-owned utilities have shareholders. The shareholders want them to make more money. In the past, that has made it difficult to pursue these kinds of innovations. Which is why Kelly elected to join forces with the USGBC and then enlist companies such as S&C Electric to help drive the innovation, marketing and adoption of PEER.

“Utilities are trapped in their business model. This is a forward-looking way to help utilities get out from under it,” Kelly said. Painted another way: “Rules can block or enable operational savings approaching 50 percent,” he said.

Chiesa huddled with Kelly and industry leaders to develop standards for those four categories and the types of data to measure performance which then could become the foundation for GBCI’s certifications. This push consumed four years of research and development work at the Illinois Institute of Technology, not far from S&C’s corporate headquarters in Chicago.

“What the Galvin Electricity Initiative had been doing to transform how communities generate, deliver and use electricity in the U.S. is exemplary,” Chiesa said. “But it was not enough. We’re building on those ambitions and recognizing communities, utilities and grid operators for achieving specific thresholds of sustainability. And now, we have the data to validate them.”

Those thresholds, Chiesa said, can include small-scale solar, microgrids, smart investments in joining connected buildings, and others steps that generate cleaner power, use it more efficiently and protect it with a more robust, self-healing, electrical infrastructure.

Kelly and Chiesa only had to venture 25 miles west of Chicago to find Naperville. There, Olga Geynisman, deputy director of Naperville’s electric utility, and colleagues had the presence of mind – as did Chattanooga – to secure a matching $11 million Economic Recovery Act grant in 2009-2010 to jump start their work.

Naperville was well on its way to “undergrounding” virtually all of its distribution lines and was among the first municipal utilities to invest in smart-grid technologies back in the 1990s. Now with its PEER certification, Naperville can serve every one of its roughly 53,000 residential customers and about 5,000 business meters from two transformers. If one goes down, power automatically flows from the other. Fiber optics connects all of its substations for robust communications.

“We’re only scratching the surface,” Geynisman said in an interview. So far, it’s been enough to attract and/or retain large employers such as BP, Lucent Technologies, Bell Labs, and a host of data centers and financial institutions.

What’s next for Naperville, which buys its power from the Illinois Municipal Electrical Agency and thus can do little to source its power from renewables? Geynisman envisions a power system “dashboard” customized for every one of its residential and business customers – at no extra charge.

Kelly noted that if other municipalities aspired to Naperville’s average power outage of only about 20 minutes per year – versus an overall utility average of more than 200 minutes per year – their customers would likely be a lot happier.

Go here to read how Austin Energy, the city’s municipal utility, engaged with PEER through the USGBC.

The sky may not be the limit yet. But both Chiesa and Kelly see innumerable opportunities for utilities. “It all depends on the leadership at the utility,” Kelly added. “When the leadership buys into the idea and can see real, verifiable, results from their actions; great things can happen.”

Image credit: Jim Pierobon