The Business Guide to Sustainability: Practical Strategies and Tools for Organizations [Paperback]

Darcy Hitchcock (Author), Marsha Willard (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1844073203 | ISBN-13: 978-1844073207 | Publication Date: July 1, 2006

Winner of Choice Magazine - Outstanding Academic Titles for 2007 Sustainability promises both reduced environmental impacts and real cash savings for any organization - be it a business, non-profit/NGO or government department. This easy-to-use manual has been written by top business consultants specifically to help managers, business owners, organizational leaders and aspiring environmental managers/sustainability coordinators to improve their organization's environmental, social and economic performance. The authors demystify 'sustainability', untangle the plethora of sustainability frameworks, tools and practices, and make it easy for the average person in any organization to move towards sustainability. Organized by sector (manufacturing, services and office operations, and government) and common organizational functions (senior management, facilities, human resources, purchasing, environmental affairs and compliance, marketing and public relations, and finance and accounting), the authors show how organizations can incorporate sustainability into their everyday work through the application of useful tools and self-assessments.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'I have thumbed through [The Business Guide to Sustainability] so much the binding has disintegrated.' Rich Carlson, founder, Viridian Advisors 'If you want your business to be part of the green-is-sexy movement and aren't quite sure how to get there, then this guide should be on the top of your business book stack' Sustainable Industries Journal 'Clear/concise and laid out in a way that made real sense. The way the chapters were structured (into the functions and sectors) was particularly helpful.' Jacqueline Drumheller, Alaska Airlines 'An indispensable business guide that will serve as the fundamental tool in addressing the beginning of the Sustainability Revolution!' Keith H. Whitworth, Ph.D., Texas Christian University, Department of Sociology, Criminal Justice, & Anthropology 'Many organizations have made some progress toward more sustainable practices but don't know where to go next. SCORE is an excellent, systematic process for establishing where you are and where you need to go to become more sustainable.' Ned Tillman, Chair, Environmental Sustainability Board, Howard County, Maryland 'Provides a clear methodology on how to take the first steps down the path toward being a sustainable business.' Marco Mazzoni, Bainbridge Graduate Institute's MBA in Sustainable Business. 'At last a business guide that's really about Business and a sustainability guide that's really about Sustainability. In this book, Hitchcock and Willard cut through the polarizing debates and the all or nothing arguments with a stepwise approach that clearly articulates how businesses can improve their performance without it being at the expense of those around them.' Christopher Sheldon, co-author of Environmental Management Systems (3rd edition) 'At a time when 'big' business is beginning to mean 'sustainable' business, small businesses can easily get left out.�Hitchcock and Willard have filled this vital gap admirably. This is a practical guide, dotted with heartening examples, of helping small businesses to adopt their sustainability mantles. An optimistic read.' Tim O'Riordan, Emeritus Professor of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, UK 'People are frequently frustrated by the process of applying the broad, theoretical concept of sustainability to concrete and practical applications. Hitchcock and Willard are uniquely skilled at helping organizations translate vision into action. They make sustainability accessible and understand how to leverage organizational dynamics to make a journey to sustainability possible.' Rick Woodward, Corporate Director of Operations and Sustainability, Coastwide Laboratories, USA

About the Author

Darcy Hitchcock and Marsha Willard are experts in implementing sustainable business practices with a gift for making this abstract and technical topic easy to understand. They have written several other popular business books on related topics as well as countless articles. Their firm, AXIS Performance Advisors, is based in Portland, Oregon, a hotbed of sustainability-related activity. They designed and ran an 8-course Implementing Sustainability certificate programme with Portland State University and publish the Sustainability Series�, a set of practical how-to booklets. They also act as senior associates for the Zero Waste Alliance, leading their sustainability assessment programme. They are both on the faculty for Bainbridge Graduate Institute's MBA in Sustainable Business and the executive management team for the International Society of Sustainability Professionals.For more information, please go to www.axisperformance.com

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Routledge (July 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1844073203
• ISBN-13: 978-1844073207
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 6.6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #532,364 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Serious business libraries and management-level readers interested in sustainability will relish it., March 11, 2007

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Business Guide to Sustainability: Practical Strategies and Tools for Organizations (Paperback)

THE BUSINESS GUIDE TO SUSTAINABILITY: PRACTICAL STRATEGIES AND TOOLS FOR ORGANIZATIONS addresses a myriad of issues, from tools and frameworks to common practices and how average individuals can help move an organizational structure towards sustainable practices. Chapters range from operating a building efficiently to handling senior management and government agencies. Serious business libraries and management-level readers interested in sustainability will relish it.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Nice guide to start with, February 13, 2011

By 

Frank Roettgers "Author of Going Green Together" (Frankfurt, Germany) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Business Guide to Sustainability: Practical Strategies and Tools for Organizations (Paperback)

"The Business Guide to Sustainability" provides a nice introduction why sustainable business models make sense and offers many insights into how sustainability practices should be introduced in different industries. It is great to see that Hitchcock and Willard are not only concerned about the hard factors like the "what" and "why" new measures should be implemented. They are also majorly concerned about relatively soft and intangible factors. E.g. they dedicate almost an entire section to how an organization is able to motivate and engage employees with respect to green strategies.

Although I sometimes missed a step by step structure in this book and couldn't follow the train of thought of Hitchcock and Willard I think "The Business Guide to Sustainability" holds a few gems for everyone who wants to become sustainable with his company. Despite the fact that there are several other sustainability guides out there, this one provides some useful additions. Particularly section two, where sustainability practices for different industry sectors are outlined, makes a very strong point.

- Frank Roettgers, author of Going Green Together - How to Align Employees with Green Strategies