Know Your Non-Profits Series- #2, Sustainable Business Leader Program

This week’s “Know Your Non-Profits” Blog piece is by Emily Kanter, Program Director of the Sustainable Business Leader Program, a program of the Sustainable Business Network of Greater Boston.

Also, don’t miss SBLP and SBN-Boston Executive Director Laury Hammel’s  interview with NPR’s WBUR Host Robin Young at D2E on April 10th!

Small Businesses Bring in the Green

With mainstream media attention focused on Walmart’s “green” initiatives these past few months, there’s been little-to-no coverage of the efforts of small, independent businesses to become sustainable leaders.  These businesses, especially in Boston, make up the backbone of the communities we live in, and are the unsung heroes of the green movement.

23 Boston companies completed the SBLP assessment process and reduced their collective carbon footprint

Although it’s difficult for a small business to have a major impact on overall carbon emissions, their efforts can create a domino effect.  As of 2006 there were approximately 651,000 small businesses in Massachusetts.  Collectively, they have the power to affect significant environmental change by becoming more energy, waste and water efficient, and by demanding cleaner sources of energy.

The Sustainable Business Leader Program, founded in Boston in 2008, has worked with over 60 small businesses to green up their individual practices and promote those efforts to the public.

Harvard Bookstore has posted creative literary signage, encouraging employees to reduce their water consumption.

In Cambridge, MA, Harvard Bookstore offers Metro Pedal Power bike-delivery service to their customers, many of whom are students and professors purchasing heavy textbooks.  They also saved thousands of dollars on their energy bills by switching to compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs). Economy Hardware and TAGS Hardware offer free-drop off points for used CFLs (which contain mercury) to residents and business owners.  In Boston, Boston Duck Tours rewired their massive garage so they can now light only the areas in which they are working.  Boston Building Materials Co-op sells competitively priced low-flow aerators to their customers, including Red Sun Press, with whom they print their marketing materials and stationary using low-VOC inks on recycled-content paper.

Small businesses in Greater Boston and around the country have begun to champion their sustainable efforts, and work collectively to support the tide of global change.

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The Sustainable Business Leader Program meets the unique needs & challenges of local businesses in their pursuit to become more environmentally sustainable.

Through a 6 step process, this dynamic program takes a comprehensive and holistic approach to sustainability by addressing all of the practices of a business that impact our environment.  It assists participating companies in making changes in their business practices in the following areas:

1. Energy Efficiency
2. Water Conservation
3. Waste Management
4. Pollution Prevention & Safe Alternatives
5. Transportation
6. Sustainability Management

To become a Sustainable Business Leader contact Emily at emily@sustainablebusinessleader.org.

The Fishmonger in Cambridge is now working with Save That Stuff to compost more than 85% of their waste.

Tags: boston businesses, green business, local business, save that stuff, Sustainable Business Leader Program, Sustainable Business Network

Citizen Schools; exposing middle school kids to professional opportunities

Last night I had the honor of serving as a judge at the annual Citizen Schools Design & Development WOW! presentations. Citizen Schools is a local non profit that works with middle school kids. The Design and Development Apprenticeship is an urban planning ideas competition – and we at D2E love ideas! This event engages more than 100 youth from middle schools throughout Boston. For 10 weeks each fall, the students collaborate with volunteer architecture and development professionals and Citizen Schools staff to re-envision Boston’s built environment and public open spaces, developing plans and models for projects in different city neighborhoods.

This student from the McCormack school impressed us with his innovative ideas, his spiffy suit and his articulate presentation. Well done!

The Edison Middle School tackled the problems with City Hall!

It was inspiring to hear these students ideas. And it was great to also meet some of the graduates from previous years that are now in college. This really is what it’s all about. Kids have to be exposed to options in order to understand that there are opportunities.

According to John Werner, the enthusiastic leader of Citizen Schools, “This program works. Our combination of rigorous academic support and engaging apprenticeships is producing a generation of eager and invested learners. Citizen teachers are sharing their expertise and kids are listening. Our students are outperforming a comparison group of public middle school students on 6 of 7 key indicators, including MCAS scores, attendance, suspension rates and on time promotion to 10th grade, a critical indicator of HS graduation rates. As well, graduate of our 8th grade academy program are graduating from HS and attending college at nearly twice the rates of their BPS peers.”

I was really tired on this Monday and at 4pm I was dreading the commitment I made to be a judge. Those feelings faded as soon as I arrived and saw all the great work being done. I was energized and excited to be a part of this great effort. And a big “Thank you” goes out to all of the local businesses that stepped up to the plate and brought the students into their offices. This was a big time commitment and a great investment in the future of Boston. We at D2E applaud you!

Participating Apprenticeships:
Payette Associates: McCormack Middle School
Cubellis: Edwards Middle School
Goody Clancy: Irving Middle School
Harvard Graduate School of Design: 8th Grade Academy
ICON Architecture, Inc: Rogers Middle school
Paul Lukez Architecture: Mario Umana Middle School Academy
Shepley Bulfinch: Gavin Middle School
Jones Lang LaSalle: Edison Middle School
Altitude, Inc.: McCormack Middle School

Below are a bunch of photos to enjoy.

Students are making plans for a bike and pedestrian path to help improve and reinvigorate the Columbia Point neighborhood.

Jones Lang LaSalle even went to the extent of teaching the kids about budgeting. I could have used a few of these lessons!

To the tune of Rocky, the students marched up to the podium to collect their awards.

Ernest Pough, a graduate of Citizen Schools and current Freshman at Union College was one of my fellow judges. He passed out our awards to the teams.

Tags: design, education, local business, Non-Profit