Managing Green

This will be the first post that steps away from the established format of this blog, that is, an archive of my published Chronicle columns. But, change is a wonderful thing, and it is my hope to use this blog to explore more issues relevant to the Duke Sustainability movement than I have time or space to cover in the column.

So first up, a recent article that was forwarded to me by a fellow Jumbo which summarizes data from a survey conducted by McKinsey & Co. The report, titled "How companies manage sustainability" can be read here.

There are several interesting conclusions that are drawn from the results, but what I find particularly interesting to marinate on, is the idea that "engaged" companies are far more successful at reaping benefit from their sustainability efforts in the form of improved reputation, cost savings and growth opportunities.

Perhaps this particular bout of fascination stems from the fact that I just navigated my browser away from Ben & Jerry's corporate site. In the chronicling of the company's history is an interwoven story of its Environmental Action commitment and accomplishments. Sure, they make great ice cream, but a strong commitment from the founders has meant employee involvement in internal committees and programs that have accomplished significant changes in operations and waste reduction from bulk ingredients packaging.

But what does an ice cream manufacturer have to do with Duke? Well Duke is also engaged, and no I'm not just referring to the service-learning program, Duke Engage. Starting with a commitment at the top, the University has established dedicated positions focused on organizing, motivating and enabling sustainable changes. In addition to a willing ear, there is funding available to anyone within the Duke community to start a sustainability project or program. If the McKinsey report is any indication, this commitment and established framework are the first steps to making realizable gains and improvements.

As I sit enjoying my recently purchased pint of Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, I can only hope Duke will have it's own scrapbook of accomplishments some day, just like Ben & Jerry's.