Case Study

The Vanishing Bees

Many of us have heard snipets in the news of vanishing bee colonies in our agricultural-rich states over the past year. The occurence is known as Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD). In some states (as well as in Quebec and parts of Europe), up to 25% of total bee colonies used to pollinate crops for domestic [...]

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The Fort Collins Dilemma: Nuclear or Solar?

The New York Times reported today an intriguing article on what’s happening in Fort Collins, Colorado – a city that prides itself on being a bastion of green living. The town’s motto, “Where renewal is a way of life,” is more than just a metaphor. The city is heavily involved in promoting carbon-free energy production. [...]

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What We Can Learn From Wine – Shipping and Packaging Matters

When managers consider how to reduce the carbon footprint of their products, distribution methods and packaging should be near the top of their list. A new study that evaluates the carbon footprint of wine shows that, although manufacturing processes are important, the manner in which wine is shipped and packaged makes all the difference. Tyler [...]

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The New Generation of Green on Campus – The Sustainable College Movement

The recent release of the 2008 College Sustainability Report Card, produced by the Sustainable Endowments Institute, shows that two-thirds of all institutions improved their sustainability endeavors this past year. The areas in which they improved the most were in: the appointment of “green” administration, the use of renewable energy, green buildings, food and recycling, and [...]

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The Power of Smoother Noodles?: Eco-Strategies from Hamburger Helper

How many General Mills product developers does it take to envision a more sustainably produced Hamburger Helper? The geniuses came up with smoother noodles. Yes, that’s right. Smoother noodles, not the twisty kind, allow the product to settle more compactly in the plastic pouch and, thus, require a smaller cardboard box for the product. Voila! [...]

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Case Studies for “Green” Corporate Marketers

The Business Development Institute and PR Newswire are putting on a half-day conference in New York on Tuesday, July 24th that will feature “green communications” case studies presented by corporate executives from Ford, HSBC, Interface, National Geographic, and the U.S. EPA. If you can’t be there in person, sign up to view a free webcast [...]

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From Architecture to Zucchini – Sustainable Business Case Studies

Arnold Creek Productions has a great video out that showcases 12 different companies and organizations that are pioneers in the field of sustainable business. It’s about two hours long, and focuses on exploring how to merge economic, social and environmental issues while maintaning a successful business. It’s not cheap, at $60, but having seen the [...]

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Using a Facilitated Workshop Method To Jump-Start Implementing Sustainability Initiatives

Our second 3P Case Study is on the Facilitated Workshop Aproach to Sustainability Management. Janice Nietzel and Sarah Feinstein suggest that conducting workshops on sustainability within organizations is a great way to jump-start sustainability improvements. The authors of this paper, both MBA students at the Presidio School of Management, held a one-day Eco-efficiency Brainstorming Workshop, [...]

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Case Study: The Cost Benefit of Flushless Urinals

The first in what we hope to be a long list of MBA business case studies is one I helped lead recently on the financial benefits of flushless urinals. It’s a topic that most people think is rather funny at first, but one that has suprisingly positive environmental as well as financial ramifications. Basically, my [...]

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