Keller Williams Realty is committed to a better future for all.

Each year, the Institute for Sustainable Development recognizes outstanding small and medium-sized employers from around the U.S. for their leadership in sustainable enterprise — combining cutting edge business, environmental, employee and community practices.  Check out the video from our 2011 Green Plus Awards here.

Nominate your favorite triple-bottom line employer here by January 31, 2012. 

Categories include 

• Green Plus Sustainable Enterprise of the Year (any size)
• Green Plus Medium-Sized Employer
• Green Plus Sustainable Small Business of the Year
• Green Plus Sole Proprietor / Home Based Business of the Year
• Green Plus Non – Profit
• For – Benefit Corporation / Social Enterprise of the Year 

Nomination Guidelines
The Green Plus Sustainable Enterprise Awards are not only about ‘green’ (environmental) programs — they are an effort to recognize and encourage a balanced approach to community engagement, environmental stewardship, and good business management generally. We seek to promote traditional organizations engaging in extraordinary practices while raising awareness around the importance of sustainability in their communities. 

Award nominees can expect be notified by the Institute selection committee between February 29th and March 15th.

Rules
-Any smaller enterprise (an organization of under 500 employees) in the United States or Canada may be nominated for a Green Plus Sustainable Enterprise Award. 
-There is no fee to be nominated.
-There is no required membership in any organization to be nominated. 
-Winners of juried Green Plus Sustainable Enterprise Awards may not win a juried award two years in a row. 
-Nominees may not be related to or have an existing business relationship with staff or board members of the Institute for Sustainable Development. 

About the Institute
The Institute for Sustainable Development is a non-profit organization that helps smaller enterprises and their communities to become more sustainable, foster a new generation of sustainability leaders, and to promote dialogues about the theory and practice of sustainability across cultures. Green Plus, the Institute’s flagship program, exists to educate, network, and reward small enterprises in their triple bottom line efforts. Through Green Plus, the Institute strives to help smaller enterprises learn from one another as well as from experts and specifically seeks to celebrate enterprises that are trailblazers — innovating sustainable practices that one might not associate with a given business sector.  

Visit this link to learn about past Green Plus Sustainable Enterprise Award winners.

Take a listen to this week’s podcast to hear more about how The Taylor Companies made money on what they considered garbage, and discover strategies you can implement to get your waste reduction efforts off the ground…

…and check out NPR’s Marketplace full interview with Jeff Baldasarri in 2010. 

“BALDASSARI: I am not a treehugger by any means. But by the same token, I’m a huge, huge fan of sustainability.

And here’s why: With all the savings on trash, plus energy efficient machinery, Taylor saves about $100,000 a year.

BALDASSARI: The guys in the factory, if I tell them, Hey, we save $100,000 a year by diverting this waste and saving on energy, they’ll think that’s three jobs that have been saved. If I talk to people in marketing, they’ll say that’s $2 million of sales. That’s the net profit from $2 million in sales. If I talk to people in accounting, they’ll think “Our overhead is less.”

The Institute for Sustainable Development / Green Plus

www.gogreenplus.0rg

Ergonomics is the science of designing and organizing the jobs, work methods, equipment, and workplace to maximize workers’ efficiency, safety, and comfort. Ergonomic equipment, such as chairs or computer accessories, reduces strain and maximizes comfort.

Why It Matters

Ergonomic work spaces enhance worker productivity.  They also lower the chances of workers developing musculoskeletal injuries, which can reduce absenteeism.

Getting Started

Things to keep in mind when making ergonomic changes in the workplace:

• Before making any changes, ask for feedback from the workers.  The changes will likely affect them most. Plus, their input may help you identify what changes you really need to make.
• It is best to examine work conditions on a case-by-case basis.  Every organization, department, and worker has different needs.
• Even minor ergonomic changes can make a significant impact.

Going Further

Ergonomics will look different depending on whether your organization is a services firm or a manufacturing shop.  While the principles below are geared toward manual labor jobs, they bring up many important concepts to consider[1]:

• For assembly jobs, place the materials so that workers’ strongest muscles do most of the work.

• For detailed work that involves close inspection of the materials, the workbench should be lower for heavier work.

Getting ergonomics right can take real expertise.  Consider bringing in a certified ergonomics to help optimize your workspace.

Resources

Links:

• The International Ergonomics Association provides an in-depth definition of ergonomics

• The International Labour Organization provides examples of good and bad designs from an ergonomic perspective

Glossary of Related Terms

Ergonomics: The science of designing and organizing the jobs, work methods, equipment, and workplace to maximize workers’ efficiency, safety, and comfort.

[1] Information from the International Labour Organization website

Moody’s Analytics estimates that commercial and industrial lending in the fourth quarter has grown 0.2% from the third quarter, to $1.22 trillion, the first quarterly increase in two years. Moody’s predicts such lending will rise 3% next year.

An uptick in business lending is an optimistic sign for the economy and can help to make the recovery self-sustaining. Such loans likely will be used by businesses to expand their operations, which could lead to new jobs and eventually to increased borrowing and spending by hired workers.”

Please click here for the full article by Ruth Simon for the Wall Street Journal.

The Institute for Sustainable Development

www.gogreenplus.org

“The focus of the North Myrtle Beach Chamber is on a sustainable economy for our city and region.  We see Green Plus™ as a visioning and valuable tool to assist our members in creating sustainability plans for their businesses,” stated Marc Jordan, President/CEO of the Chamber.

The program is available at a substantial discount through participating chambers of commerce throughout the U.S. and Canada in the 1,300 chamber ACCE network. The ACCE and the Institute for Sustainable Development conduct the annual Green Plus North American Sustainable Enterprise Awards which gives participating small businesses the opportunity to gain tremendous exposure for their efforts toward triple bottom line sustainability.

“There are many great home-grown sustainability efforts already going on in our region,” said Jordan. “Green Plus™ gives our members the opportunity to both learn new practices and share their own knowledge across North America – while also opening up new business opportunities,” he added.

“On a personal level, I applaud your vision and leadership for involving the Chamber and local businesses in making North Myrtle Beach more sustainable,” stated Daniel Abel, Ph.D., Director, CCU Sustainability Initiative.

Green Plus™ was developed by the North Carolina Research Triangle based Institute for Sustainable Development - a combined effort of universities and chambers of commerce to provide smaller employers with affordable tools to improve their triple bottom line sustainability. The Green Plus™ model was developed by University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Kenan-Flagler School of Business in 2007. UNC Chapel Hill and Duke University developed online sustainability tools for small business that were tested in Ohio and North Carolina throughout 2008.

“Smaller enterprises employ most North Americans and are the key engine of new job creation,” said Chris Carmody, Director of the Institute for Sustainable Development. “Large employers have benefited greatly from their sustainability efforts. Green Plus™ was created to give small employers the same opportunities to save and make money while going green and being sustainable,” Carmody continued. “The North Myrtle Beach Chamber’s emphasis on sustainable economic growth makes it an ideal Green Plus™ partner,” Carmody concluded.

To help promote the Green Plus™ program the North Myrtle Beach Chamber of Commerce has recruited “ECO” the Starfish.  ECO is asking members to “Go Green” by signing up for this valuable program.  As of January 26th, the following businesses have signed up as Charter Members of the Green Plus™ Program: A&I Fire Water & Restoration, Avista Resort, Damon’s Grill, Elliott Realty, HTC and Ocean Drive Beach & Golf Resort.

The North Myrtle Beach Chamber of Commerce Convention & Visitors Bureau has been serving the local community for the past 10 years.  The mission of the North Myrtle Beach Chamber of Commerce is to be recognized as the premier business organization serving the North Myrtle Beach area and its business members by providing quality products, programs, and services while influencing issues that enhance the economic prosperity of our community.  In August 2009, the Accrediting Board of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce designated the North Myrtle Beach Chamber as an Accredited chamber with 4-Stars.