How smart buildings become radically efficient

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At last month’s VERGE conference, a clear message stood out: Data has the power to transform the future of sustainability.

Data, however, is only as transformative as the tools that make it actionable. If data is to define the future of sustainability, then the future of information technology will define how facilities become radically efficient (i.e. true smart buildings).

IDC has projected that social business, big data analytics, cloud computing and mobility are coming together in an unprecedented way to create solutions with entirely new business value. Indeed these pillars of future information technology will enable intelligent industries, solutions and, most importantly, innovation. These are the characteristics of intelligent IT tools that can transform facilities into smart buildings and directly align with the VERGE message of data-enabled market transformation.

 

Removal of Biodiesel Precipitates via Ultrasound

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This report describes a bench-scale proof-of-concept effort performed by the ORNL to investigate the effects of sonication on the removal of induced biodiesel precipitates.

 

7 steps to developing a profitable CSR strategy

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Asking if there is business value to a corporate responsibility or sustainability strategy is the wrong question. No one would ask if marketing strategy has business value; sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn’t, depending on its quality. The more relevant question is: What does your company need to do to ensure its CR strategy creates business value? That’s tougher to answer for CR because compared to marketing, CR is new and people have a poorer understanding of the issues.

Our 15 years’ experience working in three multinationals have suggested how to develop a profitable CR strategy. We believe these lessons are broadly applicable and would help any company think clearly about CR and how to make it a contributing part of the business. In this article we discuss some of the keystones; the full framework can be read here.

 

Supply-chain reporting in tech: 4 pitfalls to avoid

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All parts of the supply chain are changing, and that likely affects your company, whether it operates upstream or downstream. From software makers to medical-device manufacturers to semiconductor-materials producers, more and more companies are facing customer requests to abide by a code of ethics, labor practices or health and environmental guidelines. If your company fails to comply with those expectations, you lose customers.

One Southern California software service provider was asked by one of its largest software developer partners to ensure compliance with its corporate social responsibility (CSR) guidelines. Faced with the choice of demonstrating via reporting or losing that customer, the software service provider found it was able to easily meet the standards and even decided to exceed them. These steps reduced its carbon footprint and enhanced its reputation for corporate citizenship.

This demand for disclosures is on its way to becoming the norm. Companies need to be prepared to integrate sustainable practices into their operational strategies and report on them when asked to do so.