Blog

Greenstone confirmed as speaker at Smarter Sustainability Reporting conference

Greenstone has been confirmed as a speaker at edie’s Smarter Sustainability Reporting Conference in London on 1st March 2017.

As part of the morning plenary session on reporting excellence, our Head of Client Services, David Wynn, will be giving practical advice on how to future-proof your data for 2020 and beyond.  David has also been invited to sit on a panel, alongside The Crown Estate and Barclays, in the Advanced Reporting workshop. During this workshop, the panel will be exploring emerging reporting options for advanced reporters.

The University Challenge: non-financial reporting

For many universities, sustainability reporting is seen as a fundamental part of day-to-day operations. With students placing higher importance on sustainability credentials and public expectation increasing, further education institutions have not only accepted the importance of being ‘green’ but have largely embraced the journey.

At Greenstone, we have seen first-hand the challenges that universities face and the unique position they are in when it comes to reporting. Below we outline 3 of the key challenges that a Sustainability Manager at a university is likely to be faced with.

Legal Sustainability Alliance (LSA) carbon reporting - what's new for 2016?

The following article, written by Greenstone's Marian Moynihan, was recently published on the LSA website. 

It’s that time of the year again when the LSA (Legal Sustainability Alliance) opens it reporting window to LSA members to report on their carbon emissions for 2015.

With the help of the LSA reporting tool managed by Greenstone members can measure their carbon footprint and assess their progress against the LSA principles. Reporting organisations receive an individual report on their carbon emissions and the LSA also produces an annual report where results are aggregated across the whole LSA membership.  

Closing the loop: The EU’s new Circular Economy Package released

Today the European Commission adopted an ambitious new Circular Economy Package to help European businesses and consumers to make the transition to a stronger and more circular economy where resources are used in a more sustainable way.

The current linear ‘take-make-dispose’ model for resource use cannot be sustained, and because of this resource efficiency and circularity in resource use has become a hot topic amongst sustainability professionals.

“Now is the time for businesses to take the lead” with The Climate Group initiative RE100

The below article was recently published by our partner, The Climate Group, as part of the countdown to next week's Climate Week NYC. 

Today business, industry and commerce accounts for half of the world’s electricity consumption. While many companies are already reducing their carbon emissions and energy bills, The Climate Group’s RE100 global campaign goes a step further and is helping the world’s most influential businesses go 100% renewable.

As part of our countdown to Climate Week NYC, Emily Farnworth, RE100 Campaign Director and Phil Levermore, Chairman, The Climate Group explain why RE100 is a leading example of how businesses can act on climate in the crucial run up to the UN's global talks in Paris and beyond, in two exclusive video interviews for our digital channel Climate TV.

Looking ahead to COP21: Countries vs. Businesses

It’s hard to remember a year that could potentially be more pivotal for international climate change talks than 2015. Years of international negotiations trying to repair the perceived collapse of 2009’s climate talks in Copenhagen will culminate this December in Paris for the UNFCCC’s 21st Conference of the Parties (COP21).

The significance? It’s hoped that COP21 will secure a legally binding climate agreement to limit carbon emissions on a global scale beyond 2020. The opportunity is great but as the talks grow closer, what have countries already pledged and importantly, what is the role of business in COP21?

Using software to manage sustainability information

The NHS Sustainability Leads Network sets aside part of each meeting to hear about opportunities for continuous improvement in their service.  At the Network’s June meeting David Wynn, Head of Client Services at Greenstone, was invited to provide an update on sustainability reporting and the use of software.

The ever increasing requirement for more information and detailed analysis continues to put sustainability professionals under pressure and makes it harder for them to effectively balance their time between strategy and reporting. Reporting is of course an essential part of assessing performance but when it comes to managing data offline, organisations are too often drowning in spreadsheets with data that can’t be easily accessed or analysed. Moving sustainability data to an online platform provides an opportunity to remove inefficiencies and the data management headache, enabling you to use the information to focus on identifying opportunities for improvement and change.

Greenbiz Forum Blog Series. Part 2: The 3 R’s of Sustainability: Risk, Reputation & Revenue

Greenstone's Head of Client Services, David Wynn attended the annual Greenbiz Conference in Phoenix (17th-19th February 2015). In this blog series he reflects on some of the key trends from the event. 

Greenbiz Forum Blog Series. Part 1: How does sustainability create value?

Greenstone's Head of Client Services, David Wynn attended the annual Greenbiz Conference in Phoenix (17th-19th February 2015). In this blog series, he reflects on some of the key trends from the event [1].

“My flight was almost cancelled”. By 10 am it was the second time I had heard someone suggest they were lucky to make it to the Greenbiz Forum in Phoenix, Arizona because of unprecedented snowfall in the North-East of the US. As well as being a conversation icebreaker, extreme weather and wider climate change impacts underpinned why hundreds of sustainability professionals had gathered in the Arizona desert to explore the trends, challenges and opportunities in sustainable business.

World Economic Forum Environmental Trends 2015

The World Economic Forum (WEF) recently held its annual conference in Davos. On the agenda for this high profile event was a discussion about its Outlook on the Global Agenda 2015 report.[1] The report is the result of a worldwide survey and looks at the top 10 social, economic and political trends that are likely to have a significant impact globally in the next 12-18 months.