The major environmental impact of most businesses derives from energy usage. The upside of this is that using energy more responsibly improves profitability. A business’s cheapest unit of energy is also the one which is least damaging to the planet: the unit you don't use.There are many ways to make your organization's energy usage more sustainable. In Sustainable Energy Options for Business, Philip Wolfe outlines the best available options for (1) reducing energy use and (2) improving the...

This is the first and probably the only book devoted to utility-scale solar power – perhaps the fastest-growing sector of the global energy market.Philip Wolfe’s book describes the development and operation of large-scale solar power stations, and will interest all those who want to understand how these multi-million dollar projects are designed, structured, financed, constructed and maintained. It contains case studies of the Waldpolenz Energy Park, Germany, Lopburi Solar Plant in...

Sustainability for SMEs offers a comprehensive introduction to the key business cases and techniques for putting sustainability at the heart of your business strategy.Small businesses make a significant collective impact on the environment and society – but only a tiny percentage of SMEs complete a sustainability report. Sustainability Reporting for SMEs will enable any SME to get up to speed on sustainability reporting and plot a course of action for their business. Elaine Cohen distils t...

The author explores the fraught politics of energy transitions in an age of climate change. She does so through an ecological modernisation and corporate social responsibility lens which she contends shapes and underpins sustainability today. Case studies cover climate policy, unconventional gas and renewable energy.

A silent revolution is underway, as entrepreneurs challenge prevalent notions of business motives and methods to invent market-based solutions to eradicate social injustice. Yet many fail to succeed. Based on original research, the authors uncover why impressive solutions fail to scale up, featuring global case studies and practical solutions.

Whether you are undertaking the exercises for your own purposes or with the intent of completing a certification course in sustainable development, this workbook will be of help. The companion text for this publication is The Sustainable Business: A Practitioner's Guide to Achieving Long-Term Profitability and Competitiveness (2nd edition). Read the companion text thoroughly before beginning this workbook. Follow a step-by-step approach using the 7-P Roadmap to Sustainability Model and wor...

Green products have been around since the 1970s, but it's only in recent years that they've become ubiquitous. That's because savvy green marketers are no longer targeting "deep green" consumers with a "save the planet" pitch. Instead, they're promoting the added value their products provide: better health, superior performance, good taste, or cost-effectiveness. In this innovative book Ottman argues that emphasizing primary benefits -- the New Rules -- is critical to winning over the main...

If you want to introduce alternative power supplies around the house and garden or even live totally off-grid in your boat, caravan or yurt and need a practical introduction to solar power and 12 volt supplies, here is the essential eBook guide to the subject.

Social and environmental issues are more important than ever and consumers are committed to supporting change. 'Doing good' is no longer a peripheral activity but fundamental to every aspect of how we do business, every day, for everyone.People, Planet, Profit is the first book to truly address business growth in the context of social and environmental concerns. It's a practical guide to new business opportunity, operational improvement and competitive adv...

Corporate responsibility is considered an oxymoron by much of society. Corporations are among the least trusted of our institutions; and the 2008 financial crisis, BP's oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, and the collapse of the house of cards that was Enron have only added to public skepticism.So, at a time when trust in corporations has reached an all-time low, why is interest in corporate responsibility at an all-time high? A plausible explanation is that increasing numbers of stak...

Materials from renewable resources are receiving increased attention, as leading industries and manufacturers attempt to replace declining petrochemical-based feedstocks with products derived from natural biomass, such as cereal straws. Cereal straws are expected to play an important role in the shift toward a sustainable economy, and a basic knowledge of the composition and structure of cereal straw is the key to using it wisely. Cereal Straw as a Resource for Sustainable Biomaterials and...

In recent years, the importance of biogas energy has risen manifold and has become universal. This is due to the realization that biogas capture and utilization has great potential in controlling global warming. By capturing biogas wherever it is formed, we not only tap a source of clean energy, but we also prevent the escape of methane to the atmosphere. Given that methane has 25 times greater global warming potential than CO2, methane capture through biogas energy in this manner can cont...