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Initiatives, Partners and Friends Mar/Apr 2021
Sustainability: A Global Conversation
March 2021, Cushman & Wakefield
Global companies are increasingly considering corporate sustainability as a critical initiative in this “new world” following COVID-19. The pandemic has provided an opportunity for companies to see how they can address an expanding range of environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) challenges and embed sustainability practices into their business going forward.
Sustainability has become an international conversation. The Edge Magazine sat down with female sustainability experts from Cushman & Wakefield to discuss:
- The future of sustainability in CRE
- Sustainability trends that emerged due to COVID-19
- The connectivity between DEI and sustainability
- Why women make unique and vital contributions to the industry
The title phrase is often cited, but we don’t often see the results as it would not be considered “national news”. Here are two examples of local action – one of which is the result of the ESUS Chairman’s personal choices.
The Denver Chapter of IFMA has conducted an annual electronics recycling event in conjunction with its monthly luncheon for several years. This year’s event was particularly noteworthy – as displayed on LinkedIn.
In Colorado, the Public Utility, Xcel Energy, offers a Windsource option for electricity that residents draw from the grid. The ESUS Chairman has 5.5Kw of solar panels on his house, and excess energy demand is provided by Windsource. The Excel 2020 annual Impact Report below demonstrates the environmental impact available by simply making a personal choice.
Better Solid Waste Management (SWM) in a circular economy
April 2021, ecoPreserve
In a circular economy, recycling keeps waste materials out of landfills. Instead, the materials are available for valuable repurposing and reuse.
Plastic packaging is seen along grocery store aisles, worldwide. One of the largest consumer products companies, Unilever, brings familiar brands to about 190 countries. In the U.S., their Dove, Hellmann’s, and Seventh Generation brands are packaged in Post-Consumer Recycled (PCR) plastic. They have a goal of collecting and processing more plastic than is used in packaging their products.
Unilever’s circular economy achievement will divert 60,000 metric tons of plastic from landfills each year, beginning in 2025.
Start planning for a world with a lot less water
March 2021, CNN
World leaders need to start planning for a world with a lot less water. The world’s population consumes six times more of this life-sustaining element than our ancestors did 100 years ago, and with population and economic growth, demand continues to rise.
Furthermore, climate change is playing havoc with the water cycle, disrupting weather systems and rainfall patterns that deliver either too much or too little, and rarely where and when it is needed.
That is why the theme of this year’s United Nations World Water Day is valuing water. This is about considering the value of water for our households, food, culture, health, education, economics and the integrity of our natural environment. This is important because there is a growing disconnect between the urgency of our water needs for its multiple uses and the resources available to address them.
This is not due to a lack of capital, expertise or solutions — all three are available in abundance.
It is a failure of national and international foresight, planning and cooperation. With a better understanding of the multidimensional values of water, we will be better able to safeguard this critical resource for everyone’s benefit.
