NRDC Greening Advisor Enables Businesses to Reduce Environmental Impact; Strengthen Bottom Line
Free web-based tool enables companies to go green
Published on May 13, 2008 - 6:16:23 AM

By: Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC)

New York, NY (May 12th, 2008) - Small and mid-sized businesses can now "green" their operations at no cost with the award-winning "Greening Advisor," an easy web-based tool developed by Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), one of the nation's largest and most influential environmental organizations.

"The Greening Advisor is a free and easily accessible resource that points the way towards cost savings and environmental responsibility," said Frances Beinecke, president of NRDC. "With the Greening Advisor as a guide, greening a business or organization no longer needs to be a daunting task, but an achievable goal that can be integrated into every company's mission."

The on-line resource, used successfully by Major League Baseball (MLB), the GRAMMYs, National Basketball Association and other leading organizations, is available at www.nrdc.org/greeningadvisor. "Greening" means that a company reviews its operations and supply chains to reduce environmental impacts.


The Greening Advisor provides a broad range of environmentally friendly steps companies can take to promote energy efficiency, conserve water, reduce waste, minimize paper usage and improve their financial bottom line. The Advisor, which was developed by a group of leading NRDC experts in targeted areas including energy, waste management, air quality, water quality, paper, purchasing, transportation and construction, is a particularly valuable tool for small-to-midsized businesses across all industries that want to reduce their environmental footprint without hiring consultants. NRDC's Greening Advisor recently won an "Environmental Merit Award" from the Environmental Protection Agency due to the role it played in making the Boston Red Sox more sustainable.

The Greening Advisor takes a localized approach to greening, enabling users in communities all over the country to find nearby vendors for everything from organic produce to environmentally-friendly building products. It also helps companies navigate their way through every conceivable aspect of the greening process, including:


* Using cost-effective "Low Impact Development" techniques to control storm water pollution, even in dense urban areas

* Providing step-by-step instructions on developing a company-wide "Smart Paper Plan" to conserve energy and save money

* Replacing an old HVAC system with an energy-efficient one that cuts energy costs by as much as 20 percent and creates a healthier work environment

* Encouraging employees to bike to work

"NRDC wanted to provide this valuable tool at no charge to ensure the authenticity of corporate greening efforts and make certain that companies have the benefit of the most current and credible resource," said Dr. Allen Hershkowitz, NRDC senior scientist. "All businesses have an environmental impact, so whether you have three employees or three thousand, taking steps toward improving the environmental performance of your business helps to ensure a clean and healthy environment for future generations, as well as a healthy and more efficient economy."

For decades, NRDC has worked with leading corporations and American cultural institutions to help them reduce their impact on the environment. As a result of these efforts, Warner Music Group now uses ecologically-enhanced paper packaging, the Philadelphia Eagles set aside land for a state park and The Academy Awards significantly reduced energy use and paper waste during its previous two Oscars telecasts.

In April 2008, MLB and NRDC announced the creation of a Team Greening Program, a league-wide strategy for protecting the environment that includes providing each team with an individualized Greening Advisor. Now, this same basic Greening Advisor tool is available to all companies.

Website: http://www.nrdc.org/enterprise/greeningadvisor/

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