Sustainability Metrics
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Sustainability Metrics are tools that measure the benefits achieved through the implementation of sustainability. Measuring sustainability involves tracking indicators, or "bits of information which, added together, provide an overview of what is happening in a community and to a community" (Cape Cod Center for Sustainability). Metrics are a growing area of importance in the field of sustainability because measuring progress helps people determine how far they've come. It enables goal setting, the determination of business value, and further adoption of sustainable practices by businesses, organizations, government, and individuals.
Today, there is no standard method of measuring triple bottom line successes and therefore, it is extremely hard to compare one company working toward sustainability with another. It is also hard to achieve acceptance of perceived successes, as the method of measurement is often scrutinized. The social metrics are possibly the hardest set of metrics to develop; How do you measure employee happiness? There are too many variables in measuring societal progress and as a result, it is extremely difficult to develop accurate metrics.
The resources below will provide users with the latest information regarding sustainable metric development and standardization.
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American Institute of Architects (AIA)
Since 1857, the AIA has represented the professional interests of America's architects. As AIA members, over 74,000 licensed architects, emerging professionals, and allied partners express their commitment to excellence in design and livability in our nation's buildings and communities. This site contains a set of 10 measures and supporting metrics that has been named the "Foundation of the Committee on the Environment" (COTE) Top Ten Green Projects and the basis of the COTE theory of sustainable design.
American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE)
AIChE is a professional association of more than 40,000 members that provides leadership in advancing the chemical engineering profession. The Sustainability Metrics working group has developed a set of baseline sustainability metrics and has an active project evaluating and testing these metrics in industry.
Cape Cod Center for Sustainability
The Cape Cod Center for Sustainability has a primary goal of fostering actions which will put Cape Cod on a path toward long-term sustainability. The site explains some basic efficiency measures that can be implemented, as well as important sustainability indicators developed by the center.
"Ceres is a national network of investment funds, environmental organizations and other public interest groups working to advance environmental stewardship on the part of businesses." The web site contains valuable information on sustainability reporting (including many examples), information for investors who wish to improve corporate policies on climate change, and reports on the coordination of environmental communication in the power industry, hotel industry, and others. This site is also a great resource for learning more about organizations working toward sustainability.
Corporate Social Responsibility Network
Csrnetwork is one of the UK's leading Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) consultants, helping businesses fulfill their social and environmental responsibilities. Csrnetwork can benchmark your organization's CSR management against best practice and then help you develop your CSR strategy, engage with your stakeholders, and manage and report your performance.
Innovest Strategic advisors Group
Innovest Strategic Value Advisors is an internationally recognized investment research and advisory firm specializing in analyzing companies' performance on the triple bottom line, with a particular focus on their impact on competitiveness, profitability, and share price performance.
International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD)
Founded in 1990, IISD is in the business of promoting change towards sustainable development. The IISD presents an introduction into the principles of measuring sustainability in business and examples of practical applications of SB metrics.
RP works with a broad array of partners to shift the economy and public policy towards sustainability. The site has resources related to the organization’s Sustainability Indicators program, an initiative to develop tools and educational materials to measure sustainable progress.
Sustainability Reporting Programs
"The Sustainability Reporting Program is an independent, non-partisan, not-for-profit organization. It draws on expertise from government, industry, the non-government sector and academe, but does not represent any sector or interest group." While the much of the information on the site is specific to Canada, it contains very useful information on sustainability reporting for consumers and business people from every nation. The web site contains indices and metrics for measuring sustainability, a history of the movement, business case studies, and useful external links for more information.
As a private consulting firm, Sustainability Measures promotes sustainable community development "through the development, understanding and use of effective indicators and systems for measuring progress." They offer workshops, training, a database of indicators and other helpful resources for companies working toward sustainability.
The Global Development Research Center (GDRC)- Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) and Assessment
The GDRC is a virtual organization that carries out initiatives in education, research, and practices in the spheres of environment, urban, community and information at scales that are effective. The GDRC is an attempt to consolidate disparate issues, themes, and topics into one umbrella to highlight their interconnectedness and interdisciplinary nature. The GDRC article provides a good introduction into life cycle analysis, including a basic introduction, the benefits and drawbacks of the tool, and a brief look into the use of LCA.
The Global Reporting Initiative
The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) is an independent institution whose mission is to develop and disseminate globally applicable sustainability reporting guidelines.
The Pioneers Group is a best practice forum established to accelerate the development and implementation of sectoral sustainable development strategies. This publication introduces a set of indicators that can be used to measure the sustainability performance of an operating unit.
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