What are you most excited about for the new year?

An article ran on GreenBiz.com on Monday that asked executives from companies that have been featured in the news this year what they’re most excited about for 2011, with regard to opportunities and challenges for sustainability for their respective companies. Among them were Shaw Industries, PepsiCo, Sodexo, Eaton, Ernst & Young, Microsoft, Panasonic, Nike, Clorox, Starbucks, Aveda and Siemens.

To read the full article with everyone’s responses to this question, please click here.

We’re interested in what you have to say. What are your biggest opportunities and challenges for sustainability for your company in 2011? What are you most excited about? What are you most concerned about? Let us know!

Winning Partnerships

When an advocacy group works together with a corporation to come up with commendable policy, great things can happen—socially, environmentally and economically—for both organizations. 

Although corporations and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) often seem ethically opposed, now more than ever, successful businesses are realizing that social, environmental and economic responsibility can help their bottom line by boosting brand reputation, lowering waste & energy costs, and tapping the socially responsible investing market, among other things.  Businesses can gain quite a lot from employing the expertise of NGOs to become more socially and environmentally responsible.

Alternatively, NGOs have come to the understanding that it is easier to create change in alignment with their mission if they work with corporations instead of fighting against them.  In addition, by helping business, NGOs can sustain themselves economically with the money they receive for their services… which also helps them to continue their mission.

Here are some examples of Win-Win partnerships between advocacy groups and corporations: