Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Sustainability Guide a Worthwhile Read

Jan Peter "JP" Bergkvist, one-time vice president sustainable business at Scandic and former director of environmental sustainability for Hilton International, recently released a self-published book called "Sustainability in Practice, A Fast Guide for Business Leaders." I highly recommend reading the book. Using The Natural Step framework, Bergkvist presents examples of practical measures hotels or hotel companies can implement in order to create more sustainable organizations.

"My honest recommendation is that without the buy-in and fully engaged commitment of the CEO of the company (or the chair of an organization) it is not meaningful to start a sustainability program," Bergkvist says in his book.

Why do leaders ignore sustainability? Bergkvist says it is often because they do not understand the business case for it, or they don't understand the concept at all. To help upper level managers move their organizations toward sustainability, Bergkvist offers suggestions in areas such as energy management, chemicals, waste and recycling, traveling and transportation, water, procurement, diversity, food, and sustainable construction.

Bergkvist concludes his book by addressing topics such as eco-labeling, sustainable meetings, and governance and ethics. To purchase a copy of his book, e-mail him at janpeter.bergkvist@sleepwell.nu.

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