Sustainability Reading Recommendations

The following is a list and brief review of some resources for either information or tools that can help you learn more about going green for retail.  These are items that were found to be helpful in the research and journeys taken by our committee members. 

If you have a book or article that has been especially helpful, please contact Dan Butler.

Sustainability Certifications and Reporting Tools: An Overview
Norman Cescut
A nice overview of the different certification and reporting tools around environmental sustainability.  The descriptions are concise and there are links to more information.  Informative even if you are only planning to measure and not certify.

Microsoft Makes Data Centres Greener
Data centers are among the largest contributors to carbon footprint on a per square foot basis.  This article discusses Microsoft’s attempts to improve that in their organization.

Upcycling Becomes a Treasure Trove for Green Business Ideas
Jennifer Wang
Entrepreneur, April 2011
Discusses the process of “upcycling”.  Upcycling is the process of converting what would be disposable goods into something of saleable quality.  This article provides great examples, gives a brief history of upcycling and some upcycling ideas that are profitable.

Groundswell: Winning in a World Transformed by Social Technologies
Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff
While this is a book focusing on the importance and impact of social media, I thought it was a good addition to reading materials.  As the world evolves the critical importance of using social media grows.  This can give some thought on the social atmosphere and perhaps you can use it to implement your sustainability messaging.

Harvard Business Review on Greening Your Business Profitably
An interesting overview of ideas for turning green into profit.  It includes some best practices and gives you the HBR view of the world of green.  It is a collection of Harvard Business Review articles on strategy, product design and redesign and sustainability processes for implementation.

The Green Executive: Corporate Leadership in a Low Carbon Economy
Gareth Kane
This book is not released yet, but is due very soon.  The reviews look promising that it will help focus on how business can implement green strategies with a heavy focus on profit.  It contains exclusive interviews with top executives.

The Green To Gold Business Playbook: How To Implement Sustainability Practices For Bottom-Line Results In Every Business Function
Daniel Esty and P. J. Simmons
This is a follow up to the original Green to Gold, one of the very first books focusing on business and environment.  It is not a book about solely the environment, but one that provides some ideas on sustainability that have been proven in the workplace. 


Back to SRC Main Page