B1 with Wyndham Green

"A Journey of a thousand miles, takes one step"
Part 1

I recently had the opportunity to meet with sustainability leaders, government officials and nonprofit organizations to talk about the roadmap to move us towards a low-carbon economy. Cambridge University along with the Corporate Leaders Group on Climate Change invited leaders and organizations around the world to participate in a climate change event called Deal or No Deal? It was inspirational and daunting but one theme resonated, everyone is passionate and wants to see a solution moving forward. Businesses need certainty and a framework or global policy to manage and operate their companies. The various legislative programs that vary by country and jurisdictions are confusing and could slow down the progress towards the global goal to reduce emissions. The question was how can businesses make a difference and partner with government and nonprofit groups to develop a global framework that will lead to a low carbon economy? Partnership is the key word that resonated over and over again and that we need a deal or agreement. The question was what happened in Copenhagen? Although it was disappointing the consensus is that some very important "Firsts" did come out of the event.

Pets have provided mankind undying devotion, companionship and assistance since the beginning of civilization. There is no doubt that we are happier and healthier for having embarked on this mutually beneficial relationship. For those of us living in the cramped, paved world of the modern city, our pets are often the only glimpses we have into the inner workings of the natural world.

Having established that an animal companion is a natural part of our human existence, it may seem contradictory to assert that there are quite a few decidedly ungreen aspects of pet ownership. Fido and Fluffy's forefather's decided eons ago to forgo their animal cohorts and hitch their fates to our wagon and found the accommodations and kibbles we provided much to their liking. As a result, they've reproduced in numbers well beyond their wild cousins, and as with humans, this booming population is not without its environmental consequences. I'll discuss a few of those consequences in this blog post as well as offer a few easy practices you can employ to help mitigate the environmental effects of your friend's presence on the planet.

Summer is here and you've got the whole family wagon loaded up with everything you'll need at your destination (and for a few stops along the way).  You've budgeted carefully and looked at every expense along the way to make sure you stretch your dollar as much as possible, but there's one area many people overlook when planning their trip out that has tremendous money (and planet)-saving potential: fuel economy.  The cost of gas has been rising steadily, and I'm betting the savings from a 10-20 percent increase in fuel efficiency in your current vehicle would go a long way at the beach (or anywhere for that matter).

Here are a few tips that  may generate fuel savings on your next road trip.  I'll just focus on the big ones, but if I've missed anything (moi?) please let me know in the comments section below so others may benefit.

I recently attended a conference about the Newsweek Green Ranking and had the opportunity to listen to Dan Esty, author of Green to Gold, speak.  It proved inspirational as well as educational. 

He noted that sustainability is imperative for the business world.  We have a business megatrend in the form of sustainability - big to small, old to new. Those who take it seriously will ride the wave, and those that do not will go under it.

I attended the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) in NYC on May 13th which proved to be an incredible event.  Clinton and four CEO's discussed Sustainability.  His Haiti program and how he, alongside President Bush, have developed a socially responsible program to help the country and its people.  He is truly a visionary, however, what stood out most was his focus on the culture of the people and how to interact with them.  He talked about the earthquake survivor camps and mentioned that the work being done by Sean Penn was most impressive. He was surprised at Sean's true commitment to helping the people of Haiti.  He also told a story about a person that he and Hillary knew in the States who is highly educated - a graduate from the Sorbonne - and now lives in Haiti trying to invoke change, but who is also a voodoo doctor.  Clinton's message was that no matter their occupation, everyone in the country should be accepted.

Afterwards I attended a break out session on the social web and how it can help move the CGI program forward in all areas including sustainability.  Several interesting  statistics the speaker mentioned were that the number of Facebook members equals the 3rd largest country,  78% of consumers trust information from their peers and not advertisements, and that 25% of the top 20 brands benefit from user generated content and the power of the web to market and communicate directly with their customer.  The inversion of the pyramid and the growth of bottom up action networks continue to grow.  The web enables everyone to have a voice.  Many people who helped expand Yahoo!, Google and various social media platforms were in attendance.  We talked about the "Birthday Wish" concept and how using a similar application can really promote social action in a whole new way.  The other key element discussed was the power of social networking to drive collaboration.  It can build culture and help to develop identities.  The Pepsi Refresh project leader discussed why they decided to invest their $25 million and give back to the community.  Consumers can receive grants of $5,000, $25,000, $50,000 and $250,000 to complete an act of social good in their communities which are voted for on online.  The response has been tremendous.  Pepsi decided to test this campaign as opposed to investing in a Super Bowl ad or other traditional advertising. The other key elements that were discussed included building the business case and metrics around social media and quantifying the payback.  Another major opportunity is around mobile applications and driving change which everyone agreed will become very useful to promote programs and initiatives around the world. 

A key takeaway that the team agreed upon is that the CGI program is powerful. We need to leverage all members and existing networks online.  In order to be successful, we must track, measure and design for impact while developing tools to further build collaboration.  Brands will continue to change the model of empowering the individual consumer to produce something meaningful.  Keeping the faith in Green!

There's no question that plastics have made our lives easier and more convenient, but that convenience has come at a great cost. Over 200 million tons of plastic is produced every year, and only 3.5% of it is recycled. The rest of it ends up in our landfills and bodies of water. In the case of our oceans, over 90% of floating litter is plastic, where it entangles, chokes or is eaten by untold numbers of marine life. You may have heard of the Texas-sized Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Well, we are well on our way to creating Great Garbage Patches in every ocean on the planet, and since there are no organisms that can naturally break down plastics like organic material, it is likely to remain in these places for a very, very long time.

Earlier this week, I had a wonderful opportunity to represent Wyndham's sustainability program at the 8^th annual Front End of Innovation (FEI) conference in Boston, MA. The FEI Conference brings our leading environmental thinkers and business sustainability leaders together to learn not only what the latest environmental theories are, but how they are being implemented today. Guests at the conference ran the gauntlet from internationally lauded authors to executives from such businesses as Coca-Cola, Target and Xerox, all of whom have been recognized as leaders in enacting viable sustainability programs.

Earth Day 2010 was a busy and productive day for environmentally-active people the world over; and here at Wyndham Worldwide, it was no different.  We had the opportunity to highlight all the great things our sustainability teams have accomplished recently: attaining Silver LEED certification for our headquarters in Parsippany, NJ, new uniforms spun from recycled plastic, and implementing energy efficient practices across our chains worldwide, just to name a few. At many of our locations around the globe we also had our children come to our facilities and learn about our Wyndham Green program.  At our corporate headquarters in Parsippany, New Jersey,   we had over 150 kids attend and participate.  We conducted an Energy Adventure Scavenger hunt, had the children design a green hotel and also held a mock trial where the kids had to decide whether Shrek and Fiona were contributing to polluting our swamplands.

At Wyndham Worldwide, our work towards sustainability is never finished. However, that doesn't mean there aren't goals and milestones we should strive use to gauge the program's success and effectiveness. When our more ambitious milestones goals are met through hard work, collaboration and innovation, you'd better believe it's cause for celebration.

It is on this note that we are very proud to announce that our 250,000 square-foot headquarters in Parsippany, New Jersey, has received the Silver LEED-CI certification from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). Getting any LEED certification is no small feat. The processIt took 3 years, withfor our SVP of Corporate Real Estate and Facilities, Frank Campana, to leading a team of approximately the process with about 50 members, on a team to make this happen. The USGBC applies strict guidelines to buildings that must be met before they'll even consider certifying it. Among the building's features that are weighed by the Council considers are total energy use, lighting, water and material use, and as well as the use of recycled materials throughout the building, to name a few.

When we travel with our kids, we like to learn about the local culture and environment while experiencing and learning new things. While on our trip in Cancun, my daughter commented that she had not seen one animal or anything new since we had arrived. Although the hotel we stayed at practiced conservation such as offering a towel and sheet re-use program, it did not provide much in the way of educational opportunities, so we decided to go on an adventure and learn about the area. We rented a car and drove over an hour away to Xel Ha, a sustainable wildlife preserve that has been in existence for over 15 years. We were in for a big surprise. Xel Ha is an all inclusive eco-water park and a cross between a wildlife preserve, adventure and amusement park. It has received Green Globe silver certification. A full day at this park taught our family more about conservation and respecting the Yucatan coastline than any class.