Resource management: good for the planet good for business
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE—December 16, 2008
CONTACT: Kim Keating, 603-646-2733
HANOVER, N.H.—The Executive Environmental Sustainability Forum convened by Waste Management, Inc. and the Tuck School of Business was held October 28-29 on the Dartmouth campus. The invitation-only event brought together faculty and 40 senior executives from a wide range of companies to share practical sustainability strategies that advance corporate environmental, social, and economic goals. The event provided the participants with a unique opportunity to gain an understanding of a critical emerging trend in the field of sustainability: moving beyond waste management to resource management.
The forum consisted of a series of interactive panel discussions focused on operational solutions to the challenge of dealing with the waste created through manufacturing production and consumer use. Panels were populated with experts who have implemented sustainability programs and could speak specifically to the challenges encountered and solutions deployed to achieve success.
Harry Lamberton, vice president of Waste Management Upstream, discussed the firm's ongoing continuous improvement programs designed to achieve zero waste at zero additional cost with zero additional environmental impact. Using lifecycle analysis, they helped an aluminum company realize over $1.4 million in savings over three years by recycling waste. George Caraghiaur, vice president, energy services for Simon Property Group, an S&P 500 company and the largest public U.S. retail real estate company, described energy efficiency as the gift that keeps on giving. By involving employees, employing best operating practices, investing in energy efficiency projects, and continuous monitoring and reporting, they have achieved an 11 percent reduction in energy use under their control with annual savings of $17.5 million at current rates.
"As we talk about sustainability, it's a broad picture. There's a human component to it. It also must make economic sense for companies to provide solutions and make sure that the solutions leave this planet in better mode than when we took over," remarked Pat DeRueda, president of Waste Management Recycle America, who gave the keynote address.
Waste Management, the founding sponsor of the Executive Sustainability Forum, is the leading provider of comprehensive environmental services in North America with revenues of $13.3 billion. The company provides collection, transfer, recycling, resource recovery, and disposal services. It is also a leading developer, operator, and owner of waste-to-energy and landfill gas-to-energy facilities in the United States. Tuck's Allwin Initiative for Corporate Citizenship, the forum host, helps students develop the perspective and skills to manage increasingly complex interactions between business, governments, and the social sector. The Initiative provides opportunities for MBA students, industry experts, and community stakeholders to discuss the responsibilities and opportunities businesses face in addressing today's social and environmental challenges.
For more information on Waste Management, visit: www.wm.com.
For more information on the Allwin Initiative, visit: www.tuck.dartmouth.edu/initiative.
Founded in 1900, Tuck is the first graduate school of management in the country and consistently ranks among the top business schools worldwide. Tuck remains distinctive among the world's great business schools by combining human scale with global reach, rigorous coursework with experiences requiring teamwork, and valued traditions with innovation.
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