Three Strategies for Developing Current and Future Sustainability, ESG Leaders
Working Toward Evolving ‘Sustainable Business’ to ‘Business as Usual’ A common challenge for every business committed to sustainability is recruiting, retaining, and developing the right talent. Companies in Southeast Michigan and beyond are faced with the accelerating need to formalize their sustainability efforts, collect and analyze data, respond to government policies, answer to stakeholders, and […]
8 Ways to Take Your Hotel’s Plastic Reduction Efforts to the Next Level
Concern about the impact of single-use plastics on biodiversity, communities and greenhouse gas emissions has been at the forefront of sustainability conversations globally for a number of years. While great progress has been made across and beyond the hospitality industry in reducing reliance on items such as plastic straws, cups and bottles, plastic can still […]
Climate Change is Altering What We Grow and What We Eat.
I grew up on a small Wisconsin dairy farm. It was small — one cow — but she supplied our milk and butter. It meant that as a kid, every morning and eve, I cleaned stalls and fed the farm’s menagerie of pigs, horses, cats, dogs, heifers, calves, and that one cow. I milked her […]
From an “Open Sewer” to our Greatest Asset: How Milwaukee Overcame a Legacy of Industrial Water Pollution
It’s a gorgeous sunny evening in downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin. On the Milwaukee River, two friends call out to each other as they paddle their kayaks under the Water Street bridge. Milwaukeeans enjoy the riverwalk in the Third Ward neighborhood. Photo courtesy of Visit Milwaukee. A couple enjoying a drink on the patio of their riverfront condo raise […]
Why Protected Areas Must Consider What’s Beneath the Surface
New research published in the journal Nature Sustainability finds that 85% of protected areas with groundwater-dependent ecosystems have groundwatersheds that may be under-protected. The Gist Protected areas are one of the most well-known conservation strategies, with many current global initiatives focused on expanding and strengthening the management of these areas. Protected area management often focuses […]
8 Ways the Circular Economy Will Transform how Business is Done
The circular economy produces goods and services that can be seen as superior in more ways than just the minimization of waste. Benefits of a “circular” business model above a “linear” or traditional approach include better customer support, lower costs and greater resilience, among other advantages. Businesses that don’t adopt a circular approach may see […]
The Meh-conomy & Matterhorn-sized risks: 12 Themes for a Fragmented World
Takeaways from the World Economic Forum 2023 The skies above Davos were unusually cloudy during the World Economic Forum. The annual winter gathering, on the other hand, had unusual bursts of sun. The global meeting of government, business and community leaders—the first in three years—can’t quite be described as optimistic. But after a year marked […]
Great Lakes Region is Resource Rich, so why Aren’t Cities Greener?
The Great Lakes region has plenty of natural resources, yet the West Coast dominates a recent ranking of environmental policies of the nation’s 100 most populous cities. A recent report from WalletHub, “2022’s Greenest Cities in America,” ranked Buffalo, Madison, Cincinnati and Milwaukee among the Great Lakes region’s best for engaging in cleaner, more sustainable habits. […]
Sustainable Construction Practices: One Company’s Focus on the Full Life Cycle of Spaces
Whether in the Great Lakes region or across the globe, there is an opportunity for the real estate sector to address greenhouse gas emissions and the impacts on climate by implementing sustainable construction practices. By using renewable and recyclable building materials, utilizing smart technologies, and designing and operating energy and water efficient buildings, sustainability in […]
Powering a Net-Zero Future for Ontario
Ontario Power Generation and Microsoft collaborate to create a Canada-first strategic partnership to power a net-zero future for Ontario. In September of 2022, OPG and Microsoft announced a Canada-first strategic partnership aimed at tackling climate change and supporting sustainable growth across Ontario. Under this partnership, Microsoft will procure clean energy credits (CECs) sourced from OPG’s […]