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Sustainability Blog

When a business calls itself green, what does that mean?  The answer may vary from energy-efficient to local or even socially responsible.  According to business schools and thought leaders, the definition is boiling down to a new bottom line: the triple bottom line.

This triad can be described in several ways: people, planet and prosperity; economy, environment and equity; or, economic, ecological and social responsibility.  Regardless of terminology, the successful businesses of tomorrow are embracing sustainability as a fundamental element.  It should not be separate from business strategy and operations; it is about integrating social and environmental concerns into business strategy and operations.

The benefits of a more sustainable approach for a business range from lower operating costs to increased sales, more productive workers, improved brand image and even lower risk.

In a comparison of trash and recycling rates for businesses in the City of Boise, a 3 cubic yard recycling dumpster costs $49.60 per month versus $68.31 for the same size trash container.  This equates to paying 38% more for trash.  Reducing waste in a business has solid economic benefits, conserves resources and preserves land.

Energy-efficiency improvements can also lower operating costs as well as qualify for a range of incentives and often have hidden benefits of health, safety and thermal comfort.  Leaky ductwork and heating equipment not only wastes significant energy, but can draw contaminants into the indoor air we breathe.  Inefficient lighting wastes electricity and produces unwanted heat yet could be qualifying for incentives from Idaho Power.  Their “Easy Upgrades” such as light bulbs, fixtures and sensors as well as a wide range of building retrofits can result in payouts of up to $100,000 per year.  Combine these incentives with federal ENERGY STAR tax deductions and lower utility costs and the ROI just gets better and better.

Education

Hello everyone – how’s everybody doing today? I’m here with students at Wakefield High School in Arlington, Virginia. And we’ve got students tuning in from all across America, kindergarten through twelfth grade. I’m glad you all could join us today.

I know that for many of you, today is the first day of school. And for those of you in kindergarten, or starting middle or high school, it’s your first day in a new school, so it’s understandable if you’re a little nervous. I imagine there are some seniors out there who are feeling pretty good right now, with just one more year to go. And no matter what grade you’re in, some of you are probably wishing it were still summer, and you could’ve stayed in bed just a little longer this morning.

I know that feeling. When I was young, my family lived in Indonesia for a few years, and my mother didn’t have the money to send me where all the American kids went to school. So she decided to teach me extra lessons herself, Monday through Friday – at 4:30 in the morning. 

Now I wasn’t too happy about getting up that early. A lot of times, I’d fall asleep right there at the kitchen table. But whenever I’d complain, my mother would just give me one of those looks and say, “This is no picnic for me either, buster.”

So I know some of you are still adjusting to being back at school. But I’m here today because I have something important to discuss with you. I’m here because I want to talk with you about your education and what’s expected of all of you in this new school year.

Now I’ve given a lot of speeches about education. And I’ve talked a lot about responsibility.

Sustainability Blog

Composting. The word conjures memories of my childhood in McCall and the habits of a neighborhood family who ate strange all-natural peanut butter and raised rabbits. I was a Jif kid.  (My theory that you can determine much about a person by knowing what kind of peanut butter they ate as a child we’ll discuss some other time.)

Boise now has a city-wide recycling program which has eased the burden on our throwaway society by giving us two simple options - put your trash in the grey bin, recyclables in the blue.  Idaho is still behind the progress curve, but many kudos to city leadership for making this happen.

Guest Opinion

Like the many Idahoans who own and operate businesses, I have spent my entire adult life paying my bills, looking for ways to reduce costs and meeting a payroll. I never expected the taxpayers to bail me out when I made bad decisions, nor did I expect to keep my job if those decisions had led to the failure of my company.

Those values led me to promise during my campaign that I would demand fiscal responsibility from our nation's leadership. That's why I opposed the federal government's bailout earlier this year of Wall Street fat cats. And that's why I now oppose the President's plan to give $15 billion of taxpayers' money to the Big Three automakers, who - best case - will limp along for another month or two. [more]

Guest Opinion by Keith Roark, Idaho Democrats Chair

Idaho Republican Party Chairman Norm Semanko’s comments about the 2008 Idaho general election appeared recently in this space. Mr. Semanko took pains to assure everyone that his party is alive and well. The nation is bogged down in two costly wars, our economy is in the worst shape since the Great Depression and our standing with other nations reached its lowest point during the Bush years. But here in Idaho, Mr. Semanko tells us, the GOP - the party that got us where we are today - is alive and well. That’s not necessarily good news, Norm, but the future is not as dismal as your words suggest.

Democrats are still in the minority in Idaho, but the demographic trends are very much in our favor. For a sign of things to come, look no further than Caldwell High School. Not only did Barack Obama win the mock election there by more than a two-to-one margin; down ballot Democrats Walt Minnick, Larry LaRocco and state legislative candidate Mike Warwick won, too. Idaho’s young people are looking to Democrats to address the issues of the future and turning away from the shrill and negative views of an increasingly extremist Republican Party. [more]

Convention Coverage

From the Idaho Democratic Party blog, with permission.

Thursday morning, the chief of Senator Barack Obama's staff, Jim Messina, gave the Idaho delegation insights on the candidate and the big night ahead.

You heard it here first: twenty generals will line up for Obama tonight in a show of support for bringing the troops home and shoring up the army.

"Barack writes his speeches himself. This one's had 4,000 drafts and he was toiling on it last night.”

It's no accident Obama was in Billings when Michelle spoke Monday. "He's been there six times and we've got a good chance in Montana," he said. "Barack told us from the first we were going to compete in every state. We believe we've got 168 safe electoral votes and 32 leaning our way-Oregon, Washington, Minnesota and New Hampshire. It's a lot harder for John McCain to make the numbers work. If we win Colorado, it gets very hard for him."

A graduate of Boise High School, Messina has been running campaigns or congressional staffs since graduating from the University of Montana. He's on leave as chief of staff for Montana Senator Max Baucus.

"I got a call from Barack asking if he could talk to me. We talked; he offered me the job if I would do two things. First, be completely loyal. No leaks. Second, treat staff like family. If I kicked anyone around I'd have Barack to deal with. "Around the campaign we have this saying ‘No drama in Obama.' We have no time for intrigue. [more]

Philosophy for the cowboy golfer

When the rooster doesn't croak at dawn, we wake up to the sound of cars and busy people. The dog barks, a nail squeaks and thump, construction two houses away. This is the myth of the West, and my tendency is to personify everything, give it a name and dream it. Glorified and egoistic, the state becomes human, lights a BIC, and smokes a camel. *blowing smoke*

Rivers watch with tiny eyes, helping spawning-trout run through mighty-tight stretches like blood—veins around arteries, swirling through prairies, valleys, aborted by a beaver and confluence with the big. The hills have peaks, with trees to mountains and snow in June. Two bald eagles enjoying three white fish. *munch-munch and a crack*

Horses have lifestyles, like drunken wild men. [more]

Can Bozeman manage a park that is not a soccer field?

Bozeman’s largest wetland is the center of controversy as developers want to drain and develop and locals want to see it preserved and transformed into a park.

The key location of this wetland, right off of Main Street, is a cause for concern. “It can be built on, if it is not a wetland,” said Chris Nixon, President of The Northeast Neighborhood Association (NENA), who gathered on Tuesday, June 24th to vote on what to what to do with the 23.7-acre wetland that is situated in their section of Bozeman.

Delaney & Company, the current owner of the wetland and largest developer in the city, has interest in keeping it a wetland. “They’re willing to look at a lot of options,” said Nixon, who also said that “A wetland preservation group has worked with Delaney & Company.” Nixon argued that to try to market and sell properties on swampland is not the best publicity for Delaney & Company.

But in the wake of lack of city involvement, Delaney & Company hired a professional wildlife service to come in and remove several beavers and beaver dams from his wetland property. [more]

Sense of Place

My husband and I looked at each other in bewilderment. What have we done? We thought we were putting in a windbreak. We planted three rows just like the extension booklet said – lilacs and caraganas, hybrid poplars, and blue spruce. In subsequent plantings, we filled in with Siberian crabapples and Nanking cherries After 20 years, we claim our windbreak is a success, but for whom?

Unintentionally, we created new wildlife habitat. Provide cover with access to food and the critters move right in.

Our windbreak is now a wildlife super highway and an apartment complex for birds. Have we made it easy for them to plunder our garden and fruit trees and murder our chickens? [more]

Wheeler Center Conference

In Montana, agriculture is a 1.6 billion dollar business, comprising 64% of the state’s land area. Climate change is expected to have significant impacts on water supplies and the productive capacity of agricultural lands.

Speakers at the Wheeler Center Conference on “Climate Change in Montana: Impacts and Opportunities for Agriculture and Energy” at MSU in early May discussed the demands for water, food, and fuel on agricultural landscapes. [more]

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