B-Sustainable

Sustainable business group's new leader: Seize opportunities from worsening resource shortages. Businesses need to focus on how to make the most of new opportunities driven by the growing shortage of local and world natural resources. The newly elected chair of the New Zealand Business Council for Sustainable Development, Bob Field, also chair of Toyota NZ Limited, says the planet's resources are being stretched as never before by a growing population and higher standards of living.

The Chamber is linking up with the Sustainable Business Network (SBN) to enable local businesses with an interest in sustainability to have better access to support services. Local businesses will be encouraged to join activities including registration for the SBN's Get Sustainable Challenge process and the Chamber's own Sustainable Business Award. This provides a regional, larger region (lower North Island) and national pathway for businesses who want to have their efforts evaluated and celebrated. The activities and advisories on b-Sustainable will shortly appear on the Chamber website and other communications channels.

Many businesses in Hawke's Bay are already doing some great work. There are already plenty of local examples to celebrate and learn from.

Every two months people who work in the environmental field meet up at informal sessions known as Green Drinks. In Hawke's Bay the Regional Council and the 3R group have variously organized these informal events. The Chamber has been asked to now co-ordinate them and build them into the Hawke's Bay network of events and functions.

Green Drinks is mostly for people working on environmental issues, but anyone can come It's a great way of catching up with people you know and also for making new contacts. Everyone invites someone else along, so there's always a different crowd, making Green Drinks an organic, self-organizing network. Green Drinks is not a channel to circulate announcements or news about environmental issues but there is always a Green Quiz which is a great way to mix the event.  These events are very simple and unstructured, but many people have found employment, made friends, developed new ideas, done deals and had moments of serendipity.

Green Drinks will be held on the second Wednesday every second month starting from April and alternating between Hastings and Napier.

Envirostep is a much needed web-based self-administered management tool that will assist businesses in their environmental performance. The Chamber has written material on this initiative, to view click here.

Designed by the Ministry of Economic Development, Envirostep is an e-tool to help small businesses understand, improve and communicate their environmental performance. It can also be used by larger organisations to assess the performance of their branches, suppliers or members.

Test your business environmental credentials. An Environmental Performance Report is automatically generated once the user completes the questionnaire. The report provides the user with a score, a profile and recommendations for improvement. It also provides links to other resources that may help users to implement the recommendations.

There is strong and growing demand for goods and services produced using sustainable processes – both overseas and in New Zealand.  Much of the business focus on sustainability has been driven by concerns about the environment, including climate change, biodiversity, and water usage. NZT&E can help.