The Guardian Sustainable Business web pages are proving a great resource for information, articles, debates and inspiration for sustainability as a strategic rather than just an operational level issue.

To reinforce the importance of the  built environment sector, the way we plan, design, construct and use buildings that is present in most aspects of business sustainability, the site now has a built environment specific ‘hub’ (and a Green ICT and Communications hub)

In addition following on my my article at CSRWire, (a low carb diet for construction boards) there is much the construction sector can learn here in moving sustainability to the board and to a strategic level.

This weeks round up from GSBi includes:

Why carbon reporting makes sense

It helps the environment, adds value to the business and brings long term benefits, says Paul Pritchard We reduced our UK carbon footprint to 31,600 tonnes in 2009 from 43,200 in 2006 – over 25%, and approximately saved over £1m. The savings have been helpful in getting the business to regard sustainability as something that could add value. Procurement is another important area of consideration and our recent contract with Kyocera for print management units is a prime example. Sustainability requirements were incorporated into the tender process from the start (beyond the “do you have an environmental policy” type questions) including quantifying energy and paper savings that formed a fundamental part in awarding the contract More …

Energy efficient buildings are vital to sustainability In the coming decades, our planet will be a very different place. By 2050, there will be an additional 3 billion people on Earth and 70% of the world’s population will be living in cities. While many things about the future remain unclear, one thing is certain: more people in urban areas means an increased demand for new buildings. And unless we change the incredibly inefficient nature of today’s buildings, it means an unprecedented increase in energy use. It’s a ticking time bomb. More …

The business case for valuing natural resources James Griffiths explores how a new ecosystems guide enables companies to make better business decisions Every company values its core business resources: its products, customers, and employees. But until now business has not been able to fully consider the value of a vital aspect for success – natural resources.That is why the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) created the Guide to Corporate Ecosystem Valuation (CEV), an innovative framework designed to enhance understanding of ecosystem services like freshwater, food, fibre and natural hazard protection. More …

Carbon Trust launches green guide for SMEs The Carbon Trust has launched a green guide to help small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) take advantage of the green goods and services industry The free ‘Green Your Business for Growth’ guide includes information on how businesses can find opportunities for green growth within their organisation and sector and how to develop a strategy to implement the changes. It also provides advice on how to reduce an SME’s environmental impact, including templates for energy and environment policies and a checklist to assess current sustainability. “We want to help Britain’s small firms to seize the opportunities presented by green growth through cutting costs or developing greener products and services,” said Ian Gibson, Carbon Trust director of delivery programmes. More …