Ethics, Governance and Sustainability - cases and examples resource

Click on the menu items for cases and examples of ethics, governance and sustainability issues in particular social sectors.

These cases and examples are not required reading, but may help you to relate course content to real-word activities relevant to your work space, plus may offer some ideas for inclusion in your assignments.

Global Reporting Initiative: Search this site for GRI reports on organisations in different sectors

(1) Sustainable business examples

(1.1) Ferguson Plarre Bakehouse - Australia

Case study article:

The organisation's web site:

(1.2) The Big Lemon

The Big Lemon is a small private bus operator in the UK

Web site:

Video (about 5 minutes):

(1) CPA Australia's sustainability strategy:

(2) Engineers Australia
News item and guide book link [CLICK HERE]Also try the link on the site in the "Technical Societies" section: "Society for Sustainability and Environmental Engineering"

(1) Public sector sustainability practices

(1.1) Sustainability and local government

Article: Sustainability and local government in Australia

(1.2) Public procurement

Article: Public procurement practices to progress sustainability outcomes

(1.3) Global Environmental Outlook 5 (GEO5) and local government

UNEP News item:

Report and case examples:

(2) Sustainability accounting and reporting

(2.1) Management accounting

Article: Management accounting in Australian local government

(2.2) Global Reporting Initative

Web site: GRI reporting in the public sector (Australia focus)

(3) Use of Ecological Footprint as a sustainability measurement and management tool:

(3.1) Cardiff - Wales

Article:   
Collins, A & Flynn, A 2007, 'Engaging with the Ecological Footprint as a Decision-Making Tool: Process and Responses.', Local Environment, vol. 12, no. 3, pp. 295-312.

Abstract: Since the initial development of the Ecological Footprint in the early 1990s, the concept has gained increased interest amongst academics and practitioners internationally. In the UK, it is estimated that some 60 to 70 Ecological Footprint studies were undertaken between 1999 and 2004. Although the majority of interest in Ecological Footprinting has come from local government, a recent study has found that government officers involved in the formulation of council policy have not been able to engage with the Ecological Footprint as a process or use the results to inform policy decisions. This paper analyses how an Ecological Footprint has been developed for Cardiff, the capital city of Wales. The approach used to construct an Ecological Footprint for Cardiff has been significantly different to that which had been used previously in the UK, as it has involved a unique consortium of researchers at Cardiff University and policy development officers at Cardiff Council checking the quality of data used in the Footprint calculation, and developing a range of policy scenarios.

Article:
Collins, A, Flynn, A, Wiedmann, T & Barrett, J 2006, 'The Environmental Impacts of Consumption at a Subnational Level.', Journal of Industrial Ecology, vol. 10, no. 3, Summer, pp. 9-24.

Abstract: This article analyzes the environmental effects of resource consumption at a subnational level (by Cardiff, the capital city of Wales), using the Ecological Footprint as a measure of impact assessment. The article begins by providing a short critique of the Footprint methodology and the limitations of methods traditionally used to calculate national Footprint accounts. We then describe the Footprint methodology developed by the Stockholm Environment Institute to overcome some of these problems and used as the basis of the Reducing Wales’ Ecological Footprint project, of which the Cardiff study has been a part. The main portion of this article focuses on presenting and discussing the Footprint results for Cardiff. The Ecological Footprint of household consumption in Cardiff will be presented using the international Classification of Individual Consumption According to Purpose (COICOP). Based on the results, we found that the areas of consumption that are a priority for Cardiff in terms of reducing resource use are food and drink, passenger transport (car and aviation), domestic fuel consumption, waste, and tourism. We also discuss how these findings have been presented to the Cardiff Council. We report on the initial reactions of policy officers to the Footprint results and how the Council plans to use them to influence policy decisions relating to sustainability. Finally, in the Conclusions section, we briefly explain the value of applying the Ecological Footprint at a subnational level and its value as an evidence-based tool for sustainability decision making.

(3.2) Siena - Italy:

Article:  
Bagliani, M, Gallic, A, Niccoluccic, V & Marchettinic, N 2008, 'Ecological Footprint Analysis Applied to a Sub-National Area: The Case of the Province of Siena (Italy)', Journal of Environmental Management, vol. 86, pp. 354-364.

Abstract: This work is part of a larger project, which aims at investigating the environmental sustainability of the Province of Siena and of its communes, by means of different indicators and methods of analysis. The research presented in this article uses ecological footprint and biocapacity as indicators to monitor the environmental conditions of the area of Siena, thus complementing previous studies carried out using Emergy, greenhouse gases balance and other methods. The calculations have been performed in such a way as to enable a disaggregation of the final results according to the classical categories of ecologically productive land and of consumption, but also according to citizen’s and public administration’s areas of influence. This information allows us to investigate in detail the socioeconomic aspects of environmental resource use. Among the notable results, the Siena territory is characterized by a nearly breakeven total ecological balance, a result contrasting with the national average and most of the other Italian provinces. Furthermore, the analysis has been carried out at different spatial scales (province, districts and communes), highlighting an inhomogeneous territorial structure consisting of subareas in ecological deficit compensated by zones in ecological surplus.

(3.3) South Australia

Report:  
Agrawal, M, Boland, J & Filar, JA u.d., The Ecological Footprint of South Australia, University of South Australia, Adelaide.

About this report: This report was commissioned by the South Australian Government and shows both the Ecological Footprint for South Australia (global hectares per capita) and the components that make up this footprint measure. The data provides a basis for policy directed to reducing SA's footprint. Whether the data is being used and policies developed is another question. 

(1) NGOs/NFPs - implementing sustainability initiatives

(1.1) Charities in the UK

Report:
Charity Commission 2008: Going Green: Charities and Environmental Responsibility, Charity Commission UK, November 2008.

About this report: This report looks at environmental initiatives within charities in the UK. Some of the content (legislative issues) are UK specific, however the report gives an insight into how some charities are confronting environmental issues in their operations.

(1.2.) Coefficiency - Australia: [CLICK HERE]

(2) NGOs and Governance

Book extract: NGO Governance discussion and case study

Article:

10 reasons health care needs sustainability treatments

http://www.greenbiz.com/blog/2014/02/12/10-reasons-health-care-needs-sustainability-wake-call

Janet Howard

Wednesday, February 12, 2014 - 4:00am

Imagine a space where you feel good. Muscles relax, breathing is deeper. There is a natural feeling of gratitude and calm. Does this space lead to more positive interactions with others? Does it bring out the best in you?

Hospitals have a mission to help the elderly and the weak, but don't always walk the walk. Cancer is treated, but hazardous chemicals are found in cleaning products and furniture. Heart conditions are taken care of, but French fries and burgers are served in the cafeteria. There's a global climate-change crisis, yet hospitals are the second-highest energy consumer of any sector and generate more than 30 pounds of waste per bed per day.

Health care is in conflict with itself — in some ways, it's its own worst enemy. A sound treatment protocol has to be balanced with resource conservation and management. Here are 10 reasons to practice a better approach.

1. Human health and the environment

Climate change impacts public health, yet most facilities aren't ready to say it out loud. Hospitals cannot get in balance without a top-down stewardship strategy that aligns with the organization's goals, as a handful of hospitals have started to prove.

Wisconsin-based hospital system ThedaCare, for example, created a "sustainability leader" position and is hosting the Climate and Health Symposium to educate staff about environmental action and education. A member of Practice Greenhealth, it has signed onto all six challenges in the Healthier Hospitals Initiative (HHI), a national campaign to improve sustainability in the health-care sector.

Tenet Health also incorporates sustainability initiatives. Its Sustainability Report demonstrates a system-wide approach to better health and demonstrates how that strategy is incorporated at the local level. Advocate Healthcare, meanwhile, highlights progress meeting environmental goals in its own Sustainability Report.

2. Prevention

We've moved beyond the notion of merely treating disease and toward prevention and wellness, with several pioneering programs leading the way. Magee Womens Hospital of UPMC, for instance, teaches parents about the connection between human health and the environment through prenatal classes and its "

With a large number of chronic diseases linked to diet, hospitals are also increasingly implementing sustainable food policies. They are signing Health Care Without Harm's Healthy Food Pledge and modeling better behavior through increased vegetarian options, reduced sugar-sweetened beverages and more locally sourced fruits and vegetables. Through HHI, hospitals and their food-service partners are working together to identify barriers to healthier food systems, increasing nutritious options and facilitating improved purchasing while maintaining costs. One leader in this movement is Fletcher Allen in Vermont, which purchases local organic veggies, syrup, cheese and more.

3. Cost savings

Extending the life of equipment, improving efficiency, preventing toxins and waste, using less energy and water — these activities reduce costs. South Carolina's Bon Secours St. Francis Health System was the first hospital in the state to receive Energy Star designation when it reduced energy use by 20 percent through the development of the Ecological Stewardship Plan, resulting in annual energy-cost savings of $850,000. As a sponsor of the Healthier Hospitals Initiative, it shares winning solutions to help others do the same.

4. Employee engagement

Workers engaged in what they do will provide better care to more satisfied patients. New York Presbyterian Hospital in New York City harnesses employee passion through the Green Champion Program, which empowers environmental leaders and supports action through checklists and activities shared by Harvard University's Green Office Resource Green Leaf Program. Advocate Healthcare, meanwhile, celebrates its Environmental Stewardship Winners in a video that highlights and empowers employees to make healthy changes at work.

5. Competitive advantage

At this year's Institute for Health Care Improvement annual conference, co-founder Don Berwick shared in his keynote that environmental stewardship has redefined the three-pronged framework for quality health care — patient experience, cost per capita and population health.

"Hospitals, places of healing, can model healthier behavior," Dr. Berwick said. "Leaders that integrate environmentally sustainable operations at their facilities create a culture of nurturing and demonstrate sincere commitment to all people." Yet not all leaders get this — indeed, 50 percent of health-care workers are unsatisfied with their leadership, largely because they want to feel cared for and don't feel this is happening.

6. Mission and ethics

What is the value of long-term success if it's on an uninhabitable planet? When framing environmental stewardship activities, it helps to review a hospital's mission statement. Most of these focus on health and healing, communities, quality and safety. Some hospitals have created environmental charters to frame their commitment.

Ronald P. Hamel, Ph.D., senior director of ethics for the Catholic Health Association, explains the critical role ethics play in health care. "Ethics are central not only in helping to shape the culture of an organization, but in guiding the organization's decision-making, behavior and integrity," he said. "Ethics should assist the organization in becoming what it claims to be in regards to identity, character and culture. A self-unaware and constricted consciousness is one of ethics' great adversaries."

7. Marketing and PR

Practice Greenhealth, the nonprofit where I work, hosts the health sector's Environmental Excellence Awards. These offer an opportunity for hospitals, long-term care facilities and community health centers to share, and receive recognition for, positive data and the stories behind them. Applications result in the Sustainability Benchmark report and a celebration at the annual conference, CleanMed. The UC Davis Health System is one example of a facility that shares details of its commitment on an official web page and blog.

8. Community benefits

The Affordable Care Act requires not-for-profit hospitals to conduct a community needs assessment and to develop implementation strategies to address identified needs. In addition, the Internal Revenue requires tax-exempt hospitals to document their community benefits and community-building activities.

Both the Catholic Health Association and Health Care Without Harm have worked to integrate certain environmental improvement initiatives into community health-needs assessments.

Historically, Kaiser Permanente has integrated environmental stewardship activities into its Community Benefit Report. In 2013, it took this one step further by integrating the Community Benefit report into its Annual Report. Along with Dignity Health, Kaiser Permanente was an early adopter in formally reporting healthy initiatives. Dignity Health works with CERES and is the first system to use the Global Reporting Initiative framework for reporting.

9. Patient experience

A quality patient experience goes beyond clinical excellence. The environment that makes one feel less stressed and cared for — a look in the eyes, a caring conversation — can be harder to quantify, but is also important for the healing process.

10. Happiness

Happiness comes from helping others. Protecting the planet, even in small ways, is something that takes healing beyond the facility walls.

Whether you work in health care or receive health care or both, you can be part of the movement. Write a letter to the president and board of directors for your local hospital and ask about their formal sustainability plan. Let them know it's important to you.