HRComputes -Registered Sustainable Business

Kris Kohl ,Principal,  presented at the Creating Sustainable Businesses in NJ meeting at the Department of Environmental Protection Headquarters on March 3, 2015. We were invited to share our experiences as one of the first registered sustainable business on the NJ Sustainability Business Registry. Businesses throughout the state can access the site for resources to promote sustainability planning and practices within their organizations. The registry provides an opportunity for small business owners to differentiate themselves as organizations that promote sustainable practices. Small businesses with less than 500 employees can register their businesses on the site through selecting 5 areas to share their sustainability practices and progress. There is a review process and at least one of the areas must be supported by a metric and financial impact. So far, registered members have realized over $500,000 in savings through adoption of sustainable practices. It is possible to make green while going green. Here is a link to our listing http://registry.njsbdc.com/business-profile/47/53/hrcomputes

Google X with money to burn, "Looney Tunes" or just good sense?

Google X has a project underway to create a global network of thousands of Wi-Fi connected balloons to provide affordable Internet access for everyone.  They call it Project Loon. 

They've created an altitude control system, balloons that circle the earth every 22 days and implemented GPS, communications and on board computers to guide the balloons.  

Maybe the most eye-popping statistic or claim is that for every 10% increase in the country's Internet coverage their gross domestic product increases by 1.4%. This type of change in GDP is associated with higher standards of living higher education levels in better health. 

Maybe it's not so much hot air!  Check it out - http://www.google.com/loon

Read to Me Philadelphia

Our CEO, Kristina Kohl, read to a Head Start Program in the Philadelphia public schools as part of the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce Read to Me Early Literacy Program. The Read to Me Program is an annual, year-long program that helps support early childhood literacy by providing quality classroom book collections to thousands of Philadelphia students and inspires them to read with their parents, caregivers, or teachers throughout the school year. For more details go to http://www.greaterphilachamber.com/programs-and-events/getting-involved/read-to-me.

HRComputes joins Wharton for “Careers in Social Impact and Sustainability”

We had the opportunity to spend the evening discussing careers in sustainability with students at a networking event hosted by Wharton IGEL From this experience, I can say that Wharton students care about the environment, social impact, and how businesses’ are addressing these issues. Our firm was in good company with the likes of Dow, DuPont, Campbell’s, and J&J to name a few. The event card appears below.

We were all there to help students in their quest for careers related to sustainability. I spoke to a wide variety of students from across the globe. They were bright, dedicated, and interested in how they could impact the world in a positive way.

A topic that was frequently mentioned was the importance of truly integrating sustainability into operations. Businesses that merely comply with regulation were thought not to be truly sustainable. The students that I spoke with were very excited about the practice of engaging HR in the sustainability process to facilitate a cross functional approach of embedding sustainability into their core operation.

As your firm begins its college recruiting sessions, you will need to be prepared to answer questions about sustainability goals and programs. Here are a few questions that you may which to consider: Has HR been made a part of the sustainability process? Are your recruiters equipped to discuss your firm’s sustainability track record? Are you addressing these issues in your recruitment materials? Is sustainability part of your culture and mission? Are you using sustainability to engage employees?

The Wharton students that I met are giving preference to firms that have embraced sustainable strategy as part of their core mission. Are you well positioned to attract the best and brightest? If not, feel free to reach out to us.