Partnerships for Sustainability
Practical steps for small business in Southeastern Wisconsin
Welcome to the Partnerships for Sustainability website. To keep current with the upcoming launch of our Mentorship-Toolkit-Assessment resource package and to receive information on our September 10, 2009 event, please return to the home page and sign up for our free Enews updates (upper right corner). Thank you for subscribing!
Online registration for the September 10, 2009 event "The Sustainable Case for Business" is now open. Return to the home page and click on "Register Now" in the right column. Thank you for registering!
Partnerships for Sustainability provides Southeastern Wisconsin’s small businesses with the practical steps that help improve top-line revenue and bottom-line efficiencies through sustainable business practices. Our core focus rests solely on the fact that business can only be sustainable, if profitable.
In September of 2008, the Waukesha County Economic Development Corporation convened a group of businesses from Waukesha, Milwaukee and Racine Counties to form a Sustainable Advisory Team to design and deploy an innovative business development strategy to expand the use of sustainable business practices.
Called Partnerships for Sustainability, the strategy includes three tactics:
1) a corporate mentorship program led by companies with demonstrated success in sustainable practices,
2) a survey/assessment tool to identify savings in energy efficiency, water utilization and waste stream management and
3) a set of education tools including a best practices website, e-newsletter and workshop series that will to help companies connect to the progress of the strategy, as well as learn about best practices and sustainability resources appropriate to small business.
“Leaders of small- to medium-sized businesses will benefit through access to actionable, practical sustainability tools, including the opportunity to participate in business-to-business mentoring,” said Joe Muehlbach, Sustainability Advisory Team member and Quad Graphics’ director of environmental policy.
The Sustainability Advisory Team includes representatives from Quad/Graphics, Kohl’s, American Transmission Company, Johnson Controls, RA Smith National, Engberg Anderson, MSI General, Reinhart Boerner Van Deuren, Karl James & Company Public Relations and Johnson Diversey.
“The advisory team’s dedication to sustainability as an economic driver coupled with private sector support and is an illustration of the strength brought by private-public alliances to accelerating innovation,” said Bill Mitchell, WCEDC executive director.
WANT TO LEARN MORE?
Companies and individuals interested in participating as corporate mentors, being mentored, serving as subject matter experts, or sponsoring the sustainability initiative should contact Bill Mitchell at 262-695-7901 or bmitchell@wctc.edu.
An innovation of WCEDC
Waukesha County Economic Development Corporation