All sustainability is local

“All politics is local.” This quote from the late US Congressman Tip O’Neill continues to frame political strategies today. It turns out his premise also applies to environmentalism. All sustainability is local, as a Massachusetts software company reveals in a new application that takes on the complicated task of quantifying the green efforts of corporations.

Massachusetts-based Energy Points has devised a sustainability algorithm that considers location, right down to the zip code, in sorting the many variables that reveal how well a company performs environmentally. What’s most sustainable in one location might not be so important elsewhere. For example, installing LED lighting could be wise move for a Massachusetts operation, but a company in the Mojave Desert might be better off with a new water management system, says Energy Points founder Ory Zik.

We tend to use the terms ‘sustainable’ and ‘green’ loosely, and they have become more advertising slogans than clear descriptions. Energy Points says it overcomes this problem by measuring sustainability “on math not myth.”

Discussion continues at http://www.realenergywriters.com/ee-blog/2012/03/15/all-sustainabil...