Sustainability is a common goal among many organizations in business today.  It is not only becoming a good practice for organizations to ensure they are adhering to their own internal standards, but it is also becoming a requirement from suppliers, consumer, and investors.  With the growing interest in sustainability (particularly environmental sustainability), the question arises, "What exactly should we be reporting, and to whom?"

Late in 2011, the United Nations Climate Change Conference was held in Durban, South Africa to review the extension period of the Kyoto Protocol.  The protocol, created in 1997, is a treaty aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions in order to preserve the current climate system.  The reason why 2012 will be significant is this is the year when all parties in the treaty are expected to have reduced their GHG emissions by an average of 5.2%. 

With many organizations adopting sustainability initiatives in the past few years, it has become evident of one thing - there is a lot of data being fed into the system.  Energy Management, waste management, emissions, commissions, permissions and the like - there is a ton of data to be tracked.  Organizations have invested in software and hardware to detect and record environmental metrics, collecting this data in to historians and controllers.

Everyday, I try to "go green".  On the whole, I fail to do so in one place or another.  I will recycle my cans and paper, but in the same house, we have 3-4 air conditioners running.  I love to bike, yet I drive to work everyday (even when it's nice out).  I'm conscious to turn off lights in unused rooms, but we leave the TV on all night long.