Aug/Sep 2013
| Business World Magazine | 55
potential costs of losing these services. That’s
due to ecosystem services being what Man-
gan describes as “externalities” – outside the
market and off the books, out of sight and
out of mind. Tools and techniques to iden-
tify business opportunities related to eco-
system services can help companies generate
business value and realize their corporate
sustainability goals.
One example involves a US BCSDMem-
ber and cement manufacturer (Essroc), who
recently developed a pilot project within the
Delaware River Watershed; a plan to restore
ecosystem services related to water qual-
ity through stream restoration, reforestation
and other ecological restoration techniques.
Once complete, a number of ecosystem valu-
ation techniques will be applied to capture
the full value of the ecosystem goods and
services provided through the project. Man-
gan says there is potential for expanding this
same project model elsewhere.
ENERGY
Buildings worldwide account for an astound-
ing 40% of global energy consumption.
Companies are faced with the challenge of
reducing energy consumption within their
communities. The most direct way to cut
consumption is to reduce energy demand
by improving energy efficiency of existing
buildings, related equipment, operating pro-
cesses and practices. In terms of commercial
and industrial operations, the challenge is to
create pathways to invest in efficiency im-
Dr. Joseph FIksel, Executive Director of
the Center for Resilience at The Ohio State
University, leads an Ecosystems-focused
working group through the Vision 2050
process at Yale University in June 2012.
