Each week, we answer your questions by tapping our network of experts in companies, nonprofits, government agencies, and consultancies.

We started an environmental efficiency program last year and now we're wondering: How we can measure our results?

According to Lee Jimerson, manager of manufacturing and architectural accounts for Collins Wood Company, what you need are eco-indicators to map your progress. Eco-indicators are, in their most basic form, a quantification of resources used or product/waste generated. Examples include gallons of water used, pounds of mail received, or tons of wood chips consumed. To bring eco-indicators to "life" so that they have meaning to the employees, you need to add a denominator. Adding a denominator to the examples above gives you

Each week, we answer your questions by tapping our network of experts in companies, nonprofits, government agencies, and consultancies.

How do I know if that unpleasant smell in my company’s factory is hazardous to my health?

It can be very difficult to determine whether an odd or annoying odor is actually a cause for concern, says Michael K. Peterson, MEM, environmental health scientist at Intertox, which offers toxicological evaluation and public health risk-assessment services. However, he says, one approach is to first determine what product is causing the odor, and then use the Material Safety Data Sheet to find what hazardous chemicals are contained in the product.

Assuming that one of these is responsible for the smell, you can look up information on each

Each week, we answer your questions by tapping our network of experts in companies, nonprofits, government agencies, and consultancies.

How can we increase the energy efficiency of our office lighting?

The lighting fixtures most commonly used in commercial settings today are T8 lamps and ballasts, says Gregory Crew, president of GreenOrder. It is possible, however, to further increase lighting energy efficiency through the use of newer T5 lamps. These lamps deliver more light for fewer watts than T8 lamps. In fact, standard T5 lamps are 12% to 18% more efficient than T8 lamps, averaging about 96–106 lumens per watt. High output T5 lamps generate nearly twice the light output of standard T5s, as well as T8, and T12 lamps.

In addition to the energy savings, it has

“Post Enron.” A year ago, who would have predicted that two-word phrase would ever exist, let alone occupy a prominent place in our collective vocabulary? A lot of attention has focused on who got caught, why they got caught, and why it didn’t happen sooner. Instead, I would contend that where the focus belongs is on a new paradigm for business – using corporate governance as another way to build brand value. By Dennis R. Minano

Powering a business with electricity from wind farms, landfill gas, geothermal heat, and other renewable sources is a bright idea. By Kelley Kreitz

In the spring of 2001, with an energy program already in development and the potential for problems looming, Washington Mutual Inc., a Seattle-based national bank, felt an increased sense of urgency about energy conservation. By David Kozlowski

A new treatment system at the Marker's Mark distillery is turning waste from bourbon-making into biofuel.

TerraCycle Inc. has joined forces with Kraft Foods to "upcycle" used wrappers from cookies, energy bars and drink pouches into purses, backpacks and umbrellas.

The four largest utilities in New Mexico want to build the state's largest commercial solar power generating plant. The announcement coincides within days of the government reversing itself on a moratorium on new solar power plant applications.

In this interview with two long-time green entrepreneurs, Danny Rubenstein and Janet DiGiovanna, Betsy Rosenberg explores the many ways that companies of all sizes can do well and do good at a time when going green has become a cost of entry to the marketplace.

Correspondent Elizabeth Striano recently interviewed Andrew Winston to discuss lessons from "Green to Gold, How Companies Use Environmental Strategy to Innovate, Create Value and Build Competitive Advantage," which he co-authored with Daniel Esty.