CU GREEN Read as See You Green
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Title of Work: CU Green 2014 Copyright 2014 NO WARRANTY CUGREEN.com makes no warranties of any kind, either expressed or implied, as to any matter including, but not limited to merchantability, exclusivity, or results obtained from use of the material. Internal use: Permission to reproduce this document and to prepare derivative works from this document for internal use is granted, provided the "Copyright" and “No Warranty� statements are included with all reproductions and derivative works. External use: Requests for permission to reproduce this document or prepare derivative works of this document for external and commercial use should be addressed to the contact stated below. Krishna Gopal Misra CU Green.com 735 Sector 39, Gurgaon 122002, India
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Background Mission of CU Green is to serve individuals and organizations interested in sustainable development of any work and product of livelihood needs by responsibly utilizing natural resources. By the nature of products, food, energy, health, housing, transport and social and psychological needs ought to be natural, and needed compulsorily by all. If these arrangements which are essential are not sustainably developed, it is a threat to humanity. Fundamentals 1. Besides the nature of product and essentiality of needs, criteria identified for sustainable development are the following 1. Emission reduction ‌ which cause climate changes 2. Conservation of natural resources ‌ self realized natural laws 3. Waste management ‌controlled handling, recycling, and safe disposal 4. Human health and safety 5. Ethics, social responsibility, public system and respect for laws
2. Reward is divided but Risk is undivided. Risk to survival is global, and any action needed for survival of humanity and sustainable development has three options. 1. to identify and recognize potential of sustainable work, product and natural lifestyles and its scientific principles, and how market and other means act effectively as a vehicle of its distribution [Need of development] 2. risk control i.e., to restrict misuses of technology and organizational policies by demonstrating facts of product and processes which followed gradual reduction of harm to the society and natural resources [Need of management] 3. prohibit illegal use of technology and misadventures where risk is not known and not possible to control [Regulatory restriction]
3. Markets and business cannot be saved by economics alone leaving the ecology and humanity. Sustainability is a business standard. Here are the reasons why organizations in market need a standard for claims of sustainability, need of disclosures and treat this as an ingredient of reliable forecasts of profit and growth. It also addresses the aim of CU Green standard and how it serves this need of market communities. 3|Page
1. Markets that have no credible and self evident approach of sustainability are seen with skepticism, loss of faith and threat. Even goodness is doubted and unfair practices delude consumers. Disclosure of sustainability by an organization is a necessary step to protect faith of customers in the market. An informed choice is a customers’ right. High cost risen due to increasing liability and damages are not a solution. Buyers and consumers started to feel the heat already and, market uncertainty in recent years is a symptom of losing faith in economic exchanges and, depression.
It is no surprise that alarmed consumer and buyers started asking an explanation how is an organization socially and environmentally responsible, and products it produced are safe for the humanity and preserved natural resources. This trend is going to increase and be more precise. A relevant and realistic standard is an answer to these questions either needed or asked by stakeholders, and organization is ready with it, and its business relationship is never at risk.
2. From the point of view of managing sustainability, ‘proof of concept’ in a particular scope of work is identified which can manage or lead this change from unstable and risk situation to relatively safe and sustainable way of living. Work and products in market which are thus evaluated would have a promise of long term and undisturbed growth.
These areas of work and products are confirmed as risk free, and high costs mainly due to liability, maintenance and damages are saved. These would be ‘as natural’ or ‘zero liability products (with informed risk)’. On this promise, investment to initiate changes in market for a long term benefits are safe. It facilitates a roadmap as to how can these possibilities become a process with validation of its results, acceptance and understanding.
3. CU Green in this program of work aims to establish a framework for interested individuals and organizations to self-asses this claim to sustainability, validate processes by bench marking results, learn and collaborate among them and with other resources, and economic changes in design of market for the sustainable development.
Scope of work and assessment criteria According to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), green-house gas (GHG) emissions from the industrialized agricultural sector account for 10–12% or 5.1–6.1 Gt of the total anthropogenic annual emissions of CO2-equivalent. Organic agriculture is a recognized proof of concept for sustainable development. This way of agriculture 4|Page
can offer reduction in emission, food safety, and savings of energy and water, and increase income by sustained soil health and productivity. Cu green is a standard applicable to organic agriculture which describes requirement and method to establish a claim for sustainable development. By use of the standard, organizations involved in organic agriculture (in short OA) can voluntarily demonstrate their commitment to increasing sustainability upon following aspects 1. Emission reduction by carbon fixation in soil and biomass and avoiding use of chemical fertilizer 2. Reduced water consumption by soil content and surface improvement, efficient use of rain, ground and underground water resources 3. Reduced energy consumption by minimized tillage and other operation and of fossil fuel 4. Improved Soil health 5. Waste recycling and its reutilization by preventing uncontrolled decomposition 6. Cropping intensity and Yield per unit of land 7. Increased Income and profits by reduced input costs 8. Health benefits and reduced risk of diseases from organically produced food 9. Risk free, fair, safe and natural environment of work 10. Increased demand of product and price premium in markets Measurement is a cost. Measurement is needed when we intend to control undesirable property such as loss, defect or contamination or, alternatively to discover law of nature in a work so that better decisions are taken. Measurements that compare any two organizations or two situations can be misleading and give incorrect conclusion. For validation of a theory or conclusion, care must be taken for normalization of data and without unnecessarily disclosing identity of an organization. With respect to claim of sustainability, actual field data, relevant scientific laws/ formulae, technical references/historical data and provision of laws are to be used. Standard templates are developed for sustainability statement as well as working documents, guidelines and checklists. By use of these, organizations find it simple to present their findings and arrive at a valid conclusion. Organizational change by stages of maturity in sustainable development Sustainability report made by the organization shall include its performance on five fundamental criteria and particular ten aspects with respect to scope of the work and product. Use of this standard is in public interest by facilitating a path to sustainability self realized. This also helps in step by step improvement and, can be used for disclosures and peer review.
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Any stake holder or interested party shall have, to the extent possible, an access to it and can verify the claims made in it, and provide feedback /comments in good faith. This feedback is not an act of complaint, seeking liability or damages or a legal dispute. Certification is a statement of a third party auditor who can confirm the claim of the organization in good faith. Organization by agreeing to this assessment program benefits by continual improvement through self realization, and utilize it for a periodic audit and certification usually at an interval of least once in 12 months. The progress depending on the results of audit and certification is classified as 1. CU Green OA grade 1 … [entry level] for the sustainability policy, identifying areas of concern and plan of work, provide awareness, understanding and plan of the sustainability measurement 2. CU Green grade 2 … [practicing] for establishing a measurement as a bench mark, for the first time 3. CU Green OA Grade 3 … [performing] for improving the result when compared to its own benchmark in grade 2 4. CU Green OA Champion …[decided by jury] for exceptional initiative in sustainability development and becoming inspiration to other organizations in adopting this cu-green policy. Role of standard in organizational brand identity, collaboration and market transformation Self-Confidence The data provided by organizations seeking certification against cu-green shall be subject to a system audit by an independent certification body. The scope of audit, findings, conclusion and disclaimer shall be a part of auditors’ report. This sustainability report by organization shall be appended by an audit report. Both of these reports shall be made available also to all member organizations by email for peer review in the community, and self evidenced reference. Collaboration and Networking Purpose of this collaborative work of data gathering is to create a knowledge base and identify opportunity of improvement and facilitate servicing those requirements. This sustainability report covering all 10 sustainability parameters with required data can be used by participating organizations for publicity of their organization, engaging with stakeholders, and promotion of product and business networking. Branding and Customer Engagement
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Certified organizations shall have a right to use a certification logo provided by the audit agency with applicable terms and conditions. This can be utilized for labeling of products and the organization, for uses in publicity material to state this credit. Their customers and interested parties shall have an access to the report either from website or on demand.
External references, facts and definitions used 1. Sustainability is based on a simple principle: Everything that we need for our survival and wellbeing depends, either directly or indirectly, on our natural environment. Sustainability creates and maintains the conditions under which humans and nature can exist in productive harmony, that permit fulfilling the social, economic and other requirements of present and future generations. Sustainability is important to making sure that we have and will continue to have, the water, materials, and resources to protect human health and our environment. http://www.epa.gov/sustainability/basicinfo.htm United States Environmental Protection Agency 2
‘Organic agriculture is a holistic production management system that avoids use of synthetic fertilizers, pesticides and genetically modified organisms, minimizes pollution of air, soil and water, and optimizes the health and productivity of interdependent communities of plants, animals and people’ - Codex Alimentarius Commission http://www.codexalimentarius.net/download/standards/360/CXG_032e.pdf
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According to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), green-house gas (GHG) emissions from the agricultural sector account for 10–12% or 5.1–6.1 Gt of the total anthropogenic annual emissions of CO2-equivalents accounting includes only direct agricultural emissions; emissions due to the production of agricultural inputs such as nitrogen fertilizers, synthetic pesticides and fossil fuels used for agricultural machinery and irrigation are not calculated. Organic agriculture and climate change by Nadia El-Hage Scialabba* and Maria Mu Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems: 25(2); 158–169
4. “When a work is done against the laws of nature, it is resisted; and as a result, efforts, cost and complexity of management increase. Science or available knowledge of natural laws, out of the kindness made technology or power. But technology or any power is mindless and cannot by itself decide who should use or misuse it. For example, a man with gun in hand or an administrator with power cannot be a developed person. Gravity or any force of nature is infinite but a power like electricity and also the politics are limited, and are used and misused.
As a principle, technology or power is like provision of a wheel chair for handicapped but when it is considered a feat over the law of nature, people begin to lose legs, and compete for those unnatural incentives. Technology and power can give effortlessness (comfort) but take away 7|Page
liberty (satisfaction, freedom) and, not last long. Individuals and organizations need revisiting the paradigm of development which is sustained by the natural laws without any technological opposition of the same laws which made it.
A work when used as a means of true learning of the natural laws makes a human nature divine. Management is a risk based, strategic or hostile approach, while development is about the ever sustained character of the self, and an act of liberation.� – Krishna Gopal Misra
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