Alternatives to Toxic Chemicals

From Progress Action Report for today:

FACILITIES VOLUNTARILY REDUCE RISK OF TOXIC TERRORISM:Chemical facilities across the country representing a range of industries have switched to safer alternatives from a variety of hazardous chemicals, producing dramatic security and safety benefits at a reasonable cost, according to a new report. The study released today by the Center for American Progress, in partnership with the National Association of State PIRGs and the National Environment Trust, shows that 284 facilities in 47 states "have dramatically reduced the danger of a chemical release into nearby communities," making roughly 38 million people safer from the "threat of a major toxic gas cloud" affecting nearby communities.

I thought this was a nice followup from last year's Promoting Safer Alternatives to Toxic Chemicals workshop, here at NESL.

The issue is getting framed via a terrorism perspective, but the result is the same: reducing the danger of toxic chemicals.

BBA - Env. Law Section

The Environmental Law Section of the Boston Bar Assoc., and other sections of the BBA, have the following environmental-law-related activities scheduled for April/May (including a CLE course on brownfields).

The Remainder of April

April 24 - Environmental Justice Workgroup 8:30am
April 24 - Air Quality and Climate Change Committee 12:30pm (RSVP requested)

April 25 - Hazardous and Solid Waste Committee 12:30pm (RSVP requested)

In May

May 01 - Wetlands, Waterways & Water Quality Committee 12:30pm

May 02 - Environmental Law Section Steering Committee 8:30-9:30am
May 02 - Land Use & Development Committee 12:00noon

May 04 - Environmental Litigation Committee 12:30pm

May 16 - Environmental Law Section 12:30pm
May 16 - CLE - Brownfields 3:30-6:30pm (registration and fee req'd)

May 19 - Clean Air Committee 12:30pm

May 23 - Hazardous & Solid Waste Committee 12:30pm

May 30 - Environmental Law Section 12:30pm

Sustainable Business MBAs on the Rise?

(A friend of mine is currently considering getting an MBA in Sustainable Business at one of these schools. Hence my interest.)

I'd never heard of a "sustainable business" MBA, but an article at Greenbiz.com describes them as teaching students to "create and manage successful, profitable businesses that are both socially and environmentally responsible." In this article, the director of the Bainbridge Graduate Institute talks about the "green economy", and how businesses are "embracing sustainability and social ethics as a core business strategy."

Isn't this rather like NEPA's integration of (or attempt to integrate) consideration of environmental impact into the overall decisionmaking process behind an agency's action? Making environmental considerations part of the process from the bottom up?