I’m introducing a new Friday feature today on Vox Viridis.  I’ll provide some quick hits on sustainable news items I’ve collected.  I’m pleased to also introduce the Vox Viridis Non-Profit of the Week.  I will take a look at a different non-profit each week and explore how that entity is trying to make a difference for people, planet and profits.

Sustainable Legal News Roundup:

• A US Senate committee proposed climate-change legislation Wednesday, that may be tougher than a version that narrowly passed the House this spring.  The bill would require the country to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 20 percent by 2020 but would limit the amount a company would pay for each ton of carbon it produces to $28.  “Litigation from industry is highly likely,” according to Jon Anderson of the Boston Environmental Policy Examiner.  No matter the result of any litigation, ignoring this issue of carbon is no longer an option. 
• In the largest settlement of a single lawsuit alleging violations of the Americans With Disabilities Act, Sears Holdings Corp agreed to pay $6.2 million to settle a lawsuit by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.  The EEOC had accused the operator of Sears and Kmart stores of maintaining an inflexible leave policy, and firing more than 100 employees who wanted to return to work rather than provide them with reasonable accommodations for their disabilities. 
• The Green Car Congress noted that the number of states with geothermal electrical power projects under development increased from 12 to 14 over the past six months.  It cited a Geothermal Energy Association report which identified 144 new geothermal projects under development that could represent as much as 7,100 MW of new baseload power capacity.

Hiring great employees is the foundation of any great sustainable business.  A great idea is just an idea without great people to execute that idea.  I came across some great tips today in an article entitled The Dangers of Haphazard Hiring in Building the Clean Economy.

 Highlights and some additional comments:  

·        Acknowledge:  simple communication goes a long way.  From acknowledging receipt of electronically sent resumes (one client of mine simply sets up an “Out of Office” message), to blanket emails informing candidates when the job has been filled, provides closure for applicants.  Never even acknowledging receipt of a resume sends a negative message about the hiring company and its lack of understanding about the plight of job seekers. People in industries talk amongst themselves. Do you want the conversation about your company to focus on its deaf ear? 

·         Indecision: dragging out the hiring process sends multiple bad messages.   Current employees question the decision making process, financial ability to take on new employees, and/or continue to do extra work to make up for the lack of more employees.  Candidates see these same traits.  As the article noted, the green sector is small and interconnected.  Indecisions can hurt a company for the long-haul.

·        Long Term Hits:  Job candidates hired through a poor process may harbor lingering resentment.  These employees will probably never work to their full potential and may jump ship at the first sign of better opportunities elsewhere. 

 Bottom Line: it doesn’t need to take a lot of effort to treat job candidates with a little respect.  That old rule probably applies here – treat others as you would like to be treated.