Transparent business practices and honest, straightforward answers-

How do you define localization?
Localization is adapting a product to a local market. If this were to be applied to the world of sustainability, it would mean focusing on local and community vs. larger, national efforts and projects.

Many see a major shift in the power of the USA as the banking, housing, climate and unemployment debacle hits home. What is your near term view of the future?

I believe that this administration is committed to moving the United States in a leadership position when it comes to combating climate change and I look forward to seeing the manifestation of that in December at Copenhagen. The economic situation is something that will take longer to straighten out and that will require concessions on all parts.

Is sustainability like anew religion? How so?

I hope sustainability is not a new 'religion, because many religions discourage 'nonbelievers' from becoming involved. I would like to believe that sustainability is facilitating a transition to a new paradigm shift where different groups see it as important, albeit for different reasons. For instance, there are individuals who see it as important because of national security, to lessen our dependence on foreign oil, while others are interested in helping God's creatures, and still others do it in order to decrease the rate of cancer, asthma, allergy and other diseases.

Why did you partner with Sustainable Business NOW. Tell what roles each firms play?

Eco-Coach has worked with SB NOW since the inception of the Green Business Certification program. At the time, Mike Mielke, the founder of SB NOW and I worked with a group that included representatives from the EPA, Energy Star, George Washington University, the Calvert Group, USGBC and others to develop a program that would help office-based businesses show that they are taking steps to go green, without making it so document-intensive that it becomes tough for smaller businesses to do.

Eco-Coach is SB NOW's for-profit partner. In this capacity, we helps businesses identify where they stand against the certification requirements, and move them closer to certification. Depending on the business, we can provide a high-level review or a more in-depth analysis and support the business with implementing the recommended steps that will move the business closer to certification. A business would undertake an Eco-Coach eco-assessment as a first step to certification. After they receive a preliminary score and recommendations from us, they would implement these, gather their documentation, and apply for certification through SB NOW. SB NOW will review the documentation and send an SB NOW certifier on-site to verify the information in the application. They would then certify the business or request additional information.

How do you define green washing? How does your web site address this?

Greenwashing is a marketing technique whereby a company falsely claims to have taken environmentally friendly actions. The approach we take and we suggest that our clients take to avoid this is to be transparent and provide proof of any claims to being 'green.'. If certification exists for a product or service, we recommend that the business consider this as it is a third-party verification of their actions. Lastly, we strive to be clear and precise about our marketing statements and we recommend that our clients do the same.

Anca Novacovici - Bio

Anca Novacovici is the founder and president of Eco-Coach, Inc., an environmental sustainability consulting company that provides services for businesses and individuals to become more environmentally friendly, energy-efficient, and healthy. Clients include Fortune 500 companies as well as smaller businesses and individuals. Anca is a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) accredited professional and is on the Board of the Green Building Institute. She is the co-author two books: 'DC Metro Area Green Career and Jobs Guide' and 'Sustainability 101: A Toolkit for your Business', and speaks frequently on various aspects of 'going green'.

Prior to Eco-Coach, Inc, Anca was a management consultant, first with Davies Consulting Inc., and then with her own company, Axis Business Consulting Inc. She has over ten years' experience with strategic planning, change management, business process redesign, benchmarking, training and communications. She has worked with companies in the energy, health care, utility, and telecommunications sectors, and with international lending institutions. Her passion for, and involvement with, environmental issues outside of work led her to start Eco-Coach, which combines her management consulting expertise with her interest in green, healthy businesses and buildings.

Anca obtained her Masters of Business Administration in International Management from Thunderbird, the American Graduate School of International Management, and her Bachelor of Science degree in Foreign Service from Georgetown University.

Connections:

Anca Novacovici, President
Eco-Coach, Inc.
Anca at eco-coach dot com
571-275-7700