University at Buffalo
IN-2: Innovation 2

In 2013 the University initiated a partnership with Erie County and a small group of key business leaders throughout the region to assess the feasibility of creating a green business association that would work to build a greater synergy across the business sector in Buffalo Niagara to advance green practices. A year's worth of stakeholder engagement (by specifically holding focus groups, performing marketing analysis, interviews and broad outreach to the business community) led to the launch of the Western New York Sustainable Business Roundtable on Earth Day 2014. Over the past year membership has grown to nearly 50 businesses (from large multi-national companies to smaller businesses across a diverse group of sectors) with active engagement occuring throughout the month with numerous workshops, communication groups and on-line tools. The Round table has been gaining momentum since it's launch with the awarding of a US Environmental Protection Agency Region 2 grant that has provided full time staffing to the organization as it works to foster collaborations that enable member businesses to act on their sustainability goals, maintain profitability, and promote a healthy community. While the University was pivotal to the creation of the Roundtable by quarterbacking the stakeholder engagement process it has also played a continuing leadership role on the Board and hosting the annual congress and many workshops.

Membership in the WNY-SBR requires a signed pledge from the highest level of the organization and the creation of a plan appropriate for the business within 12 months of signing this pledge of support. Timing for implementation is based on the specific deliverables outlined determined by each business in their plan. Businesses are encouraged to create a robust plan with meaningful metrics. To ensure transparency, all plans are posted on the SBR website. To date 21 sustainability plans have been posted on the website for others to emulate.