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[manuelseidel]

Control tower, central ideas bank – or just one platform ‘to rule them all ,’ web-based ecoPortal is designed to simplify environmental management by putting all the relevant data in one readily accessible and quickly comprehensible site. Although originally designed for SMEs, the system has been adopted by large distributed organisations (users include Unitec and Auckland City), says ecoPortal co-founder Logan Wait. “It effectively creates a collaboration platform where everybody knows what they are doing and have all the tools in one location.” The system is flexible enough to be adapted to any business or industry, allowing them to put strategy into action and centralise the sort of data needed to pursue accreditation. It was specifically built to align with ISO 140001, says Wait. Health, safety, quality and business risk data can all be included and a visual and interactive interface makes accessing the information both simple and intuitive. Sustainabilty managers love it, says Wait, because it makes their lives a lot easier. “It offers a way of capturing all the relevant information and presenting it in a strategic way to show how it aligns with the overall direction of the organisation. "That makes it easier to get engagement from staff, improves communications with senior management and provides a transparency they didn’t have before.”

[manuelseidel]

The ecoWheel framework was developed on the basis of research and consulting experience to help organisations overcome the typical barriers that they face when implementing sustainability improvements. The ecoWheel framework involves three phases which progressively take an organisation on a journey from a defensive approach to an integrated sustainability or environmental management maturity level. Each phase of the ecoWheel framework involves specific tools and principles to overcome the challenges that organisations face at their respective level of maturity. The paper concludes by introducing a web-based environmental and sustainability management system ‘ecoPortal’ which brings together the three elements of the ecoWheel framework. 

[manuelseidel]

While there are many start-ups eager to get hold of ‘green’ business opportunities out there, only a few are fortunate (and good) enough to succeed, not to mention gain international recognition. Kiwi environmental management software provider ecoPortal is one such example. Having featured ecoPortal co-founder Manuel Seidel in an exclusive interview some time back, I caught up with the team again to find out how things go. In this blog post, Manuel’s colleague Logan Wait tells me how the project is going and what he took from attending the recent Rio+20 sustainability summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brasil.