After a summer hiatus, the blog is back. Here I will continue to show that sustainability is not only good for your neighbors, but good for the bottom line.

A big piece of news that crossed my desk recently is that the beverage maker Sunny Delight, makers of Sunny D, Veryfine Juices and several other brands, achieved zero waste to landfill from its 6 plants in the US recently.

They started this quest in 2009, with a goal of reaching zero waste by 2013, and hit it three years ahead of schedule. As recently as 2007, 36% of waste in plants went to landfills.

According to the company's sustainability report, in the first six months of working toward the goal, it was able to change waste from an expense to a revenue stream by sorting trash and, when possible, recycling it.

In addition to waste reduction, the company has been able to cut energy use by 8% and water use by 9% —  dropping carbon emissions by 17% in the process and reducing operating expenses.

As they work on their own processes the company is also now turning to its supply chain to help reduce total emissions and waste.