The Edenark Group ISO 14001 environmental sustainability certification program is designed for small to mid-sized companies (SMEs):

• Some of our clients are over US $1b in size, while some are pre-revenue
• Some have thousands of employees, while some have just 1 employee
• Some are legitimately defined as a SME, while some would be described as a micro-business (under 10 employees)
• Even though they hail from many countries, are in many different industries, and are of all sizes, our clients have two things in common – 1) they care about the environment and 2) they are looking for cost-effective ways to differentiate from peers

A common response we regularly hear from company leaders – when we suggest they join our existing clients by becoming environmentally certified sustainable – before they even ask about the details, is, “We are too small to get involved with something like that.”

That excuse, before even asking about the details, is a tell – they are not looking to change or differentiate from where they sit in their competitive peer group.  They are comfortable right where they are.  This is consistent with a Boston Consulting Group study that says that most business leaders say they are ‘too busy’ to be bothered with learning how to make their company better or more profitable. 

There are many studies and direct accounts showing the benefits of being an environmentally certified sustainable company under a program like the Edenark Group ISO 14001 program:

• You can enjoy lower operating costs
• You can enjoy lower insurance costs
• You can enjoy a lower cost of money
• You can enjoy a lower cost of hiring and retaining top talent
• You can enjoy improved employee performance, health and happiness
• You can enjoy improved employee pride in their employer
• You can enjoy improved brand image
• You can enjoy increased revenues and profit
• You can enjoy a positive ROI against the cost of the program
• You can enjoy being part of something good

These benefits are happening to companies of all sizes.

But, before any of these good things can happen, you must want to be better.   

We can help you do it.  We can’t help you want it. 

If you care about the environment and are looking for cost effective ways to differentiate from peers, read this on what you want in a sustainability program, watch this master class, and contact us.

This article summarizes a review of one thousand, nine hundred and sixty four (1964) studies and concludes the following:

• Intermittent Hypoxia-Hyperoxia Therapy (IHHT), also known as Contrast Oxygen, and one of the modalities at Gym for the Brain, shows positive effects on age-related diseases including cognitive and physical improvement, increased quality of life, downregulation of glucose and cholesterol/LDL, decreased blood pressure, expression of senescence-associated markers; increased resistance to proapoptotic stimuli; prolonged periods of osteogenesis; and protection of cells from oxygen-glucose deprivation/re-oxygenation stress.

Imagine the impact of combining the above benefits with the benefits derived from the other Gym for the Brain modalities.

Per this new Morgan Stanley study:

88% of the companies in the study see sustainability as a value creation opportunity.

As to how their sustainability program will create value….

• 25% rank higher profitability #1
• 19% rank revenue growth #1
• 13% rank lower cost of money (both debt and equity) #1
• 13% rank improved cash flow visibility #1
• 10% rank improved cash generation #1
• 8% rank attracting and retaining talented employees #1
• 8% rank consolidation (ie, acquiring a weaker competitor) #1

Given that the above list is what most business leaders would like to have….

• Do you have a sustainability program?
• If so, is it producing the above?
• If not, why not? Our clients see the above, so we know it can be done.
• If you do not have a sustainability program, what are your goals for your business?

Per this article, a study by YouGov determined that

• 75% of consumers prioritize sustainability over brand name

Think about that the next time you spend money to advertise your company.

You and your competitors are all talking about how great your brands are; and the consumers are yawning.

One of you is going to become certified sustainable…..and will immediately turn the heads of 75% of those consumers currently tuning you out.

Per this study, Intermittent Hypoxia-Hyperoxia Therapy (IHHT), also known as Contrast Oxygen, and one of the modalities at Gym for the Brain, improves functional capacity, health-related quality of life and objective and subjective symptomatic status of people suffering from Long COVID.

If you know someone with Long COVID, have them read the research, investigate Contrast Oxygen, and contact Gym for the Brain with questions.

Per this master class, there are 8 components of a sustainability program that will be successful and make you happy:

• It MUST include Employee Performance / Health
  • Sustainability is not just about energy savings or ‘Greening Up’, it is about people
  • For most businesses, the employees are one of the biggest costs, one of the biggest risks (mistakes, insurance, law suits) and one of the biggest opportunities (new ideas, collaboration, product knowledge)
  • Every organization suffers from the Big 5 – insomnia, stress, anxiety, physical pain, mental acuity
  • You are losing 5% of your corporate profit/year to the Big 5
  • It takes a lot of LEDs to make up for one worker comp or workplace violence case
  • Make sure your program has a ‘people piece’ that addresses employee performance, health and happiness

• It MUST certify the business not the box
  • People care about things that involve people
  • Most building (ie, ‘Box’) certifications only care about building energy
  • Building certifications are expensive and hard to market (poor ROI)
  • You want to say, “Buy more of my product because we are a certified sustainable business”
  • You do not get much value from, “Buy more of my product because we are in an energy efficient building”
  • You want the certification on your business, not the building your business is in

• It MUST have a 3^rd party audit component
  • Oversight delivers credibility and trust
  • From passing your driving test, to getting your college diploma, to passing a bar exam, we use 3^rd parties to ensure compliance
  • There are many sustainability programs that deliver a certification based on your ‘word’…..and your payment
  • Don’t do it!
  • Make sure the program you choose uses a 3^rd party to validate your work

• It MUST follow a respected and integrated global standard
  • The sustainability industry is maturing and coalescing around few standards
  • The UN has created its SDGs (17 sustainability development goals)
  • 50% of the world’s economies require sustainability reporting
  • Greenwashing lawsuits are growing
  • Don’t pick a program that is not globally respected by, and integrated with, the world leadership groups; and that does not have the ability to integrate the other three legs of the stool – carbon neutrality, ESG and net zero
  • No reason to spend the time and money, then find you are not following the same programs and protocols that the leadership groups have adopted

• It MUST include promotion of the certification
  • Historically, sustainability has been a cost-side play
  • Most programs and providers have been 100% trained and focused on cost-side measures – energy reduction, carbon reduction, waste reduction, water reduction, travel reduction (ie, engineering)
  • But we know consumers are searching for certified sustainable companies
  • If you don’t talk about being certified sustainable they will never know you are (ie, marketing)
  • You want a program provider that is built to do the cost-side work AND the revenue-side work; and helps you promote your certification

• It MUST pursue continual improvement
  • Sustainability is not finite. It requires long-term commitment
  • But…change is hard for all of us
  • If the bar is set too high, we can get frustrated and give up
  • You want a program that lets you come as you are and allows you to continually improve
  • This will keep everyone happy and committed year after year

• It MUST require annual updates
  • Current = credible
  • Sustainability is not finite; we need to continually improve
  • You don’t want a program that does not have a date attached to its certification
  • You want to continually improve, see your success, and annually update your certification to show you are current and credible in your actions

• It MUST be at a price you can afford and produce a positive ROI
  • We could have started with cost but you need the above seven components at a price you can afford
  • It needs to show a positive and rapid ROI
  • The cost includes both money and time and covers everything – the certification, the 3^rd party audit and your work to become certified

We deliver all eight components mentioned above to our clients.

We enjoy a 100% client renewal rate – every year, every client has a decision to make and every year, every client has renewed.

If you use a program that delivers all of the above, you will probably be happy too.

Seagull Business Consulting LLC, a Stuart, FL-based consulting services company, has become environmentally certified sustainable under the Edenark Group ISO 14001 environmental sustainability program.

The Edenark Group ISO 14001 is the world’s premier environmental sustainability certification program and allows SMEs (small to mid-sized enterprises) the ability to validate their environmental / sustainability / green / eco-friendly actions via a program designed and priced specifically for them.

The program, which allows companies to progressively improve at a pace that works for their needs, helps the organization define how it interacts internally, externally, and with the environment.  It incorporates energy/waste/water, employee health and performance enhancement, community involvement, procurement and suppliers, compliance and regulations, emergency/security, and stakeholder engagement.  Benefits include creating a culture of continual improvement, stakeholder engagement, lower costs, higher revenues and profits, improved employee performance, and…… doing the right thing for the environment and current and future generations.

“Seagull Business Consulting supports sustainable operations and becoming environmentally certified sustainable not only helps us internally but also allows us to be a leader for other organizations that may wish to follow our path,” said Jonathan Knaus, President of Seagull Business Consulting LLC.

“When an organization pursues, and attains, the Edenark Group ISO 14001 sustainability certification, they are not just doing it to see their costs go down and revenues and profits go up.  They are setting a higher bar for their organization and sending a message to all those around them that may be claiming to be environmentally supportive, but do not validate their actions with a globally-respected,  3^rd party validated, certification,” says David Goodman, CEO of Edenark Group.  “Organizations that hold this certification are agreeing to adhere to the world’s Gold standard for sustainability certification; are allowing their actions to be reviewed; are choosing to be a leader and part of the solution, not the problem; and are joining an elite fraternity of over 300,000 organizations, in over 150 countries, that have committed to continually improving in every way.”

Seagull Business Consulting LLC can be reached at +1 561.603.8303

Edenark Group can be reached at +1 561.512.2257

On 23 July 2025 the International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued an advisory opinion in response to a UN General Assembly request.

• It confirms that international law provides a sufficiently robust framework to assess climate-related state responsibility.
• It reaffirms the Paris goals as legally binding: 1.5°C is the “primary agreed-upon legally binding target” under the Paris Agreement.
• Failure of a state to take “appropriate measures to prevent foreseeable harm” (e.g. by subsidizing fossil fuels or licensing new fossil fuel projects) can itself constitute an internationally wrongful act.
• In other words, states must act proactively, by enhancing and enforcing climate regulations or risk attribution of fault.
• Countries have a due diligence obligation to reduce emissions. Any fossil fuel extraction or subsidy may breach international law.
• Countries are responsible for the conduct of actors within their jurisdiction.
• Wealthier states bear extra responsibility to help finance adaptation in poorer countries.
• Legal remedies include cessation and full restoration compensation to the harmed party.

The ICJ’s opinion is non-binding but it speaks with the authority of the UN’s highest court.  More importantly, this opinion, in combination with existing laws and treaties already in place, will influence litigation and policy in courts that have binding authority.

This will be the foundation for activists and even states to file suit in traditional courts against other states.

Climate inaction has become a crime.

Think about how this will filter down to your company and its actions.

For many years, athletes have known that if they train at altitude it improves their performance.  But they did not know why.

In the 1990’s scientists discovered that when cells are put into hypoxia (decreased oxygen), they increase the production of protein, form new blood vessels, produce more red blood cells and reprogram themselves to burn glucose rather than oxygen for fuel.

Then, after approximately two decades of further study, three scientists won the Nobel prize in 2019 for their discovery of how cells sense and react to hypoxia (reduced oxygen).

These studies have helped us better understand how Intermittent Hypoxia-Hyperoxia Therapy (IHHT), also known as Contrast Oxygen, and one of the modalities we use at Gym for the Brain, helps:

• Improve Endurance
• Enhance Capillary Density
• Improve Muscle Efficiency
• Reduce Inflammation
• Fight Cancer
• Reduce Anemia (ie, improve the flow of oxygen to cells)
• Reduce Heart Disease/Failure
• Reduce Kidney Disease/Failure
• And, of course, improved cognition (due to more oxygen to the brain)

If you want to improve performance, delay aging, or recover from an ailment, investigate the program at Gym for the Brain.  People drive and fly in from around the world to benefit from our program.

We are often asked why the Edenark Group ISO 14001 environmental sustainability program has a ‘people piece’ – A Better World Starts With Me, Center For Brain Training, Gym For The Brain, Best You Can Be – and the answer includes the following:

• Every organization in the world suffers from the impact of the Big 5 (insomnia, stress, anxiety, physical pain and mental acuity) on its people. The average loss from the Big 5 is 5% of your corporate GNP (ie, profit) per year, every year.  That’s a big number.  If we can help your team become happier, healthier and more productive, that number goes down and profit goes up.

• For most companies, their biggest cost, risk, time-consumer and opportunity area, is their people. If an organization helps them become ‘greener’ but does not help their people become healthier, happier and more productive, are they really providing a complete sustainability service?  We do not believe a sustainability program is complete if it does not address the people.

• People in pain are typically inwardly-focused and do not have the energy or interest to help others; while people that are happy and healthy are typically outwardly-focused, wanting to help others. If we can help people feel better, they will want to do more for others, and the planet.

• Finally, as this article states, besides the physical impacts of global warming, we are seeing psychological impact (stress, anxiety, even death) from climate change. The hotter it gets, the more we stress about it, leading to mental and physical damage.  We believe mental illness will continue to increase as global warming increases.  As such, we repeat our first point – a sustainability program that does not have a people-piece is not a complete sustainability program.

If the above makes sense to you, review the organizations in the above links, watch this master class, and contact us.  The planet will be healthier and happier, your team will be healthier and happier, and your company will be financially better for it.