ABSTRACT
This chapter provides an overview of environmental mentoring. It describes basic types of mentoring programme, reviews the rationale for mentoring small and medium-sized enterprises, highlights the benefits of mentoring, offers some elements for success, and provides a few examples of specific programmes. The chapter draws primarily from mentoring experiences in the US; however, the information is applicable in other parts of the world. Environmental mentoring is simply the use of expertise to help another entity improve its environmental management and performance. Business-to-business mentoring between a corporate environmental leader and small company can be a powerful form of mentoring. Mentoring can provide a non-threatening, low-risk, low-cost and effective means of introducing and engaging small companies with concepts and strategies for achieving better environmental results. Mentoring by an experienced professional provides the opportunity to gain access to expertise for free and catalyse environmental improvement.
