GREEN BUSINESS VIEWS

Posts Tagged ‘cso’

It would appear to the casual observer that sustainability programming is a little like watching people at a horse race.  Each one is betting on their favorite horse, not caring that there are a dozen other horses in this frantic race.  The spectator’s singular interest is a good example of sustainability applications.  Present day Green programming tends to be myopic and not a little biased toward the person’s favorite subject.

Right now, energy is the favorite horse in the race.  After all, it is commonly understood that this segment of a sustainability plan has the fastest ROI, and everyone likes to see the bills go down while “doing their part to save the earth.”  Solar panels, lighting systems, new insulated windows are sold based upon the time it takes to get a return on the investment.  Of course, there are the other coincidental solutions like reduced CO2 and less demand for foreign oil that make everyone feel downright patriotic.

Maybe your horse is named recycling.  There is not as big a savings to these programs, but they are fairly easy to install and manage.  Invest into some recycling bins, hold a few in-house training programs, and starting buying recycled paper goods; and you’re now about a Green as anyone can imagine.  Right?

Of course, there is the dark horse in every race.  This one is CO2.  By conducting a rather complex (and expensive) carbon assessment (footprint calculation), the amount of carbon output is determined.  The next step is to buy enough carbon credits to offset the company’s carbon footprint.  And, there you have it.  The company is “Carbon Neutral.”  By the way, the company may have made no real change to the operation, but some will assert that the company has “Gone Green” because it is carbon neutral.

Which horse does your company favor?  Regardless of your choice, a fundamental flaw exists in this myopic planning effort.  A serious plan is not built on just one leg of environmental concern.  The topics to consider are more than a single issue.  In fact, consider some of the topics in a full sustainability plan, a sustainability officer would consider all these topics:

1. Indoor Air Quality
2. Source Reduction and Recycling
3. Energy Reduction Strategies
4. Water and Waste Management
5. Paperless Office Transition
6. Green IT
7. Green Fleets
8. Green Purchasing
9. Corporate Social Responsibility
10. Green Facility and Landscaping
11. Carbon Footprint and Offsetting
12. Environmental Risk Management

This is not an exhaustive list, but it serves to demonstrate that there are many elements to a winning sustainability plan.  Rather than single out one part of a serious plan, the sustainability plan is designed to create a short list of sustainable ideas that will move the company further down the road this year.  Don’t try to do it all, but do not choose one element and neglect the other important concerns.

It is the clear duty of a sustainability officer to understand the company’s operation and opportunities.  Measuring against the many ideas that could be done, the CSO will set the sort-term goals for the year to a time table for the year.  This is something to present to management so that everyone is supportive of the effort and funding is available.  The long list of items are a kind of “Wish List” that are part of the planning for the next year.  We believe that any Green company transition is a three to five year project.

Avoiding near-sightedness as a sustainability officer is important to the company.  We did not create the environmental issue in a year, and we will not solve it in a year.  The most important commitment is that we must start that journey today.  As a sustainability officer, the practical skill is the ability to develop a sustainability plan that fits the company, established credible milestones of achievement, and results in a progressively Green operation.

Learn to be an effective sustainability officer by taking a proven course of study such as the Certified Sustainability Officer training.  This course can be taken online and contains one of the most compete programs for integration to the workplace.  It seems clear that every company will eventually need a sustainability officer in-house.  It is simply unwise to appoint anyone to this task unless they have had the basic training needed to do the job well.  The in-house sustainability officer is obvious far less expensive than outsourcing the task.  The benefits of the CSO is a more cohesive and custom approach to sustainability planning.

Frankly, the idea of a Green officer in the company is relatively new and ill-defined so far.  The concept, however, is fairly simple.  The Green officer is the appointed, in-house  liaison for an environmental program for a business.  This person often wears more than one hat and may not be fully prepared to fulfill the duties of this important office.  A little training is the recommended next step for your Green officer.

The Green officer is often an appointed role, but does not come with a book of instructions.  The development of a Green officer is perhaps one of the smartest moves for a forward-thinking company.   Therefore, the Green office should be encouraged to take some quality training which will actually be the smart move for the company.  A trained Green officer can grow into  a Certified Green Officer.  The training is offered online and seems to be everything needed for the job.

Executive Order #13514 is one of the best references for this topic.  This was signed by President Obama in Sept. 2009 and provides a basic guide for a sustainable operation.  The Green or sustainability officer was to prepare a “Sustainability Plan” for the company.  A sustainability plan is simply a step-by-step program for the Greening of the company over a one year period.  This requires a working knowledge of the company that can be merged with a doable plan that will transition of company to a sustainable operation in doable steps.

Regardless of the actual position in the company, this person provides a valuable service to the company.  The CSO is an important contributor to the decision-making information flow.   The management of the company should not isolate this person, but allow them to have a voice or opinion in the planning of the company.  No environmental program should overwhelm to company program, but sustainable improvements should provide some better ideas for management to consider in the plans and decisions that will be made.

Take, for example, a decision to remodel some part of the office.  Such opportunities can go forward poorly or smartly advised.  Low-VOC paint and glues, recycled carpet, and furniture that will not send out harmful fumes are good ideas.  Knowing that some remodeling projects have sickened workers and created lawsuits, there is more to the decision than the cheapest price.  To be effective, we must acknowledge that decisions are dynamic and do occur at one time.  This is why the CSO needs to be ever-present in the dynamics of the company’s operation.  Consulting forms do not have the capacity to provide this ground-level type of input.

Could company energy costs be dropped 25% to 50% with some better planning?  Could employee satisfaction, health, and productivity be improved with making the right choices in upcoming decisions?  Even risk management can be greatly improved through better information?  These and many more cost-connected decisions can make the company Greener in more ways than environmentally.  Cutting operational costs and improving the public value of the company will make it more profitable.

More than the guidance from Executive Order #13514, hundreds of forward-thinking companies are installing Green or sustainability officers.  It no longer matters if your company is large or small, it is just a good business decision to appoint a Green officer and then train them to be a CSO for the company.

Lastly, the small cost to install and train a CSO will avoid the immense cost of bringing in an environmental consulting firm.  It is also smarter than taking the foolish path of greenwashing that will soon prove embarrassing.

So, take the hint from the recent executive order and install a sustainability plan in your company by first appointing a Green officer.  If your company is very small, this is something that any business owner can easily accomplish with the help of the Green Path Assessment software.

If the sticker-shock of a Green consulting firm has kept your company from moving forward with a sustainability plan, then consider a more organic approach to a Green program.  Find a good quality person that will serve as the Green officer.  Get them trained as a Certified Sustainability Officer, and give this person a voice at the table.  In the end, the company will be be far better off with a serious program in place.

What do successful companies know that others do not?  One of the issues is the value of stepping into the best trends before the rest ever figure out that there is a trend.  It is called leadership, and large companies have dedicated teams that survey, study, and evaluate what trends will take the company to the next level of success.  Leadership is critical to forward-thinking businesses.

Trends come and go, so it is impossible to ride one trend forever.  In business, it is called flexibility.  Of course, making the right choices is a mixture of diligent study and decision-making.  It never comes with a guarantee, which can be scary.  We all know that business has risks, but they are risks of great success and reward mixed with the potential of failure and loss.  We all hope to make the best decisions and capture the rewards that come from being in the right place and the right time.  To do this, every business must be mobile, flexible and forward-thinking.

Truth be told, the Green business realm is still in its earliest stage.  In five years, the impact of Green and sustainable business will be as far reaching as cell phones are today.  Business has always been market sensitive and must respond to the demands of the market, the government, and competition.  Does anyone still think that Going Green is a passing trend?  Think again because we are looking at a literal overhaul of the market.  In five years, every company will either be Green or struggling against a flood of opposition.

Do a little study and check out your competition on the Internet.  Are they playing Green like so many other businesses by making claims about their Green virtues?  In most cases, businesses are not nearly as Green as they claim, which means that they are Greenwashing in large part.  What you will learn from this exercise is that your industry is admitting that the trend is real, but not willing to take the leadership that will move their companies into a future success as a Green company.

In this early cycle, leadership is needed and it will be rewarded by opportunities for marketing and business that will be driven to a credibly Green Business.  The degree of certainty of the reward seems to be the lingering questions about the financial gain to be realized by making an investment into a more sustainable operation.

Every business must always consider the ROI when it makes a decision, but not every example of a Green company will produce a visible profit nor will profitability be easily calculating with any application.  But there is a fundamental principle at work that needs to be appreciated by the more visionary companies.  A sustainable company is an efficient company.  Some refer to this as the “Lean and Green” concept.  Years ago, companies hired efficiency experts to improve the operation and profitability of the company while other companies scoffed at the cost of bringing in such experts.  Well, the Green consultant is the efficiency expert of our day, and the fact is that a thorough sustainability plan will result in a better, more efficient, and more profitable company.

One element may actually add to the cost of the Green business operation while four elements will save money for the company.  The skill that is required is the professional ability to design a plan that will bring a predictable and profitable result.  The best pattern is for a company to prepare a tailored sustainability plan that will lay out a reasonable transition to a more sustainable operation.

Here’s a clue about Going Green.  Don’t do it in a piecemeal way.  Start with the concept suggested in Executive Order #13514, and develop a Green officer in the company who will be able to design a sustainability plan tailored to your company’s needs.  If you have trouble with this project, there is help.  I suggest make one of two very affordable choices:

1- Train a person to be a Certified Sustainability Officer (CSO).  This training is specifically designed to empower your Green officer to get up to speed and learn how to build a highly effective sustainability plan for your company.

2- Reach out to a Certified Green Consultant in your area to assist your company with its sustainability plan.

The sustainability plan will bring the rational transition plan that your company needs.  In a few years, your company will be leading, not following, the trend.  Knowing what we now know, the Green and sustainable company is the company of the future.  What you may not realize is that the effort and investment that your company makes in Going Green will make it leaner, more effective, more marketable, and ready for the next generation of business.

There are different approaches to the environmental issues we face today.  We see some organizations that are addressing buildings, homes, and their owners.  But what about the rest of the business and homes that would like to become green certified?  Do they have to build, renovate, or add expense changes to improve their carbon footprint?  The answer is No; we can start by understanding that going Green is about individual behavior of every one on this planet.

In many cases, people are relatively ignorant of the many opportunities they have to Go Green.  Or maybe our busy lifestyles do not afford us the time to study endless areas of environmental sustainability issues.  Even some of the terms can be intimidating. We here words like Bioaccumulation, Remediation, Out gassing, Sick Building Syndrome, Building Related Illness, Volatile Organic Compounds, and Indoor Air Quality just to mention a few.  The list goes on and on, so should we research all of the different terms described above, do you even have the time?

But should we ignore the fact that every business and home is going to be subject to some kind of environmental risk.

Your probably thinking what is he talking about my business just sells widgets.

In fact this company may sell  Green widgets, so I am all ready doing something to help change my environmental footprint.

Recently I attended a green fair.  All of the venders at the show had some kind of green product or service their company was providing. I took the time to visit most of the Green booths, and I learned that many were good at what they knew but not so good about the whole environmental topic.  After listening to their description of the product and service I asked them this question.

One question was, “Is your business green certified?”  And all of them answered no, but they immediately proceeded to tell me how long they have been providing a green service or product.  I had to think to myself, this is” talking the talk and not walking the walk.” It was plain to see that most businesses selling a green product and service have not finished their homework.

This is another answer I heard from one of the business owners. “Why do we need someone to certify us?  We have been around for years providing a green service.  We all ready have our own green program in house.”

It is common to hear some firms making this clam, they more than likely are already meeting some or most of the requirements to be green certified.  But isn’t it obvious that if Going Green is a matter of declaration, then anyone can claim to be a green business.  This goes back to changing the behavior of each individual. Earning and not “Give it to me, I deserve it” is an attitude that needs to be changed.

If your business is not certified and someone is not paying attention to the environmental risk your company could be facing a law suit and a bad reputation that could take years to overcome.

Why not ask yourself a few questions about identifying your environmental risk.  For example, what resources are we most dependent on (energy, water, materials), and how much do we use?   How do we dispose of waste?   Have others in our industry had problems?  Do our suppliers pollute?  Do they meet all applicable laws and legal requirements? These are just a few questions to keep in mind when trying to identify environmental risk.

Here’s a quote by Daniel C. Esty and Andrew S. Winston.  From there book Green to Gold.

Business Consequences:

“Climate change is a highly contentious issue because the costs both addressing the problem and of not addressing it could be very high. Green house gases are linked to the burning of fossil fuels, so successfully controlling emissions will require action on the part of not only every business on the planet but every individual.”

Just align our self’s with nature and not defy it could work wonders to get on the right path.

I doesn’t matter if you offer a Green product or service.  Every business needs to change at the operational level regardless of whether the building is owned, rented, or leased.  The best method to integrate Green practices into a company is to train and install a Certified Sustainability Officer in the company.

Okay, there is an ugly rumor running about that business leaders have an aversion to the basic idea of Green.  If we investigate this mild phobia, we would learn that the sustainable word is considered a more business-friendly concept.  But, why?  Well, it seems that the concept of Green had a rough time at birth.  It was kidnapped by a band of treehuggers, fed by veggans, and watched Captain Planet save the world from ravaging corporate polluters.

Green has a legitimate meaning that is best defined as “health impact on living things” from our actions.   I am sure that no one is really against this concept of a better life for all, but the concept has been skewed from it’s best intentions.  At this point in time, the taint of extremist has faded from this valuable term.  The real meaning is valuable to any business because employees are one of the biggest assets of any company; and if the workers are take less sick days, have fewer claims, and are more productive, the company will be more profitable.

I prefer to include four key topics in the environmental plan for a company.  Environmental program include: Heath and Safety (Green), Sustainability practices, Pollution reduction, and Conservation.  Regardless of highjacking tactics, there are core elements of any environment-conscious company’s plan.  This creates a holistic approach to the subject that allows a company to avoid the piecemeal approach to the whole project.

It is a good idea to do an energy audit, a carbon footprint, address indoor air quality, include recycling, or adopt Green purchasing protocols.  Unfortunately, these ideas alone are still acquired in a piecemeal and random fashion.  Start with an assessment of the current environmental practices that results in the completion of a holistic sustainability plan for each company.  This allows all subjects to be considered and included as they might apply.

Do not avoid the Green factor, the sustainability practices, pollution reduction, or conservation options.  It is frankly a matter stepping up to the plate in an honest way.  Building an environmental program is also progressive.  By this, I mean that you don’t have to do everything at inception, but you need a good start.  A Green business is assembled over a period of years as more elements are added to the sustainability plan.

If your company wants to start the process, it is recommended that you appoint a Green officer (also known as a Certified Sustainability Officer or CSO).  Training if this person can be done online, and having a in-house Green officer makes the effort seamless, affordable, and holistic.