GREEN BUSINESS VIEWS

Posts Tagged ‘green consultant’

As everyone looks to the government to prop up “Cutting Edge” Green industries, there may be a better solution.  One of the first suggestions is to know that the newly created (or funded) Green programs are viable in a scenario that is not artificially promoted by over-hype advocates.  At the end of the cycle of Green business, these promotes must exist in a competitive market.  Solyndra was already in trouble as the Chinese had a more efficient process and a better product under way.  The blind-enthusiasm to put money into any program with Green energy behind it has cost America a half billion dollars, and undoubtedly there are some politicians with fatter wallets and dirty hands.

The fact is the Green business can be found everywhere.  I believe that a Green business may well be a very traditional business that has made a significant change in its building, operation, and its people.  It need not product a Green product to be a Green business.  A vegan does not stop eating.  They simply change their diet.  So while the vegan still consumes food, they changed their behavior.  A Green business can continue to do the business that they did before, but now they are committed to a higher standard.

We can create more Green businesses and develop more Green jobs if we realize that we don’t have to invent them from scratch.  Not, that that isn’t a good idea.  Let’s just not think of a Green business or Green jobs as tied to a Green energy product only.

Also, small and medium size business need access to capital markets and financial resources as well.  Why do the brilliant politicians throw millions at speculative Green energy businesses when the businesses which are the backbone of the country are constantly worried about new regulations, new taxes, and tight money markets?  If we want Green businesses and Green jobs, why not incentivize the millions of regular businesses to Go Green?

The start costs of Greening an existing business is already paid.  The chances of success are far greater than start ups.  The results will be more widespread.  The concepts of promoting Green has become extraneous because the best efforts go to the worst candidates.  In the spirit of “Invest in America,” we should look to the existing businesses in this country and help them get better.

Yes, we should leave room for the innovative and new project, but the business plan needs to be more than high speculation.  Green jobs come from Green businesses.  Why not put our best efforts behind the best bet for success?  No matter how many innovations that are funded, we should not forget the heart of the job-creation machine.

We should promote innovation and new Green ideas, but we must put our strength behind existing businesses that need to be Green and promoting a Green program.

I have to commend a few really outstanding efforts to bring our attention to some very big sustainability issues.  CNBC is promoting an in-depth look at the garbage industry, which seems more than timely and important.  “Trash Inc: The Secret Life of Garbage” will focus more on how money is made through this industry, and much of the profiteering is shockingly true.  There is lot of money being made on trash, and that only adds to the conundrum of this whole trash issue.

What is mentioned in passing is the immense amount of trash that we are outputting every day in America.  What is unfortunately true is that 40-60% of all of our trash could be pulled out of this business if we applied better Green Practices in our homes and businesses.  We buy stuff that is never used, and we throw it away.  We have far too much packaging of all types of  goods, and we love consumables.  Think for a moment about all the cleaning supplies that come in RTU (Ready to Use) form.  Plastic bottles will take more than 100 years to decompose, but we throw them out after one use!  Did you realize that the raw cost of a bottle of soda or water is less than the bottle used to contain it?

36% of our trash is paper and paper products!  This is something that we can change overnight with the installation of Green Practices that will not only reduce the trash bill, but will literally speed up your office performance.    There are more than 400 Green Practices that can be seamlessly installed in most businesses that will also help the company function better.  The trouble is that there is no leadership in this effort apart from programs like the EcoEducation Center that trains Green Consultants nationwide (and internationally) to work hand-in-hand with businesses to make quality improvements and improve the business operation.

I also want to highly recommend a newly released movie called “Fuel.”   It is now a rental on Netflicks.  While I cannot agree with all the associated messages in the documentary, I was absolutely blown away with the telling of the story of oil and its power over our government.  I also loved the conclusion of the movie that came home with the most inventive and exciting ideas that are seen in the biodiesel program.  Ethanol is NOT the solution the government wants it to be.  Biodiesel is the smart solution.  So, whether it is the job creation from jatropha beans in high-unemployment tropical areas, or the ability to turn waste into diesel through algae, I am absolutely pleased to see these options coming our way.  I simply have no real confidence in fuel from ethanol as a cost-effective or non-intrusive fuel source.

In fact one of the major training segments of the Certified Sustainability Officer (CSO) training is the “Green Fleet.”   We feel that every business in American needs to train an in-house CSO to address the numerous issues that are hurting business, our communities, and our world.  When we finally figure out that it is “High Time” to do something about these things, it will literally be “Too Late.”  The folly of business is that they can’t find the appropriate ROI in the Going Green program.  Well that is because they are talking to people who charge way too much for their help, or know far too little about the benefits.  Training a CSO in-house is the smart way to Go Green, and it allows someone already drawing a paycheck to bring added value to the company.

If anyone can watch both of these programs and remain idle, they are just heartless.  These are no longer mere socially-conscious issues.  We are facing crisis issues that have not hit with their full furry yet.  Because we are still in the sunlight of the day, not noticing the storm rising behind us; we are the worst fools of all.  It is time for companies to at least start their engines because this is a race we cannot lose.  If you have not trained an in-house CSO … we strongly suggest that you invest in your future by doing this now!

Fighting back after years of negative impression, Going Green is not anti-business, too much trouble, or a poor investment.  As with many new programs, the Green business agenda did not emerge fully developed.  It was often faulty, awkward, and didn’t live up to expectations.  I had three sons who took time to turn into wonderful men as they matured into adult life.  Of course, they all had moments when I wondered if they wouldn’t self-destruct.  Green business is still in its infancy, but quickly emerging into something that we can all appreciate.

The loose belief  has been that Green was boldly anti-business and the haven of treehuggers.  Sustainability was the stronghold for the pragmatic business was the opposing side of the environmental street. This misguided beliefs made Going Green seem like a begrudging concession by business to a program that is merely an accommodation rather than a smart business decision.  This kind of latent negativism is not right and needs a new visitation to this subject.

Going Green is about the health impact of the workplace.  Sustainability is about the better management of our resources.  These are positives that every business can embrace.  What we are now realizing is that the necessary changes are not just good for the environment.  The investment in Green and sustainable practices has a payback that can be calculated in both soft and hard numbers.

Let me also point out that there have been a number of self-appointed and narrow-interest Green advisers who have not given business a holistic and pragmatic solution for the Greening of a business.  For example, buying carbon credits will not make a company Green because the company in question is still pouring carbon dioxide into the community.  The carbon credits are merely penance for their abuse.  If a well-designed sustainability plan is developed by a Certified Green Consultant, the orchestration of Green practices will achieve more than a Green operations.  It will undoubtedly save a company a great deal of money.

Whether a company retains a Certified Green Consultant or trains an in-house Certified Sustainability Officer, the multiply benefits are not just found in a passion for the the environment.  There is also the marketing value of a company that demonstrates corporate responsibility which is a great way to appeal to a worried world.  A healthier, less antagonistic workplace will certain discourage lawsuits from suffering employees.  However, every business is concerned about the return on investment.  Does it really pay to Go Green?

So, here’s the basic facts.  If business uses less electricity, less paper, less fuel, less water, and creates less trash; profits are increased.  If a healthier workplace and workers are empowered, doesn’t productivity reflect in more revenues?  If more customers are attracted to a Green certified company, won’t the annual report look better?  If energy rates go up, isn’t efficiency a increasing asset?   If the cost of trash is figured at $65 a ton with an escalating future cost, isn’t it a good idea to reduce packaging and cut paper use?

The investment in a Green business is certainly a noble effort, but it has potentially robust financial returns.  There is an efficiency that comes to doing the job in a committed and complete fashion.  This does not come from amateur efforts, but through the solid and professional advice of someone trained to create a sustainable plan.  It is fair to say that the ROI for a well-done sustainability plan is 12-24 months compared to LEED projections of 15-20 years for construction projects.  Going Green the right way is not just an investment.  It can be one of the best efficiency investments you might make.

I’d like to correct a common misconception, although I do not imagine that these comments will actually have far reaching impact.  The well-entrenched concerns for global warming have designated greenhouse gases as the culprit for this global climate change issue.  In particular, the anthropogenic (man made) contribution of Carbon Dioxide (CO2) to the atmosphere due to the use of fossil fuels must be reduced according to the Kyoto Protocol.  At the start, it should be stated that the issues of global warming or global cooling are not debatable issues.   Both of these phenomenons have occurred before and will happen again.  Neither is the impact of greenhouse gases under question.  The greenhouse affect keeps us from experiencing incredible temperature changes between night and day.  So, just in case you didn’t already know this, the greenhouse effect is our good friend.  The greenhouse effect is the fundamental reason that we have a habitable planet that retains a proper amount of heat in our atmosphere.  It is the concerns about an out-of-balance atmospheric condition that promotes global warming or global cooling.

It is the imbalance of the greenhouse effect in the atmosphere that is of concern right now, and the debate that rages is whether mankind can make the difference in how it operates.  That issue is not the debate of this article.  The point of this offering is the question of the application of “Green” when it comes to a “Carbon Neutral” status of a business.  Is is fair or correct to apply the term Green to a carbon neutral business?  Well, it all depends on how the terms are defined.

If Green means “anything environmental” no matter how extended the connection, then it is probably allowed to call a carbon neutral company Green.  I debate the core of this issue because Green is not a synonym for environmentalism.  It is a part of the environmental issue with a more specific meaning.  Green is best defined as the “health impact” of what we do.  If this definition is correct, then Green is misapplied to carbon neutral applications.  As seen in the chart above, I believe that Green refers to the health impact of a process.  I also believe that sustainable issues are what should be called a Blue issue.  Pollution is a Red issue, and Conservation is a Yellow designation.

Given these definitions, carbon-neutral may well be a pollution issue and obviously a sustainability issue.  In the proper sense, being carbon neutral does not make a company Green.  And, I am not referring to a long extrapolation of reduced carbon emissions that will help the global health.   This allows the morphing of any “carbon neutral” designation that frankly deserves to stand on its own right as a positive environmental contribution.  It need not be relabeled as Green.  It complements the Blue sustainable issues, the Red pollution concerns, and even the Yellow conservation issues since we are concerned about the atmosphere (a natural resource).  Good definitions help us build a better debate on the subject, and loose definitions will keep us wandering in the mists of confusion.

Buying carbon credits to offset the calculated CO2 output is both somewhat trendy and helpful.  These carbon credits are ostensibly a method of funding the capital needs of environmental projects like windmills, solar installation, hydro power, methane energy production, and reforestation.  All worthy causes as long as the underlying cause it legitimate and verified.  The carbon neutral status shows a consciousness of the CO2 problem and a willingness to make a contribution to the better solutions that are yet to make it to the profitable status.

So, there is no criticism on our part concerning the carbon neutral status nor the need to be better environmental citizens.  The reduction of our dependency on oil is yet another problem that needs our collective support. There is merit in the carbon offset strategy that is clearly good for pollution reduction and sustainability concerns.  The present voluntary program of carbon offsetting is directing billions of dollars into the alternative energy and reforestation programs.  This is substantial and commendable.

The mislabeling of everything environmental demonstrates the unfortunate lack of definition in this cause.  The fact is that there are four great areas that compose the environmental topic, and each deserve our attention.  The blurring of these subjects leave the public in disarray and confusion as to what needs to be done and the associated impact on the greater environmental challenge.  I would argue, in the kindest of terms, that carbon offsetting is a good idea, a meritorious idea, and helpful to the cause.  But, let me explain why carbon offsetting is not Green.

A company outputting carbon dioxide may well buy offsetting carbon credits and call itself “carbon neutral,” but did they change anything by this action?  No, they are still outputting CO2, although they may wish to reduce their output later.  Has their carbon neutrality changed their daily operations so that workers are healthier?  No, the company wears the badge of carbon neutrality even if it has poor indoor air quality, neglected energy consumption, and pours pollution out the back of the plant every day.  It is far too easy to allow your hand to block what is really in front of you.  One brick does not make a building.  One star does not compose the heavens, regardless of its beauty.   Neither does the environmental option applied to the company by a carbon neutral status make the company an environmentally-friendly operation.

A Certified Green Consultant can assist your business in its pursuit of an environmentally-friendly status.  There are many things that a company may do to become a Green company, and carbon credits are a helpful part of the larger project.   Several points are added for being carbon neutral, but there is more that can and should be done.  Working with a Certified Green Consultant makes this complex and involved process simple.  Never accept a one-sided solution as the full solution.