GREEN BUSINESS VIEWS

Posts Tagged ‘sustainable business’

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.

The reality of changing our world is more staggering than we can imagine.  That is why most firms settle for some form of greenwashing tactics rather than a quality effort that can be respected in the new and Greener marketplace.  These greenwashing tactics often come in the form of amateurish, piecemeal, and token efforts.  Instead of real change, the accommodation of a “Good Enough” approach seems to be the general approach.  This is more than unfortunate because there is such a seriousness to the challenges that we face that are ugly threats that take on monster proportions.

Token efforts are the popular Green program because there is simply so much to do.  The four key elements of an environmental plan include: Health, Sustainability, Pollution, and Conservation.  Each of these topics cover huge amounts of information and potential applications.   Once the average person encounters this ocean of information and mount of tasks, they reconcile to do a few Green items and call it a serious commitment.

Examples of this kind of greenwashing is the increasing number of online Green certifications that have adopted a “Pay to Play” program whereby the more important criteria is the ability to pay a $400 to $500 fee.  The justification comes in the numerous online self-assessment forms that give the purposeful illusion that the company has gone Green.   Any company with a website-issued Green certification will eventually wipe it from the website once the public finds out that is is actually intended to deceive the public.

Instead, why not consider “The Green Factor“?  This is a quantum leap that starts with one trained and empowered person in the company called a Certified Sustainability Officer.  Like an accountant, lawyer, or engineer; the CSO has a very important role in the company.  The first task is to assess or benchmark the company’s progress and develop a clear picture of the company’s future look.  From this vantage point an action plan is prepared that is called the Sustainability Plan.  This is a yearly implementation plan that has the support of the company decision-makers.  It is now time for The Green Factor.

The Green Factor has two very important multipliers: 1) Growing Participation and 2) Increased Application.  This is not one man’s (or woman’s) job.  The real value of the CSO or Green Officer is to engage others in the project.  This can be done in the community, throughout an industry, in a school or agency, and in the workplace.  The multiplier of having many people in the program is one of the most important tasks that we can accomplish.  Instead of one overworked and marginally effective person trying to drive the company into sustainable practices, the CSO is leading dozens and hundreds of people to get involved in the plan (the sustainability plan) that maps out a direction for everyone to follow.

The second issues is increased application of Green practices.  Honestly, most well-intended people are doing one, three, or five things to be Green.  That is simply not enough because they are also doing dozens upon dozens of things wrong.  There is a gross imbalance in most of our lives, families, and businesses that leaves the door wide open for stepping up our level of participation.  By teaching people to adopt more and more Green and sustainable practices, we are raising the level of play.

Combining more people (participation) and more applications (solutions) the Certified Sustainable Officer is fulfilling the calling of this job in ways that they would never reach by being a zealous promoter of Green demands (sometimes called “The Green Police”).  The CSO is a person who develops a plan that allows everyone to work together to advance to program in enormous strides.  The fact that everyone gets involved and increases their understanding and commitment is the magic that comes from determine and inclusive leadership.

If your company does not have a CSO already in place, it is time to get this done.  Training a Certified Sustainable Officer can be done through a wonderful online course offered online. If you are already acting as a CSO in your company.  Sure, you could hire an $60,000 to $80,000 college graduate to develop an sustainability plan, but you can also have a key person in your company train to be the CSO for your company.

Take note that Fortune 500 companies are racing to install a CSO or CSO team.  Executive Order #13514 demands the installation of a CSO in every government agency.  The new mandates coming from each state and the federal government will require a knowledgeable CSO for every company.  More importantly, the pending requirements to track and account for carbon emissions will be a task that cannot be handled by an amateur.  Of course, when these mandates become pressing, your company can hire an expensive firm to handle these tasks for you, but doesn’t it make sense to train a CSO now who can accomplish this task and keep your company profitable, more efficient, a better environmental citizen, and a credibly Green firm?

Sustainability Officer

One of the interesting concerns of the latest executive order (EO13514) is the call for improvement of the “fleet” in the overall sustainability plan for government agencies.  I strongly feel that this order is a basic template for what is going to be a growing mandate for all businesses.  I would compare this notice to the proverbial “Handwriting on the Wall” that warns each and every business of what is certainly about to fall on businesses everywhere.

What I find also interesting in the approximate 10 point outline of sustainable issues in this order, is the lack of suggestions to take a fleet into a more sustainable operation.  However, I have seen and heard a great number of ideas tossed about.  So, let me list for you the most likely items that will be included under the topic of a Green fleet program:

1. Maintenance and Tune Ups:  The administration continues to believe that well-tuned vehicles and properly inflated tires will cut billions of gallons of fuel from the general consumption.  Not many experts agree with the over-expectations of this tactic, but they do concede some savings will be realized.
2. GPS and Tracking Systems: The UPS and Fedex models have been an amazing lesson in efficiency and innovation.  The ability to better plan routes, consolidate deliveries, and localize vehicles for maximum affect is something that GPS, the Internet, and computerized services now offer.
3. Light and Smaller Trucks:  Efficiency is the basic rule here.  Therefore, the replacement vehicles need to be scaled to the demand.  This calls for flexibility and better strategies for vehicle use.
4. Washing Options:  Car washes are an example of heavy water use.  Newer facilities are recovering and recycling wash water, and using better techniques for washing vehicles with minimum water use.
5. Company cars:  The review of company car use is probably going to eventually fall under scrutiny as well.  It has tax implications as well as a lack of oversight.
6. Logistics and Carriers:  Trucking materials from coast to coast may be a poor investment.  Common carriers can consolidate shipping orders and move them to strategically located warehouses that fulfill orders.  Long distance hauling might be better handled by these logistic programs that minimize transportation and handling costs.
7. Alternative Fuels:  Ethanol and bio-diesel will be a positive option for Greener fleets.  We are left to speculate at battery and hydrogen powered vehicles that will hopefully make it to market.

As I have said many times before, sustainable businesses are often taking a piecemeal or patchwork approach to Going Green.  The need for a comprehensive approach to the Green or Sustainable business requires a more comprehensive plan.  It appears that the administration agrees with me, because one of the 10 points of this executive order was the requirement to install a Certified Sustainability Officer (CSO) or Green Officer (CGO) who is charged with producing a plan and submitting that plan to the Department of Energy (DOE) and Council of Environmental Quality (CEQ).  I take from this that every business will need a Sustainability or Green Officer and they will be required to have a Sustainability plan that will be annually scrutinized.

In light of the glaring realities that will eventually shine on all corporations and businesses, I suggest that now is the right time to get started with training and installing a Sustainability or Green Officer for your company.

The present environmental issues are haunted by several preconceived beliefs that unfortunately hinder the wide-spread acceptance of a more evolved process now in market today.  These prevailing concerns are that Going Green is both inconvenient and a larger bite into available dollars.  These threats are often pushed aside because of the greater challenge of saving the world from environmental disaster and the anticipated calculation of savings realized over the next fifteen to twenty years.  These reasons were enough of a rationale for the environmentally-concerned, but it did not convince the rest of America to change their lifestyles.

Let’s consider another prevalent issue, which is the natural penchant we all have for convenience.  The last few generations have passed through an extended period of throw-away possessions and single use everything.  Convenience has become as integral part of our lifestyle as red meat.  We have left behind a period of time when we casually adopted the concept of “planned obsolescence.” Conservation, recycling, or stewardship were not common words.  We were literally “Consumers,” and everyone liked it just that way.

Here’s the ugly, present truth!  Our lives are no longer about convenience, but now require that we do what is the right thing to do in a world predicted to expand to a population of nine billion people.  Our habits are no longer about convenience in a world that now calculates “what is left” of our worldwide resources.  And, our future is not longer about convenience, as we find that our trash and polluted waste threatens to return to us in very unfriendly ways.  Life, in all its many variations, is now about stewardship and doing the right thing.

People and business everywhere are now facing a lifestyle renovation that will either be voluntary, or be mandated by regulations if we cannot change on our own.  Change is now a great deal more than a political slogan.  It is where we are in this point of world history, and those who cannot change will eventually bemoan the fact that government will happily and awkwardly enforce.

My report, however has some very good news.  Change may be the new rule as this generation willingly adopts the new patterns of a more environmental lifestyle, but costs are no longer a real barrier to anyone.  We are now learning that Going Green actually brings new efficiencies that will increase the bottom line of a home or business.  The return on investment need not be a 15-20 year calculation, but can be a 1-2 year reward.  For example, a 25% savings on electric can be a big help to almost any budget, and that is easy to accomplish with proper guidance.  Green businesses need not change much of what they do in life; but if they take this change seriously, it is possible to realize a 30-40% energy savings.  The fact is that Going Green can save money in your office supplies, manpower costs, water, and heating bills to name a few ideas.  A professional Green renovation can save not merely hundreds of dollars, but thousands of dollars each and every year.

We have all heard the recent predictions of our energy future.  We are regrettably being told to expect 100%, 200%, and even 300% increases in the cost of energy. This fact will magnify the savings of what is done to improve our consumption today.  So, the best question is, “What is holding us back?”  It is most likely our mistaken beliefs that becoming a Green business is a sacrifice that we must make without a solid reason for making the sacrifices needful at this time.  But, this type of thinking is a throwback to an era when Green was relatively new and immature.

A Certified Green Consultant has been trained to do more than guide a business in the adoption of Green practices and the certification of Green businesses.  They also know how to create strong savings and beef up the profits of a Green motivated company.  These savings are magnified many times over as years pass and prices go up.   Going Green is no longer the venue of amateurs because doing it badly is both costly and inconvenient.  An authentically Green business is the kind of program that pays the best dividends to those install Green practices the right way.

Sustainable Business. Admittedly, one of my big issues in this industry is the misuse and lack of definition of the terms that we use. The word sustainable is a little better understood, but nonetheless badly used words in the grand dictionary of environmental terms. To start the process, it may be best to provide a terse definition for sustainability, and that is “Resource Management.”

The most popular definition of sustainability can be traced to a 1987 UN conference. It defined sustainable developments as those that “meet present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs”(WECD, 1987). Robert Gillman, editor of the In Context magazine, extends this goal oriented definition by stating “sustainability refers to a very old and simple concept (The Golden Rule)…do onto future generations as you would have them do onto you.”

This parallels the Great Law of the Iroquois Indians that stated, “In every deliberation, we must consider the impact on the seventh generation… even if it requires having skin as thick as the bark of a pine.” This belief parallels the concept of sustainability in a generation that had more than enough natural resources at their disposal. It should never be about how much we have to spend, but how well we spend it. The concept of stewardship infers that we really don’t own things but are temporary caretakers of whatever we presently control.

The sustainable business is frankly an important aspect of the overall picture since industry, business, or commerce uses a lot of resources with enough capital to be waste. A sense of expediency prevails in this community that creates a a “Whatever it takes” mentality. This needs to change, and it is changing albeit far too slow for the environmental crisis that we face. Therefore, the sustainable business model means a more responsible company that does not allow expedience to rule when given the choice between waste and conservation of our resources.

We know that the recycling mantra is, “Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle;” but the depth of application goes well beyond the trash container behind the building. It happens at every level of the business process. It involves energy, water, and waste management. It is a call to step into the modern era of business opportunity with a truly “Paperless Office.” It considers more than the marketing department boasting of Green merits, and promotes the Green purchasing processes of the company.

Does it come as a surprise that a “Sustainable Company” may not be a “Green Company?” Going Green is primarily about the “Health Impact” of the business, which starts with the Indoor Air Quality and considers the numerous issues that impact the indoor air and all that we do to essentially poison it.

Eventually, it becomes obvious that when we understand the depth and extend of the environmental issues, our present skill set, knowledge base, and limited activities are not enough to properly solve the problem. It is at this point that the astute business will seek out a Certified Green Consultant who can act as an outsourced Green Adviser to any company. If properly trained, the Certified Green Consultant will add another fantastic value to the company he or she serves. Going Green will literally save a growing business thousands upon thousands of dollars in ways most can’t imagine. Going Green is more than a health issue, even as being sustainable is more than preservation of resources. To the smart company, it is a huge money savings that pays sizable dividends year after year.