GREEN BUSINESS VIEWS

It may not be the ultimate compliment, but working the way up through the many contenders to be a page one Google site is no small feat.  The Green Business League website is just a part of the overall credibility of the many virtues of the Green Business League, but it is nonetheless a part of the greater effort to show the prowess of this company.

Green Business League ranks well under numerous keywords including the highly-contested “Green Business” keyword.  Unlike the sponsored “paid” ads found on search engines, the “organic” searches by the search engines, like Google or Yahoo, are not easy to achieve.  In the Yahoo search engine, Green Business League ranks page one for “Green business certification.”

Taking the path to an organic Page One listing means that the website must compete with literally millions of other websites in that same category.  The competition becomes exponentially more difficult as companies reach the top three pages.  Only ten websites are listed per page, which means that moving up in these rankings requires both time and money.

Green Business League is the leading Green business certification in the United States with offices opening in Canada, Mexico, South America, Puerto Rico, and South Africa.  The Green Business League takes a bold stand against greenwashing tactics that are prevalent in the increasing number of certification websites.

The Green Business league is also the sponsor of the Corporate Sustainability Officer training program being offered by numerous agencies and colleges.

Green Real Estate Education has been working with the Green Business League to create green education courses online.  The challenge of this cycle of environmental awareness is developing the skills to effectively promote a Green and sustainable program in any kind of business.  Online courses are the perfect (and ecological solution) for a learning opportunity.  And it is reasonable to expect such training to spread like wildfire through universities, colleges, workforce programs, and adult education programs.  Green training courses are now expanding in the southwest region of the United States.

Projects are not as plentiful as other parts of the country but that will change as Green Real Estate Education courses are going to be offered in Oklahoma City.  The company has hired a Regional Director in Oklahoma that will handle expansion in Oklahoma and Texas.

“In the fall, we will have 15 courses in 150 colleges nationwide available. We offer the most cost effective “fast track” green training for job creation for the workforce.” Says Kerry Mitchell, President of Green Real Estate Education.

The courses the company offers fills a gap for much needed green education for workforce and adult education, in colleges and vo-tech centers. With training in recycling, waste management, sustainability, green building, renovating green, the courses feature the benefits of implementing green principles into the marketplace.   Green officer training programs have been developed with the help of the prestigious Green Business League.

Green Real Estate Education also is the leader for “green educational” programs in the United States for those in professions in service to the real estate industry. Mitchell Says. ” Many of our programs include a certification and are recognized by state and national organizations and many grant continuing education credits but they are really for all who have an interest in green building, understanding energy ratings, saving on utility bills or in sustainable construction techniques in either building new or in renovating existing structures.  They deliver courses on line and in a classroom setting.

Some of the courses offer CE credits or are for those who just want to earn a green designation to market.  Many have a curiosity of what “green building” is and how it will impact the building careers. Green Real Estate Education can deliver their courses for CSR, Waste Management, Sustainability Planning, Real Estate Agent or Mortgage Professional courses on line and can all be taken 24/7.

Green Real Estate Education, established in 2006, has educated 6,500 and continues to grow and is on target to educate more than 10,000 professionals in going green by 2011. The company offers their certification programs on site, on line and in webinar formats. Green Real Estate Education welcomes other online affiliate partner opportunities to expand awareness of green training and their Level One Green Leadership certification programs. For more information, visit www.greenrealestateeducation.com.

In my recent visit to Cartagena, Columbia brought fresh light on the subject of the vast difference in the level of practice of Green and sustainable practices.  I have found firms modestly invested, heavily invested, and negligibly invested in the Greening process.   While this is not technically a race, it is an urgent goal that requires something that I feel can be delivered by nearly any business from any level of the economy or world.  That investment is simple stated as “Progress.”

I am utterly convinced that progress is the path to the promised land, and that we only lack in willing participants to turn a modest effort into a highway of environmental accomplishment.  Two factors are the core of the whole subject matter.  Environmentalism will only succeed when there is: 1) Widespread participation, and 2) knowledge of great solutions that can be applied to the challenge.

If the decade of Green rhetoric is finally done, it is then time to progress into an era of increased frequency (participation) and amplitude (more solutions) at any level of life.  The two ugliest lied are that this is the task for more empowered people to address, or that one’s scant efforts are all that is required.  Those of few resources are as obligated as those with many resources, except that the scope of ability changes.  The environment is everyone’s battle and the tasks for each of us will vary.

Europe has taken bold strides forward, other great nations are finally finding their way, and less powerful nations now strive to become a Green and reduce their carbon emissions.  Is it enough?  It is not, but the expectations should not be encompassed in a day or a year; but from the willingness to make progress by greater participation and embracing more solutions.

The world should not be seen in the jaundice eyes of who has resources and who does not, but in the commitment that brings to the collective challenge.  In fact, the progress of the smallest business is not meaningless because a larger business can do more.  The volume may not be as important as the progress made.  A large company should be embarrassed to replace a few lights and say, “Good enough,” because it shows negligible progress for the opportunity is has to do more.  Whereas a small company choosing to recycle paper and plastics may actually be more impressive because it is a serious step forward.

In the global view of Green business, I care less and less for those who promote Green rhetoric while making only token efforts to apply the available resources to install a sustainable plan.  I would suggest that the smartest first step is to install a Certified Green Officer and begin the serious effort of developing a sustainability plan within the company regardless of size.   Find someone in the company who can be trained as a Certified Sustainability Officer and have your sustainable people involved in The Sustainable Forum.

There are good reasons to considered a Green business certification and installing a sustainability officer.  People think they’re healthier and more productive after moving their office space into “green” buildings, according to a recent study published on the American Journal of Public Health’s website.  This is according to a USA Today article taken from Associated Press.  There is more than perception involved in this equation because we know that poor indoor air quality is part of good health and good productivity.  Everyone has felt the afternoon dip in energy, the nagging headache, or even sleepiness that comes without good cause.

The same article says, “The authors estimated a small benefit to employees suffering from asthma and respiratory allergies. Those people would gain 1.75 more work hours per year working in the new building because they would take less sick time.  The biggest boost comes in perceived productivity.  The study’s authors extrapolated that employees could each work about 39 more hours a year in the new building because of different working conditions such as better light, air quality and ventilation.”

This is not only from possible outgassing from building components and furniture in the office.  Bad air is the byproduct of the cleaning service, pesticide use, poor ventilation, pollution infiltration, and the daily wear and tear of every business.

However, getting an building or office on the path to improvement does not come from casual concern.  One of the notable efforts to the sustainability officer is to address the IAQ along with the many issues of making a company Green.  In a holistic approach to environmental improvement, IAQ, energy reduction, water and waste management, lighting, supply chain, and numerous other issues are brought into the planning.  The air quality is a factor, but so is the quality of the lighting.  We have not yet touched on the carbon footprint issue or Green IT.

To solve these issues before the government start clamping down on compliance, more and more Fortune 500 companies are developing Certified Sustainability Officers (CSO) and getting them into a good training program.  The best training program for any level sustainability officer is found at http://www.CertifiedSustainabilityOfficer.com or http://www.CorporateSustainabilityOfficer.com.

Existing sustainable officers are encouraged to look into The Sustainable Forum to build their resources and community impact.

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 by the Green Business League.  Find our more at www.CertifiedSustainableOfficer.com.  If you are already acting as a CSO in your company, you will want to check out The Sustainable Forum.  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?  See also Corporate Sustainability Officer