GREEN BUSINESS VIEWS

Sustainability is about resource management.  Green, by comparison, looks more critically at the health issue of what we do.   They are related, but they are distinct segments of the environmental problem.  When we think of sustainable issues, it is normal to envision oil, gas, coal, or other commodities.  The latest concern is that water (drinkable water) is a pending crisis issue.  Even the present phobia about climate change could be eclipsed by a more devastating and pragmatic problem as the supply of water becomes a scarce resource.

We have a renewable but limited supply of water.  The obvious problem is that the world population is still growing to new and unprecedented proportions.  As the report shown above demonstrates the findings that global water demand will grow 40 percent from the present 4.5 billion m3 to 6,900 billion m3 by 2030.  (m3 = cubic meter).   As the world population is expected to soon exceed 7 billion people in the world and reach 9 billion people by 2025, some areas will exceed water supply by 50%.

This is a world crisis that will impact some countries more than others.   China, India, South Africa and Brazil account for 40 percent of the world’s population, 30 percent of the global GDP and 43 percent of projected water demand in 2030.   This is a stress that has impact on many areas of normal life.   The global water challenge includes competition for scarce water from multiple uses within a river basin, urbanization, sustainable growth in arid and semi-arid regions, and the relationship between water and energy. Water supply also impacts agriculture for food, feed, fiber and bio-energy as a key demand driver for water

The solutions for meeting this anticipated water solution are speculated to cost $40 to $60 billion in spending to close the gap on this pending issue.  Once again, we see the impact of environmental problems have financial impact on already trouble economies.  The financial impact will not be pure localized.  World crisis issues will put a premium on commodities that we all use.  Note how cheap oil was once, and how the supply and demand drives up the cost for everyone.

This brings us back to the subject of sustainability.  The present status of sustainable practices is most often superficial.  Whether the business is Going Green or applying sustainable practices, the full application of a sustainability plan is too often narrowly considered or superficial.   The reality is that greenwashing is the common practice of nearly every business because there is no way to adequately measure environmentally credible progress,

One company stands out from all the rest by setting a standard of performance that is comprehensive and provides a standard of performance.   The Green Business league differs from all the carefully-crafted Green certification websites offering a Green certification for a fee and a simple self-assessing application.  The Green Business League requires a business to attain a 100 point system that awards points for a wide variety of Green Practices.  To validity of these Green Practices is done by an annual audit of a Certified Green Consultant.

Water management is part of the Sustainability plan that can be composed by a trained Sustainability Officer or a Certified Green Consultant.  Recently, President Obama signed Executive Order 13514 that requires a Sustainability officer for every government agency who will prepare a comprehensive sustainability plan.  It is well past time that self-proclaimed Green businesses step up to the commitment of the hour and train a Certified Sustainability Officer or hire a Certified Green Consultant to prepare a sustainability plan that will also allow the company to achieve a Green Business Certification that can be respected by the public and contribute the real problems of our lifetime.

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