GREEN BUSINESS VIEWS

Posts Tagged ‘green business certification’

Sure, it’s a great idea to construct a Green building, but who has the money in this economy?  What happens if you don’t have a building in construction?  Doesn’t it seem as though the vast majority of businesses (that rent, lease, or own but can’t afford Green renovation) are frankly left out of the process.  This leaves open the door for more dubious ways to “Go Green.”  How about buying Green Products, and being labels Green in a proxy manner.  We know that owning golf clubs does not make you a real golfer, so how does buying Green products make a company into a Green business?

In 2005, the Green Business League saw a huge gap in the environmental puzzle.  Green buildings and Green products were great ideas; but if the people were not engaged, we were only fooling ourselves.  When it came to Green practices, the best we could see was a scatter gun approach of ideas of all kinds.  Of course, we all heard about CFL bulbs, programmable thermostats, and putting the correct amount of air in the tires.  Was that it?  America lags a decade behind Europe in Green implementation, and all we had to offer was the top 10 Green ideas, and that was it!

Green practices (behaviors) were the third leg of a three-legged stool that would complete the Green puzzle.  It was our daily activities that was the most powerful concept of them all.  Frankly, it is possible to be in a Green building and purchase Green products, and still be an environmental idiot.  Drive through the parking lot of some of these Green buildings and you will find Hummers, Mercedes, and Maxivans, but the bike rake (part of the Green building requirements) is empty.

Under the Green practices concept, the Green Business League has develop more than 400 Green practices and apply a point system to each practice.  This was the first universally applied point system for Green practices.  The practices ranged from simple to difficult, but covered all types of businesses.   From this GBL derived a Master Points List that had several specialty lists for unique types of businesses.  A list by itself is a good road map, but there is a need to actually bring these ideas into the daily operation of the company.

There is an upside and a downside to making Green practices the core of the process.  The upside is that any person, home, agency, school, or business type can now participate in the greater effort.  One of the most important aspects of the environmental movement is inclusion.  So, regardless of your building or the products that may be purchased, any business could install Green practices, and once audited, could earn a bona fide Green business certification.

The downside is that behaviors are not easily changed.  We are creates of habit and convenience.  Therefore, people most often make only transitory efforts into a Green lifestyle, and then revert back if it wasn’t a rewarding experience.  After all, how easy is it to drag around a reusable water bottle than it is to toss a plastic one away when you are done?  Or, how many people want a Prius when they have three kids?

Therefore, we see a need to reinforce the new, Green practices that are treated as an initially good idea.  That is why GBL is calling for a Green Officer (CSO) to be placed in every business.  Some know this job as the sustainability officer.  During the training of a Certified Sustainability Officer, they are taught the implementation is only the starting point.  It will take 3 to 5 years for the Green practices to become institutionalized.

Most Green program degenerate shortly after implementation.  The same thing happens to the numerous community programs that we see cropping up now.  Good ideas have a brief shelf life, and then begin to fade.  When there is a committed Certified Sustainability Officer in place, the Green program has a chance of survival and the expectation that it will become the norm for the company’s operation.

GBL encourages all businesses regardless of size to appoint or install a Certified Sustainability Officer in their company.  There is no urgent need to hire a $90,000 college graduate for this task.  One of the best training programs in America can be found at www.CertifiedSustainabilityOfficer.com. If a company trains and supports a CSO as their in-house Green officer, the potential of a truly Green business has legs and can become a profitable investment into the future of the business and the community.

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.

Just recently Team Horner (or HornerExpress) earned its Green Business Certification through the Green Business League.  Like other conscientious companies, Horner refused to go the “Greenwashed Route” and decided that Team Horner should have a respected credential that was earned through an independent third party process.  Bill Kent, the president of Team Horner worked with Kurt Morrow, a Certified Green Consultant, to go through the assessment process.

Bill Kent is a low key leader who vests trust and credit with his leadership and workers.  Regardless of what seems to be a friendly and low-stress approach, an international operation runs from this Fort Lauderdale business center.   The sales division has operators ready to speak nearly any language and ship from worldwide distribution points.  While Team Horner operates as the largest poll service in Florida, it has affiliates throughout the United States and the world.  This is just of many surprises from this unassuming business center in Fort Lauderdale.

Not only has the Team Horner operation Gone Green and earned the GBL Green business certification, but Team Horner has an R&D division pushing Green technology into the pool business.

One of the greatest sources of pride is the AquaCal Heat pump that can greatly reduce the costs of heating and cooling a pool.  Depending on energy costs, an AquaCal heat pump can save you up to 80% over propane gas, 50% to 70% over natural gas, and over 600% against electrical resistance heaters found on most spas.  Pools are popular everywhere, and we all know that they require work to keep them up.  Traditional methods of solar blankets and enduring coll water days may be a thing of the past.

Team Horner’s R&D division has also developed AutoPilot salt chlorine generators, which represent the next generation of superior pool solutions.  The task of maintaining a safe and sanitary pool required a constant testing process and hit-and-miss process to get the pool just right.  With the AutoPilot system, the process is completely automated and the need to handle and store dangerous chemicals like chlorine has been eliminated.   This falls under the category of “Source Reduction” and “Green alternatives” since using salt is a better solution that also requires less chemical use.

Team Horner has also installed a Certified Sustainability Office to further the environmental agency of this operations.  Connie Sue Centrella has started her training as a CSO, which is yet another facet of her service within the company.  To find out more about the CSO program go to www;CertifiedSustainabilityOfficer.com and look into the program for The Sustainable Forum.

The Green Business League commends Team Horner for their commitment to Green leadership in this market segment.  Examples like this prove that there is no type of business that cannot improve its Environmental IQ.   It takes a willingness to start and the determination to make continued progress as a company with a bright and Green future.

Catching a wave is better than paddling ashore.   In many ways, business is about opportunity as well as good planning.  So, the concept of being “First” shows leadership, business prowess, and a savvy understanding of the market.  Green business certification is the hot issue of the hour, and will only increase in value.  Isn’t it odd, that there is such universal heel-dragging on a subject that everyone knows is so vital to our daily lives?  Leadership for Green business is way behind the need for positive action.

The Green movement is still in its early cycle.  The vast majority of businesses now trying to capitalize on the subject are taking the wrong path of token or makeshift Green certifications that actually shows a lack of integrity that will be embarrassing later on.   This moment represents a time in which real leadership will stand up and do what is right.  It is called the “First Mover” advantage.  WalMart has already shown the way, but each industry has the opportunity to become the leader of their market segment as well.

This is certainly not done by adopting Greenwashing tactics by signing up with self-assessing website programs.  Buying a Green certification from greedy Internet opportunists is disingenuous and foolish.  The public is deceived when a certification logo brags of compliance, but no compliance is required by most Green certification offers.  This form of “Easy Green” is frankly a “Pay to Play” approach that collects a fee and requires no audit to be performed.

The Green Business League strongly objects to Greenwashing tactics, and never offers Green business certification in a blind self-assessment manner.  Every audit is don’t by a trained professional and uses a nationally-applied Green points system leading to Green certification.

Being the leader and first mover in your industry and community has a huge market value, but we should not forget that Going Green can be a big cost reduction benefit as well.  There should be no doubt as to what is coming to every business over the next few years.  There will be two kinds of businesses: “Those that have become Green, and those that wish they had Gone Green sooner.”  Avoiding a Green operation would be like running a business today with manual typewriters today.  Why hamper business by being out of step with the rest of the world?

The Green Business League has set a credible standard for all industry types.  Because GBL deals with Green Practices rather than the construction of Green buildings, any business can participate.   The question is whether your company will seize the opportunity to take the leadership before others figure it out.  This is the nature of leadership, and leadership says a lot about your company.  But, this opportunity will pass.  Others will step up, and

Let’s visit the bizzaar world of marketing where the concept of “Reality is What We make It” is a serious business.  In the show, “Wag the Dog” with Robert Dino and Dustin Hoffman, the story line was the incredible belief that perceptions could be manipulated to the point of mass deception and the corruption of national policy.  Out of thin air, a story could be manufactured and used for less-than-honest purposes.  While it is just another movie plot, it has foundations in reality.

The manipulation of Green has had similar less-than-honest promoters as well.  Some have set out to purposely paint their company Green while not caring for the truth.  One Pennsylvannia business owner reported, “I doubt really care about all the environmental stuff.  I just want to be Green because it is gaining popularity.”  

Some companies like the “Do It Yourself” approach and rennovate their website and advertising now to show that the company is now all bout Green.  Don’t ask them how they got there because it quickly turns into an embarassing converstion.

In the same genre of blatant Greenwashing are the dozens of website based certifications.  From an obscure office and a negligable staff of consisting of web programmers, these Green certifications appear online with glowing credentials, harvested lists of “customers,” and a very environmental-sounding message. 

Here’s the fact, if you can buy your Green certification off the Internet with the same ease as an iTune, it is a scam and it is a Greenwashing program.  Worse yet, these company include you in the scam.  When you post there nicely-designed logo on your company’s website or door, you are lying too.   There was no audited process, there was no independent review, there may not have been a shred of truth in those online questionnaires.  What there was was an online transaction where a $5 logo was bought for $500.  Such is the nature of these scams.  It is a carefully crafted series of lies that seems to actually make sense when we don’t have your ethics or commone sense engaged.

Greenwashing is fundamentally, lying about the truth of the Green value of what actually exists.  So, here’s a question.  If a customer asks one of these Internet Green certified csutmers asked, “How did you EARN your Green certification?”; will they asnwer honest and say “We bought it off the Internet, filled in a few forms that noone verified, and now we’re Green certified!”   …. or will they lie!

 The very presence of Green certifications about over the Internet is about on the same level of cyber-sex.  It isn’t real and it isn’t right.  Of course, we all know its out there and there are many that are happy for it.  But, can they really say that it is as good as the real thing?  There are cyber pets, cyber dating, cyber golf, and avatars that allow people to pretend to be what they are not.  Cyber Green is not reality and should not be passed off by businesses as jsut as good as the real thing.

The Green Business Leaguestands boldly against all forms of Greenwashing declaring that a GBL Green business certification is “Earned, not Bought.”  No business receives the Green Business League certification without going through a live audit and achieving sufficient points for Green Practices actually installed.   Should you find a business with a Cyber Green certification, refuse to do business with these Greenwashed programs.

Consider installing a Certified Sustainability Officer in your company to insure the best method for make your company environmentally-complaint, more sustainable, and more profitable.  It is easy to train a sustainability officer within the company’s staff who will apply appropriate measures to the Green program.  Remember, “What is not measured, cannot be Proved.”