GREEN BUSINESS VIEWS

Posts Tagged ‘sustainable business’

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

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

In high-powered corporate environments, the need of one or more college-trained sustainability officers may be the way to go; but for the vast majority, the concept of a CSO is still new.   Of course, the cost of hiring a sustainability officer or bringing in a consulting firm may be equally expensive.  The solution is to train one of your existing employees to handle what is certain to be a great deal of industry and governmental environmental-type demands.

The role of the Certified Sustainability Officer is the role as an in-house person who is trained and skilled to provide environmental guidance to the company as it refines its operational programming.  This should never be a person will a willing spirit, but not lacking in expertise.  The environmental questions are no longer a matter of good will and token gestures.   We are entering a period where greenwashing and token efforts are being rejected as inadequate responses to a giant environmental challenge faced by all of us.

The Sustainable Forum is launching monthly peer-review and training events across America and Canada.  The goal is to have a representative from every business in the community to provide an ongoing support system of best practices for sustainability plans.  Also, the community at-large will benefit from the collective efforts of The Sustainable Forum in the area.

There is no membership fee, although there may be shared costs for the meeting room requirements.  It doesn’t matter if the attendees are already acting as sustainability officers, have been thrown in to duty, or want to become a sustainability officer.  The goal of The Sustainable Forum is to raise up a standing army of well-schooled, and well-equipped professio0nals who have the resources to provide a superior sustainability plan for any business.

The primary duty of the sustainability officer is to create a comprehensive and well-designed sustainability plan.  There isn’t a great deal of quality training for this business-related task.  The Green Business League is the leader in Green business applications, and has been training Certified Sustainability Officer longer than anyone else.  Many have found the training needed at www.CertifiedSustainabilityOfficer.com, but now there is even a better solution.

The Sustainable Forum is launched hundreds of these monthly programs designed specifically for those serving (or wishing to serve) as the sustainability officer for a company.  This is not a networking event, but a peer-review, educational meeting designed to better equip those serving as CSO of their company, large or small.  Meetings are scheduled once a month, and missed meetings will be allowed to review the event by a nationally-presented archive version.  This is a great idea, and the right time!

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.  Sustainability officer training can be best obtained at www.SustainabilityOfficerTraining.com.  If you wish to outsource this duty, we suggest the affordable services of a Certified Green Consultant working with the Green Business League.

There is one trend that seems to have enduring value. The environment is not an easily resolved concern, and climate change is an emerging issue that has long term implications.   Yet, there are those who seem to have hesitation about the true impact of these issues on their business.  Rather than embracing this as an opportunity, the default position is to go toward a “Token Green” or “Easy Green” status.  The lesson yet to be learned is that Going Green as a business shows leadership, integrity, and public concern. These are aspects of public perception that can be faked, but not for long.

Token Green refers to the rather universal tactic of doing only the minimum required to thereafter dub themselves a Green business.  Such timid efforts to represent a Green business on the most superficial efforts will eventually fall prey to the same embarrassment as the “Emperor’s New Clothes.”  It is adverse marketing to make claims as a Green business when the commitment level is about the same effort as planning the last company picnic. We are all familiar with the saged remark, “If its worth doing, its worth doing right!”  This is definitely true of the environmental issues of our day.  No business should claim to be a Green business using token Green tactics.  The need for an authentic Green business certification is the smart choice to curb abuse and misrepresentation by any good business.

Easy Green comes from the new and novel offerings that allow a business to gain a Green business logo from an amateur operation.  As a child, who hasn’t bought a plastic badge and pretended to be the sheriff?   What child hasn’t put on the shoes and clothes of their parents pretending to be “all grown up.”   Who of us hasn’t bought a watch or piece of jewelry thinking that these items have improved the opinion of others about who we are?  Buying your way into a program is not the same as earning your way to pubic respect.   Therefore, it seems basic intelligence to avoid the Easy Green programs and elect for something that has obvious merit.

The obvious choice for any business is to work toward an “Authentically Green Business.”  This authentic status means that Green is not superficial nor a one-time effort.  Such authenticity starts with the understanding that Green is progressive.  A serious program does not happen once or in sporadic efforts. It is a kind of behavior modification effort that pervades the total business operation.  The effort is not a token or an easy buy in.  The value is found in the willingness to demonstrate a whole-hearted commitment to become an authentically Green business.

The marketing aspect of an authentically Green business is obvious.  The Green business certification can be validated by audits, national standards, and an ongoing program of operational improvement.  The one program that offers this level of Green business certification that reflects a full scale commitment comes from the Green Business League.  This program provides professional guidance and nationwide recognized through more than 250 Certified Green Consultants.   Using a 100 point systems that is accomplished by the adoption of a variety of Green Practices to literally earn a Green business certification that is audited and honest.  That is something worthy of marketing and promoting to the consuming public.

Marketing, as we have been told, comes from an understanding of branding.  Building your company’s public reputation on Token Green or Easy Green efforts is an incredible mistake.  Knowing that there is a way to implement a Green program that can be validated and certified is the starting point for the Green marketing that will follow.  Once the foundation of the marketing plan is in place, a public relations campaign has the legs needed to gain public support and loyalty.