Green Business Awareness

By now we all know that washing our hands is an important part of disease prevention.  It has been all over the television, and yet there are still things that need to be understood about handwashing.   As this clip points out, the Ethyl alcohol can be dangerous if consumed.  Doesn’t this send a message about how Green we are when pushed a little.

Another note of interest is the bacterial soap is not any more effective than normal soap.  20 second of good handwashing is the best suggestion which is about the some length of time it takes to sing, “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.”  There is further concern about bacterial soap and the very real ability of bacteria to morph and develop immunities to any threat.  This is why doctors do not like to over-prescribe antibiotics.  They know that bacteria have a very unnerving way to mutating to something that they continue to see as a threat.

So, let’s get down to the simple stuff.  Wash your hands like your mother told you.  Use normal soap and water, and don’t be hasty.  If you want a really great kind of soap that comes from a very Green process, look into castile soap.  It is most often made from natural olive oil, its good for the skin, and doesn’t pollute.

Here’s my pique with the H1N1 mania.  Yes, it is a problem, and it could turn into a pandemic; but we do not have to the Green protocol in our daily operation.  The best solution is a proactive cleaning program that does not include the dangerous products like bleach, ammonia, and alcohol.  When school or business encounters a spreading infection, they call out the shock troops who come in a spray, slather, and scrub with some really awful chemicals.  At that point, all Green consideration is thrown out the door.  The problem is that there are reasonable and very Green ways to disinfect.

A massive cleaning project also misses the obvious.  These diseases came in from the community and enter the school and business.  The very next day after a major sanitizing project, the facility will be re-infected.   One of the first areas to examine iw whether the cleaning service is Green Clean Certified.  If not, they are playing at Green.  Secondly, take a trip to the janitorial closet and prepare yourself for a shock of unGreen products that you will find.  Most janitorial services are merely token Green at best, and need to step up their game.

During the infection cycle, increase the frequency of cleaning.  This need not be a whole building cleaning, but the regular cleaning of the “High Touch” areas, like: doornobs, light switches, the copy machine panel, keyboards, and countertops.  If the service isn’t able to do this, assign a person in your building to spot clean the prime contact areas with a Green product.

Be sure to use a microfiber cleaning cloth that is able to clean surfaces batter than any other cloth.  Also, make sure that employees are told to stay home if they are sick.  In this age of computer mobility, it seems reasonable that an employee can do some needful work right from home.  Everyone has a cell phone and an Internet connection.  If you have done the right thing and installed the paperless system in your business operation, the work at home idea is feasible and practical.

Inoculations and vaccines are helpful to break the cycle of disease as well.  Most every virus spreads from person to person.  Bacterial infections can spread by indirect contact.  Therefore, if a segment of the society is immunized from the pending virus, it forms a kind of firebreak to the encroachment of the target disease.  So, N1H1 is not an uncommon threat.  36,000 people die from the flu every year according to the CDC.  H1N1 presents an aggressive and fast-moving disease that could be a literal pandemic.  So, let’s get back to the basics and realize that the first line of defense is good sanitation processes.

In case you haven’t heard, President Obama has recently signed Executive Order 13514, which moves the Green issue several steps forward.  This executive order is an extension of George Bush’s executive order 13423.  While President George W. Bush issued executive order 13423 covering climate change issues, the significant difference between the Obama Executive Order on climate change and the previous one concerned the focus on the primary problem - greenhouse gas reduction.  Agencies must now monitor and report their GHG output and comply with other environmental requirements.  It must be noted that the order impacts government agencies, but can the same mandates for corporations in America be far behind? 

Other notable inclusions are the requirements for a “Steering Committee” and a “Sustainability or Green Officer” to be installed.  A casual reading of the executive order will reveal a few very interesting insights.  Many of the demands are very reasonable.  The use of duplex mode for printers, purchasing Energy Star equipment, and a reduction of our potable water.  The tracking of Green House Gases (GHG) is yet another interesting step into a new pattern of operation.

Many may not be aware of a 2007 Supreme Court decision that required the EPA to regulate green house gases under the powers already vested with the EPA under the Clean Air Act.   The little known fact is that the Cap and Trade legislation is not necessary because the basic tools needed for control of carbon emissions are already in place.  EPA has been slow to step up to the plate on this because it is an immense new responsibility that still lacks guidelines and compliance regulations.

Some may feel satisfied that the new executive order applies only to government agencies, and such assurance is misleading.  The stars are aligning for more invasive Green regulations.  We will see the demand for Green buildings continue, but the recession is hurting this except in the governmental sector.  What we are watching is the gradual movement to the inclusion of Green Practices.   This is where the strength of the Green Business League comes into play.  While others are focused on green house gases, carbon offsets, alternative power, and construction issues; the Green Business League has built one of the greatest field forces in the country with nearly 300 trained Certified Green Consultants nationally.  Their mission is quite simply, Green Practices. 

Green Practices are seen as a universal solution to a universal problem.  A business need not own the building in order to earn a credible Certified Green Business status.  By looking at the everyday practices of any kind of business, Green consultants identify hundreds of possible improvements in the daily operation.  Every Green Practice is given a point value that can add up to enough points to earn the GBL Green business certification.  Unlike so many other Green programs offered online, this certification is “Earned, not Bought” according to the requirements of the Green Business League.

Two issues will eventually begin to spread over to aspiring Green businesses.  These issues are the installation of a Green committee and a Green Office whose task it is to prepare an honest Green plan for the company.  Too often such committees resemble the same committee that planned the company picnic, and have possessed only marginal training for the task.  It seems obvious that the Green officer or Green committee must move from a casual or low-impact effort to a serious part of every company’s operation.  It doesn’t matter if the person is a Sustainability officer or Green officer, the all-too-clear message is that business must take the leadership in Green programming or face an increasing regulatory pressure.

Businesses can resolve the Green or Sustainability Officer problem in one of two creative and effective ways.  Send your key inhouse person or persons to the Green Officer Training program that is offered as a broad scope environmental training program online.   Or hire an outsourced expert as an economical way to have a high quality professional working with your company.  Both options bring the added benefit of a comprehensive planning program that addresses all the concerns found in executive order 13514, and a few more.  As this mandate goes from a voluntary issue to federal requirement on all businesses, your firm will already be in full compliance.

Businesses across America should make no mistake about the pressure that is coming to create certified Green businesses.  We see it rising as a hot issue on the horizon, but we will soon be at high noon for Green compliance.  The Obama administration does not care about the economic slow down.  They are passing rules and using their clout to press their agenda into place.  One thing is sure.  It is best not to wait for these regulations to hit your business all at once.  It is the smart move to get your Green program out of the greenwashing phase and into the Green practices program.  The Green Business League is the best way to make this happen.  Designate your Green officer right away, either by using the Green Officer Training program or by requesting the assistance of a Certified Green Consultant.  In the end, we will all be winners, and your company will discover an unexpected benefit.  All GBL trained personnel know how to make Green pay huge dividends.  Going Green as a business is also a way to save a great deal of money, increase productivity, and create a great marketing opportunity.  It is suggested that businesses lead, not follow, this Green revolution.

It may seem like a old idea, but it is still a good idea.  Innovation is a hundred times better than governmental solutions.  Proof of this has recently come across my desk as I reviewed the latest wind turbine ideas.  A Massachusetts company called FlowDesign has recreated the problematic large-bladed wind turbine concept.  This is proof of the fundamental idea that private industry needs encouragement rather than more regulation.

We might note that even the renown T Boone Pickens has all but abandon the great wind turbine project that he so heartily championed a year ago.  The good idea relied on the belief that these huge windmills would produce large amounts of “free energy.”  The cost of installation and the ongoing operational costs  made this project unfeasible.  The late-arriving realization is that they huge windmills are costly, unsightly, and not very efficient.

I had long said that the windmill solution is the problem child of the alternative energy sector because it has so many downsides.  Windmills can be noisy, visually unattractive, liability threats, and costly to install.  Also, they do not work in light wind and cannot operate in high winds.  This leaves a smaller window for energy production.  Lastly, we must consider the actual energy conversion.  Wind power, as much as we like the idea, is not as simple a solution as it sounds.

FlowDesign has adapted the traditional windmill to something that resembles jet engine technology.  The unit is smaller, allows wider wind speed margins, and is more efficient in energy production.  You have to ask, why we spent so many million (or billions) on a solution that seems like a flashback to the Dutch windmill era?

The same question can be applied to the GFL bulb that has minute amounts of mercury in the bulb.  We know that the disposal of millions of these bulbs creates yet another ecological hazard.   The better solution seems to be the LED lights that are nearly large scale application.  Organic LED adds greater reason to put this on the fast track for broad application.

Finally, I have to ask why are we still chasing ethanol from corn?  The logic is quickly lost as we realize that it takes food out the of the system to generate fuel for our cars.  The obvious genius of hydrogen power calls for a Manhattan-like project to make hydrogen cheap to produce.  Thinking of fuel from water is simply too good to bypass.

As we face en energy crisis in the foreseeable future, the government’s penchant for throwing money at pet projects, pork barrel dead ends, and faulty ideas should stop.  I advocate that the smart money should go to create tax incentives and funding for smart technology that will break the back of the the ugly issues threatening our livelihood on many levels.  The current administration has already eclipsed the spending mania of past presidents.  Congress has passed budgetary bills that had made our national debt a nightmare, and the public voice seems lost on those we voted into power.  This frustration should lead to a mid-term election change where Americans will speaks their mind.

What is needed is not more regulation, taxation, and misguided solutions; but the smart kind of solutions that will take our country to the leaders of the Green technology and innovation.  With the loss of manufacturing jobs and the large unemployment rate now hurting our economy, it is time to take a strong leadership position with great ideas that will make our country better, not poorer.  I sincerely hope that we see more innovation like the ideas coming from FloDesign.

Any company looking to radically improve their Green IQ should work toward their Green business certification by contacting the Green Business League.  If any firm wishes to send their in-house staff to Green Officer Training, consider an upcoming three day training event.  In other words, let’s take on the challenge as smart business and do not wait for legislation to make a needful task into a loathsome and expensive burden.

The economy continues to drag along with hopeful moments that hint at possible recover, but the fact is that nearly every segment of business has been impacted by this recession.  It is easy to fall into defensive attitude that is similar to a siege defense.  Just holding on during the time of trouble is seen by many as the only way to emerge after the storm has passed.  While this is not a business-as-usual cycle, it seems smart to lay the foundations for the recovery that surely must come.   The questions is what will that recovery look like?

Historically, recessions do not go on forever, and twelve to eighteen months seems like a protracted period for what is otherwise a nation anxious to do better and with resources to make a recovery happen.  Even though we are told that the recovery will be slow, frankly, no one knows.  After a period of “Doing Without,” the cycle might happen with a fervor that no economist might expect.  It seems odd indeed that savings by citizens are on the rise while spending is down.  That might be a good thing after all.

Also, there seems only two futures for us as a country.  It is to plunge into devastating depression or to move forward into a brighter future that we all desperately seek.  My money is on a brighter day for families and business.  Concerns about a confiscatory and over-controlling government has people scared and dubious of what has been a government that loves power more than the prosperity of its people.  Nonetheless, there is the collective and historic desire of Americans to work hard, do the necessary things, and return to its position as a world market leader.

The emerging business market will not be the same as the husk now left behind.   The day of “planned obsolescence” is over, and “convenience” must make room for the practical and pragmatic solutions.  The good news is that there are a lot more consumers out there.  In fact, the world as a whole is growing in its consumption.  That means that there is a fundamental vacuum of unmet expectations.  World population growth is both a threat to our world resources and an opportunity to be in a position to service that wanting market.  To do so, business cannot simple turn on the machinery and ramp up production.  Green ethical businesses must be in the formation process now.  The public will skew toward Green businesses that offer the services and products that they need, but they will be skeptical of any company attempting to greenwash its way into their hearts.

Business should know that health (the Green issue) and sustainability (the Blue issue) concerns are going to be big factors in the market as it returns.  It seems somewhat counter intuitive, but this is the time to strategically get your business act together, but please do not do it in a scant method.  Self-appointed Green businesses are going to be cache and wearisome.  Companies that pick up some little-known or locally-promoted Green certification will seem like lightweights.  Frankly, there are only a few good Green business certification out there.  LEED will certify the building, and Green Business League will certify the business.  Both are worthwhile pursuing, but he Green Business League has broader application and is far more affordable.

Thinking Green is not an innate talent.  So, the fact that a company has a Green commitment is usually somewhat short-sighted and limited.  One of the smart options is to get someone with the training and resources to guide the company into a realistic and reputable Green business status.   In this areas, there are two great options.  First, is to find a Certified Green Consultant (www.GreenConsultantDirectory.com) to provide a free assessment for Green business certification.  Secondly, train someone in your firm to be a Green Officer (www.GreenOfficerTraining.com).  Both of these programs work with the Green Business League 100 point system of certification.  In the end, your business will have  an honest Green business certification, and you business will be functioning in a Green manner.  The business will be a respectable Green business in the new market that we will all discover together.

During this interim period, there will be the design to piecemeal the Greening process by taking a little here and a little there.  While this seems more convenient or more affordable, the public is maturing about what Green really means.   Consumers will discern between the amateurs and the real professionals, and there will be a premium for authentically Green businesses.  There is already a loyal group of Green consumers who will travel an extra mile and pay an extra dollar for a Green product, and this group will grow.  As people understand the value and meaning of a Green business, they will seek out companies that mirror their values as well.

The new market will be a Greener market that will not long tolerate pretenders, piecemealers, and Green pretenders.   Therefore, any business that believes in a Greener future will be spending their dollars to earn a serious and nationally-respect Green business certification.   Like the stock market, people tend to buy when the market is high and excited, and they tend to sell when the market is low and sluggish.   Smart investors know that you “Buy low, and sell high.”   Right now is the time to buy into Green and make a solid and credible investment in what promises to be a boom market as we go forward.