Green Business Awareness

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.

Perhaps you missed the news, but it snowed (or iced) in July in Yonkers, New York.  After a colder than normal winter and a delayed start of summer; it is more than odd to hear of a snow or ice storm in July.  Nonetheless, on July 7th and 8th, the snow moving equipment was called out to clear away as much as 6 inches of a July ice storm.

As President Obama continued expanding the discussion on global warming at the G8 meting in Italy, confusing climatic signs leave many wondering about the realities that they are facing.  The stone wall of finality has some controversial cracks that leave open a question previous closed.  Is global warming anthropogenic (man created) or repeating earth cyclical?

Hard core global warming types argue that we are experiencing extremes as global warming runs its course.  The opposition find ground to believe that they cycle of global warming is self-correcting and now beginning it move back.  Who’s right?  The truth is that there is science on both sides of the debate.

Global warming has been happenings, and this affects the global climate.  Greenhouse gases are good for us since it keep us from a freeze and thaw like other non-atmosphere planets, but it out of balance will cause the dual effects of global warming or global cooling.  You may recall that concerns over volcanic ash could blot out the sun causing a global night that would freeze us in our beds.   This and other doomsday mal-predictions have left a fair amount of skepticism in the radically-based threats.

I guess the summation of these contradictions is that we really don’t know the cause and solution of global warming except by educated guesses.  When it starts and when it ends may not be ours predict.   As I observe the ones who are supposed to know, I detect a bold front and a nervous uncertainty on both sides of the debate.  Everyone wants to be right, or at least to convince everyone that they have the answers.  I’m am not so sure.

About the time I think I have resolved the matter, there is a snow storm in July, a blistering cold winter, and reports of global temperature decline.  It is frankly not only too big a question for me.  I think is is too big a question for any of us though we may postulate with our most learned scientists.  Privately, I hope that global warming has reached its azimuth, and the world will rotate back into a cycle that we all hope for.  Though I may enjoy the occasional doomsday movie, I do not want to live it.

Predictions often prove to be conjecture and hyperbole, and I for one hope that the global warming fear-mongers are wrong again this time.  I also hope that this near miss has taught us a little more about our stewardship of this earth so that we will live a life less wasteful and abusive.  Step up to the precipice and looking over the edge may be good medicine for us.  It is far too scary to anticipate toppling off the edge and falling to my horrible end.

So, it is my fondest wish that we have a reprieve from the pending judgment of human extinction from all the horrible deaths predicted by those who extrapolate the end of the world from newly-complied data.   I also pray that we will learn about the demands of our stewardship in a world that belongs to generations after us.

In all else that is going on in our world, it is worth the time and concern to pay respect and appreciation to those who have served, fought, and died for our freedoms.   Families gave their sons and daughters, wives gave their husbands, and children gave their fathers because of something that we all believe in.

The best form of respect we can offer on our private level is to not let freedom be lost silently, conveniently, or politically.  Why should the brave ones fight on a foriegn field when the rest will not fight just as hard for the freedoms that govern our daily life?

Technorati Profile

One of the most enjoyable topics about the Green Business transition is the discovery that Going Green can save nearly any business a great deal of money.  As a Certified Green Consultant does the evaluation of a business, the initial emphasis is on improving the Green IQ.  Most of the changes involve the adoption of a variety of Green Practices, and frankly a number of the transitions are cost neutral or may require a modest investment spread out in a month-by-month program.

What we want businesses to know is that Green is very much about “Efficiencies.”  Each Certified Green Consultant is trained in something called “Zero Cost Consulting,” which means that one of the overall goals is to save the customer more money than they might spend in the Greening process.  This is not a 10-15 year return on investment, but a one or two year ROI.   The astute consultant can often identify dozens of cost-savings ideas that can be worth hundreds and thousands of dollars in savings year after year.

Let me share a few of these ideas that are novel and worth the effort.  If your company maintains a lawn or landscaping, there is a direct cost to your revenue, and any savings realized simply means that you have a fatter profit margin at the end of the year.  In these trouble economic times, I believe that the investment in a Certified Green Consultant is akin to hiring an efficiency expert years ago.

One environmental issue is the exhaust produced (including carbon dioxide) by lawnmowers.  Lawnmowers have been reported to produce as much pollutants as 4 to 6 vehicles.  Better machines are being made, but they are not subject to the same kind of standards as autos.  Therefore, there is a tremendous idea afoot that asks for those with ample mowed areas to revert a portion of the ground to a flowering field that cuts down mowing cost, reduces emissions, and adds a unique aesthetic feature to any neighborhood.  Your watering costs may go down as well.

The second idea is to gradually overseed or restart your grass with a hardier and healthier low-moisture (xeriscapic) grass.  Instead of the must touted Kentucky bluegrass, the careful blend of fescues or more native grass will produce a healthy and dense yard that frankly can survive most summers using just rainwater that falls naturally.  A mere 5000 square foot yard in Illinois will spend $300 in water costs each year, and most companies have more than 5000 square feet that they must maintain.

The good news is that there are hundreds of Green solutions that will improve the health of any business, contribute to the sustainable issues that we face in the world, and can also cut expenses out of the annual expenses.  The average person simply doesn’t know enough of these solutions or how to integrate them into their operation.  Find a Certified Green Consultant by going to the Green Business Directory.  The Green BusinessLeague offers a national recognition of “Certified Green Business” when businesses achieve a standard of Green Practices in their operation.  A business need not own the building.  Any business can participate in this certification process using an easy-to-follow plan and the assistance of a Green Consultant.

The planning is already underway to impose a sweeping “Green Tax” for any business putting out more than its fair share of carbon dioxide (Co2), and this is going to drive up the cost of everything. Of course, there are those who feel that higher prices will force greater conservation of our resources. Unfortunately, this proposed legislation refuses to recognize free-market ability to address and resolve nearly any commercial issue. By the way, I favor reduced Co2 emission as well, but not with this program.

This Green Tax and Cap-and-Trade program is the big secret debate where “Super Environmentalist Only” get to attend and input. The results will be new country wide tax will be imposed for the emission of carbon dioxide:

“Under a tax, policymakers would levy a fee for each ton of Co2 emitted or for each ton of carbon contained in fossil fuels. The tax would motivate entities to cut back on their emissions if the cost of doping so was less than the cost of paying the tax.” Policy Options for Reducinjg Co2 Emissions by the Congress of the United States - Congressional Budget Office

The CBO report considers only two options. One is the Green Tax mentioned above, and the second is a cap-and-trade program. You undoubtedly have heard Obama, Palozzi (Senate), and Smith (House) mentioning these ideas with great anticipation. You may also remember that the presidential candidate Obama used the phrase “Cap and Trade” in several of his speeches. President Obama still want a “Cap and Trade” bill out of congress, but he has met some stiff resistance to the concpet. The CBO report, dated February 2008 made this statement.

“In contrast, under a cap-and-trade program, policy-makers would set a limit on total emissions during some period and would require regulated entities to hold rights, or allowances, to the emissions permitted under that cap.” Ibid

The CBO proposal is more than impressive. It is a powerful tool to collect fees, fines, and penalties much like the power of the EPA over pollution violators. This would apply to all types of businesses in a kind of rationing like those seen during war times. The goal is ostensibly to reduce the use of fossil fuels by making the price of energy from these source too painful to endure. Everyone should know that energy is the life’s blood of business, and this will ripple through to every consumer as well.

We now have a voluntary system of carbon credit trading going on where businesses calculate their carbon output and then buy carbon offsets. The challenge of setting caps for all the types of businesses across America would be as confusing as the present tax code. It would also create another exchange of trading Co2 credits to those who use more than their share with those who use less.

“Cap and Trade” is certainly a regressive tax forcing American businesses to shackle themselves with more regulations, more intrusion, and more costs of operation. Why not incentivize this issue? Tax credits for Co2 reduction would be a far more enlightened position on the subject. There must be a free-market solution that creates a business coalition to answer this need. Of course, this is all being presented as an emergency and crises, which moves things through Congress with lightning speed and minimizes the opportunity for public notice and discussion.

Global warming is the battle cry. Carbon dioxide has been declared the public enemy causing global warming although there is dissent on this subject as well. Onerous taxes and intrusive regulation should not be the only answer to the challenges we face. Open the doors wide to innovation, incentivize with tax credits, and kill the poisonous snake called Cap and Trade before it sinks its teeth into the ailing taxpayer. We need encouragement, not punishment.