Green Business Awareness

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.

Green business is often different from what most think.  In many cases, Green business is the best way to promote or market a business.  By touting a Green virtue within the company, the promoters wish to convince the world that they are a Green business worthy of your business.  Part of the problem is that there is no real definition for “Green Business.”   Therefore, the phrase can be configured to mean nearly anything with a Green attachment.  This is what can honestly be called “Token Green,” which means doing the least possible to be included in the Green business definition.  An authentically Green business embraces the environmental issues more fully bringing Green practices to every part of their honestly Green business.

As mentioned before in various articles, a business may also be “Green by Proxy” meaning that there is little real change in their daily operation expect the purchasing of solutions created by others.   Buying Green cleaning products is one example.  Purchasing carbon credits is another way to borrow a solution from someone else without making real change in the operation creating carbon emissions.   It might be nice to give money to some worthy environmental cause, but that will not create a Green business either.

This kind of shallowness is part and parcel of the newness that we all have the many various on environmental issues faced by all people on this earth.  We’ve even invented a new word for those who over-hype the Green virtues of their product or services.  It is called Greenwashing.   As the world matures, a company claiming to be a Green business will need more than a good marketing department.  They will want to have an integration of Green practices throughout the operation and certification by an independent firm like the Green Business League.

To be a Green business, the expectation is that Green is more than a layer of veneer or hasty covering to disguise the true nature of the business.  It comes down to Green practices at nearly every level of the company’s various programs or departments.  In fact, it reaches to each and every one of the company’s employees.  A training program like the “Green Awareness” program can be offered to any company by a Certified Green Consultant to make sure that everyone is on the same page of this important issue.

Combine this training with an ongoing program of Greening up the operation of the company with the help of a Certified Green Consultant, and it is reasonable to expect that the environmental issue is far more than a hollow claim by the company trying to impress an increasingly astute public.

I recently read an article about the buying public and their willingness to “Buy Green” even though we are in the midst of an economic downturn.  This is an important study because it answers an important question about the value of becoming a Certified Green Business through the Green Business League.  The study comes from EnviroMedia Social Marketing, and it starts out by addressing the belief that climate change is a real phenomenon.  Collectively, eighty percent believe in global warming although nearly thirty percent believes that it is a naturally-occurring event.  Another twenty percent does not accept that global warming has been proven or even exists.

A telephone survey of 1000 people showed that more and more people were willing to use their purchasing power to reward the obvious Green companies and programs with their business.  This is a logical result of nearly a decade or more to media news and threats about global warming, pollution concerns, and environmental dangers.  It seems that no school-age child has not been heavily indoctrinated with the environmental message.  The news is saturated with a vast array of environmental issues, and government officials are openly committed to change the way citizens and businesses impact the community and the world.

The message that needs to come across to businesses at any level is that the trend is firmly in place.  Going Green is not an option, nor is it something to apply superficially.  It requires a consistent process to make a Green business happen from the inside out.

Greenwashing is a business sin that will eventually splash back on those companies who promote Green purchasing but do not do the same themselves.  As with any other commitment, superficial and token efforts eventually produce resentment and disgust that no business wants to engender among their customers.

The Green market is growing because people understand that this is not simply a governmental issue.  It is an individual challenge that is being adopted by people, families, businesses, and governments.  Going Green is not only about making the world a better place.  It is also about the reality that the world hosts nearly 7 billion people who are pulling hard on our world’s resources.  We must address efficiencies and innovations that will allow the people of this world to sustain normal life for a very long time.  We all want a better life rather than a dismal future.  It seems that we are ready to demand that others commit to the cause, and we will reward the certified Green businesses with our hard-earn dollars.

If your business want to earn its Certified Green Business status with the Green Business League, we suggest that you find a serious partner in the effort by locating a Certified Green Consultant in your area at the Green Consultant Directory.

Yes, there is a lot of talk about “Green Jobs,” but where are they? The present administration is enthusiastic about the creation of green jobs, but the reality seems to be long in coming. Don’t wait for these hard-to-obtain, low paying jobs from the government that will phase out as the initial money runs out. The funding is for 48 months meaning these projects and jobs will eventually dry up, and it is their hope that you’ll then move into your next career move. At a time like this, the unemployed should think about something more permanent.

As a Certified Green Consultant you come into this market at the top instead of at the bottom. This kind of training can move you to the head of the line for industry openings, allow you to be an in-house experts, as well as free lance Green business consultants.

The Green Business League is the leader in this movement offering the only federal trademark as a Certified Green Consultant. The training fee is a modest very modest for a potential six-figure career and takes just 3-4 days of live classroom training. Classes usually fill up early, so getting your seat is an important first step.

The Green Business League has an impressive lead in this market with more than 250 consultants in the field by mid 2009. They also draw national interest because they can certify Green Businesses and Green Homes through their consultants. The Green Business League is, quite frankly, the largest and best known Green consulting organization anywhere, and can be found on Page One of many Green searches on the search engines. Green consulting is an explosive, lucrative, and enjoyable career with nothing but upside potential.

So, there is a choice for those looking for the next stairway to economic success. You can wait for the surge of Green jobs along with 40 million others, or you can step to the front of the line by starting a career as a Green consultant. I believe that this is not a difficult choice for those who understand the real nature of a “make work” government job.

Find out more information about training events visit Green Consultant Training.  This is an opportunity that offers more than a ground floor entry. It leads what promises to be an explosive Green market where literally “Everyone wants to be Green certified.”

Looking to get your business “Green Business Certified?” Go to the Green Business League website for more information or visit the Green Consultant Directory for a Certified Green Consultant near you.