The present environmental issues are haunted by several preconceived beliefs that unfortunately hinder the wide-spread acceptance of a more evolved process now in market today. These prevailing concerns are that Going Green is both inconvenient and a larger bite into available dollars. These threats are often pushed aside because of the greater challenge of saving the world from environmental disaster and the anticipated calculation of savings realized over the next fifteen to twenty years. These reasons were enough of a rationale for the environmentally-concerned, but it did not convince the rest of America to change their lifestyles.
Let’s consider another prevalent issue, which is the natural penchant we all have for convenience. The last few generations have passed through an extended period of throw-away possessions and single use everything. Convenience has become as integral part of our lifestyle as red meat. We have left behind a period of time when we casually adopted the concept of “planned obsolescence.” Conservation, recycling, or stewardship were not common words. We were literally “Consumers,” and everyone liked it just that way.
Here’s the ugly, present truth! Our lives are no longer about convenience, but now require that we do what is the right thing to do in a world predicted to expand to a population of nine billion people. Our habits are no longer about convenience in a world that now calculates “what is left” of our worldwide resources. And, our future is not longer about convenience, as we find that our trash and polluted waste threatens to return to us in very unfriendly ways. Life, in all its many variations, is now about stewardship and doing the right thing.
People and business everywhere are now facing a lifestyle renovation that will either be voluntary, or be mandated by regulations if we cannot change on our own. Change is now a great deal more than a political slogan. It is where we are in this point of world history, and those who cannot change will eventually bemoan the fact that government will happily and awkwardly enforce.
My report, however has some very good news. Change may be the new rule as this generation willingly adopts the new patterns of a more environmental lifestyle, but costs are no longer a real barrier to anyone. We are now learning that Going Green actually brings new efficiencies that will increase the bottom line of a home or business. The return on investment need not be a 15-20 year calculation, but can be a 1-2 year reward. For example, a 25% savings on electric can be a big help to almost any budget, and that is easy to accomplish with proper guidance. Green businesses need not change much of what they do in life; but if they take this change seriously, it is possible to realize a 30-40% energy savings. The fact is that Going Green can save money in your office supplies, manpower costs, water, and heating bills to name a few ideas. A professional Green renovation can save not merely hundreds of dollars, but thousands of dollars each and every year.
We have all heard the recent predictions of our energy future. We are regrettably being told to expect 100%, 200%, and even 300% increases in the cost of energy. This fact will magnify the savings of what is done to improve our consumption today. So, the best question is, “What is holding us back?” It is most likely our mistaken beliefs that becoming a Green business is a sacrifice that we must make without a solid reason for making the sacrifices needful at this time. But, this type of thinking is a throwback to an era when Green was relatively new and immature.
A Certified Green Consultant has been trained to do more than guide a business in the adoption of Green practices and the certification of Green businesses. They also know how to create strong savings and beef up the profits of a Green motivated company. These savings are magnified many times over as years pass and prices go up. This is a basic theme with the Green Business League compared to other “Greening” program using website promotions, self-assessment, and simple “Buy-In” memberships. Going Green is no longer the venue of amateurs because doing it badly is both costly and inconvenient. An authentically Green business is the kind of program that pays the best dividends to those install Green practices the right way.