Green Business Awareness

This Fourth of July, we played host to our developing family as our three sons now have families of their own (or nearly so).  It is a far different world that many of us knew twenty or more years ago.  We saw a period of prosperity that seemed to have no end, and there were fewer worries in those days.  Now, we are hopefully emerging from a recession of serious depths, and emerging into a generation that runs on a different set of rules.

I have concluded that in the hectic and developing world of my past, the emphasis on “Convenience” was very important.  We were busily building a progressive economy, transitioning to a rapid-paced society, and emerging from a rural mentality.  The world sped up, and we had to speed up with it.   Microwave ovens replaced traditional one, because they were so darn convenient.  Everything was disposable because there was always a newer, better version of whatever it was waiting to be bought at the store.  We lived in a throw way society that cast off anything “out of style” to buy whatever was in style regardless of whether the former item was still in good shape.

Disposable diaper compared to the smelly diaper pail was just the best invention ever.  Then, of course, we had the invasion of the drive-through restaurants that gave us food within seconds of ordering.  How good was that?  As life sped up, everything we encountered was always about convenience, and price didn’t matter nearly so much as expediency.

Today, I saw an add for Green diapers, which gave cause to these thoughts, and where we find ourselves today.   It’s true.  There are Green diapers that you can flush, compost, or toss away knowing that they will break down into something that will compliment the earth.  It is decidedly a new, and Green day that is now rising on the horizon as we seem to increase in our Green appetite.

We are starting to think about responsible Green Practices rather than simple convenience.  Tossing trash on the ground is more than a misdemeanor violation, it is a symbol of environmental disrespect.  Dragging home dozens of plastic bags from the store is what studies tell retailers that we want, but energy concerns now tell us that the oil used in plastic bags and plastic bottles could literally end our oil crisis.

I believe that we are ready for the change, but I really hope it is because we have matured rather than being herded like cattle by governments and agencies.   Every where I turn, I see companies and families “Changing the Way they do business,” and I am impressed that we can enter this Greener world as committed earth citizens ready for the task.   I am not for big government, unlimited reign for politically-bent solutions, and resolved that only governments can solve this problem.   We got ourselves into this mess, and we can get ourselves out, if given the chance.

The Green Business League promotes a program of Green Practices, and this is also the mission of hundreds of Certified Green Consultants who work diligently to help businesses and families certify their Green status.  It is no longer enough to claim to be Green.  There is a dire need to measure up to a standard set by a independent source like the Green Business League.

In a Greener world that we now face, I feel a sadness that convenience pressed such a heavy hand on our lives.  We are not weak that we needed extremes of convenience items, but it was part of life in America as well as nearly every country in the world.  McDonald is everywhere, you know!  We are in a time of “Reality Check” to realign our thoughts, our priorities, and our practices.   Make Green Practices something that will become a constant part of your daily habit.

Finally, I like the new era that we face, although we will all chaff a little at what is required of us.  We have learned to be more frugal, more willing to use up what we have before we throw it out, and to share what we have with others.  I anxiously hope that the lessons learned are lessons of the heart as well as life lessons.  Some endure challenge to return to normal, while others endure challenges to get better.

There are still those people standing on the sideline of the environmental controversy, who are unwilling to join the Green lifestyle because they “really aren’t sure” that this is anything more than a trend.  Let’s be honest, why bother if this will all pass like the cyclical flu season?  “Bad times come and bad times go,” we could say to ourselves.  Sometimes change is the new direction of life rather than a temporary fad.  Some time ago, I read that the manufactures of the buggy whip refused to believe that the automobile would catch on until they were forced into bankruptcy.   At this stage in history, it seems like a total lapse of common sense.

Change is is something that must happen whether we like it or not, whereas trends are directions that are frankly options for anyone to join or take a pass.  Change is a bend in the road that you will follow, and trends resemble an alternate route.  Both feel alike, but they have different durations. 

The second issue is that we love change that seems to feel good, and we resist change that doesn’t feel so good.  It is not just a money thing because we’ll spend money for a change that we like.  It is the perception of the value and promise of what comes next that causes us to resist or embrace change.  This is the core issue for those who resist or embrace the changes required in a world that become more environmentally friendly.   This new lifestyle is a shift from convenience to inconvenience.  Al Gore had this part right.  It is an inconvenient truth, but it is not just about polar bears and calving glacial fronts.   It is about the reality that this new wave is a true change in behavior and not a friendly trend that we can join or ignore.

The facts make the case for us.  Population growth, finite energy resources, and climatic concerns are are to call mere trends.  Population has gone for 4 billion people worldwide in the 1950’s to 6.8 billion in 2008.  By 2025, the experts predict 9 billion people in the world.  That’s a fact, not a choice.  We are now calculating the limit on the oil and gas reserves left on our planet, although I feel they are more than “what is known” now.  Finally, whether you accept global warming or not, climates do change, droughts will occur, and we can experience a cycle of bad weather that demand that we adjust or die.

With this simplistic review of hard-hitting changes faced by everyone in the world, I strongly suggest that the environmental change is not a trend.  If this is a permanent change to our world complexion, we must change as well or be punished by our “grasshopper and the ant” rejection of reality.  As the story goes, the grasshopper fiddled away the summer while the ant worked.  When winter hit, the ant survived while the grasshopper froze to death.  A fitting metaphor for where we are right now in world history.

The Green lifestyle is not a trend, fad, or option.  Sooner or later, the reality will hit us hard.  Like losing your job forces an immediate and substantive change in everything you do, the environmental issues press us to take action in a season of opportunities or suffer like the blindsighted grasshopper when winter hits.  We are a people with a new mission and challenge.  We must intelligently adjust the way we operate now to minimize the impact of a world in change.  If we adjust today, we will live better tomorrow. 

I also see that most people do not know how to make the necessary changes in their lives.  They lack information, connections, and guidance.  That is why I suggest that family or businesses contact a Certified Green Consultant to help make the change to a lifestyle that we can sustain for many years into the future and through generations.  The Green Business League promotes the Green Lifestyle through Green Awareness training, Green practices, and Green certification.  Don’t stand by while others prepare for our pending day of scarcity.  We need a bold and rapid rise in Green pracitces at every level of our society.

There are three distinct areas of Greening today.  There are Green products, Green buildings, and green practices.  Each piece of this simple puzzle has its value and plays an important role in the environmental process.  Though slow in coming, we are seeing more an more Green products come to the stores and the Internet.  Unfortunately, not all of them are as Green as they suggest in their marketing.  That is, however, yet another issue for another day.

Green buildings as valuable to the overall picture.  For a long time, building requirements dealt with safety and local regulations.  Now, there is the inclusion of building materials that will not add to the health issues and will help the sustainability of our resources.   And this is a good thing to see, but we cannot neglect the human factor that is desperately needed if we are going to succeed against the all-too-imposing environmental issues.

Green practices seem to the the last, but frankly, most important part of the puzzle.  It does us little good to have Green products and Green businesses if we do not include Green practices.  This is an important reality check for each of us.  All too often we hear about a kind of proxy Green where people believe that they are being environmental because they buy some Green products or have some Green applications in their facility.  The problem is that this requires little commitment from each of us except to buy or install what is offered.

Think also the the small percentage of people who have a “Proxy Green” approach to the whole issue because they own a building that can be built new or improved with environmentally-friendly building products.  There really aren’t that many compared to the number of businesses in any city, state, or country that do not own their own building.  Yet, it seems that nearly 100% of the focus in on buying Green products and building Green buildings.  Are all the rest of us who collectively make an enormous impact on this world excluded from participation in this issue because we are excluded from these two aspect of environmental response?

Conversely, Green practices are universal.  All of us can adopt Green practices into the daily routine of our families, workplace, or general duties.  If only we knew more about Green practices, that is.  After CFL bulbs, programmable thermostats, tuning up the car, and recycling our trash; what else is there?  In fact, there are hundreds of simple and practical steps that we all could take if we were better informed.  To actually take advantage of all these options, the process can be intimidating.  That is where the connection to a Certified Green Consultant is important.  They know how to incorporate hundreds of simple and cost savings solutions into any home or business.

Locate a Certified Green Consultant in your community at the Green Consultant Directory.  If your business would like to be a certified Green business, you should visit the Green Business League and find out more.  Going Green is not an amateur sport.  To to it well and comprehensively, the assistance of a professional Green consultant is extremely helpful.   In the end, the goal is to get everyone to do their “Fair Share” in this global crisis issue.   The more people that we enlist in the program, the better our world becomes.  So, while we may support the increased volume of Green products and the growth of Green buildings, the most crucial issue of all is the universal participation of people everywhere in Green practices.

Here’s an interesting thought about Going Green as a business.  I believe that the upcoming period that I have termed “The Green Equalization” will drive a new generation of “Authentically Green.”   There will be a maturing of the Green expectations of consumers and vital services that will reject the superficial approach to Green that many companies now have.  This generation will want more of a Due Diligence to support the Green claims of a firm rather than willingly accepting the marketing claims of a product or service.

This “Authentic Green” is not easily obtained, however.  Most of the environmental emphasis has been on the marketing side of nearly every business while paying little of any attention to the purchasing side of the operation.   This dichotomy of commitment will eventually become a glaring SNAFU.  This is where the Green Supply Chain issue enters into the picture.  More and more conferences and industry articles are making a point of the fact that if a business wants to “Sell Green,” it should also commit to “Buying Green” as well.

Ethically, businesses need to practice what they preach (or market).  The obvious lack of Green Ethics is seen in a very overt fashion when the businesses ask people to buy their Green product or service, when they do not do the same in their own operation.  This brings us to the concept of “Green Practices” heralded by the Green Business League as the solution for all businesses to embrace.  In simple terms, the Green emphasis in your marketing department needs to be seen in the other practices of your business’ operation, and that includes your purchasing department or protocols.

Going Green is not just a way to sell your goods or services, it is a commitment to a collective crisis faced by mankind everywhere.  While we need not be anti-business to be serious about the environment, there is often a gaping hole in what we are bring to this table in this matter.  Even the EPA has come out with its “Environmentally Preferred Purchasing” guidelines which mirrors a good part of the Green Supply Chain idea.  It seem obvious where all this is going which is a maturity to environmentally-committed firms to “Walk the walk as well as Talk the talk.”

Installing Green practices in any size business is not just about the building.  It is primarily about the operation, programming, or daily practices.   It does not matter if you own, rent, or lease.  Any business that sees the future needs to start into a thorough process of Greening the business from front to back.  Frankly, this is more work than most people think because it takes more involvement than changing out your lighting with CFL bulb.   This requires the assistance of a Certified Green Consultant who is someone who not only know hows to take a business Green, but can credit the business with the assigned points for each Green practice adopted.  At 100 points, the business will earn its Green Business Certification which is something to that be legitimately promoted.  A Certified Green Consultant is an outsourced advisor who can work with your company to develop a program that is “Authentically Green” because there are real Green practices in place and certification by an independent source.

A Certified Green Consultant will also assist in the Green Supply Chain process by Greening up the purchasing processes.  Why struggle with something that can be done so much better by the experts?  By the way, these Green Consultant’s work with a “Zero Cost Consulting” model that will easily recover more than the cost of their service.  This is because there are great efficiencies to Going Green now that were not available before.  There seems no reason that any business cannot honestly Go Green now, and the process can be a big cost savings as well as a reputable marketing credential.