Green Business Awareness

Sustainable Business.  Admittedly, one of my big issues in this industry is the misuse and lack of definition of the terms that we use.  The word sustainable is a little better understood, but nonetheless badly used words in the grand dictionary of environmental terms.  To start the process, it may be best to provide a terse definition for sustainability, and that is “Resource Management.”

The most popular definition of sustainability can be traced to a 1987 UN conference. It defined sustainable developments as those that “meet present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs“(WECD, 1987).  Robert Gillman, editor of the In Context magazine, extends this goal oriented definition by stating “sustainability refers to a very old and simple concept (The Golden Rule)…do onto future generations as you would have them do onto you.”

This parallels the Great Law of the Iroquois Indians that stated, “In every deliberation, we must consider the impact on the seventh generation… even if it requires having skin as thick as the bark of a pine.”   This belief parallels the concept of sustainability in a generation that had more than enough natural resources at their disposal.   It should never be about how much we have to spend, but how well we spend it.  The concept of stewardship infers that we really don’t own things but are temporary caretakers of whatever we presently control.

The sustainable business is frankly an important aspect of the overall picture since industry, business, or commerce uses a lot of resources with enough capital to be waste.  A sense of expediency prevails in this community that creates a a “Whatever it takes” mentality.  This needs to change, and it is changing albeit far too slow for the environmental crisis that we face.  Therefore, the sustainable business model means a more responsible company that does not allow expedience to rule when given the choice between waste and conservation of our resources.

We know that the recycling mantra is, “Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle;” but the depth of application goes well beyond the trash container behind the building.  It happens at every level of the business process.  It involves energy, water, and waste management.  It is a call to step into the modern era of business opportunity with a truly “Paperless Office.”  It considers more than the marketing department boasting of Green merits, and promotes the Green purchasing processes of the company.

Does it come as a surprise that a “Sustainable Company” may not be a “Green Company?”  Going Green is primarily about the “Health Impact” of the business, which starts with the Indoor Air Quality and considers the numerous issues that impact the indoor air and all that we do to essentially poison it.

Eventually, it becomes obvious that when we understand the depth and extend of the environmental issues, our present skill set, knowledge base, and limited activities are not enough to properly solve the problem.  It is at this point that the astute business will seek out a Certified Green Consultant who can act as an outsourced Green Adviser to any company.  If properly trained, the Certified Green Consultant will add another fantastic value to the company he or she serves.  Going Green will literally save a growing business thousands upon thousands of dollars in ways most can’t imagine.  Going Green is more than a health issue, even as being sustainable is more than preservation of resources.  To the smart company, it is a huge money savings that pays sizable dividends year after year.

In a growing marketplace of web-based Green certifications that require only a fee of several hundred dollars and a promise to Go Green, the Green Business League offers a Green Business certification that is “Earned, and not Bought.”   Do not be lured by shallow and hollow certification options.  Only the Green Business League offers a program represents a honest program of Green Business certification.

One might suppose that after more than twenty years of use, the meaning of Green would be as clear as the word Internet.  Unfortunately, it isn’t.  It seems like this favored word has been hijacked by every conceivable market aspect possible.  Green has become the ubiquitous catch phrase for anything tinged with environmental benefit, and that seem unfortunate.  As one concerned for words, definitions, and clarity on this subject, I would like to suggest that there are four words that constitute the broad topic of environmentalism.

Green, in its best definition refers to the “Health Impact” of any practice of product.  I also feel that it has varying impact based upon the proximity that we have to the situation.  The greater our influence, the more responsibility we have to make the changes that can create a healthy environment.  So, if any practice or product has a health impact, it is a “Green Issue.”

Sustainability deals primarily with the “Management of Resources.”   I think like a few others that it should be given the color Blue to delineate this important segment of environmental practice.  Sustainable issues refer to energy, raw commodities, potable water, waste management, and elements of the home and business that consider the full “Lifecycle” of any commodity that we use.

Pollution deserves its own category as well.  This one I would color Red because it indicates a warning that something is wrong and need immediate attention.  This deals with the phosphates in detergents that promotes algae in the rivers and chlorine sued to bleach paper white.  It is how we handle sewage or struggle with what to do with all the “Single Use” plastic products that we discard.

Conservation is the fourth category, and it considers the wildlands and wildlife of our world.  We should be concerned to leave some parts of the world unharmed by artificial invasion.  I suggest that this category would be Yellow.  It is found in a concern for butterflies that charm us all or a forest that sweetens and refreshes our air.  It is not a singular issue that rises above all others, but one that we always want to protect.

So, if there were one grand book on environmentalism, I believe that it should have four grand divisions.  Health, Sustainability, Pollution, and Conservationism.  It is narrow minded to claim superiority of one over another, but it seems obvious that they must be balanced in a full consideration of the environmentally friendly world.  The big question of our hour is how to balance family life and business conduct with these ideas.   There have been times when life in the real world overruled environmentalism, and we found that abuse of any kind cannot be long tolerated.  Eventually, everyone pays a price for abuse because abuse always has a consequence.

The solution is to gradually, but expediciously, install “Green Practices” into your home or business.  The cost and time commitment to do it all at once may be problematic, but it can be done with a little professional guidance and over a span of a few months.  The Green Business League offers a highly respected Green Business Certification or Green Homes Certification to any committed effort to transition to an environmentally committed effort.  Using the skills of hundreds of Certified Green Consultants, any family or business can make the transition to Green and Sustainable Practices without disrupting the necessary duties of life.  We can adjust, we can be more concerned, and we can “Go Green” without tearing down everything and starting over.