Archive for February, 2009
The Complete Package
Posted by admin in Uncategorized on February 28th, 2009
Molly Moon’s Ice Cream in Seattle is taking sustainable practices all the way; no greenwashing here! All of the ingredients in their ice cream are from local vendors and everything they give you is compostable, i.e. napkins, spoons bowls etc. They have one bin labeled garbage for items that may be brought into the store and the rest are compost only bins. When I visited the store customers seemed diligent about tossing any non-compostable items in the garbage. In addition, Molly Moon’s sells t-shirts and other items that are made using sustainable practices. It is very exciting to see an establishment taking sustainability all the way.
Corporate “Green” Commitment
Posted by admin in Uncategorized on February 19th, 2009
Many companies are taking sustainability to the next level but some are stuck in a vast sea of red tape. CEOs are heavily involving their employees in the quest for a more sustainable planet. Adecco did a workplace insight survey that revealed, many companies are becoming more green in response to their employees demanding that corporations incorporate more sustainable/green practices. Companies are reminded by job seekers and employees that their commitment to the environment and social issues is important to them and they will choose their employers based corporate sustainability practices. “In releasing its survey results, the Marlin Company noted that 77.7 percent of the U.S. workers responding said it is important to them for their employers to be going green in a significant way.”
Even though the CEOs are on board and willing to make the changes that the employees are asking for (their motives may be more tightly in line with good PR and saving money), large corporations are finding it difficult to implement many of these changes. “According to 1,200 U.K. workers surveyed by power and gas giant E.ON, jobholders at small to medium-sized firms are significantly more likely to help curb energy use and carbon emissions by turning off lights and computers and recycling than employees at larger companies, who say bureaucracy hampers their efforts.” There are many layers in large corporations and sometimes even with the best of intentions the ideas get lost. Middle management is removed from the hard numbers of running the business and doesn’t have time to take on another cause. Somehow the corporate message must be adequately conveyed to middle management and by middle management. Education is the key that is often overlooked… check back for our next segment on education.
Be Green - Don’t Act Green
Posted by admin in Uncategorized on February 8th, 2009
Today’s savvy consumers are quickly catching on to the “green-washing” that many businesses are trying to feed them. It seems like the first step businesses take to green their operations is to add a leaf and some varying colors of green to their logo. It certainly catches your eye and makes you want to check it out, only to find out that they don’t even have a recycle bin for the plastic soda bottle you have in your hand. You glance around the office and realize that most of the staff is out at an off-site meeting yet the computers and lights are still on as though they would be back any minute.
As the new year begins to unfold and your business wants to be more green, start with the obvious: turn out the lights, recycle the easy stuff, turn off the water. If you’ve done those things already take the next step by purchasing recycled products and thinking about what products are packaged in.
The best way to market you efforts is to establish a baseline and track, track, track. Track how much money you are saving by turning off lights and computers, track how much garbage you are diverting. All these things can be tracked and used as marketing material. Hang up the statistics on the bulletin board. Post updates in the conference rooms where your clients meet. Post it on your website. Give your clients, customers and vendors something tangible that shows the progress you are making. The market understands what a green business should have even if they cannot do it themselves. Start with the easy stuff and get your momentum going.