Does Going Green Really Make Good Business Sense?

If you are like me, the entire idea of moving green conjures up a picture of a gathering of 60's hippies (recall them) wearing sandals and carrying placards stating Save Earth. Well, perhaps you're not as obsolete as me, but you ought to get my general drift, moving green is to get far-left radicals demanding everybody reduced their carbon footprint this exact instant. Largely because climate change and global warming are serious problems, that ought to be addressed by everybody, or the world will hell in a handbasket quickly - like, right now!

Maybe that is the intense view of moving green and one which bares very little resemblance to the modern day methods of recycling, composting and saving energy to reduce our effect on the surroundings. The entire notion of going green has taken on an"person" playing area in which all us can reduce our reliance on our limited all-natural sources - a lot of which aren't sustainable. We all can eat significantly less, change our driving habits, recycle more things and reduce our power/electricity usage. We could even plant more trees or encourage organizations that are attempting to conserve the environment.
However, what about companies or businesses - how do they fit into this green image?
Exactly like a person, businesses can behave or develop practice specific procedures which reduce their effect on the surroundings. This doesn't need to be anything earth shattering (probably the incorrect term to use) but easy actions which may make a considerable difference. I was completely shocked when I read to a top green manual site that approximately 50 percent (that is half) of those trees harvested in North America really enters the creation of paper. Just imagine what all of this clipping will to wildlife habitat or deforestation.
Much more unexpected was the fact that it takes one tree to create approximately two cartons of typing/faxing newspaper and IF only 5 percent of businesses opted to send faxes via email (paperless faxing) it'd save over ONE million trees each year. Additionally, you must factor in the entire environmental cost of creating that newspaper at the first place - in order to generate paper it requires over 1,000 distinct substances and hundreds of kilowatt hours of electricity.
To complicate matters even further, one needs to recognize in the USA (in addition to some other nations ) generating energy frequently means burning coal, which releases a few nasty chemicals to the air like nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, carbon dioxide and carbon dioxide. Producing a lot of those chemicals gives us smog and acid rain. Ouch.
One means for businesses, both large and small, can help the environment would be to go"paperless" or produce a"paperless office" by relying on new technologies such as electronic faxing and filing.Computers and email have changed the business office and have significantly lessened our reliance on paper. Records, communications, files, faxes... can now be saved electronically or in electronic form. This"paperless office" could be further improved by"cloud" providers where all of your data is stored on distant third party servers.
We also have virtual PBX (Private Branch Exchange) providers in which many, if not all, our company calls and communications could be dealt with via computers and the internet. Including email or Internet fax that could be totally paperless. Such a little change as eliminating this older classic fax machine may go a very long way in creating any business greener.
But, the issue still remains, is this green stuff great for business. Forget about the surroundings for an instant, on a strictly functional level, consuming less energy, going paperless, using electronic submitting... can make your business more effective and cost less to operate. Saving money is always great for business. So also, do things in the latest efficient manner possible - particularly if your company depends upon rapid communications with employees, clients or customers.
Then of course, we shouldn't forget the entire PR advantage of moving green. Emphasizing this green tag on your services and products will surely generate more awareness and create more business, particularly among clients who now require a more economical alternative to a number of the products/services they consume or use. Many organizations are jumping to the"green bandwagon" only because of this - it is only great for business.
While this might be perceived as somewhat devious or perhaps manipulative, if those businesses can back up their promises with green activities, which really benefit the environment, then in the long run, their motives do not really matter since most of us win. Reducing our reliance on non-renewable resources or consuming less energy may simply be viewed as a fantastic thing. Fantastic thing for your environment. Excellent thing for company. But where did I put these blessed sandals.
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