Green Business Versus Green Buildings

No doubt, everyone now knows that we are dealing with issues larger than pollution and conservation. The popularity of the concept of sustainability has become a common phrase in countless articles though there is still some confusion on the subject. There are health issues related to indoor air quality that are not quite sustainable concerns, but fall into the Green for life arena. The issues of pollution are also well-known and almost pushed aside with ancillary concerns for the rainforest, whale population, polar bear habitat, and receding ice cap. Nonetheless, the need for a Green building has emerged as the hot issue of the business community and various government bodies. This, I fear, is a good idea that have been ramped a little too high.Building construction or renovation is meritorious and certainly a part of the big answer for environmental issues of our day. It seems that our constant quest for better, brighter, and more powerful products has neglected to ask other questions about health and safety to the living beings that inhabit this world, including the oft-decried human species. Though man has been a problem at times, he has also been the cure for problems that require more than nature alone supplies. More to the topic at hand, do Green buildings faithfully address the environmental issues that we face in the most appropriate way? To answer the question, let's push the illustration into a hyperbole. Could a non-Green, anti-Green, or agnosti-Green business operate in what would be an Green constructed facility? Sure it could though I am sure that the architects of the Green facility would place restrictions on the leaseholders. Therefore, we have the challenge of behavior versus environment. Could a tenant spread pesticides about after carelessly allowing food to be left out? Could the purchase of equipment after leasing a facility disrupt the better practices of the building owner? Could a company be negligent to the extreme about the use of paper and packaging material? Might this offish company fail to recycle, waste resources, and careless buy from non-Green vendors?Green practices are the proverbial "other side of the coin" that I am sure are expected to live up to a higher standard. But, therein lies the problem. After all have been done to create a Green building, how much do the tenants really know about the Green practices that should be associated with Green operation? We have seen low-income housing go into areas that was intended to give the people of that community a better life, but without stereotyping anyone, were there families who did not take care of those homes? If the facilities were not cleaned, maintained, and protected from abuse; they would eventually fall into disrepair despite the better intentions of the people who constructed those homes.I wish to press the point that we are not educating the tenants and associates who will move into the newly-constructed Green buildings. Though well-intended and positively oriented toward environmental issues, the depth of environmental understanding of the average worker in the resident business will negate a sizable portion of the good that should be done. I advocate a Green Management training program for every business, large or small, offered by a certified Green Consultant able to address the myriad of issues contained within the larger scope of environmental concerns. Do workers even know what VOCs are, where they come from, and what they should know about the dozens upon dozens of sources for VOCs? Is HEPA a semi-understood word that is often heard in proximity to vacuum cleaners? What are the numerous ways to reduce water use other than refusing to wash their hands after going to the bathroom? Has the sales force of the company been brought into the "Big Picture" of tools that improve performance and reduce travel? There are so many of these important gem ideas that could and should be shared, but they must come from a far better source than an brochure picked up at the latest seminar.Green businesses may rent, lease , or own their facilities. The operation or practices of the business can literally work within some otherwise non-Green buildings. If pressed into action with routine improvement, nearly any business can cut energy and water use without noticeable interference with normal operation. Why not require the janitorial service to be Green certified and use only Green cleaning products? Should decisions like buying of furntiure, painting of walls, and replacement of carpet allow for input from a certified Green Consultant even though your building is not LEED certified? Again, the answer is an unqualified, "Yes."Building a new or renovating an existing building to a Green certification standard can cost hundreds of thousands of dollar above the costs of a typical building program. There is no effort to criticize that level of commitment to the cause. What I routinely see, however, belies the obvious good intentions of Green buildings, and draws my attention to the day-to-day operation and working practices of businesses who do not think or realize the impact of countless actions taken each day by millions of businesses. There is a desperate and universal need for Green educators, trained as professional and certified Green Consultants, to go to work in every city and burg. Businesses, who previously required sensitivity training among their workers now need to educate their workers on something that hurts us all.Our country abounds with businesses that are small, medium and large. We should not build buildings that are genius in concept but will be inhabited with people who are merely environmentally entertained. Green Awareness training and Green Management processes are as critical to the overall success as are solar panels and sunlight vents. If this is our chance to make a difference in world that we all share, it cannot be left to the engineers, architects, and builders alone. It is a shared burden by those who will daily live out the visions now made into the buildings of a Greener world.

The Green Business Myth Busted

Going Green seems a little like the infamous "bridge to nowhere."  It starts with a well-intended commitment to the environmental cause, but then gets lost a meandering path of special interests, misguided promoters, and immense diversity of subject matter.  Ask yourself three questions that will reveal everyone's confusion on the subject. 1) What is the meaning of "Green"?2) What is the methodology, path, or process to "Go Green"?3) When do you reach a recognized level of "Green" certification"?These are not difficult questions, but belies the problems incurred by businesses that have already agreed to the need for Green operation.  The fevered rush to become an environmentally-friendly business suddenly runs into a morass of confused information and partisan advocates that leads to limp results.  Green (in its most precise definition) refers to the "health impact on living things by the actions we practice in our spheres of influence."  While Green has been expanded include all things environmental, it should not be a replacement for the environmental topic.  Green properly defined is about health and living things.  Yes, I know that the earth is called a living thing too, but it is in a whole different class of applications.If Going Green starts with the health impact, we have a starting point.  That starting point can effectively be a platform to launching into other related subject like sustainability (resource management), pollution (waste) and conservation (preserving nature).  These I feel are the four major components of environmentalism, but conservation is not the single issue of our time.  The same could be said of health, sustainability, or pollution issues.  They come together to complete the full environmental puzzle.For a business, Going Green starts with the health issues currently at work in their facility.  The health of workers is both the logical and rational starting point for any business.  Issues of sustainability follow the health in the process.  Therefore, the Green Business League has a month-by-month list of suggestions that can move any business toward an environmentally-friendly business.  So, we have a starting point and a path for the Green business to eliminate a large part of the confusion.Some of the well-intended mistakes are the belief that installing a solar panel system, buying carbon credits, or planting green plants on the roof will make a business Green.  These are pieces of the puzzle, but they are not the singular or complete solution.   There are those businesses that  attend environmental seminars, make charitable contributions to environmental causes, or install CFL bulbs thinking that they are a Green business.  However, making the attempt to Go Green is not the same as a Green business.If Going Green is about construction of a new business or the renovation of an existing business, what about the vast majority of businesses that rent or lease?  They should not be exempted from the Green program because they do not control the facilities, landscaping, HVAC, or greenery on the roof.  Green business is predominantly about the operation of the business and only partially about the construction of the building.  You see, it is possible to have a relatively non-Green business operation in what might be a certifiably Green Business.  Green is more a practice than it is a dual-flush commode. Why not allocate points for each additional Green practice incorporated the daily operation until a certain level is reached?  While allowing for a variety of applications that have point assignments, there should be a number value that indicates a level of Green Business success.  For the Green Business League, that initial level for Green Business certification is 100.  Since these points are from literal practices put in place, there are no token or isolated efforts that make instant Green businesses.  Going Green is a process, and continuous process at that.  Knowing where Green starts, the process to go Green, and when Green is certifiable is a tremendous way to be "Honestly Green."

Tips on Branding a Green Business

Do you recall "Cutters"?  These were the people who seemed to have no regard for anyone else except getting there before you.  It seemed that life has always been all about their interests, not yours.  It is an insult to everyone who did things right by those who just didn't give a damn about the effect on you.Cutting has found its way into the Green business arena as businesses find ways to cut in line ahead of the ones who are doing it right. The right way to develop as a Green business is to develop a sustainability plan that does more than a few token gestures, and then faithfully implement that plan over time. To validate that the efforts were real and properly engaged, an auditor is called in to verify that the company had achieved a level of certification. These four steps of planning, implementation, audit, and certification are the normal and right way to develop a truly Green business.Any attempt to brand your company as a Green business must be supported by something more than boast and should have substance that supports the company's marketing and branding campaign. Well, there are those who just can't wait that long.  Instead, they follow one of several ways to cut into line as others faithfully follow the rules.  For those wondering, "Cutting" is just another definition for the Greenwashing mania happening across America.   Of course, the most flagrant form of cutting is simply self-assertion.  Small companies do it by inventing their own logo on Photoshop or making Green claims in their advertising that are not fair representations.  Larger companies have the budget for more polished Greenwashing efforts.If you Google for "Green business certification" on the Internet, you will find that 98% of the companies offering to certify your business "Sight unseen."  These website represent to worst form of Green certification because they rely on deceptive practices from the start.  An audit is not a self-assessment.  Yet, these firms claim to filling in forms about your company are an audit.  Worse yet, they ask the company to pass the deception on to the customer by claiming that they are "Green certified."   The only real requirement for these scam certifications is paying the fee.In a less critical application, many cities have borrowed the idea of forming a Green business certification that comes in an ad hoc committee to promote their Green project.  It reminds me of Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland years where they put on a Hollywood show in a barn.  You can admire the initiative, but there is not much credibility in such project.  Participants have to be concerned that a lack of future funding or a demise of volunteers will bring this boastful program down to a humiliating end.Greenwashing is endemic in the business world, and the variation run from blatant abuse to well-intended ignorance.  This brings us to the element that should be found in a true certification program.  First of all, there needs to be a national standard that creates a uniformity of compliance.  It need not be complex or difficult, but provide a tiered process for companies to follow.Secondly, there is simply no way to claim certification without a standard of compliance and an audit of the compliance by the company.  Returning to the format offered at the start of this article, the plan and implementation is how companies "Play Fair" when it comes to a Green business transition.  The audit and certification is how the public knows that the company isn't cutting into line under false pretenses.The public should take note of every Green logo that they encounter and do a quick Internet search to see which companies are trying to cheat the system.  If the logo is merely a purchase made online and the numerous forms are smart window-dressing that are never audited, then stop doing business with that company.  Their lack of ethics and integrity will show up in other ways as well.If the company has the audacity to make their own Green logo and claim to be Green, the buyer should beware that under such self-promotions a company has no standard of compliance.  Any company could literally go out and buy recycled paper and therefore claim that they have "Gone Green." In a day of marketing ingenuity and hype, we may want to remember the truism: "What is not measured cannot be proved, and what cannot be proved should not be believed."  The marketing efforts of any company should not be built on pretense, but with honesty.  In an age that calls for transparency, deception is not a good marketing strategy.

Green Business Certification

When your company is thinking about Going Green, it may be good to think forward about how a decision to seek a Green certification will affect your business. The kind of "Easy Green" now promoted to this Green-driven market brings short-term gain with long term worries. No decision to create an environmentally-friendly business format should compromise the integrity of the company's future. This is a decision worthy of better thought.Take, for example, the near certainty that some investigative reporter is sure to look into the growing number of website certifications that require only a few hundred dollars of payment and a self-assessment form. The lack of any integrity factors for these kinds of certifications seem to invite abuses. In other words, a less-than-honest firm can earn the same certification as a environmentally-committed company. This glaring invitation for abuse will certainly come back to haunt companies who took the easy route to a world stressing problem. Only a fool could think that these easy-to-cheat systems will become a bastion of integrity.It has been properly said:"If we cannot measure something, we cannot verify it." The obvious purpose of a Green certification logo is to provide the public with some assurance that the logo means something more than that the applicant paid a fee and filled in a form. These programs promote a fundamental deception because the certification has been designed to convey public confidence in something that has not been verified or even reviewed by an independent professional.Just ask yourself how you would feel after deciding to do business with another firm that boasts of its Green merit to win your business,and you subsequently discover that any firm with a few hundred dollars could buy the same designation. Would you feel deceived and cheated? This will be the ugly fate of more than a few companies that take the "Easy Green" route of short-circuiting the system rather than making a realistic commitment.The whole concept of greenwashing has been artificially kept alive because of a business belief that marketing is the bending of perceptions to boost marketshare and profits. Advertising has always provided the latitude to turn negatives into positives, words into realities, and minimums into maximums. So, what happens when the allowances of marketing run into the demands of integrity? In the case of environmentalism, the mongoloid child is called greenwashing.If the only way to verify Green compliance is by measuring or testing, then the obvious antidote to greenwashing is an audit by a professional who uses an industry standard of compliance, The Green Business League made a commitment years ago to train certifiers (auditors) and provide a standard for a Green business that requires more than good intentions or a token effort. More than 250 Certified Green Consultants provide guidance and audits for businesses willing to prove their Green value.This standard has been recently affirmed in an executive order by President Obama requiring a sustainability officer who is required to project a variety of Green and sustainable practices for their agency or company. This federal requirement shows that the path forward is not one of self-acclamation, but of proven compliance.Let us return to the original question. What would be the investigative reporters criticism to find that your company (out of many other Easy Green companies) installed a series of Green practices that had been audited by an independent professional and found to merit a national certification? You would probably feel pretty good about being the one that stood out as the authentically Green business.Audits prove that you keep honest books. Audits prevent cheating by manufacturers. Audits of inventory stop thievery. No one really wants an audit unless they know that the audit will prove the quality of the work done. Those who desire to cheat the system resist audits. One of the failures of Copenhagen was China's willingness to sign on to all the mandates of the Climate Control Summit as long as China did not have to submit to an audit of the results. What message does that revelation convey to you in clear message. China has no intention to live up to the mandates, although they will put on a show that they are concerned about the environment. This is a classic example of Green washing.Companies everywhere should make the commitment to reject Greenwashing by insisting on Green certification earned by Green practices certified by an independent audit. Accepting any Green claim at face value is as foolish as inviting the unscrupulous of the world to pay you in Monopoly money. Why not play golf with someone who feels that adjusting his score is a good way to impress his friends. If it is not measured, it cannot be verified; and if there is no audit of Green practices there can be no certification of a Green business... unless you bought it off the Internet!

Incremental Green Business Programming Works Best

In life, we have all found that we can either do the job ourselves or pay someone to do it for us. The major reason that we hire someone to do the job is that this person does the job better or does the work faster than we can. It makes sense to hire someone to handle the task if it is a big distraction to your work or outside your competencies. However, there are times when it makes sense to do the job yourself.Installing a Green program for your company is an example of this two-fold choice. There is a growing army of firms and consultants that will arrive at your door and take over the Green agenda. Today, energy auditing firms are popular. Other consultants are building specialist. Then, there are solar and wind power experts and remodeling firms looking to insulate the building or install more efficient windows. We must not forget the carbon accounting programs that are related to the energy sector as well.It may help to remember that Going Green is not the "Just One Thing" spoken of by Jack Palance in the City Slicker movie. Each of the items mentioned are one piece of a much larger process. We have a lot of misdirected Green in the business world. By grabbing onto one environmental element, businesses eagerly proclaim that they have "Gone Green." This is a step in the right direction, but it is not a Green business certification by itself.Like going out to eat, it is convenient and pleasant to have someone else prepare your dinner; most of us believe that "home cooking" is best.. and probably healthier. There is a growing realization that it is possible to create a holistic Green and sustainable program for your business with a modest amount of guidance and training.Referring to Executive Order #13514 which was signed in the fall of 2009 by President Obama, we see that there is a ca for sustainable operations to include carbon reduction, energy reduction, paperless systems, reduced waste, water demand reductions, and Green fleet ideas. So, it is easily seen that the sustainability plan should include a broad array of applications.Also found in this executive order to the call for each organization to install a sustainability officer as the key man or liaison for the Green program in the company. This is the core issue for many small, medium, or large size companies. While this appointed person should be trained as a Certified Sustainability Officer, the minimal cost of training is small change compared to the fees of an environmental consulting firm.The sustainability office has one primary task, and that is to prepare a tailored sustainability plan for the company. And, this plan is frankly a step-by-step process of environmental improvements that can be phased in at a comfortable pace. With training and guidance, the sustainability officer can maintain an ongoing program that does not disrupt the business and also rewards it with savings from these Green improvements.Companies now have even more help in the implementation of a Green program. The Green Path software recently introduced provides an extensive checklist of Green business ideas. By working through the software, any company can improve its operation and earn points toward a credible and transparent Green business certification. The combination of this software and a trained sustainability officer seems to be both logical and appropriate.Remember, the building is not the same as a business. Some believe that Going Green is about making capital improvements to the building. In fact, the vast majority of businesses do not own their own building; but they can certainly Green Up their routine operations. It is obvious that a Green business is more about operation than building improvements. Therefore, as seen in the executive order, companies have been encourage to Green Up their operations. The message is clear, Green buildings are great, but Green practices are how any company can get on Green Path.