Sustainable Business Is Good Business

What are the benefits of green or sustainable business practices in today's industrial business-to-business organization? -- Executive, Unnamed Regional Construction Company.

First, I'm NOT a tree-hugging hippy, nor do I consider myself an environmentalist. However, I feel it is the responsibility of ever business owner, executive, and shareholder to do business in a sustainable way.

What does it mean to operate a sustainable business? It means your organization is economically, socially, and environmentally balances. Like the ideal cash flow, leaves something because of its effort business needs to leave behind something worth having.

Green and sustainable technologies also help in the following ways:

• Reducing chemical toxins from indoor environments improves employee health, reducing the overall number of sick days and claims against insurance. Many green building materials are designed specifically to have zero chemical trace.
• Recycling and reducing the amount of paper used can recover costs, often increased only by an employee's lack of planning. By reducing your costs, you are reducing your burden on natural resources and increasing overall profits.
• Modern green HVAC systems have a lower operating cost; they produce fewer emissions both in the building and into the environment, and can break even on the 15 to 20% upfront costs in less than 2 years.
• Flexible scheduling increases operating hours, lets more employees use fewer resources (multiple shifts or staggered shifts), and improves employee job satisfaction. The more use you get from the same fixed assets, the more production benefit you receive.
• Active lighting with high efficiency fluorescents reduces energy costs while adjusting to room usage. These lights include those with sensors or that adjust to outside lighting.

Humans and their quest for growth has influenced the temperature of the planet, cut down forests, and squandered natural resources. The successful businesses of the future will conserve, reuse, and make strides in efficiency that will be beyond today's imagination.

Are you ready for this new economy? When Europeans came to America they found a land well preserved for thousands of years, a land with an indigenous population of more than 50 million people. The settlers mentality was very short term and exploitive in nature.

It's smart business to reduce costs with available green technologies. Sustainable business practices give you more production value over time at a pace that can continue for years to come. Sustainable business strategies are long-term strategies.

What is your organization doing to be more sustainable? Right now, look at the social, economic, and environmental aspects of your business -- is it something you can be proud to be a part? If not, how can you fix it?