The world is in trouble, but it has often been said that crisis brings about opportunities. That sage observation is truer now than at any time in history. We all have the opportunity to participate in the wave of sustainability to better our economy, environment, and society while improving our profit margins.
Our civilization has evolved in a way that is damaging our Earth and society. Since the Industrial Revolution, we’ve been driven by our desire for more money and constant growth—development and so-called improvements—and we’ve allowed those values to cloud our ability to understand resource capacity, the balance of natural ecosystems, and the value of quality of life. We’ve overlooked the fact that we need our natural resources to survive, and we’ve used and destroyed them relentlessly in our rampant rage through the twentieth century. Now we are facing the damage, and a new age is dawning in the twenty-first century. Collectively, we can act now to change the overconsumptive habits we have developed and leave a lasting, positive impact on our planet and society.
The International Panel on Climate Change, a consortium of scientists from around the world, reported in 2007 that global concentrations of carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide have increased markedly as a result of human activity since 1750 and now far exceed pre-industrial values. These greenhouse gases contribute to global warming, which leads to increased average air and ocean temperatures and widespread melting of snow and ice. This may not seem like a huge disaster, but the disruption of these fragile systems can lead to increased hurricanes, drought, flood, and famine. We’re already seeing severe increases in these and other related problems, and scientists are fast-tracking their predictions, warning that the dangers associated with higher temperatures worldwide are happening much more rapidly than anticipated.
In addition to the release of greenhouse gases, we have been pouring toxins into the ecosystem and our bodies. Oftentimes these toxins bioaccumulate or remain in our tissue and ecosystem, building up over time. Over the past decade, we have felt the environmental and health effects of toxic substances, including now-banned chemicals for agriculture such as DDT the highly toxic pesticide made famous by acclaimed environmental author Rachael Carson, and polychlorinated biphenyl (PCBs), a known carcinogen banned in the 1970s that was the cause for the massive Hudson River cleanup. Our water, air, and soil are saturated with synthetic petrochemicals, and they are threatening the health of our planet and all life on Earth.
As citizens of the earth, we are contributing to these problems. But we have the knowledge and ability to change the course of this environmental and social crisis brought about in large part by our use of fossil fuels. The question looming over our heads is: can we mobilize the population to make the necessary changes in timely enough fashion to restore balance? We won’t be able to stop global warming completely—too much damage has already been done. But we can certainly change the disastrous path we’re on and avert the worst-case scenarios projected.
Resource scarcity coupled with the consumer demand for green products and company transparency is defining today’s marketplace. This new opportunity represents one of restoration, not destruction. We have the ability to change the habits and industrial systems we’ve developed over the past century. New technology makes it easier to leave less of an impact on the earth, and innovation allows us to develop creative ways to engage our employees and give back to our communities.
Businesses can make a substantial impact on our environment and on society by leading the way into a more sustainable future. Because business represents a large share of activity around the world, making changes to more environmentally friendly operations can achieve the scale of conversion that is necessary to truly affect our climate, our environment, and our society.
We, Heather Gadonniex and Trish Riley, met at the National Association of Home Builders Green Trends trade show in Orlando in 2007, and struck up a conversation about finding a way to work together to help spread the message about the importance of going green. We arranged to meet again at the United States Green Building Council’s Green Build conference in Chicago in 2008, where we joined an amazing crowd of more than 20,000 green businesspeople to hear green business visionary Paul Hawken speak about the importance of the movement. “It’s not about the money,” said Hawken, “It’s about meaning.”
As we watched green business owners and innovators network together and learn from one another, we were truly awestruck by the realization that the green movement is not so much a part of the future; it is in full force right now. Since attending her first GreenBuild in 2003, Heather was particularly inspired by the drastic increase in attendance each year at GreenBuild. There is no longer a question of whether we can make the changes we need to ensure a sustainable and healthy future. The only question is how fast can we turn the tide away from the course we’ve been on—which we now know is significantly damaging the earth and our health—and toward a healthy new environment and lifestyles for our children. The masses of young, smart attendees at the USGBC conferences make it clear that the young professionals of today are taking their businesses in the right direction. They recognize that profit is not the only benefit from business. Building satisfying lives and protecting the planet and our health are just as important.
Business is the engine that drives our economy. It operates on a world stage and at the large scale necessary to really make the good ideas science offers us work for sustainable and renewable industries. It’s an exciting time to be on the verge of a new green industry and green economy, and a great opportunity for businesses to not only reap the benefits of the wealth of new information coming to market each day, but also to become sustainable leaders in their communities and fields.
We are pleased to provide this step-by-step guide to help small businesses make the responsible move into healthy practices that will protect our air, water, and soil as well as your customers and employees. While you’re doing the right thing for people and the planet, you’ll be doing the best thing for your bottom line at the same time. Let us show you how.
This book is divided into five parts to make the process of greening your business as easy and successful as possible.
In Part 1, “Greening Your Business: Why It’s the Way to Go,” you will learn why sustainable business is the way of the future and how to develop your plan to green your business.
In Part 2, “Getting Started on the Green Path,” we’ll help you assess your green potential and develop plans to achieve it.
In Part 3, “Your Business Environment and Operations,” we help you make your place of business and products more environmentally friendly.
In Part 4, “Your Business Practices and Cost Benefits,” we discuss ways to green your office systems, employee practices, and business events.
Part 5, “Marketing Your Green Message,” helps you let customers and others know the important step you’ve taken, and helps you develop working relationships with like-minded businesses to capitalize on your success.
The back of the book contains a glossary of definitions with terms you may not be familiar with. We’ve also provided a list of resources and websites mentioned throughout the book where you can find further information.
Throughout the book, you’ll see notes called out in the text and in the margins of the book:
It’s been a great pleasure to put together this guide to greening your business, and it’s been rewarding to work with many professionals who shared their tips for creating sustainable businesses, and with others who kindly shared their photos, writing, and research skills. Thanks to all who’ve helped bring this book from idea to useful tool. I’d like to thank my friend and colleague, author David Kohn, who alerted me that Alpha was seeking an environmental journalist to write this book. He put me in touch with acquisitions editor Paul Dinas, who has been a great pleasure to work with. Paul wanted me to work with an expert in green business to prepare the book, so I contacted Heather Gadonniex, a green business consultant whom I’d met through our mutual business interests and with whom I had already discussed coauthoring just such a book. She agreed this opportunity was perfect for us. Thanks to Heather for agreeing to collaborate! Heather and I turned to many experts to gather the best information available. Our thanks go to Patti Roth, a south Florida environmental journalist, for her contribution on greening office systems and working with green partners; and to James Steele, organic grower and owner of The Herb Garden in Melrose, Florida, for his contribution to greening landscapes. Many thanks to all of you, whose help in bringing this book to fruition was indispensable. I’d also like to thank my son Bud and my daughter Rachel, whose support is unconditional and always precious to me; James, for his patience and comfort throughout the process; and my two little supervisors, Stella and Teddi, who keep me company during the long days and nights of writing.
—Trish Riley
Working on this project has been an amazing experience. Living in San Francisco, I am so very fortunate to be surrounded by industry experts, some wonderful friends and mentors who have let me pick their brains and talk through complex ideas surrounding the issues of sustainability. Thank you to those who worked so hard during the beginning of this movement. These thought leaders, many of them mentioned in the text of this book, laid the groundwork for what we know as sustainable or green business. We would not be here today if it were not for their tenacity, dedication, and commitment to shifting the current paradigm. Many years of working to merge industry, environmentalism, and social justice are finally paying off! Trish and Paul, thank you for giving me the opportunity to coalesce my thoughts and put them on paper and to contribute to a project that will help start small- to medium-size enterprises on their journey toward sustainability. A few personal notes of thanks go to Rob Sinclair, founder of Conscious Brands, for his expertise and contribution to Chapters 4 and 19; and to Oliver Ferrari, founder of Marian Eco, for his contribution on carbon footprinting in Chapter 6. Thanks to the folks at BBMG and Mind Click for sharing their market research and to the team at Sustainable Industries for always being a fantastic resource and providing cutting-edge sustainability news. Thank you to Dan Geiger, executive director of the northern California chapter of the USGBC, for powering through the draft version of this book in order to write the foreword. A big hug to Miriam Karell, founder of Three Point Vision, who is not only a friend but also an amazing colleague; she helped me remain grounded and provided invaluable ideas for the text of this book. She also contributed to Chapter 3, “Steps to Make It Happen.” Thank you to Courtney, Mary, and Brian. Last but not least, thank you to my family for always believing in me. The look on my father’s face when I told him I was going to focus my core studies on environmental studies and sustainability and only minor in business was priceless, but I guess in the end he knew exactly where I would end up.
—Heather Gadonniex
We’d like to extend a special thank you to our colleagues, whose generous help and expertise were so valuable to us.
Oliver Ferrari is managing partner of MarionEco, LLC, a sustainability consulting firm that helps organizations establish effective environmental programs that reduce costs and conserve resources. He specializes in quantitative analysis of green projects. Oliver is a LEED-accredited professional, and he holds a Master of Environmental Management degree in Business and Environment from Duke University.
Miriam Karell and Rob Sinclair are co-founders of Equanimi (www.equanimi.com), a consultancy that awakens inspiration, innovation, and interconnection in organizations. A core component of their work is to collaboratively engage stakeholders to make decisions and to take actions that move individuals, teams, and companies toward sustainability. Miriam designs sustainability strategies that lead to profound changes in organizations and has been trained in The Natural Step, Integral Theory, systems thinking, strategic business management, and environmental engineering. Rob’s philosophy is, “How you do anything is how you do everything.” He’s an expert on doing business sustainably.
Patti Roth, a freelance journalist, writes for newspapers, magazines, and websites about environmental topics, architecture, and animals. Her work has been published in the Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel, the Miami Herald, E/The Environmental Magazine, and Dog Fancy.
James Steele is the owner of The Herb Garden (www.steelesherbgarden.com), a wholesale/retail nursery specializing in herbs that grow well in Florida’s unique climate. With 38 years of experience growing herbs in Florida, James shares his knowledge of herbs and sustainable gardening through classes and lectures. “Herbs are amazing plants. Growing them and using them for all these years and sharing that information with others has brought me immeasurable reward.” James is co-founder (with author Trish Riley) of www.GoGreenAlternatives.com, a green community networking site to help promote green thoughts, activities, businesses, jobs, and growth.
All terms mentioned in this book that are known to be or are suspected of being trademarks or service marks have been appropriately capitalized. Alpha Books and Penguin Group (USA) Inc. cannot attest to the accuracy of this information. Use of a term in this book should not be regarded as affecting the validity of any trademark or service mark.