For the business that is thinking about going green, a variety of justifications exist to take the plunge, including:
- Increased sales
- Legal and tax advantages
- Reduced waste
- Improved workplace
- Customer loyalty and public response
- Sustainability
- Awards and recognition
- Regulatory compliance
- Risk management
- Increased brand value
- But most of all, because it's the right thing to do!
So how does it work? Applying green processes to the workplace creates a healthy environment for employees, reduces unnecessary waste and recognizes the role that businesses play in leading the way for social change.
This interest is reflected in the recently held International Workshop Agreement aimed at developing a framework for the freight transportation industry to create more sustainable and environmentally friendly business practices. These include selecting fuel-efficient carriers and modes, reporting emissions, and identifying the most viable technologies and strategies for emission reductions, not to mention providing a common calculation of the environmental cost for goods that are shipped around the world.
The question remains, however: Is there a greening effect on the global economy? As a matter of fact, yes, there is. According to the Harvard Business Review, going green creates jobs and new industries. It is a catalyst for innovation, new market opportunity and wealth creation. Furthermore, recent findings suggest that investment in renewable energy stood at USD 214 billion worldwide in 2013. And in the USA alone, the clean energy economy created nearly 80 000 green jobs that same year, benefitting virtually every state across the country. Now that's what I call "green power".
