Benefits
of a Green
Business:
It's Profitable!
A green business program benefits the
environment, increases operating efficiency, and improves the
"bottom line." In addition to positive public recognition and
business promotion, businesses that become green can:
-
Reduce waste and utility costs
-
Improve systems and equipment
performance
-
Attract environmentally conscious
customers
-
Demonstrate community goodwill
-
Establish good relationships with
regulators
-
Provide a safer workplace
-
Motivate and recognize employees'
environmental efforts
How to be a
Green
Business:
Compliance and Beyond
To become a green business, first bring your operations into
compliance with all environmental regulations. Then, go beyond
compliance to meet the general practices and targeted resource
conservation and pollution prevention measures which are summarized
below.
General Practices
Monitor, record, and post rates of water and energy usage and solid
and hazardous waste generation.
Participate in on-going training opportunities and provide
incentives to encourage management and employee participation.
Inform your customers about your business' efforts to meet the Green
Business Standards.
Assist at least one other business in learning about the Green
Business Program and encourage them to enroll
Sustainable Development Efforts
Sustainable
development is development that meets the needs of the present without
compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. The
term ‘sustainability” began with the 1987 publication of the World
Commission on Environment and Development report, Our Common Future. This
concept encompasses ideas, aspirations and values that continue to inspire
public and private organizations to become better stewards of the
environment and promote positive economic growth and social objectives. The
principles of sustainability can stimulate technological innovation, advance
competitiveness, and improve our quality of life.
As Tampa's stewards, we must ask: Can this community
survive? Are our systems and practices viable for the long-term? As
we make changes over time, we should ask ourselves if some of
today's practices are eliminating choices that we will wish we had
tomorrow.
While these questions may seem very distant or abstract to some,
they are issues we all must face. We must consider whether the world
has enough resources to support our consumption of resources and our
creation of pollution. We must consider the long-term viability of
our economic base. And we have to ask whether our social conditions
are improving or worsening. Thus, sustainability is not some
distant, abstract goal - it is today's reality.
A central principle of sustainability is the recognition of the
interdependence of environmental, economic, and social equity
concerns - these are the "three Es". They are often referred to as
three legs of a stool - lacking just one means the stool will not
stand; emphasizing one over the other puts us on uneven ground. We
can begin choosing options that do not sacrifice one of the Es for
another. We can make better choices as individuals and in our
businesses, governments, and other institutions.
We want to develop sustainable because we want to be able to pass
along to our children a community that they will thank us for. We do
not want to deplete finite natural resources or weaken the economic
and social structures that they will need to build their lives on.
Rather, we should be responsible stewards of these resources that
everyone depends upon. Thus, in the end, sustainability is not an
option, but a necessity.
Your Carbon Foot Print
You’ve
heard a lot of talk about your “carbon foot
print”. Do you know what it means? Most simply, it is
the measure of the amount of
carbon dioxide (CO2)
and other greenhouse gases emitted by a
human activity. It is all-encompassing and
includes all causes that give rise to carbon
emissions. In other words, all direct
(on-site, internal) and indirect (off-site,
external) emissions are taken into
account. If you want
to reduce your energy consumption on this
earth, in turn reducing greenhouse gases, a
good place to start is to establish where
you are at right now.
Want to find out what your carbon footprint
is? The Environmental Protection Agency has
a feature on their website called "Personal Emissions
Calculator", available for your
use.
BECOMING A GREEN BUSINESS - HELPFUL LINKS
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