Businesses Going Green

By Rachel Tanis

While the downsizing in the newspaper business is nothing short of traumatic if you work, or wish to work, in the industry, many publications are seeing black over green decisions. Choosing to operate in a greener manner by reducing print copies or switching their publications entirely to virtual formats (see the Detroit News and Christian Science Monitor websites for two such examples) is a move that is actually helping the businesses operate in a profitable state.

It can be argued that the newspaper move was one to save ink and not really an actual attempt at running a more environmentally-friendly operation. I have mentioned many times over the last few months in this blog several different business maneuvers, aimed at saving corporate dollars, which have doubled as an advantage for the environment. (You might remember the four-day work week or telecommuting policies at companies like Sprint). It might be impossible to distinguish motive from effect, but regardless, sound business decisions that have a positive effect on the environment are always a worthwhile investment.

Some companies have a reputation for going green. Ford Motor Company built a green roof on its Dearborn assembly plant in 2003, long before it was chic. The roof is actually 10.4 acres of a “drought-resistant perennial groundcover, planted into a specially layered bed,” that the company claims will last twice as long as a traditionally constructed roof. The roof soaks up rainwater and carbon dioxide, and reduces the plant’s overall energy costs by working as a layer of insulation protecting the assembly plant against the cold Michigan winters. The roof even earned the company a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records as the world’s largest living roof.

Even though they passed on the cost to customers, businesses like Star-Kist have made environmental changes that are for the better. Star-Kist reacted to negative press that it received when customers learned that it was accidently catching (and sometimes harming or killing) dolphins in its nets while fishing for tuna. In response, the company moved its fishing operations for safer areas, even though the tuna was less plentiful there. (Lagace)

And, the return on the investment has been high for most of the environmentally-friendly changes that companies have made. For example, in 2004 General Electric (GE) invested $7.5 million dollars “into technology to reduce energy consumption and waste products.” In 2005, the company’s “Ecomagination” line (the one that you’ve seen all of those inspiring commercials about) brought in a handsome profit: “$10 billion in revenue, and an expected $20 billion by 2010.” (Voigt)
In this time of economic opportunity it is important for companies to remember that the new frontier is green, and so are the rewards!

Sources:
Ford Installs World’s Largest Living Roof on New Truck Plant. http://media.ford.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=15555
Lagace, Martha. Going Green Makes Good Business Sense. Harvard Business School: Working Knowledge. http://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/3015.html
Voigt, Kevin. Business sees green in going green. CNN: World Business http://edition.cnn.com/2006/BUSINESS/12/14/environment/index.html