|
|
May 2008
Volume 1, Issue 6
By Elizabeth Binning
With climate change and increasing energy bills on everyone’s mind, going green is the new black. And with it comes a new vocabulary including LEED-certified, biodiesel fuels, biodegradable disposables and waste composting. Many CEOS have now directed their executives to go carbon neutral and lower greenhouse gas emissions. How do such green policies save money, influence investors, impact public perception and affect the bottom line?
The green consumer segment boasts more than $230 billion in spending power, according to a study from the National Marketing Institute. Clearly, there are opportunities for advertising and marketing strategies based on environmental and sustainable products. Publicists and advertisers need to promote green initiatives and reach the growing green demographic without seeming exploitative to influence consumer awareness. Of course, marketing for a green enterprise has to be carefully thought out so that the promotion process doesn't impact the earth and make your company look hypocritical. For example, ads on the Internet rather than newspaper or magazine print ads is cost effective and utilizes fewer resources. Drive traffic to your website and use it as the primary point of entry for new clients.
Telecommuting is one way to slowly add green to the business and bottom line. Advances in workflow tools and technology have made the virtual office easily attainable, yet capability alone isn’t a driving factor in the telecommuting trend—productivity is. According to a Gartner Group survey, telecommuters are 40 percent more productive than office-based workers, and businesses are seeing a connection between telecommuting and increased revenues. So what’s the benefit to the environment? American workers use 23 billion gallons of gas each year getting to and from work. What better way to cut down on emissions and fuel consumption than to keep the car in the garage? Even one day a week of telecommuting has a significant impact on the environment.
Even Xerox is getting into the green game. Newly unveiled, Xerox offers the first Sustainability Calculator designed to help customers pinpoint opportunities to reduce their environmental impact while reducing costs. Only focusing on a company’s document technologies, it evaluates the current office environment of printers, copiers and multifunction devices. For offices that want a quick assessment of their environmental footprint, a scaled-down version of the comprehensive calculator is on Xerox's Web site at www.xerox.com/thoughtleadership.
Of course, telecommuting and document management won’t work for every business. Food service, from restaurants to hospital cafeterias, tends to be very energy intensive, and while upfront costs for eco-changes can be significant, savings down the road can be as well. At Ricca/Newmark Design in Centennial, CO, Kathleen Seelye, president, Foodservice Planning, sees a "different matrix of decisions" in planning foodservice facilities. "Look at what can be done in the design itself to impact energy use long-term and select procedures that provide long-term sustainability," comments Seelye. A major energy guzzler is the ventilation systems which can use 25% of the energy in a commercial kitchen - a number that can be halved by decisions such as hood placement.
In short, businesses that want to reduce costs, streamline operations, stay ahead of regulators, and contribute to a healthier environment should look into how they manage their energy -- and take responsibility for doing it smarter.
Action Plan
Set a corporate energy policy: Make energy efficiency a part of operational procedures and a consideration in every business decision.
Perform an energy audit to assess where energy efficiency can be improved. Energy audits can be performed by state or local energy offices, the U.S. DOE's Industrial Assessment Centers, or in-house using assessment tools.
Make general energy-efficiency improvements to facilities. For example, turn down the thermostat, insulate and block unused windows, turn off machines and equipment when not in use, install automatic lighting controls, use solar water heaters, seal heating and cooling ductwork, reduce hot water temperature, wrap hot water heaters in insulation, and replace air filters regularly.
Encourage employee participation and innovation. Educate employees on easy-to-follow energy-efficient practices and encourage them to come up with new energy-saving ideas.
Track energy costs both before and after energy improvements. You may want to separate energy costs from transportation costs.
Optimize energy in manufacturing processes and activities. For example, capture and reuse waste heat, computerize heating and cooling systems, use high-efficiency motors, etc.
Websites to help:
SEDAC or the Illinois Smart Energy Design Assistance Center provides advice and analyses enabling facilities in the State of Illinois to increase their profitability through the efficient use of energy resources. SEDAC is sponsored by the Illinois Department of Community and Economic Opportunity and provides valuable services at no cost to small businesses and public facilities. SEDAC is managed by the School of Architecture at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and the 360 Energy Group.
Energy Star is an energy-efficiency and environmental-performance program offered through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Companies agree to a series of industry-specific action plans to improve energy efficiency and receive technical assistance, financial information, and public recognition.
National Association of Energy Service Companies offers assistance locating energy service companies.
Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Network provides energy-efficiency and renewable-energy information from national U.S. Department of Energy laboratories and other organizations. Its Web site has online catalogs; lists of manufacturers and vendors; and links to information on various energy-efficiency topics, including buildings, transportation, industry, and utilities.
U.S. DOE's Industrial Assessment Centers sponsor free energy audits for small- and medium-size manufacturers. Assessment teams: recommend specific actions to optimize energy efficiency, waste minimization, and productivity improvements; and provide cost estimates, potential savings, and payback time. The IAC Web site has a database with results of more than 6,000 energy audits and approximately 1,000 industrial assessments, as well as a do-it-yourself assessment workbook, training manual, and productivity guide.
Sources:
Xerox Creates Calculator That Measures Environmental Efficiency; First in the Industry to Answer "How Green is Your Office?". 2008. Al Bawaba,April 23, 2008.
Holaday, Susan. "The new color of design: 'going green' is becoming the design mantra for foodservice operators. (Design: LEED Certification / Energy Efficiency / Cost Savings)." Food Service Director 20. 7 (July 15, 2007): 52(2).
www.GreenBiz.com
http://www.gartner.com/