Environmental Creativeness = Our Willingness to Eco-innovate
Environmental sustainability depends largely on actively supporting innovative solutions.
By coming up with creative environmental ideas as solutions to current critical environmental problems companies looking to improve their environmental performance can increase their employees’ willingness to be more environmentally innovative.
For instance, by simply exhibiting supportive behaviors managers can significantly help increase the likelihood that employees will attempt to develop and expand their environmental ingenuity.
Companies with sustainable development policies with stated environmental practices may help encourage an employees’ willingness to eco-innovate. They can then influence managers to adopt behaviors that employees perceive to be supportive of environmental actions. By doing so this will specify which behaviors and policies are most effective at supporting environmental innovations.
Companies have considerable discretion to explore different market strategies to deal with global warming and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Managers can choose between a greater emphasis on improvements in their business activities through innovation or by employing compensatory approaches such as emissions trading. The overall goal of an emissions trading plan is to reduce emissions which helps to achieve pollution reduction at the lowest possible cost to society. They can choose to act by themselves or work with other companies, NGOs, or (local) governments.
Recommended resource where companies can learn more about being eco-friendly
Businesses need help in order for them to be successful at lowering energy bills and helping to save the environment at the same time!
Having an eco-friendly approach to business can actually help achieve a number of cost-saving and revenue-generating benefits. Companies need to find ways to strike a balance between the need for bottom-line success and doing the right thing for the environment.
According to Kevin Doyle of The Green Economy, green businesses are currently growing at an average of 5% per annum.
Going green and adopting sustainable workplace practices has shown to lead to an increase in customer confidence, improved employee morale and promotes a stronger public image for the company all of which help lead the way to financial savings for the business.
Environmental Practice at Work Ltd directly support people at work who want to co-operate in promoting work practices that improve environmental performance
http://energy.environmental-expert.com
The top three things office-based businesses can do to make their offices more environmentally conscious — especially if they have not yet made any effort in that regard
Companies have considerable discretion to explore different market strategies to deal with global warming and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Companies can choose between a greater emphasis on improvements in their business activities through innovation or by employing compensatory approaches such as emissions trading. The overall goal of an emissions trading plan is to reduce emissions which helps to achieve pollution reduction at the lowest possible cost to society. They can choose to act by themselves or work with other companies, NGOs, or (local) governments.
If possible, some companies can take their initiatives a step further by integrating measures using renewable energy. Renewable energy utilizes natural resources such as sunlight, wind, tides and geothermal heat, which are all naturally replenished. Some companies are using renewable energy technologies ranging from solar power, wind power and hydroelecticity to biomass and biofuels for transportation.
All levels of management and employees must be involved.
Companies with sustainable development policies with stated environmental practices may help encourage an employees’ willingness to eco-innovate. They can then influence managers to adopt behaviors that employees perceive to be supportive of environmental actions. By doing so this will specify which behaviors and policies are most effective at supporting environmental innovations.
Make sure everyone is committed to carrying out even the simplest of tasks such as properly recycling paper and plastic. Reducing their water usage and using more environmentally preferable materials, substances or organic products. Shutting off equipment and lights or having motion-activated sensors installed (lighting accounts for 20 percent of greenhouse gas emissions from commercial buildings).
The most significant current trends in “green offices”
Companies are making an effort to prioritize their regard for the environment and are heeding advice that may help them in the process of becoming more environmentally-friendly.
Companies are working hard to make better use of the reuse concept of sustainability and converting, using and disposing of already purchased stock in more environmentally friendly manners.
Changes of attitudes and behaviors in the work place are becoming more prominent. There is more recycling being done, less waste being produced, carbon emissions are being reduced, offices are turning down heating and switching off air-conditioning all in an effort to conserve the environment and rebalance the ecosystem.
A common green environmentally friendly choice businesses are making is to use only energy-efficient products that have been awarded The Energy Star or other recognizable energy-efficiency award. Following a ‘green guide’ and tips on how best to use and configure the machines for minimal waste of energy and paper.
Using these management features are important for saving energy and avoiding waste, and are an easy way to reduce air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions through unnecessary use of electricity. Energy efficient Energy Star compliant photocopiers provide a significant step towards reducing the environmental impact of office photocopiers. Such machines come standard with an “energy saving” mode to automatically or manually assume a low power state. This feature alone can reduce the energy needed in periods of low activity by over 60%.
Radio Interview with KJAG
Robert Stillman talks with KJAG about SeedOurFuture.org
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Green Retail
Is the current recession and decreased consumer spending causing retailers and marketers to change their environmentally correct efforts?
In 2007 the Environmental Leader reported that two-thirds of chief financial officers at leading U.S. retailers said their company was actively involved with “green” or environmentally friendly practices. Forty-four percent of those also indicated that they had increased their investments in these types of practices throughout the previous two years.
Among those retailers involved with green practices, 34 percent exclusively pursued internal activities by environmentally modifying operations and structures while nine percent remained focused solely on external practices such as marketing and selling green products. Fifty-seven percent of those retailers engaged in a combination of both external and internal green practices.
The benefits of implementing green initiatives have widespread effects. Two-thirds of CFOs cited improved brand image among customers and employees as the greatest motivator for their company to pursue environmentally friendly practices. 54 percent cited “image among consumers” and 13 percent cited “image among shareholders”. 15 percent of the CFO’s noted tax breaks or tax incentives as the greatest “green” motivator followed by 10 percent citing city/state or zoning regulations.
According to a study by BDO Seidman, LLP among the top 100 largest retailers, eighty-three percent are involved in green practices and a majority of those (62 percent) have increased their green investments during the past two years.
Resources wasted equals profits lost. Where there are inefficiencies in business operations there is room for improvement.
Energy prices and atmospheric temperatures are rising which in turn is drawing attention to energy efficiency as a smart environmental and business practice. Reducing energy consumption will reduce greenhouse gas emissions as well as operating, manufacturing and consumption costs.
Energy management can have a greater impact on emission reduction if companies choose to make investments by purchasing alternative energy.
According to Dan Kubala, vice president of marketing for Austin, Tex.-based Site Controls, nearly all retailers can boost their bottom line almost immediately by reducing energy costs by implementing energy management systems. Noting that the level of capital investment is relatively low and payback for the best systems occurs rather quickly (within 18 to 24 months).
Consumers are becoming more and more pro sustainability and are making purchases with this in mind. Kubala also reports that forty-six percent of consumers say they would shop at a retailer more if it was environmentally friendly, while 47 percent say they would pay more for environmentally friendly services, products or brands.
EPA study Concludes…
The Associated Press recently reported that the Environmental Protection Agency has concluded that carbon dioxide and five other greenhouse gases are a danger to public health and welfare. Greenhouse gases are gases in an atmosphere that absorb and emit radiation within the thermal infrared range. This process is the fundamental cause of the greenhouse effect.
This greenhouse effect forms a shield that allows the sun’s radiant heat energy into our atmosphere and moves excess heat concentrations out of our atmosphere. When gas concentrations in this shield are increased, excess gases become trapped inside our atmosphere causing increased global temperatures.
Common greenhouse gases found in the Earth’s atmosphere include water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, ozone and chlorofluorocarbons.
Congressional sources told The Associated Press that the EPA will announce its proposed finding Friday April 17th and begin a comment period before issuing a final ruling. This is the first step toward regulating pollution linked to climate change.
The action was prompted by a Supreme Court ruling two years ago that said greenhouse gases are pollutants under the Clean Air Act and must be regulated if found to be a human health danger.
