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Going green is all a load of rubbish really……
Isn’t it?
This is one of the comments I hear when it comes to a business considering whether it is worth ‘going green’ or ‘becoming environmentally friendly’ or which ever environmental catch phrase they choose to use. A lot of people do not associate the impact of business activities with environmental degradation – at least not to an extent that is worth doing anything about. With businesses trying to survive in a tough economic climate, implementing an environmental management program is seen as too much effort and of too little benefit anyway.
But consider this:
- There are now more than 7 billion people in the world and this expected to increase to 9 billion by the middle of the century;
- In the last century water use increased at more than twice the rate of population growth;
- Global energy consumption rose by 5.5% in 2010;
- The Western Black Rhino was delcared extinct in 2011 and according to the latest “Red List of Threatened Species”, over 19,000 species are in danger of extinction, up from just over 11,000 in 2000;
- In 2010 and 2011 disasters relating to energy production (Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010 and Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant leaks due to the Japan tsunami in 2011) threatened peoples lives and livelihoods;
- About 27,000 people lost their lives in 2011 due to natural disasters and global economic losses from these have been estimated at US $380 billion (www.munichre.com).
Even without analysing the science behind these statistics, it is clear that we are now demanding more from our planet than ever before. While it is difficult to accurately measure fossil fuel reserves, water reserves and the number of species in the world and predict there future status; common sense alone tells us that the increasing population and demands on the environment are unsustainable.
Given these statistics (which are just the tip of the iceberg) doesn’t it make sense to reduce your environmental impact and future proof your business as much as possible?
The perception that implementing an environmental management program is going to require excessive amounts of time and money are often exaggerated. Is effort required? Yes. Will financial outlay be required to make some environmental improvements? Yes. Will there be benefits to my business? Yes.
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