Sustainability is a relatively new subject, and there is still a lot of mystery about the real meaning of this popular subject. To capture the proper understanding, look at the root work, sustain. One official definition is "relating to, or being a method of harvesting or using a resource so the that resource is not depleted or permanently damaged." Few would argue with this definition, and that starting point allows us to understand that sustainability is primarily about the "management of our resources."
The definition of terms is incredibly important to any progress that will be made in the environmental challenge now facing our world. It may be best to start with the most comprehensive word, environmentalism. Environmentalism covers a vast array of issues like: Green, Sustainability, Pollution, and Conservation. With this simple overview, we can identify one topic as an important sub-category at a time. Green, in case you were still wondering, is best defined as anything related to the "health impact" on living things. Obviously, this can be extrapolated into the health of the world, but it is a proximity-related subject as well. Sustainability can be defined in broad and contorted ways, but the word is best defined as our approach to "The management of our resources."
Doesn't a better understanding of these two terms help any real life applications that must follow? A Green business is one that has addressed issues of indoor air quality, toxins that may be introduced into the workplace, and the multitude of issues that may have immediate and long-term impact on the health of workers, family, and community.
The sustainable issues may be complimentary and may also overlap into the other categories, but a sustainable business practice is any of a wide variety of practices that will lessen our impact on any of the resources that we all need to survive. The earlier definition referred to the harvesting and use of resources, but there is a concern for the waste disposal capacity we have as well. That is why those involved in the sustainability side of the environmental cause will also refer to "Life Cycle Analysis' or LCA.
To be a sustainable business, the fundamental task is to take a new look at the resources that are needed and determine if there isn't a better way forward. The carbon footprint is part of this evaluation since carbon use is one of the hot issues of the day. So, the sustainability plan will evaluate all the commodities required by a business, including energy and water to determine if there is a way to reduce the demand and lighten the strain on the source. The words "source reduction" are part of the sustainability review.
It is entirely unfair to take a few items like replacing CFL bulbs, a programmable thermostat, or a low-flow toilet and claiming the status as a sustainable business. This claim should be reserved for businesses who have worked with a Certified Green Consultant or Certified Sustainability Officer to complete a well-developed sustainability plan.
The sustainability plan was brought into great importance by executive order #13514, which was signed by President Obama in late 2009. Within this order were a number of basic goals for all governmental agencies, and one of the distinct requirements was the necessity to install a sustainability officer who would prepare a sustainability report. There seems little doubt that the sustainability report will become the basic protocol for any sustainable business. After a decade of "Easy Green" designations purchased off the Internet, and "Token Green" were any meager effort seems to self-approve a Green status, the new expectation is a sustainability report that can be certified through an independent audit. This is the only way to prove the integrity of business claims for a Green or sustainable program.
To be a Green or sustainable business, there is a need to understand the fundamental task of either discipline and to create a comprehensive plan that covers the various ways that a company may help or hurt the final environmental equation. Being an environmentally-friendly business is the larger goal and the steps are to take a holistic approach to the Green health issues, the sustainable resources demands, the pollution that can be mitigated, and the conservation of nature and wild life.
The business world is presently in a transition from misconceptions and missteps by those ready to contribute to the good of our world and the future that is now so threatened. Good intentions lead the way, followed by those who merely follow the trend with minimal efforts The next phase of environmental maturity will be the ethical and responsible installment of Green and sustainable practices that can be addressed, validated, and certified according to a national standard. At this point, the demand for Certified Green Consultants to assist businesses of all types and Certified Sustainability Officers to work in-house to install and accomplish a sustainability plan will be the standard across all industries.
If those committed to the environmental demand to see serious and substantial improvement in the commercial segment of businesses that they patronize, the market shift will happen more enthusiastically than asking the government to impose rules and sanctions. Businesses respond to the public simply because they must. Asking companies to install a verifiable sustainability plan is in concern with the latest executive order of this administration, and a sustainability plan can be measured and verified.
As the TerraChoice example showed the consuming public, greenwashing is rampant, and frankly, a common trend in the marketplace. Companies that are eager to be seen as Green will literally exaggerate, mislead, and outright lie about the Green merits of their product, service, or company status. Most of those same companies do not practice the buying mandates that they promote to the buying public. This is because there have been no audits or standards to verify the claims until this most recent generation of consultants and auditors have taken their place in society.
With this better understanding of the environmental task and the obvious directions coming to the marketplace, it appears that the new generation of environmentally-friendly companies will install Green and sustainable practices guided by trained consultants who are able to develop a holistic sustainability plan. Anything less will gradually fall into disdain and public resentment. This next step of environmental maturity has been long overdue and needs widespread adoption at the entry level of every business.
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