Steve Bannister

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Five Future Trends (part I):
The Business of Global Greening
How Technology and Business are Saving the Planet
By Steve Bannister

Imagine a massive piece of glacial ice bigger than the area of Manhattan Island (61 sq km) breaking off from its main ice shelf and crashing down into the sea. This exact event occurred recently in Canada's far north and it remains to be seen next summer whether shipping lanes or oil-drilling regions will be adversely affected. Scientists can't say for certain that this break was a direct result of global warming. However, the vast majority of scientists agree that global warming is occurring mainly because of man's behaviour and not the result of the natural evolution of the earth's climate.

So, how are environmental issues so different today from the same issues of say, thirty years ago when new buzz words such as, "the ozone layer" and "carbon dioxide emissions" became so popular? Environmental concerns were being voiced by members of the hippie movement in the 1960's and early 70's Then there was the oil crisis in the late 1970's. But this time around is proving to be quite a different matter.

The Business Buy In

In past years, business awareness of environmental issues usually occurred when oil prices peaked, or when there was more disturbing news about global warming, harmful chemicals or the limited supply of the earth's resources. Any effort on the part of businesses concerning the environment was done mainly to take care of the bottom line or to appease environmentalists. Usually, a company's main reaction during an environmental crisis was to fight back or, in the event of an impending loss, the company would do whatever was needed to regain a positive PR profile. Today, most companies are voluntarily choosing to become more environmentally proactive.

What has been the impetus for this new business revolution? Simply put: technology and tenacity. Businesses now understand that today's sophisticated technology has enabled them to save the world and make money at the same time. As Jeffrey Immelt, the CEO of GE and a new convert to the green side, is fond of saying, "Green is green". Add to this mix, tenacious, demanding consumers and creative entrepreneurs and the result becomes the greening of a business renaissance.

This new age includes entrepreneurs who are spear-heading proactive approaches to tackling environmental issues with renewed vigor. They do this by eagerly embracing environmental issues as problems to solve instead of situations to avoid. As a result, veteran business people are being forced (or convinced) to wake up to the realization that there is now a new way of thinking about being in business.

Technology Takes Off

For most businesses twenty years ago, it was hard to imagine the tremendous impact technology would have on today's world. Massive technological advancements have enabled previously impractical environmental possibilities to evolve into more feasible large scale solutions. For example, electric cars are finally emerging as a possible alternative. If the idea of owning an electric car sounds boring, have a look at the 2008 Tesla Roadster (www.teslamotors.com): one hundred percent electric, 0 to 60 in about 4 seconds, 135mpg equivalent and 250 miles per charge. Fast and efficient.

A more popular concept in greener cars involves hybrid vehicles (such as the Toyota Prius) which have been a viable consumer alternative for the past four years. One sign that the green movement in the car industry is becoming so mainstream occurred at the 2007 International Auto Show held just last January in Detroit. There was no fanfare or effort to push any of the big dealers' hybrid cars or hybrid SUV's. The message sent by car companies was that green cars are now an integral part of the lineup of vehicles available to the consumer.

Green and Clean

In the past few years, the development of clean energy has been slowly making its way to the forefront of the green revolution. Solar cells are shrinking and becoming more durable, wind turbines are getting more efficient and hydro-kinetic energy (the harnessing of wave and tidal power) is becoming a greater economic possibility.

Enter Konarka Technologies (www.konarka.com); a solar cell company run by Howard Berke. It is certainly not an understatement to claim that Berke's solar cells will single-handedly change society's understanding of what it means to make use of solar power. Solar cells are different from solar panels both from a chemical and practical standpoint. Solar cells are built around organic chemicals whereas solar panels rely on silicon.

The makeup of solar cells (more popularly labeled Power Plastic by the people of Konarka) lends them to be very flexible and therefore open to an array of possible uses. When Power Plastic is ready for mass production, everyday objects such as handbags, cell phones, mp3 players and even clothing will be embedded with Power Plastic and people will be freed from the confines of cords and batteries.

Live in a windy part of the world but can't afford to set up a traditional Danish windmill in your backyard? No problem. The Skystream 3.7 backyard wind generator from the people at Southwest Windpower ( www.windenergy.com ) may be just the solution. Installed on a 35-ft. tower, it connects to standard utility hookups and starts turning in breezes as low as 8 mph. It can provide up to 80% of the average household's electricity and shave $600 or more off annual utility costs.

As with wind, generating power from water seems at first glance to be a traditional and popular method of obtaining clean energy but generating hydro-kinetic energy is something quite different. Energtech ( www.energetech.com.au ) has teamed up with a desalination company H2AU ( www.h2au.com ) to develop technology that harnesses wave power and uses it to make ocean water drinkable. Last year, the first Wave Energy Generator was successfully installed off Port Kembla, Australia and has since performed amazingly well. Its yearly output was estimated to be enough energy to power 1,400 homes (at a competitive rate) or produce 260 million gallons of potable water (with zero emissions).

The Growth of Organic

If the concept of organic food has been around for many decades, why has it become so much more popular in recent years? The basic answer to this question is a phenomenal access to information via the internet. As a result, well informed consumers have determined en masse that they will no longer accept the chemical ridden methods of growing produce and of farming beef and poultry. Farmers in turn are realizing the benefits of charging more for organic food while also saving on pesticides. The latest USDA statistics have noted almost a doubling of land set aside for organic grain crops in the US from 1997 (291,013 acres) to 2003 (547,729 acres).

The organic trend is not only associated with coffee, salmon, produce, or chicken. Organic cotton is also making its mark due to the tremendously toxic chemicals used on regular cotton plantations. Organic farmers use ladybugs to fight other pests, weed their crops by hand and use manure for fertilizer. It's not a cheap process but then again, Organic Levi's Eco Jeans are not cheap either at $350 a pair.

How Al & Lee are Changing the World

There is no doubt that technology and the new wave of entrepreneurship have advanced the green movement. But in order to take this movement to the next level and solidify its status among the top political and business leaders of the world, key people must play important roles. Many businesses such as Starbuck's (organic coffee) and GE (energy saving bulbs) have already been doing their part to save the earth. Two more recent people to step up and make a difference are Al Gore, the former Vice-president of the US and Lee Scott, the CEO of Wal-Mart.

Al Gore has become an environmental crusader. His recent documentary, An Inconvenient Truth, includes a powerful combination of video and statistics about global warming that stuns its viewers. Package this film with Gore's ability to meet with world leaders and the result is a powerful means to effect global environmental change.

Just as Gore speaks on behalf of the environment, Lee Scott speaks on behalf of Wal-Mart, and when Wal-Mart speaks, people listen. Wal-mart does not approach any venture half-heartedly. Once they finished doing their homework and then made the decision to turn green, they hit the ground running. Some of Wal-Mart's internal initiatives include doubling the fuel efficiency of its new trucks, reducing the amount of packaging on products such as their private label-line of toys and popular detergents, and cutting green-house gas emissions from existing stores by 20 percent.

The ripple effect of Wal-Mart's new green look has extended to areas such as the fledgling organic-cotton industry which has been bolstered by Wal-mart's commitment to buying organic cotton for the next five years. Local organic food producers are also benefiting from Wal-Mart's efforts to reduce the "food miles" of their organic food by purchasing local foods wherever possible, thus improving freshness and saving money on shipping costs.

Wal-Mart has demanded similar green practices from its 60,000 suppliers scattered throughout the world. For example, coffee growers in Brazil are expected to grow mostly organic coffee and factory workers in China are also expected to cut their energy and fuel costs; and the list goes on.

Think Globally, Act Locally

With all of this talk about a world-wide green love-in, the question still remains as to what individuals and small to medium businesses can do to change the world. The following are some simple suggestions (and a few more radical ones thrown in for good measure):

  • Have a Paperless Purpose - Save paper by photocopying on both sides, encouraging more emails and recycling. One Step Further: Purchase recycled chlorine-free paper ( www.paperchoice.ca ).
  • Gang up on Garbage - Meticulously sift through your trash. Recycle everything that's possible and properly dispose of toxic substances like toners and batteries. One Step Further: Purchase a solar-powered trash compactor ( www.seahorsepower.com ).
  • Lessen the Light Bill - When a light bulb burns out, replace it with a Compact Fluorescent Light Bulb (CFL) ( www.gelighting.com ). CFL's use 75% - 80% less electricity than normal bulbs and can last up to 10 years. One Step Further: Replace all bulbs at work and at home with CFL's even before the old ones burn out.
  • Cut Down the Commute - Take the bus or train to work once a week or organize a carpool for once a week. One Step Further: Carpool all the time or sell your car and start using a car-sharing service such as Zipcar ( www.zipcar.com ).
  • Recharge a Renovation - When your workspace needs a change, consider purchasing eco-friendly furniture and furnishings ( www.vivavi.com ) and environmentally friendly paint ( www.greendepot.com ). Why not take it one Step Further: Completely renovate your working and living space by adding cork or bamboo flooring and insulation from recycled jeans (also at www.greendepot.com ).

It's safe to say that the global environmental changes that are occurring today are showing no signs of disappearing. Constant communication between global citizen watchdogs, continuous creative opportunities for budding new businesses and a tidy profit for big corporations will ensure that the green world of today will pale in comparison to the lush world of tomorrow.

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