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The Eco-Friendly Advocacy

We believe that our competitive advantage lies in our true green and eco-friendly environmental strategy. Our motivation to go green is the result of following the materials discussed in the earth and environmental summits over the years.

 

Earth Summits through the years

In 1972, the city of Stockholm in Sweden hosted the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment which led to the emergence of international  environmental laws.The Stockholm declaration set out the principles for various international environmental issues that included natural resource management, pollution prevention and the relationship between the environment and development.

In 1992, Swiss billionaire Stephan Schmidheiny organized 50 leading businesses and influential leaders around the world to the Earth summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.The aim was that businesses need to change the course of their operations through the concept of eco efficiency and emphasized the potential economic benefits from reducing pollution and better managing our given natural resources. In short, the summit focused on the ideology of how companies could become better stewards of the environment.

In 2002, the city of Johannesburg in South Africa hosted the World Summit on Sustainable Development. This meeting of both business and influential world leaders was essential because little progress had been made since the Rio Summit. By then, many companies had adopted the environmental and eco-friendly policies, but it seemed to be losing momentum. This conference served as an opportunity to reaffirm the realities of environmental degradation and therefore companies and businesses were challenged to walk the talk. Over the years, many governments and CEOs of leading industries have made conscious efforts to walk the talk.

 

Importance of the Green Wave

It is very important for all companies (large, small or startups) to adhere strictly to environmental initiatives regardless of pains it might cause to such companies. Not adhering to eco-friendly laws and sustainability initiatives is a threat to humanity. How? It deprives the next generation and beyond their fair share of natural resources for which they will need to survive.

In Chapter 1 of their book, ‘Green to Gold’, Dan Esty and Andrew Winston explained that the overwhelming pressures of not challenging all companies to go green include “global warming, water scarcity, extinction of species (or loss of biodiversity), growing signs of toxic chemicals in humans and animals” (Esty et al, Page 8, 2006). Additional pressures include water pollution and ozone layer depletion.

  • Esty, Daniel C. and Andrew S. Winston. “Eco-Advantage.” In Green to Gold. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2006.

 

What Going Green Means

To go green implies that all governments, companies, businesses, NGOs, individuals, public and private institutions must be good global citizens working harder than ever to save mother Earth for now and the future.

The advent of eco-friendly agenda had led to many auto-manufacturers producing fuel efficient cars to include electric and hybrid cars that reduce the impact of carbon monoxide emissions from the combustion of fossil fuels from cars into the atmosphere. These companies include Tesla, Toyota, Ford, GM among others.

Green Globes and LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified buildings have sprang up throughout different parts of the world. From the United States to India, from China to South Africa and from the United Kingdom to Brazil, LEED buildings attest to the fact that companies are heeding to the warning of doing right for the environment. These buildings are green compliant with regards to energy conservation, air quality, water usage and the usage of Environmentally Preferred Materials (EPM) over their construction and thereafter.

 

Companies Walking the Green Talk

Forbes.com noted and rated some few companies in the United States that are champions in sustainability and eco-friendliness. In ascending order, these companies are Seventh Generation, Method, Go Lite, New Belgium Brewing Co., Patagonia, Solberg Manufacturing, West Paw Design, Sungevity, Namaste Solar, Positive Energy Solar and WasteZero. These companies are rated according to their predominant usage of Environmentally Preferred Materials (EPM) in their operations (https://www.forbes.com/sites/susanadams/2014/04/22/11-companies-considered-best-for-the-environment/#231d3dc212ae ). EPMs refer to the proportion of using waste, recycled products and environmentally friendly input into their manufacturing or production operations.