Oct
For the planet, people and profit
Bruce MacLellan
I attended the annual Health Work and Wellness Conference in Calgary last week and spoke on a panel discussion on the links between positive workplaces and giving back to society. Environics Communications was chosen because of our carbon neutral status that we achieved in June of this year. The audience was made up of 450 human resources professionals and other managers and there was great enthusiasm for genuine corporate greening.
My research with almost 20 new colleagues at Environics confirms that green practices can be a recruitment and retention strategy for HR planners. We were the first North American public relations agency to become carbon neutral and our commitment to sustainable practices is well entrenched.
One person in the audience in Calgary asked me if the economic recession we are entering will be a set-back for environmental sustainability. I answered that it would not, because there is too much momentum now and too many corporations and governments are already committed to change. A year or two of slowdown will not be easy for people, but this environmental train has left the station.
Furthermore, I believe the adoption of green practices offers solid profit potential for many businesses, either as a way to mitigate risks or as a way to create new products for sale. You can see this with more and more companies, from General Electric to The Home Depot and others. Circumstances are finally making it profitable to be green, and that is one of the most powerful incentives the environmental movement has ever enjoyed.
I think an economic slowdown will reduce the chest thumping capabilities of corporate greenwashers, and by extension you’ll see less communications from these camps as short term programs (and funding) are yanked. In 2009, those committed to real change will emerge as true standouts and will be in a superior position (read: not playing catch up) when a correction occurs.