Think Green, Green Business

Green is not just for hippies any more. Even the Bush administration has finally released a four year-old report telling us about global warming. Al Gore has won an Oscar and a Nobel Price. We are all beginning to really internalize these ideas that just a few years ago sounded a bit odd. Hey even neimanmarcus.com is getting into it. It is selling shopping sacks made out of colorful fabrics, for those of us who might want to be ecologically aware and fashionable at the same time.

This is more than a fad, it really is a change in the way we see the world and our place in it, particularly with the sticker shock that we are getting at the gas pump. So what does it mean for our business? It means that we must find a way to participate in this great revolution. We can do it in several ways. One is to become more efficient about how we operate so that we reduce the amount of pollution that we produce. This will save us money, and will gain much goodwill with our clients and the public. Another is to follow Neiman Marcus’s example, and look for products or services that help others reduce their environmental impact. It will require that we change our way of doing things, but it also offers many opportunities for profit and creativity.