What Is A Green Business Or A Green Job

What Is A Green Business, or A Green Job?

The following is a post by Tom Savage, of 'Simpletom' (www.simpletom.co.uk) and 'Tip the Planet' (www.tiptheplanet.com)

What does it mean to be a ‘Green Business’, or have a ‘Green Job’?

It is one of the most common questions I have been asked over the last few years; by job seekers, organizations and even, in one surprising call (especially in view of the money they were distributing to ‘Green Job’ creation at the time), by the White House.

I believe there is no such thing as a ‘Green Business’, or a ‘Green Job’.

One person’s green is another person’s black, and at no precise point does an organization, an individual, or a job become green. ‘Being’ green is an intangible attitude to an ever-changing market. There are no strict rules or particular requirements, which, when met, enable something to be green, despite what many corporate marketers might have you believe.

I realize this now, despite running a company that has called itself green. Going green is best seen as a journey rather than a destination. Something like a growing friendship – is that not what we are trying to become – environmentally friendly?

Like a corporate culture or an individual personality, the elements that indicate greenness form an interconnecting web. Distort one of the threads that form this web and many other of these elements move as well. By understanding this interwoven nature – of what is means to green – companies and individuals are better able to make an impact.

Another widely held fallacy is that ‘going’ green requires sacrifice. I am not claiming that sacrifices are not made – they are, and often. Instead it is my belief, given the changes I have noticed in the market, that those who find the most fulfilment and financial reward from their green journey are those who view their decisions as a fundamental long-term business case, rather than a sacrificial one. Whether that be as a job seeker, or as an entire organization.

When greenness can be described as tacit, it is less frantic and more powerful.

From employee retention and satisfaction, press coverage, customer awareness and brand loyalty, to the bottom line, whether triple or not, there is evidence that those who benefit most from going green are those for whom an environmental attitude is or becomes innate. That is not to say that those with a terrible record cannot change. If anything the first step in their journey could be quicker and larger.

I see the successes time and again across the boardrooms of modern business. The world has changed. Awareness works. Those monsters that bemoan the green movement are exactly that – dinosaurs, out of touch with their customers as they are with Mother Nature.

The journey toward greenness concerns an understanding of the intricate relations you have with the world around you. Nothing could be more important for a business or an individual than understanding the bigger picture and one’s place in the connected modern market.

Going green is about heightening that awareness. It is about listening to your customers and your colleagues, and striving to enhance that awareness, repeatedly. Going green is easy when you realise it involves convenient actions, rather than inconvenient truths.

Tom is an award-winning social entrepreneur who works with selective organizations to help them find key talent. In the last few years, his life changed when he embraced simplicity – follow this amazing journey at www.simpletom.co.uk. He also runs a green wiki with more than nine-thousand pages: www.tiptheplanet.com. Contact Tom on tom@tiptheplanet.com