THE future is not somewhere we are going. It is something we are creating. Every day we do things that make some futures more probable and others less likely.
Reducing carbon and greenhouse gas emissions will not only make one’s lifestyle more sustainable, but also save money. Even if one remains a cynic and disagrees with the consensus of scientists, he/she will benefit from reduced pollution, a more healthful lifestyle, and increased savings. This article outlines some ways that an individual or even a small family business can do to help prevent the Earth from warming further. While humankind has the ability to destroy the planet, we can also help protect and sustain it.
Global warming is occurring more rapidly than it was originally expected to — only forty years ago, the big worry was global cooling. Global warming already disrupts millions of lives daily in the forms of destructive weather patterns and loss of habitat. As I write this article, the entire National Capital Region is inundated with floods with most parts in Quezon City, Manila, Caloocan, Marikina, Cainta and Muntinlupa experiencing neck deep waters. The national government has declared suspension on all school levels and the private sector has sent notices to employees suspending office operations. Some parts of Metro Manila are now under a Red Level classification meaning there is clear and present danger and local officials will now employ forced evacuation of residents outside of their respective barangays.
The significant and abnormal weather patterns predictably starts every June and lasts until December bringing close to 22 tyhoons and the destruction and confusion including the senseless lives lost are immeasureable. We are regularly seeing a repeat of the destructive “Ondoy” phenomenon almost every year.
What is already happening is only the tip of the melting iceberg — it is our children and grandchildren who may suffer most from the effects of global warming. Hundreds of millions of people may be exposed to famine, water shortages, extreme weather conditions and a 20 – 30% loss of animal and plant species if we do not reduce the rate of global warming and reduce GHG emissions. Not a day seems to go by without mention somewhere in the media of climate change, global warming or the need to consider the carbon footprint. Family businesses should embrace their responsibilities in this area.
Global warming can prove to be a costly occurrence. The deadly and destructive storms that are now being seen have caused tremendous financial losses. Storms have most likely been boosted to their extreme levels of force by warm ocean waters. These are caused by global warming.
Agriculture can be spoiled by global warming as well. Crops die during droughts brought on by global warming. Storms intensified by global warming can damage agricultural buildings and injure animals. Floods resulting from these storms can drown out crops before they can be harvested. All these translate into lost revenues for both farmers and investors. It also means higher prices for consumers of agricultural products.
Similarly, gasoline prices have an effect on the economics of communities. When gas prices are high, people will patronize business establishments that are close to their homes. This hurts the chances of success for a business that is not in a heavily populated area. Global warming is directly affecting the economics of businesses in this way.
The family economics of global warming are undeniable, too. As the climate changes, more energy is needed to cool houses and offices. Those extra degrees of heat in the atmosphere mean that families will have to set their thermostats higher, or pay a higher price.
As a certified sustainable business, corporations must do its part to protect the planet by minimizing its collective consumption of resources and committing to firm-wide green initiatives thru simple, practical steps like reducing waste by using less paper, water and energy.
Going ‘Green’ everyday
Experience the positive effects of ‘going green’ by creating a “Green Team” that will oversee sustainability practices such as working with building management to implement “single-stream” recycling and increasing the amount of materials recycled. Continue to show results through:
Reducing overall consumption of resources, including reducing the firm’s water usage and power consumption by:
replacing all incandescent light bulbs with efficient, compact fluorescent bulbs;
setting all printers, copiers and computer monitors to enter sleep mode during inactivity;
replacing all faucet fittings with low-flow aerators.
Reducing overall paper consumption as a result of:
purchasing a minimum 30% recycled content for all copy paper, letterhead, file folders, envelopes, business cards and other necessary paper items;
replacing all possible office supplies with products made from recycled or renewable materials;
replacing kitchen products with recycled materials, such as paper plates and utensils made from plant starch; napkins and paper towels must be of 100% recycled content;
Encouraging 2-sided printing and copying, whenever practical.
Choose vegetarian or vegan meals.
Livestock are responsible for more greenhouse gas emissions than transportation is. This is due to the large amounts of petroleum used in creating ammonium nitrate fertilizer (for the corn that they are fed) plus the cost of shipping that corn to the cattle and then shipping the cattle to slaughter and grocery. If one eats meat it should always be from a local source. Choosing vegetarian foods also drastically reduces agricultural water consumption and land use, and favorably impacts biodiversity. Vegetarian diets have been shown to promote good health and in most developed countries, eliminating meat from one’s diet is as easy as making responsible choices at stores and restaurants. Other reasons such as the means of production and distance that food travels are also factors in the total impact of our food choices. (To be continued)
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Prof. Soriano is the chairperson of the Marketing Cluster of the Ateneo Graduate School of Business. He is also a Senior Consultant of Wong+Bernstein Business Advisory Group. For comments, send email at [email protected]