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Going Green: Good PR or Making a Difference?

by Andy

As Al Gore collects his Nobel Prize, and the Toyota Prius becomes an icon of the new century, it is important to consider the real motivation behind Corporate America's green initiatives.

Evidence of this sweeping trend could be found in NBC/Universal's efforts to go "green" with a week-long stretch of environmentally-themed programming. Scrubs, ER, and The Office also got into the mix, along with numerous features on NBC's news programs. But what is the next step?

kasina recently hosted its annual Fall e-Business Executive Roundtable at New York's first certified "green" building. The "smart" elevators asked us for our destinations before we entered, in order to minimize the number of stops. The carpets were made from recycled tires, and water was served in reusable containers instead of bottles. However, the buffet table was still stocked with food that likely came from all over the continent, if not the world, leaving behind a considerable carbon footprint. The water, though sensibly served out of those reusable containers, was still being placed in plastic cups for our consumption. It seems that with each step forward, another hurdle looms on the horizon.

The challenge of integrating "green" initiatives into the day-to-day flow of business looms large. At kasina, we promote electronic exchange of much of our work, hoping that just a few vital copies will be printed, versus the reams of printed paper that are often produced in the business setting. How have firms made an effort to institutionalize these tasks, and move beyond "green" awareness to "green" action?