The small article on Wal-Mart’s major move to eco-rate deserved front page coverage and a different angle. Positive action toward green or sustainable living commensurate with the size of our problems is news I want to read. The news limelight on N. Korea, Iran, even to some degree all of the Middle East is counter-productive. As they say ‘what you measure is what you get’. Perhaps what you consider news is what you get. These hot spots need addressing, but with the issues we face, they seem almost irrelevant to having a livable future based on the current reality of our$700B/year foreign oil dependence, natural resource depletion, severely declining eco-systems, the onset of climate change, etc.
This journalist’s mental model of going green, re-engineering business for sustainability, is out-of-date. Based on numerous current case studies and research, companies that take on going green or the journey to sustainability find:
- It doesn’t cost them more, but saves money, most times in short term, and definitely in the long term
- Increased revenues from attracting new customers, introducing new products,features
- Increased innovation in business process, products and services
- Increased employee dedication and productivity
- Strengthening of their brand; reduced risk and liability, etc
The companies furthest along the sustainability journey report overall cost reduction. Most compelling is that the companies truly taking on the learning and continuous action for sustainability are experiencing the best growth and profit in their industries, and in many cases, their best years despite the economic collapse. For investors, these companies are better investments because of their long term outlook.
The news media needs a tutorial on sustainability. Moving to sustainability is a learning process with success and failure along the way. Our economic recovery has to be based on doing things differently using a sustainability lens and a commitment to learning with a basic foundation in systems thinking (easy to understand ways to change the behavior of our complex systems). We can’t go back to over-consuming to drive economic recovery; we have to use a focus and commitment on sustainability.
My hat’s off to Wal-Mart for this move to eco-rating and their other sustainability initiatives. They have a lot more to do, but I will now be a loyal Wal-Mart customer, as long as they continue to implement sustainability initiatives both for social and environmental change. Wal-Mart, like all other business, has the most potential to drive the change we need for sustainable living and business.
Debbie Deland, PMP, Six Sigma Black Belt
Sustainability Expert, Systems Thinking Practitioner
President, Greater Orlando Net Impact Professional Chapter
Green Leader Panel Member
Tags: Sustainability
