Inspired Business

Green is a fad, sustainability is a trend

April 22, 2011

I remember in the late 80′s through early 2000′s the complaints I would hear about “fads” in quality. TQM, ISO, Lean, Re-engineering… the list of buzzwords goes on and on. A funny thing happened on the way though. American quality has gotten significantly better over the last 25 years. The truth is, any given label might [...]

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Sustainability is just an accounting problem

March 26, 2011

In the end we as individuals and businesses pollute because it is free or nearly free to do so. The actual costs of our actions are recognized elsewhere in taxes, healthcare or put off for future generations to pay. They are called externalities. All of the products (like water, coal, oil and other extracted things) [...]

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Want to Turn Your Business Around… Go Green

March 15, 2011

Whatever business you are in, the best way to put yourself on a track to long term success is to master the green trends of your industry. Are you a builder? Green building is the only growing trend in the space. A pest control company? People want green solutions over the conventional. Parts supplier to a [...]

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Efficient Buildings Pay You

March 1, 2011

Sometimes they say the devil is in the details. For those that care about sustainability and jobs, the God is in the details. Tax rules and regulations that will decrease energy use and increase jobs without sacrificing tax dollars. Its a rare, true win-win-win. Win for business, win for jobs, win for the environment and [...]

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Want Affordable Clean Energy? Remove ALL Subsidies

February 28, 2011

Subsidies for Fossil Fuels Far Outweigh Renewables A report of energy subsidies from 2002-2008 by the Environmental Law Institute shows that subsidies for traditional fossil fuels and corn ethanol totaled 87 Billion dollars. During the same period, subsidies for traditional renewable energy and carbon capture and storage were a paltry 14.5 billion. Although some would argue corn [...]

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100% Wind Power Cheaper Than Coal

January 17, 2011

The Empire State Building has gone to 100% wind power for one reason. It is cheaper than using coal and prices are more stable. Not only are operating costs lower, but the building owners are able to attract the best tenants and higher rent because of the switch. “Clean energy and our nearly 40% reduced [...]

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New Codes Improve Efficiency By 30%

December 28, 2010

Code and government officials meeting in Charlotte, North Carolina voted to improve the 2012 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) standard by 30%. This is a great start on the road that we need to travel for energy neutral buildings. This is action that was not taken by Washington, but by state and local government agencies [...]

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Commercial Property Owners: Doing It Green Means Cash in Your Pocket

December 23, 2010

Does doing the right thing pay in the pocket book. Hell Yes! A recent study of 144 LEED Certified homes that included apartments, townhouses and duplexes and single family homes recently showed a 40% savings in utilities. 64% of the properties surveyed were NOT single family dwellings. For commercial property owners utilities can make up [...]

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Green pays big for GE

September 13, 2010

If you want to look at a great company by most traditional business school measures, GE gets top billing. Hence, business people should follow their lead. GE’s Ecomagination line now has annual sales of $20 Billion. More importantly it is one of the fastest growing business lines in the company so its influence will continue [...]

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