How Green are you?

A new niche I am featuring is

your green commitment.

Yes, I know the text is highlighted in blue, but beside my feeble webineering skills, I am serious about the issue because it reflects my values.

Who is Driving the Trend?
Employees for instance. They want there business or place of work to live up to standard employees have achieved at home.

Consumers are the big swing in whether something is green or serves a purpose. There is a reason why 'Whole Foods Market' stock the shelves with goods besides food. Not only can you pimp your kitchen with wonderful products, which are safe & neat, you can buy products that reflect your values

Shareholders % Investors who see the 'green wave' coming want companies like 'Wal-Mart' or 'BP' because they are looking down the road and forecasting trends before they happen. Leaders of industry have a good foresight. I wouldn't invest into a company that did not have a clear, green strategy. It is the responsibility of shareholders to 'bail out' on a company that has vague or misleading business concepts which they claim are 'organic' or 'alternative.'

These 3 concepts are all reflected onto the individual, and his/her personal values. If they do not have the right idea and cannot transfer values into short & long personal choice the green wave will only be a trickle. A very slow and painful transition at that. We cannot relay on the individual alone. The majority of people understand recycling or alternative choice from resources provided. If Toyota advertises the Prius and that is all you know, your going to buy a Prius, if your ready for change. Most people have a higher threshold for green change. The trend is picking up because people are stepping outside and learning of alternative choices that best fits their values. Education is a major tool in providing information early on with a community based application that create outstanding treehuggers. But in an age of relatively cheap oil, it is not up to the individual but the leaders of industry.

The leaders of industry are stepping up in values. They are looking at the costs of investing in green alternatives. BP for instance invest 10(s) of millions of dollars and in 2 years saw a 1000% return on their investment. Green is the best choice for businesses because they have to make these sudden changes or the individual might grow wary and seek companies that reflect their values. Big Business is taking the responsibility now, we shouldn't judge them for being a few decades to late but it is a good start. The real challenges are businesses communicating with their supply chain. Wal-Mart is a notorious example! The first steps a business can take is cutting costs in the supply chain.

Saving money is a big battle in the green revolution. Cutting costs are important in a game where 'organic' is overpriced and people with values are willing to shell out the cash. This shouldn't be true. If you talk to your grandparents and ask them about their lives, some of them can claim to have lived off of fresh foods. Several Decades ago everything was organic and cheap.... What happened? Well that is a different argument but more people = more problems.

Businesses who impose values into their supply chains will definitely benefit from cost cutting, and maybe even translate the savings to the consumer. I personally hate the fact organic is so priced gauged. The biggest factor in all those mark-ups can be attributed to the high diesel prices. But the transportation industry is f**k'd in America and I hope

change

comes soon. Cheaper energy could really bring down food prices substantially.

Entrepreneurs are the leaders of the green revolution. They range from people who have a innovate new product that might be bio-degradable or a method to make something existing green. These treehuggers deserve a salute because they are quickly saturating the market with many choices!!! The entrepreneurs of the future will create a surplus of new 'Green Collar Jobs' that will heavily focus on the transformation of our way of life bringing it within a competent level. Any type of waste, or wasted surplus if it be food, water, trash has to be defined and a new job created to supervise it. I wouldn't bet on anything, but scarcity is a big part of economics!

A large part of the responsibilities falls onto the Local, State and Federal Governments. The tax credit is a good start, but they have to focus on creating jobs and not cutting them. You can find out more at your local municipality or state website. If your state does not have a program you life, you can start a curbside program or find a non-profit that is trying to do what you want.

Advocates are going to be the voice of this movement. If you feel like you have something to say go out and do it! Express yourself and teach two other people your philosophy. A virtues teaching cycle has to start. Even if children are the ones educating their parents, it has to start somewhere. Now go out, and get some fresh air!!! In some cases you may need an umbrella. You will have to take steps that will reflect your values. Even if you hate being wet or tired of waiting for the long and over due green wave!