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I am currently in Tasmania, Australia, driving along the Huon Highway - you can't but marvel at the beauty of this landscape - while the radio newsreader reports that BP PLC (BP) has stopped the oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico. The Gulf of Mexico is another truly breathtaking area of natural beauty, and I can’t help but be relieved at this news. As I gratefully absorb this information, and my eyes survey the breathtaking landscape, I see several localised fires started by farmers to dispose of surplus organic material. While the smoke and smell fill the air I begin to ponder the implications of our industrious and entrepreneurial endeavors on our environment.
The inevitable conclusion I draw is that we all pollute our environment! I consider myself to be aware of the environment but still I have flown to Australia and will continue to travel the world. My business, WinWeb.com, provides online software to small businesses using electricity to power many servers in the three data centers we use around the world. Should President Obama “kick my proverbial butt”? Maybe he should, or maybe we should take the responsibility upon ourselves and start to confront our life and work style and begin to contribute to a cleaner and healthier environment. While the "Green Movement" would have you believe we should scale back industries and lifestyles - I believe we should change the way we operate and run our economic endeavors, as well as our personal ones. Even small steps on a large scale can contribute an enormous amount to solving the problem of climate change:
- Allow at least some of your employees to from home - Less travel, less congested roads and highways, less office space to heat and less need for public spending on new highways. All of these environmental benefits added to a significant tangible overhead reduction for your business.
- Support a carbon trading scheme or plant trees to offset your carbon footprint - It is much cheaper than you think and great PR for your business. Corporate responsibility is becoming a buzzword; use it to your advantage.
- Use video conferencing instead of travelling where possible - Less travel, less time wasted for your business and tangible cost-savings.
- Where possible share a ride – This means less pollution, less cost and better use of resources. Plus an increase in interaction between members of society is always a good thing!
- But above all we should all be using our entrepreneurial spirit to find better ways to generate and save energy, having less impact on our environment.
My personal conclusion is this; that it is to late to switch off the lights, stop using our cars and change our lifestyle to improve our environment. It is, however, high time we take responsibility for our actions, and our lifestyle and use our entrepreneurial spirit to begin a process of never ending change, as we understand the environmental implications of our actions better and realise we can’t go on like this.
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.
