Green Business
“We have a choice to make during our brief visit to this beautiful blue and green living planet: to hurt it or to help it.”
Ray Anderson, carpet manufacturer and sustainability advocate, 2009
When consumers began voicing concern for the environment and sustainability, companies responded with empty public relations campaigns. Soon, however, business leaders realized that green innovations could be both right and profitable.
Clean Air
Scientists and environmentalists argued that emissions from coal-burning power plants caused pollution. Seeking to be both responsible and profitable, SC Johnson powered their Waxdale, Wisconsin, factory with a combination of wind energy, methane gas from a nearby dump, and cleaner-burning natural gas.
“Stop the Plant” poster, about 2000
Fearing increased air and water pollution, the local activist group Scenic Hudson worked to stop the construction of a coal-fired cement plant in New York State.
SC Johnson wind turbine model, dedication ceremony souvenir, 2012
Food
Farmers and food producers responded to the environmental concerns of consumers and new governmental regulations in many ways, including: controlling fertilizer runoff, increasing organic production, avoiding endangered fish, using water more wisely, and reducing chemical additives.
Garbage
Reducing manufacturing and packing waste, as well as selecting more environmentally friendly materials, became a focus for producers and consumers. Both agreed that it was the right thing to do, and businesses discovered it could often save them money.
