Ecopreneurs - Planters Development Bank

oundtable
16
SME COMmunity PHilippines
It’s
not
e a s y
By tichot san pablo
“It is not the strongest of the species
that survives, nor the most intelligent
that survives. It is the one that is the
most adaptable to change.”
— Charles Darwin
b e i n g
This insight is most relevant
with today’s realization of
the reality of global warming.
Rajenda Pachauri, head of the
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change (IPCC), has sounded the
alarm on its dangers: “The picture is
quite grim –- if the human race does
not do anything, climate change will
have serious impacts.”
Worldwide concern
Several major shifts in the earth’s
climate have occurred throughout
our planet’s history, resulting in
the extinction of millions of plant
and animal species. In contrast to
these prehistoric natural upheavals,
the present global climate change
has been brought about by human
activity. And humanity is now reeling
from its effects. Achim Steiner,
UN Under-Secretary General and
Executive Director of The United
Nations Environment Programme
g r e e n
© Prawny Dreamstime.com
(UNEP), said: “The financial, fuel
and food crises of 2008 are in part a
result of speculation and a failure of
governments to intelligently manage
and focus markets. But they are
also part of a wider market failure
triggering ever deeper and disturbing
losses of natural capital and naturebased
assets coupled with an overreliance
of finite, often subsidized
fossil fuels.”
Recently, UNEP launched a
Green Economy initiative which will
propose recommendations for making
national economies more environment
friendly, creating new green jobs and
greening existing jobs. By combating
climate change and re-investing in
natural infrastructure, the initiative
expects to realize economic, social
and environmental benefits. More and
more future jobs are expected to shift
to environmental industries such as
environmental infrastructure, clean
and efficient technology, renewable
energy, bio-diversity based products
and services such as organic foods,
chemical and waste management,
and ecologically friendly buildings,
construction and transport systems.
What businesses can do
Sadly, most businesses still see
environmental initiatives as a business
cost. However, this is expected to
change, as more and more consumers
consider corporate environmental
policies in their buying decisions.
This will put pressure on companies
to go green. Moreover, companies
that look at green initiatives as a
business opportunity will have a
distinct advantage over those that do
business the traditional way.
Business leaders must analyze
which areas of their business
have the greatest environmental
impact. This will form the basis
for prioritizing green efforts. What
natural resources are being used
Are there viable alternative sources
How can goods and services be better
produced How can the company
save on energy What alternative
packaging materials are available
What recycling initiatives can the
business implement
Small and medium enterprises
(SMEs), in particular, find it difficult
to implement a major shift to green
business. The transition need not
be done in one huge step; it is much
easier to implement small coordinated
changes, such as:
• Using recycled items such
as paper, plastic, packaging
materials, etc.
• Managing company waste
• Saving on electricity
• Encouraging car pools, the use
of mass transport systems and
bicycles
• Educating employees on the
importance of greening
• Coordinating with
environmental organizations or
experts