By Jen O’Rourke
Panellists came together to weigh in on how going green makes for better business, both ethically and financially, at Business in Vancouver’s annual Green Breakfast.
This year’s panel was made up of Doug Burgoyne, founder of Frogbox; Darcy Dobell, vice-president, Pacific region, for World Wildlife Fund Canada (WWF); and Charlene Easton, senior manager, sustainability with Ernst & Young.
The breakfast was held June 7 at the Simon Fraser University Segal School of Business. It coincided with the publication of Business in Vancouver’s Green Edition sustainability supplement (delivered with issue 1128; June 7-13).
The discussion tackled the demand business owners are facing to become sustainable and how they can go about doing it in a way that improves, rather than hurts, their bottom line.
Dobell said that there were “a lot of unanticipated benefits for companies that have made the effort to become sustainable,” such as higher employee retention and attraction to the workplace.
All three panellists agreed that having an analysis done to determine exactly where your carbon footprint is the heaviest is an essential step for businesses to move toward sustainability.
For Frogbox, Burgoyne used Climate Smart – a company that specializes in helping small to medium-sized businesses become more environmentally friendly. He said it was the easiest way to simplify the process and determine where to make some changes.
“It really helped us understand where our emissions were coming from and where we could have an impact. It turned out we were focusing effort on areas of our business that were really so minute as far as carbon footprint goes that it didn’t make financial sense.”
As to what companies can do right now to become green without dipping into the bank, Easton placed the emphasis on employee engagement and recognition.
She suggested businesses just jump in, whether it is toward the small or big picture, and do small things, such as turning off monitors during breaks, to become more sustainable.
Her advice for business owners was simple: use peer-to-peer programs, have clear targets, remove barriers, measure and communicate results and reward.
Going forward, Burgoyne explained what he believes needs to happen concerning the economics of going green.
“Businesses really need to look at sustainability as the new place to innovate ... governments needs to tactfully put legislation in place that doesn’t hamper corporations ability to profit, but at the same time pushes them more toward sustainability and … consumers need to continue to reward companies that push sustainability and look for sustainable solutions.”