Is “green” just a trend? Will it last?
The concept of going green has the whole town talking these days. Marketers push for it, companies ride on it for their CSR, your average joe is slightly more aware now that he has no straw to go with his drink at the local restaurant. It seems that everyone wants to go green - but is it sustainable? Will the “green movement” still be valuable to our society in 20 years’ time? 50 years’ time? 100 years’ time? I had been asked this question on several occasions but couldn’t quite wrap my head around it. I eventually sought to find out the answer and discovered that it is more anecdotal than it is scientific.
Since 2010, I have ventured in a range of green businesses and have been involved in countless green initiatives and talks to various people from different backgrounds. As for now, it’s safe to say that green is here to stay and I would attribute the longevity of this movement to a few main factors:
(People sometimes come up to me and ask – what’s the difference between “green”, “sustainable”, “eco-friendly”? Although there are slight variations in their meaning, for the sake of this article I would consider them the same.)
1. Green is health. In order for us to be more productive (a green principle), we must take care of ourselves. This includes things like exercising, surrounding yourself around nature, or simply taking time off to rejuvenate from a hectic schedule. Pursuing green as a way of life translates to more efforts being taken to improve your average working condition and your state of mind. A simple example would be the study of ergonomics aimed at reducing work-related injuries to improve one’s efficiency and wellbeing.
2. Green is wealth. Another principle of sustainability is waste management. Those mountains of rubbish you see piling in landfills? Those are gold mines waiting to be made into profitable items - if we’re creative (and committed) enough to find ways to upcycle the used materials. Think about it - we can actually make money from waste. In my factory, we accumulate a lot of excess wood from the production of previous works, but instead of discarding them, we salvage as many offcuts as possible and craft them into smaller products that can be sold to consumers. One of our best-selling items is in fact a wooden phone holder made from excess timber!
3. Green is sustainability. The basic principle of sustainability is using less, spending less, and not compromising quality in order to produce something that is ultimately long-lasting. People will always strive for efficiency as it reduces cost and improves material utilisation. Here are some examples:
a. A factory undergoes a green process by using more efficient machines which produces the same output in less time. Minimising production time = efficiency = green.
b. A factory utilises natural light or rainwater harvesting to reduce cost of production. Cost saving = efficiency = green.
c. Emphasis on resource management in order to sustain the business for a long period of time. Organisation = efficiency = green
Under the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals lies Goal #12, which is “To ensure sustainable consumption and production”. Based on the 3 key elements I mentioned above, we can see how businesses can grow sustainably and offer end products that can appeal to mass consumers. While “going green” may appear like your latest 21st century trend, it really is not the case. It is a higher order of thinking and process that our advanced civilisation has to assimilate in order to tackle current challenges in a short time frame. It is a global issue that requires all of us to pull our weight and if anything, the ultimate waste would be to miss the boat on this vital cause.
The concept of going green has the whole town talking these days. Marketers push for it, companies ride on it for their CSR, your average joe is slightly more aware now that he has no straw to go with his drink at the local restaurant. It seems that everyone wants to go green - but is it sustainable? Will the “green movement” still be valuable to our society in 20 years’ time? 50 years’ time? 100 years’ time? I had been asked this question on several occasions but couldn’t quite wrap my head around it. I eventually sought to find out the answer and discovered that it is more anecdotal than it is scientific.
Since 2010, I have ventured in a range of green businesses and have been involved in countless green initiatives and talks to various people from different backgrounds. As for now, it’s safe to say that green is here to stay and I would attribute the longevity of this movement to a few main factors:
(People sometimes come up to me and ask – what’s the difference between “green”, “sustainable”, “eco-friendly”? Although there are slight variations in their meaning, for the sake of this article I would consider them the same.)
1. Green is health. In order for us to be more productive (a green principle), we must take care of ourselves. This includes things like exercising, surrounding yourself around nature, or simply taking time off to rejuvenate from a hectic schedule. Pursuing green as a way of life translates to more efforts being taken to improve your average working condition and your state of mind. A simple example would be the study of ergonomics aimed at reducing work-related injuries to improve one’s efficiency and wellbeing.
2. Green is wealth. Another principle of sustainability is waste management. Those mountains of rubbish you see piling in landfills? Those are gold mines waiting to be made into profitable items - if we’re creative (and committed) enough to find ways to upcycle the used materials. Think about it - we can actually make money from waste. In my factory, we accumulate a lot of excess wood from the production of previous works, but instead of discarding them, we salvage as many offcuts as possible and craft them into smaller products that can be sold to consumers. One of our best-selling items is in fact a wooden phone holder made from excess timber!
3. Green is sustainability. The basic principle of sustainability is using less, spending less, and not compromising quality in order to produce something that is ultimately long-lasting. People will always strive for efficiency as it reduces cost and improves material utilisation. Here are some examples:
a. A factory undergoes a green process by using more efficient machines which produces the same output in less time. Minimising production time = efficiency = green.
b. A factory utilises natural light or rainwater harvesting to reduce cost of production. Cost saving = efficiency = green.
c. Emphasis on resource management in order to sustain the business for a long period of time. Organisation = efficiency = green
Under the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals lies Goal #12, which is “To ensure sustainable consumption and production”. Based on the 3 key elements I mentioned above, we can see how businesses can grow sustainably and offer end products that can appeal to mass consumers. While “going green” may appear like your latest 21st century trend, it really is not the case. It is a higher order of thinking and process that our advanced civilisation has to assimilate in order to tackle current challenges in a short time frame. It is a global issue that requires all of us to pull our weight and if anything, the ultimate waste would be to miss the boat on this vital cause.
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