Greening the bottom line

By Amado de Jesus
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 21:22:00 10/29/2010/ http://business.inquirer.net/money/features/view/20101029-300491/Greening-the-bottom-line
IT IS interesting to read about a high Central Bank official commenting that a big population may be good for business because that translates to a high demand for products and services.

While the average age of the population in Norway is now 57, it is quite refreshing that here the average age is 21. Truly, children are consumers for 20 years, but they become producers for a longer period afterward. Of course that depends on home training and education, which should receive the focus of attention, if you ask me.

We have been talking about how much buildings use up resources and spew carbon emissions. Maybe we should also look at the combined effect of buildings and the total supporting systems for human inhabitants in the buildings.

A building does not exist in a vacuum, it interacts with the environment.

Gov’t level of intervention

While we now speak the sustainability catch phrase, it is clear that in a highly dense population as Metro Manila, and in a healthy growing nation, so much depends on the government level of intervention.

We cannot yet find a solution to reduce double the number of buses on Edsa than is recommended. We have to wait for five years for MRT-7 to be completed and increase the capacity of our mass transport to one-half of the mass-transport-riding population. When the toll fee increase takes effect in a few days, a middle-class family of four’s budget for dinner at Jollibee is what they will spend to take the skyway. By the way, do you see the reduced average family size today at any fast-food joint, compared with older generations?

Solving health issues

Other cities have developed a 10-year plan or so to solve health and environmental issues. For example, they have concentrated on green building rating systems, public lighting and transport management to reduce energy consumption and cut down pollution.

Materials and waste disposal is seen today from the perspective of everything should go back to the earth or to the factory. Households now compost food and garden waste. Waste collection and processing at the barangay level ensures recycling.

Pollution of waterways and too much use of water for gardening or golf courses can be charged penalty for mitigation funds.

Major thoroughfares have new plantings because trees sequester emitted gases that cause pollution.

Protecting parklands and wildlife habitat enhances biodiversity.

Teleworking or working from home greatly reduces gas consumption and road pollution. Some companies help reduce commuter trips by giving employees commute options.

Tax and other incentives and low-rate loans are offered for developing and encouraging sustainable strategies that result in green solutions.

Marketing has shifted focus from providing a product to providing a function to ensure the delivery of a service to meet the present need to protect the environment.

Increasing efficiency of power generators, developing renewable energy sources, carbon sequestration projects and construction of green buildings all expand workers networks.

Ecology and business do not clash but work very well together. What is needed is a government body to develop a policy framework, and develop a data collection for bench marking to make sure we hit the targets through continual improvement, transparency, accountability and in short, good governance for weatherization of initiatives and technologies.