In my last post I explored the slightly (or highly) unpleasant inconveniences of saving the environment. We can all envision ourselves as the heroic saviors of our mother nature by waking up at 4 AM to bike to work and later sorting through the trash to find items to compost/recycle, but it is actually executing all of these things that is the problem. Luckily, there is a way to go green that requires zero self-sacrifice, and will actually save you money.
Let’s think about this new “going green” concept again: saving the environments, and saving money and time with no inconveniences? Seems like a classic example of an oxymoron to me; especially if you are talking about going green as a business. In some cases, this statement would indeed be an oxymoron (I would like to reference the “no shower for 3 days” option at this time), but, thanks to today’s technology, going green can be your company taking a simple step that will not only save the environment, save money, time and effort. This step is called audio and web conferencing.
Think about this:

• Only one half of paper product get recycled, and plastic waste (which would include video tapes) takes doesn’t break down for hundreds of years in landfills. (source: http://www.nabshow.com/2009/eventInfo/pdfs/Going%20Green_Guidebook_lores.pdf)
• Cars and motor vehicles are the leading cause in ozone pollution. They account for 72% of nitrogen oxides and 52% of reactive hydrocarbons (principal components of smog). (Source: http://bicycleuniverse.info/cars/pollutionpaper.html)
• When you drive an average of 1,000 miles a month, you produce around 120 tons of carbon dioxide a year: each gallon of gas used by a car contributes about 19 pounds of CO2 into the atmosphere. (Source: http://www.green.sc/content,stats/)
• A New York Times article was released discussing the benefits of conferencing and the environment.
  o Last year, Building firm Carillion staff spent 34,144 hours talking to people through video, web and teleconferencing, avoiding the costs, time and stress of traveling.
  o Skanska UK, another construction firm, also recently trialed a video conferencing unit at a remote site in Cumbria and found that the money saved on traveling covered the £10,000 ($16388.0695) cost within six months. (Source: http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/related_reports/best_green_companies/article3945570.ece)

Audio and Web Conferencing has made going green an easier process then actually staying in the red zone and continuing to pollute the environment. Now that this sort of technology is available we can reflect on how much time and money we were actually spending to fly a sales representative across the country. In my next blog, I will talk about how ReadyTalk provides the ability to become the oxymoron we never thought possible: green and satisfied.

In my last entry, I addressed how the “green” affect can actually have an impact on the ‘red’ within your company, in regards to the bottom line. I also stated that by being a web and audio conferencing company, ReadyTalk is very engaged in being “green”.
The next logical question to follow up with might be, “How exactly does this green approach work?” Well, I’ve come across a few articles that address this topic and have summarized the important points below:

• More than 25% of the population in the US today sees themselves as “green consumer” in the market. That twenty-five percent represents a hefty amount of revenue that a company can potentially reign in if their practices truly align with green requirements and ideals. http://www.earthnowexpo.com
• Capturing a consumer that becomes an advocate for your company and brand can offer a huge return on your bottom line. The payoff for the relatively small investment in some ‘green’ corporate practices can substantially boost the kickback you receive from that investor in the long run. It will begin to breed loyalty among your current clientele. http://greenoptions.com/tag/customer-advocacy
• Even if the initial thought of ‘going green’ seems daunting or unaffordable, paying attention to what your competitors are doing doesn’t cost you a thing. If they are downsizing or reducing budgets, opportunities may emerge for you. Instead of dwelling on the deficiency, consider the prospective business that may arise – your competition is probably doing the same. http://greencollartech.com/going-green-improve-bottom-line.htm

In the green frenzy that’s taken over corporate American in the past 5 years, is the bottom line really just the bottom line? Not necessarily, but finding ways to save money, increase profitability, and maintain credibility or even boost your image as a socially responsible business is.

Where does one start? Continuing down this green path in the next few blog posts, I will be giving you a glimpse into what we are doing here at ReadyTalk as web conferencing company to be “green”. I will also provide some examples of what other companies are doing to commit to more environmentally sound practices & ultimately turning a profit in the process.

When thinking of ‘green initiatives’, individuals are usually one of the following:

1. confused
2. over zealous & uninformed
3. educated & participating

I would say that as a whole we are moving toward 3, however, there are plenty out there that still fall into the first two categories.

What does it mean to be “green”? Good question. I honestly had only an inkling of what the popular terminology actually entailed before I started working on a series of web seminars that we will be hosting over the following months speaking directly to this topic.

In many of today’s businesses, the trend has been the start up of a sustainable committee within the work place to help better educate not only the employees but also the consumers and shareholders. When an individual understands how they are contributing to the idea & reality of social responsibility either directly ( via corporate practices) or indirectly (personally buying a product or service of company xyz that has integrated green practices) then they are more likely to apply those practices outside the workplace as well. Additionally, from the consumer side, a company is apt to retain and gain new clientele because of their efforts in this area. Environmentally friendly practices carry a lot of weight these days and can be a beneficial PR tactic – as long as its not being taken out of context and there is relevant education available to those evaluating your services.

We will be kicking-off our ‘Green’ Series next month in hopes to bring some clarity to this catchfire topic. We’ll cover areas from cost-savings, to PR tactics, to simple practices that can have a lasting impact on your daily work activities. Even the smallest amount of knowledge can make a difference and put you ahead of the curve when it comes to being informed and not just jumping on the wagon.