The concept of becoming a sustainable business often presents what seems like two opposing outcomes:

 

* The Positive: My business will be strengthening its position as a leader in my industry by setting a positive example for environmental leadership, which will allow me to attract new customers and quality employees. 

 

*  The Negative: My business will suffer in both profitability and productivity because of the time and expense of implementing green initiatives. 

 

This may lead some business leaders to develop a “love/hate” mentality toward green initiatives. They recognize the value, both tangible and intangible, but feel overwhelmed by the process. If this describes you, heed the words of Mark Twain:

 

 

Often new endeavors that seem challenging are put off with the idea that we will need total concentration and large chunks of time to devote to them. That procrastination only gives the undone project a greater illusion of magnitude and complexity. Just the act of getting started will help to bring your project into perspective, and help you see the balance between the benefits and the drawbacks. So, how do you get started? Let’s finish the Mark Twain quote:

 

 

Getting started is not about tearing down and starting over. It involves learning about the impacts of your business operations, understanding the causes of the negative impacts, and finding new ways to operate that reduce those impacts. This is not an overnight process, but a step-by-step progression that can only begin when you take the first step. 

 

Green certification standards have been developed to help businesses identify the common impacts of their industry operations, and provide guidance toward improvement. Approaching the certification requirements in such a way that breaks each down into manageable steps is the key to getting started, which is the “secret of getting ahead.” 

 

 

By Julie A. Baylor, CHA, LEED GA   www.juliebaylor.com