Going green without changing your colors How traditionally unsustainable businesses are going green	Visited: 1340 4.7/5.0 (12 votes total) Rate: Select 1 - Terrible 2 - Poor 3 - Average 4 - Good 5 - Outstanding
by Emily McClendon January 07, 2010

Emily McClendon

Emily McClendon is a sustainable marketing specialist currently working at NeboWeb.  She has a B.S. in Applied Biology from the Georgia Institute of Technology and is currently pursuing her M.C.R.P. in Environmental Planning, also at GA Tech.  She believes that communication and shared knowledge are the most important facets of conveying environmentally friendly practices.  After participating in biological research, inter disciplinary planning, and interactive marketing, she is convinced a comprehensive approach is the only solution for creating a sustainable economy.

Emily McClendon has written 3 articles for PromotionWorld.

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A tiger can’t change its stripes, a leopard can’t change its spots, and a traditionally unsustainable business can’t become environmentally friendly.  Before the advent of new technology, these were all things we knew to be true.  However, with the introduction of new machinery and techniques, businesses that every school child can point out as bad for the environment are changing their practices and the way they are depicted.  Revamping their image as “green friendly” isn’t the only advantage of implementing new practices, traditionally unsustainable businesses are also increasing their net profits. 

Fishing adaptations:

Most people seldom consider the effect the fishing industry is having on ecological change. However ignorance is not bliss as scientists have recently predicted that based on current trends, the Earth’s entire fish stock could be extinct by 2050. Oceanic systems are the most delicate and globally interconnected environments on Earth. The fishing trade has historically had an extremely detrimental effect on these systems, but, thankfully, recent technological and ideological advances have enabled fishermen to change their practices without losing their livelihood. Just as electric cars are changing ground transportation, electric boats are also being implemented to significantly reduce the negative impact of marine transportation. Although electric boats still rely on fossil fuels, they are effective at reducing immediate pollution into the ocean, which is a more pressing danger in oceanic environments than the more ambient pollution of our atmosphere. Additionally, fishermen are increasingly in favor of the switch to electric boats because they are both less expensive and quieter than their gasoline driven counterparts. 

In addition to the dangers that direct pollution poses to the fragile ocean ecology, uncontrolled fishing practices have played a large part in bringing fish populations to the brink of extinction. Many endangered species are further threatened by bycatch, when they are accidently caught by fishermen attempting to catch another species of fish.  The primary way that fishermen are reducing bycatch is by modifying their fishing gear.  This is accomplished by either trying to reduce the number of non target species fish that are initially caught, or creating mechanisms that allow non target species to escape.  One example of the latter technique is “The Eliminator”, a net designed to decrease cod bycatch while fishing for haddock.  The premise of the net uses the knowledge that when caught, haddock swim upwards while cod do not.  Altering the nets’ design allows cod, with a different escape pattern, to avoid capture. These advances in fishing technology save commercial fishing companies time and energy previously spent trying to avoid or dispose of non-target fish, creating a more efficient business that is also more ocean-friendly.  

Forestry adaptations:

The perception of the forestry industry is probably best exemplified by the movie Ferngully where the foresters ravage pristine rainforest and destroy precious ecosystems with no remorse. Although this can, to an extent, be considered an accurate depiction of some foresting practices forestry has evolved and practices are changing. Research suggests that the forests most likely to be affected by future climate change are those referred to as boreal forests. These are forests that are located at higher latitudes and the increased climatic sensitivities of the species that live in colder climates. Boreal forests are also the primary source of hardwood trees that are currently principally harvested to provide wood for furniture production.  One way to prevent further destruction of these habitats is by using alternative species to supply fabrication needs. Rubberwood is the forerunner as an alternative option for hardwood.  It has a dense grain and little shrinkage, which after a drying process in a kiln provides for a very stable material similar to hardwood. The ecological benefit of switching to rubberwood is due to the primary use of this tree being rubber production. Traditionally, after the economic use of the rubber tree is compromised, which usually occurs after 26-30 years, the trees are cut down and burned. If instead the trees are harvested for wood use, a supply of cheap, sustainable wood as an alternative for the slow growing, more ecologically fragile, hardwood trees of the boreal forests is created. In addition to relieving pressure from boreal forests by switching to alternative species, foresters are also replanting forests that they previously harvested.  Replanting is a replacement technique for creating sustainable forests by harvesting in certain areas dependent on a time cycle and replanting where trees were cut down previously.  Seedling production is used to repair previous lost habitat from unrestrained forest destruction and to create a sustainable industry for forestry today. Regulations reflect this trend, and require a certain level of replanting as well as the switch to harvesting of non virgin forest. The majority of virgin forest, or forests that haven’t been harvested or altered by humans, are legally protected within the U.S. However, in other countries these forests may be open to foresting, destroying habitat that was previously untouched. Active attempts by foresters to become environmentally responsible include supporting attempts to preserve virgin forests, and agreeing to harvest only on tree plantations without a native ecosystem.

Freight adaptations:

Although there has been much hype about the shift to lower emission cars, there is hardly ever discussion about freight emissions. Pointing to the fact that most freight trucks use diesel or biodiesel which is considered lower polluting, most businesses argue that it is unnecessary to make fundamental changes in their machinery. Recently, however, there has been a shift towards the development of more sustainable trucks under the protocol of SmartWay designated features. These features include a change in power source to reduce energy lost while idling. Additionally, the trucks are equipped with an automated drive transmission and more fuel efficient tires to increase the miles per gallon.  Smith Electric Vehicles U.S. Corporation (SEV U.S. Corp), a Delaware corporation headquartered in Kansas City, Mo., publicized its’ decision to produce all electric zero emission vehicles for freight shipping.   As well as changing the vehicles our freight is transported on, changes in shipping technique are taking place. Utilizing lean six sigma techniques of cost effectiveness, lean shipping is both economically beneficial and a green technique. By shipping more product more efficiently, less fuel is used and less carbon produced in shipping. Using lean shipping techniques include creating packaging to increase the amount of product per pallet and ensuring that the maximum amount of waste is cut out of the entire shipping process.  One other modification is a shift in how products are packaged for transport. Traditional shipping involves the use of wooden pallets which are one size and were previously destroyed after one use. Current shipping methods emphasize the shift towards recyclable materials which are instigating a positive change toward environmental concern.  Using plastic pallets, is an excellent way to make industrial shipping environmentally and economically friendly.  Plastic pallets are an excellent choice for shipping because they are made out of plastic. This allows the pallets to be resized for different types of product being shipped, allows the pallets to be recycled instead of destroyed, and makes the pallets lighter decreasing shipping costs. 

Conclusion:

Traditionally unsustainable industries are getting a new lease on life with green technologies.  Instead of further destroying their business with unsustainable practices and short term mindsets, companies are now looking to the future, considering how to preserve and protect their industry while at the same time making it more affordable.