aguna Niguel, CA — America is going green, but not the way environmentalists had planned it. The unlikely hero is none other than Corporate America, which is giving consumers the green whether they realize it or not. Why? Because it's good for the customer, it's good business, and let's face it, as MGM Senior Vice President of Environment and Energy Cindy Ortega articulates, "It is also good for employee morale and retention — people want to work for companies who care about the world around them."
Laguna Niguel, CA — America is going green, but not the way environmentalists had planned it. The unlikely hero is none other than Corporate America, which is giving consumers the green whether they realize it or not. Why? Because it's good for the customer, it's good business, and let's face it, as MGM Senior Vice President of Environment and Energy Cindy Ortega articulates, "It is also good for employee morale and retention — people want to work for companies who care about the world around them."
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Here's a great example of this sales strategy as employed by The Home Depot: "Over 70 percent of the wood we now sell is certified. But you won't find us advertising or promoting that fact," said Ron Jarvis, senior vice president of Environmental Innovation for The Home Depot at its Atlanta headquarters. Jarvis was in Laguna Niguel recently to attend "Fortune Brainstorm Green," a high level conference attended by many prominent green industry corporate and NGO executives.
"Our data shows that most customers will not pay extra for sustainable wood, and in some cases, they consider "green" wood a negative. We believe that FSC wood is the best way to go for both quality and sustainability reasons, so, most of the wood we sell in developing countries is FSC certified. We do believe in educating our customers and employees about sustainability, but at the same time the voice of the customer is always our top priority. Thus including FSC wood without charging a price premium is the right thing to do, and thankfully, due to our enormous volume and purchasing power, we can make this equation work business-wise," Jarvis explained.
Jarvis' competitors at Lowe's also have a couple examples of this same premise. "There are multiple variations of a "green" consumer. In fact, according to the 2011 US LOHAS Consumers Trends poll, 83 percent of consumers identify with "green" at some level. However, the greenness of consumers changes with multiple factors, including the economy and available income, as well as age and generations," said Michael Chenard, Director of Corporate Sustainability for Lowe's at its Mooresville, NC headquarters. "Today, 100 percent of the bathroom faucets Lowe’s carries are WaterSense (low flow) certified, and that's been the case for more than three years. Lowe's also has more in-stock Energy Star-qualified appliances and lighting fixtures than any other major home improvement retailer."
Article continues at ENN affiliate, Sierra Club Green Home
Image credit: http://hammersandhighheels.blogspot.com/2010/06/home-depot-adventures-deck-materials.html
