Nine to Five Goodness

Green Businesses are beneficial to the environment, communities, and local economies. Green businesses ranging from the organic food industry and cosmetics, to technology and fashion have helped turn the environmental tide from murky to emerald and have helped hundreds of thousands of people better their lives through community programs and fairer trade. This has been done through a series of processes including sustainable production/processing/packaging processes, progressive transportation, reduction of waste, greater use of recycled foundations and other sustainable practices.

Who’s the Boss

One of the inside benefits of working for one of these establishments as an employee is that you hold a position which is not only appreciated by your employer, but you can expect that they are doing whatever they can to make your job more enjoyable. The practices of green managers range from ensuring a healthy work environment, to encouraging, supporting and rewarding employees who practices sustainability in their daily lives (ie cycling to work, volunteering, carpooling etc.). In many green businesses, employees share in the “Profit” of profits. They are often rewarded financially, or with shares of the company, when they, or the company, exceed the benchmark of projected earnings.

A Bubbling Example

At the New Belgium Brewing Company in Fort Collins Colorado, sustainability - and a beer, per employee, per shift - is in full swing. And while this is a wonderful thing, for the employees there’s more; Ownership. For their one year employment anniversary gift, they are given a share of the company, and a new Cruiser (bicycle of course) to travel to work on.

Sound good? There’s more…for their 5 year anniversary, employees travel to Belgium with owners Jeff Lebesch and Kim Jordan, enjoying and traveling the route which inspired the pair to start the company. And at 10 years a tree is planted at the brewery, in their honor (A fruit tree; which paralleling the generosity of the company, keeps on giving).

Insider trading

While bad insider trading can get you several years in a federal hotel with a fella named Big Momma, in Greener Businesses, it is an employee’s greatest gift (legally) to their employer.

When employees are encouraged to exchange ideas in relation to how to help their businesses become more successful - and then rewarded when their ideas are used - it creates a healthier and wealthier workplace.

Size Doesn’t Matter

With the diversity of sustainable businesses ranging from small African Jewelry Co-ops to large scale organic markets, the factor of treating employees as humans instead of numbers is what sets greener businesses apart.

Employee Appreciation

At a recent event hosted by the Economic Development Authority of Western Nevada, the “Greater Reno-Tahoe Best Places to Work” Awards were distributed.

This awards program recognized the best employers in the region for small, medium and large scale businesses.

The event itself was opened to a spectrum of businesses and while it did not call attention to sustainable businesses, many up for the awards utilized greener employer practices.

The overall winner was…Microsoft. As a corporation with several hundred employees in Reno, the honor bestowed was wonderful, but not likely a surprise to the company. With more than 60,000 employees globally, Microsoft has ranked high with Fortune magazine’s “Best Companies to Work For” for over a decade.

At the Microsoft Corporation, it seems, appreciation has greater meaning than just the values of stock.

Microsoft’s VP Chris Weber, was the featured speaker at the event, presenting the practices Microsoft has incorporated, regarding employee support and participation in creation and execution of new ideas and concepts.

It should be noted, especially for companies/businesses who tend to hinder this type of “behavior” in employees, that Microsoft has greatly benefited both financially and intrinsically from listening to it’s employees.

Microsoft, in and of itself, according to Mr. Weber, does not claim to be a sustainable/green business, however, in the utilization and execution of sustainable practices and services - ranging from applying and investing in sustainable technologies, applying, promoting and practicing sustainable living, and encouraging and rewarding employee sustainability programs and volunteerism, - Microsoft is highly proactive. These practices make Microsoft one of the big business pioneers; not just talking, but walking its way toward the triple bottom line.

Response-Ability

The world is full of ever-changing products and services, and consumer demands.

The ability of a business or corporation to respond to these demands in a timely manner takes foresight and experience; to respond in a sustainable manner takes foresight, experience and an understanding of the importance of goodness on a grand scale.

Living in one of the most important eras in history, it is the choices we make, from businesses we support to how we live our lives, which will direct the fate of our planet.

Live well.

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