Plugging back in
Wow – the long silence on my blog is exactly what I tell clients not to do, and it’s officially over. You may know that old saying, “the cobblers children have no shoes.” In this case, the professional writer has had no posts, but you may be interested to know why.
Enjoying Portland’s fall colors!
Big changes, but just the beginning
In the last 4 months, I have moved my family and my business from Florida to the West coast – Portland, Oregon to be exact. We packed off our one-and-only, best-possible-daughter to college. And I’ve begun to get to know the vibrant green business community that exists in my new home city.
Yes, while you may think of Portland as the land of beer and coffee (both true!), it is also something of a “green Grand Central” in terms of green living, green business and green government policies. And it’s this latter fact that calls to me.
Climate change – the issue that “will-not-be-named”
In the 3 Presidential debates that (thankfully) just ended, not a single question was asked about climate change (CC). Yet 2016 is a year that, according to experts, will once again be the hottest on record. The 2016 hurricane season is not done, yet we’ve already seen hundreds of Haitians die and millions of Americans in the Southeast evacuate due to Hurricane Matthew.
Portlanders “get” that climate change is real, and they are doing something about it. I like being part of that.
Doing my small part – with you!
The disconnect between what needs to happen to address climate change and what is actually happening continues to amaze me. There is a speed and scale of action that needs to ramp up now, and the good news is, you can help!
- Know that sustainability means profitability. The idea that sustainable choices always cost more than they return is hopelessly outdated. Most companies are too busy to know that, for example, (1) the price of solar panels has fallen 80% in the last 5 years or that (2) relatively small changes – like swapping out incandescent lights for LEDs that cost one-tenth of the old bulbs – can drop money to the bottom line immediately. The “clean trillion” is a term first coined by Ceres.org. It quantifies just how big the opportunities for green business are. You can do your part to stop climate change and profit quite nicely at the same time.
- Tell your story of green success – or challenges. The lack of awareness around climate change – not to mention the misinformation out there – can be remedied by telling your real-life stories of adopting more sustainable business practices. The more stories, the better. Even not-so-successful attempts help other businesses to properly assess their opportunities. Not sure what to say? I can help!
- Keep learning. New products and services that make it increasingly easy and cost-effective for businesses to “go green” launch every day. From “smart buildings” to new transportation options, the world around us is being “disrupted” (to use an overused word) on all sides. Staying abreast of all this is a challenge, but also an opportunity to find the green options that best suit your business.
Helping you bridge the gap – with content
So while I am enjoying fall colors again for the first time in 16 years, I am also looking forward to helping YOU share your green successes – and challenges – through web content, blog posts, or case studies. Whether your organization is conserving water or designing a LEED Platinum office building, it’s important to get the word out to your customers, suppliers and communities.
Portland is also “bridge city.”
This month, I celebrate 5 years with Great Green Content, helping companies share their stories of sustainable success. What green business story can I help YOU share?
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