40th Anniversary of Earth Day

Next Thursday will mark the 40^th anniversary of the first Earth Day. On that day in 1970, an estimated 20 million Americans took to the streets, parks and auditoriums to demonstrate for a healthy, sustainable environment. In a lot of respects, this was the day when the environmental movement in this country was born. 

 

While always on the radar, it wasn’t until the early part of the last decade when the idea of “going green” experienced a renaissance and became relatively mainstream. Suddenly, hybrid vehicles, reusable shopping bags, compact florescent light bulbs and the like became fashionable. Then the recent economic downturn hit. Thankfully, the green movement hasn’t lost steam as the Three R’s of conservation became great ways for many of us also to save money:

• Reduce the amount consumed and thrown away
• Reuse products for the intended and new purposes
• Recycle as much as possible and buy products with recycled content

Of course, doing your part to preserve the world’s natural resources is the ultimate reason to be environmentally responsible. And businesses, just like individuals, can have this altruistic motive while also realizing some other tangible benefits. The Green Business Alliance lists reasons for businesses to go green:

• Setting a positive example for employees, boosting morale and company loyalty
• Gaining a competitive advantage by differentiating yourself as a green organization
• Improving efficiency and potentially lowering operating costs
• Providing a cleaner and healthier work environment

Acting environmentally responsibly will look different from one business to the next. As with every new venture, it’s a good idea to set realistic goals that you can achieve. For example, our organization initially focused on reducing energy and water consumption in our laundry operations. When a solid program was in place there, we then expanded our focus to step up our recycling efforts across the organization.

 

If your situation allows, getting input from experts is recommended as well. Few companies have sustainability as a core competency, so getting sound advice can provide much needed direction and feedback. For example, Iowa Health System just partnered with Practice GreenHealth, the leading sustainability authority in our industry, to get help with:

• Identifying the optimal areas on which to focus
• Implementation of programs
• Learning best practices from other institutions
• Correctly tracking, benchmarking and reporting results

This week, consider what you or your organization can do to get started to reduce impact on the world’s resources. Or if you already are working on it, think about what can be done to enhance your organization’s current efforts. Encourage your employees to attend an Earth Day event and to enjoy the outdoors. And keep the movement strong in Iowa.