Problem or Opportunity? Fringe or Mainstream? How Do You See Sustainability?

Lately it seems as though “sustainability” is everywhere in business. While in the past we used to think of sustainability simply as economic sustainability, the ability to remain a going concern, today it has a very different connotation. Now when we talk about sustainability it’s about much more than just being competitive. Sustainability is about a firm’s ability to function as a business while being aware of its impact on society and the environment, simultaneously focusing on key business functions.

The crusaders of the new sustainability used to be few and far between, living on the fringe. Now with companies like Nike, Starbucks, and Walmart adopting aggressive sustainability practices, sustainability has become part of the mainstream way of doing business. One guage for measuring strategies on their reach into the mainstream is to look at MBA programs. At the Sauder School of Business (UBC) here in Vancouver they are offering sustainability courses and sub-specializations. If that doesn’t convince you, look at the Ivy League business programs, they have all integrated some form of environmental or ethical sustainability course. Since when does tree hugging have a place in MBA programs? Ever since some really smart people (think Michael Porter’s “shared value”) realized that sustainability is as much an opportunity as it is a problem.

Take for example the overwhelming concern for natural resources. As the resources we rely on day in and day out deplete before our eyes it is time we seriosly consider what is next. Innovators around the globe are looking at problems just like this and finding a silver lining. Take for example Paradigm Environmental Technologies’ MicroSludge. MicroSludge helps municipalities convert waste water treatment plants into a revenue source by extracting biogas from sludge. Waste water treatment facilities are tasked with making sure our waste is treated before being released back into our ecosystem. Water, our most treasured resource, is being compromised every time this process occurs if it is not done well. The MicroSludge technology helps this process by extracting more biomethane from the waste which can be fed back to the facility through a closed loop system to help power it, (this will become an even more attractive feature as energy prices continue to rise) making the end product cleaner. It also reduces the volume of solid waste that a treatment facility needs to dispose of, which reduces the number of trips to the disposal facility resulting in less fuel being consumed by transportation. Problem or opportunity?

Light-Based Technologies is in a similar situation. Its technology was developed out of the need for more energy efficient lighting solutions to reduce energy consumption from commercial and household lighting. LBT has developed a LED control technology that improves lighting efficiencies while providing the comforts of dimming and toning. Lighting really is low hanging fruit from an efficiency prospective, especially as companies like LBT continue to invest in R&D that enable their technology to be adapted to existing infrastructures. Energy is saved. Money is saved. Problem or opportunity?

As sustainability continues to find its way into business we are likely to see a shift in attitude. Rather than looking at the many discouraging facts about our planet as problems, we will see them as opportunities to be capitalized on. GreenAngel Energy is positioned as one of those leaders who has chosen to see the environmental problems we are faced with every day as opportunities to make a difference and a healthy return for its investors.