As the world celebrates the 40th anniversary of Earth Day, small and large businesses throughout the United States are taking the initiative to decrease their carbon footprints, making strides for a cleaner, greener planet today and in the future.
"LGBT businesses and entrepreneurs are at the forefront of the green movement in their local communities, believing that going green not only makes environmental sense but also economic sense," said Justin Nelson, co-founder and president of the National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce® (NGLCC). "It is through their leadership and that of other small businesses that we will see the kind of environmental stewardship that will sustain us and the planet for the long term."
For one LGBT entrepreneur, going green is helping the bottom line. Before Larry Poltavtsev established his NGLCC-certified IT consulting and custom software development firm, Target Labs, he worked for several environmental organizations, and it was that work that inspired him to look for green solutions—both inside and outside his business.
Target Labs created a Web-based greenhouse gas (GHG) measurement and tracking system called GHG Insights for Got Green Energy, a company that helps businesses calculate and manage their carbon footprints. The software helps companies assess their carbon footprints so they can develop strategies to diminish or eliminate GHGs, which contribute to the overheating of the planet.
Then Target Labs worked with Got Green Energy to assess its own workplace and see where it could make changes to improve its greening process and even lower the firm's operating costs.
"For us, going green is an ongoing process, not a single event," he said. "As such, we're always trying to improve our green practices."
For example, Poltavtsev says his company will soon transition to paperless invoicing, electronic faxes and electronic timesheets.
But going green isn't always a tech solution. A lot of companies are making changes in their most basic functions to create more sustainable operations and workplaces. NGLCC-certified event planning and meeting management firm, ADH Events, recycles and purchases sustainable office products. It is also considering a move to an office space that uses alternative energy and has more efficient insulation and air systems.
ADH Events is also "greening" its core business. It has implemented "green meeting standards" and appointed a designated green compliance officer to oversee the company's green efforts.
But because many transportation, food and décor vendors are still behind when it comes to making green changes to their own practices, cost remains a factor in ADH Events' green efforts, Meredith Dodson, green compliance officer at ADH Events, said.
To get around this, ADH keeps costs down by requesting local and seasonal ingredients from its food vendors, and purchases recycled materials that can be donated or reused after an event or meeting.
Dodson says her company's efforts can have a domino effect because vendors are forced to evaluate their own inventories and practices.
"We've found that putting our vendors through this type of assessment helps influence their approach on future programs with other planners as well," Dodson said.
Many of NGLCC's corporate partners are doing their share to protect the environment.
IBM, the NGLCC's first founding corporate partner, is working with The Nature Conservancy to conserve rivers by providing data on climate, rainfall, land cover, vegetation and biodiversity, so scientists and policymakers can make better decisions about ecosystems.
Meanwhile, NGLCC founding sponsor JPMorganChase has helped client fund more than 2 million tons of emissions reductions through its voluntary carbon market, and has has also invested $2.7 billion in renewable energy projects in the United States.
And Intel Corp. works to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and energy consumption through conservation initiatives. An investment of more than $100 million in conservation programs has helped Intel save 3 billion gallons of water annually.
For Target Labs, its environmental efforts have made it somewhat of a pioneer in its industry. The company is one of the few IT services companies that has worked to reduce its carbon footprint. Poltavtsev says he hopes that other business will also follow his firm's green example.
"We hope that others in our business will follow our example and start taking steps to reduce their impact," he said.
Despite some increased costs associated with going green, Dodson said the return on investment is a positive one—for the environment, ADH Events and clients.
"Clients really like it when their events have a green side to them—it makes them feel like they are contributing and you can see they genuinely feel good about it," Dodson said. "When clients feel good about their programs they return for future programs and encourage others to look into our services as well—we definitely think that is a positive return on investment."
For Dodson and ADH Events, implementing green practices was a way to give back to the community while shaping the future of the meetings industry—but going green is not just about being environmentally conscious.
"Meeting and event planners can often be very wasteful in their planning and execution, and going green was a way to help improve the global environment and give our clients a true sense of pride that their money is building the community as a whole," Dodson said. "While we are able to reduce our environmental impact, we also take great pride in the fact that our work helps to build the build the local economy where we are hosting programs."
Before deciding to green their businesses, owners need to do their homework, and to keep learning about how to make improvements, even if they seem daunting.
"To the business owner, having to change their processes, purchases and policies may seem like a burden," Poltavtsev said. "The important thing is to have the proper information initially to better understand the business benefits as well as the environmental ones."
Dodson emphasized the importance of businesses fully understanding what it means to be green.
"I recommend small businesses take their time and research, research, research. Really develop a set of values your company can brand as their own and don't just jump on a bandwagon," Dodson said. "Also, focus less on green and more on the bigger picture—being green and being sustainable and being conscious of how your work and activities affect the global community are all equally important."
