Green is the Color of Money

Defining Sustainability- In a letter to the Greenhouse Grower BenchRunner one grower commented on the overuse of the word ‘Sustainability’

“...Right now with the economy, drought, high fuel prices, soaring health costs and insurance, it's not sustainability anymore, it's "SURVIVABILITY." How can y'all keep asking growers to spend money to just about totally revamp their operations when they are on the verge of closing or getting gobbled up by a mega grower?”

The editor responds with more information and suggests
“It would be good for the industry to adopt common language or a definition of sustainability that puts profit front and center instead of a quiet assumption”
and offers a definition for the green industry
“Producing and selling greenhouse or field crops in a manner that provides a profit for the business, minimizes the impact upon the environment, maximizes employee well-being and benefits the community."How do we promote sustainability without it coming off as Greenwashing? (see Project: Green Industry’s take on the term)

A big part of The Midwest Ecological Landscaping Association is finding answers to that question. MELA, (an organization of industry professionals and individuals that promotes environmentally responsible landscaping and practices) is bringing people together to discuss how to educate the green industry and the public.

MELA’s annual Conference is Thursday, February 28, 2008 at the Chicago Botanic Garden. ‘Healthy People, Healthy Profits, Healthy Planet’ will offer information on how sustainable landscaping can be good for people and good for your business.

The confusion most businesses have with sustainability is not understanding that it means ‘Efficiency’, which is a ratio of Inputs/Outputs. The more efficient a company the more sustainable the practices of the company. When we look at the Inputs we must ask what are the True Costs, not just the price. By starting at the beginning of the manufacturing process, including the extraction of minerals, production of energy, and treatment of labor we can look at what pollutants (what economists call ‘externalities’) are being created and ask if those costs are being included in the price.

If ‘sustainable’ practices are followed there should be less ‘pollution’ created that society must pay for, either in pricing or increased social costs (such as health care, global warming, or increased mortality) If all businesses attempted to follow ‘sustainable’ (most efficient) practices the overall costs to everyone would decrease even as our populations continued to grow. (The biggest sustainability question is of course population growth.) For small businesses who are concerned about survivability on a short term basis sustainable practices have to translate into immediate efficiencies that can be implemented.

Never forget that ‘Green’ is the color of money.