Recession is no excuse to let green policies slip
GreenBiz.com is carrying a story about small businesses and sustainability based on a survey of private businesses out of the United Kingdom. Here's the good news: More than 60 percent of the respondents claim that the recession has not affected their environmental plans, while the rest are conflicted on the matter. Here's the original story.
But the main reason that business owners don't do anything is because it currently it to hard to figure out WHAT to do. Here's an observation from Matt Goodman, a policy representative, as quoted by GreenBiz.com:
"When small businesses are considering implementing environmentally friendly policies, the will is certainly there but it is often thwarted by the perception of steep costs and a lack of information and support. ... We need a more joined-up approach from the government including a system of workable incentives that are rewarding rather than punitive."
I'm sure the same could be said of the United States. The challenge is that many people still look at the recession as an impediment toward progress on sustainability, as opposed to a motivating force that could be used to develop true competitive advantage.
This post was originally published on Smartplanet.com