Tag: Green

Pros and Cons of the Green Investment Bank

The Green Investment Bank has been formed in order to fund renewable energy and low-carbon projects. The bank will raise equity for green investing in wind turbine farms, smart grids and other such renewable energy projects. The GIB is focusing on green technologies which are set to provide an increasing number of jobs and related businesses in the UK. The UK is behind its international rivals, and must take action fast. Could green investment banking be the answer to the UK’s needs?

Pro – The green technologies and services market is worth more than $3 trillion per annum. Currently the UK has only around a 5% share of this market. Germany and France have double the market share of the UK. Brazil has created half a million new jobs in green ethanol promotion, and nearly quarter of a million work in Germany in the green investing sector. Green investment banking will help the UK economy recover, and help the UK to move towards a low carbon economy, and meet its responsibilities to the Kyoto treaty.

Pro – Ultimately, if funded properly from the beginning, the GIB will pay for itself many times over. It is an amazing opportunity to raise the funds for projects that are desperately needed in order to tackle climate change.

Pro – There are way too many sources of green funding from the government, which do not coordinate between each other, such as the Carbon Trust, the Energy Technologies Institute and many more. The Green Investment Bank will solve this by consolidating projects and public funds.

Con – There are many unresolved issues with the Green Investment Bank, such as where the funding will come from. The government was going to give 1 billion pounds, with the private sector matching this, but this is now in doubt. Perhaps it will be funded by green bonds and ISAs, and by adding a tax to energy bills. This funding and structuring problem needs to be solved before the bank can function properly.

Con – Until the ideas for the GIB are brought into fruition, investors are not making any moves, but rather just waiting to see how things will work out. The bank has not been clear in what its exact objectives are. It could even become just one more public fund with capital that is under-deployed. The business model of the Green Investment Bank as it stands means that it will unlikely be able to deliver large-scale investments. The bank really needs to align itself with other providers of financial services, and then it will be able to give assistance to high-risk, high-gain green projects that are so far not proven.

A New Business Guide to Going Green

Many businesses just getting started are finding that the competition for attention on the web is fierce. And these businesses are finding that by going green, they are displaying their corporate responsibility, but they are also finding that there are financial benefits to going green. So how does a new business go green in a responsible way? Start by doing some research on the web and list the ways of which a company can go green. If a company is going to claim to be green, then it must have the consistency in every aspect of the business model. If your business is going to claim to be green, then you must practice what you preach.

Top Ten Ways a New Business Can Go Green:

  1. Comply with all environmental regulations that are relevant to your industry. Compliance not only reduces your company’s environmental footprint, but it also protects the business from any legal actions or fines from the government.
  2. Develop a company-wide environmental plan. Developing a strong environmental plan will help define the corporate culture and boost the energy efficiency of your company to minimize its footprint. The plan should clearly detail the company’s green strategy and encourage divisions throughout the company to follow more green business practices that help to shape the company’s overall environmentally-friendly objectives.
  3. Build green. If your company is opening a new office or expanding locations, now is a good time to include as many energy-efficient features as possible. You can look to install energy-efficient heating and air conditioning systems, as well as appliances, equipment and lighting.
  4. Buy green products and services. When buying necessary supplies or producing service providers for the company, it is important to think green. Businesses owners should consider filling the supply closets with products that are made from recycled materials or can be recycled, bio-based and non-toxic. Look for office equipment that has an energy-efficient rating, such as Energy Star.
  5. Choose green web hosting. Many business owners have decided to go green with their web site in order be more consistent with their green plan-of-action. Choose a web host that is carbon neutral and offers environmentally friendly wind-powered or solar-powered web hosting. Moving a web site to another web hosting provider is not a difficult task, and many web hosts even offer a free site migration service.
  6. Adopt energy efficient practices. Using more energy-efficient office equipment and implementing energy-reducing practices in the office will help save the environment and your bottom line. Employers should stress to employees that they be prudent and conservative with their energy use and provide energy-saving tips.
  7. Reduce, reuse, recycle waste generated. Streamlining the company’s operations can reduce waste and lead to substantial savings and increased productivity. To save money and reduce waste, small businesses should use post-consumer recycled products and cut back on excessive packaging of products.
  8. Conserve water. A water-efficiency program not only reduces your company’s strain on our nation’s water supply, but it also reduces your company’s costs from buying, heating, treating and disposing of water. Small businesses can reduce water waste by implementing water-saving equipment utilities and should always try to minimize discharges to sewers.
  9. Adopt a company-wide pollution reduction plan. Every business creates waste, but it’s how you deal with it that separates you from the herd. Take steps to minimize waste, whether paper, dirty water or hazardous or toxic waste that requires special handling or disposal.
  10. Create a green marketing strategy. Spread the word about your environmentally-friendly business by incorporating “green” claims in your marketing strategy to boost your brand image. Refer back to tip #5. Many green web hosts offer an emblem or a certification program for webmasters who want to use their web site to display the company’s “green” environmentally friendly status.

One final tip. Join industry partnership and stewardship programs to help you keep abreast of the latest developments in green processes and equipment, but it also helps build relationships with other green business owners in the industry.

As demonstrated, there are numerous shades of green, so going green can equal many different things. If choosing a company-wide green plan is important to you or your organization, then take a closer look at your business plan to find out what green practices are in place in the plan and what changes need to be made. Take into consideration, for example, the everyday practices you plan on implementing and the company’s policy on green practices such as “reduce, reuse and recycle”.

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