Sustainability is more than ‘going green’

Adam Werbach wrote an article in the McKinsey Quarterly last year entitled “When Sustainability Means More Than Green”. It’s common for people to immediately think of “going green”: recycling, conserving energy and anything that has to do with the environment, when hearing the word ‘sustainability’.  What many don’t know is that sustainability is more than just ‘going green’. Werbach states that “companies must consider their social, economic and cultural impact as well” as protecting the environment (McKinsey 74).

Werbach tells us that society has great expecations of successful corporations, and holds them accountable for overcoming the challenges facing our planet today, and in the future. Overcoming these challenges is more than just corporate responsibility, it’s survival. Short-term thinking is the reason why many corporations have not been able to meet the challenges, and sustain themselves. The auto industry is a good example of this.

Greening the Government

President Obama signed an Executive Order on Monday that sets sustainability goals for Federal agencies and focuses on making improvements in their environmental, energy and economic performance.

This new Executive Order demonstrates a commitment by the Obama Administration to lead by example in terms of environmental sustainability.

The Executive Order requires agencies to:

• set a 2020 greenhouse gas emissions reduction target within 90 days;
• increase energy efficiency;
• reduce fleet petroleum consumption;
• conserve water;
• reduce waste;
• support sustainable communities;
• leverage Federal purchasing power to promote environmentally-responsible products and technologies.