Page 90 - ECOlogic Book

During the breaks, small knots of people, competitors, were sharing
information. I had a memorable conversation with a consultant doing similar
work to that of BEAR 105 The insights she shared with me were valuable, and
she was grateful for some tips I had as well. Something was happening here
that seemed unprecedented. A value larger than profits seemed to envelop
the participants. A common goal had emerged: Clean it up! Stop waste
before it’s generated! Get leaner, get cleaner, and, by the way, involve your
employees in the decision-making process as well.

Doubtless, the people who attended this conference represented a small
segment of industry. But I dare to believe they are spearheads of a genuine
movement which will gather strength in the years to come.

In 1984 Thomas Berry said we had crossed over a threshold to a time of
greater responsibility toward the environment. Ten years later, 1994
marked another such watershed. It was the beginning of the end of the
traditional antagonisms between business people and environmentalists.
The invitation to partnership has come from both “sides” of the sustainability
issue.

Under the Clinton administration’s leadership, the EPA has taken steps to
create an atmosphere of cooperation. While continuing to enforce
compliance with environmental regulations, the EPA has initiated a number
of new programs designed to help businesses become more environmentally
sustainable; to voluntarily go beyond compliance and make positive changes
that make regulation unnecessary, or simply because it’s the “right” thing to
do.

Four new programs offered by the EPA are the Green Lights program, the
Energy Star computer and Energy Star Building programs, and the Waste
Wi$e program. These are described below:

Green Lights is designed to help businesses retrofit their lighting systems
to save money and energy. The Green Lights program has been enormously
successful because it can be shown to save money within a very short
payback time. The EPA provides assistance and technological support to
companies wanting to retrofit to more energy-efficient lighting. One
example is Mobil Oil Company, which is now saving $125,000 and keeping
2,250,000 lbs. of CO2 out of the atmosphere annually. By March 1993, 788

105 BEAR: Business Ecological Awareness Resource, a business consultancy set up as a project of the Upland
Hills Ecological Awareness Center.

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