English Government is awake at the green wheel

Have you noticed big brands becoming green. A new home subdivision down the street is slated as “Solar Homes.” My local gym says, “We are fit for Green and rated best in green for 2009.”  Even Oreck Vaccuum Cleaners released a green gas powered vacuum cleaner and think that’s green. I kid, because I love.

But seriously, how do you and I go green? Sounds expensive and who has time, right? How the heck are you and I supposed to morph our businesses into green?

Many businesses, especially small businesses, do not have the time or resources to find green product manufacturers, set up relationships, and inspect the manufacturers’ eco-friendly policies. So whether you want to purchase a portable solar panel to provide power to your business or reduce your business waste, you may seem adrift at sea. Inspiration from the English Government is leading the green way.

The Brits are spot on! The City of London (England that is) has come to the rescue of London businesses Mayor Boris Johnson, using 3 million pounds from the London Development Agency, has created a green procurement service called Green Procurement Code. This unique service is web based and allows businesses to search for products that have been screened for being eco-friendly.

What is Eco-Friendly?

There seems to be varying definitions of what exactly eco-friendly products and services entail. According to the Green Procurement website, “Green products are made or operate in a way that they:

* use fewer natural resources
* contain fewer hazardous or toxic materials
* have a longer life span
* consume less energy or water in production or use
* can be reused or recycled on disposal
* generate less waste, for example be made from recycled materials, use less packaging or be recycled by the supplier.”

This definition seems reasonable.

OK.. next question, who’s in bed with who here? It would be interesting to know if there is a sweetheart deal between the vendors on the site and the City of London. I’ll find out soon what kind of criteria that city is using when selecting companies.

While the government’s intentions are probably noble with this initiative, the businesses and citizens of London should watch it carefully to make sure the selection of suppliers does not become a source of political patronage.

Private v. Public

This whole green website deal costs three million pounds. While I appreciate the Brit government’s involvement with this process, I wonder if a chamber of commerce or local business association could provide a similar service for less than three million pounds.

Politics aside, the procurement website seems like a great 21st century initiative for London.

Bottom Line: It’s Worth A Try

The City of London is leading the way and America needs to be doing this too. The second I find out about one here in the states, I’ll let you know. [Brits love to call us "The States." I don't hear Americans using that vernacular.]

Since you’re probably not a London business reading Hart of Green, then check out three ways to green your business today.

No time left? Great! Cool book for green biz enthusiasts

1.  Design Process - The problem many companies have is that they throw on eco-friendly options at the end of the design process. With this method, the products aren’t truly green. Also, people who are experienced eco-friendly shoppers can tell the product is not actually environmentally friendly.

2. Outsource as much as possible - Another reason your products may not be green is because you are spending all your time running your business. You should outsource what you don’t like doing. Anything you are not great at should be outsourced. Elance is the best place to get started with outsourcing.

3. Find the expertise you need - If you are a small company, it may not be feasible for you to learn how to green your product line or to hire someone in house to do so.  This is where elance comes to the rescue again. You can post a project on elance for an industrial engineer to take your existing product and green it. So if you don’t have the expertise, go out and get it.

The main point is if you aren’t already an expert on green product, outsource to experts who know how to do it. Doing it half-heartedly will show through when your customers look at your finished product.

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