Green corporations set example for others
Nate Taylor: Muleskinner
Issue date: 2/12/09 Section: Go Green
Corporations have driven the American society for years. Musa Ilu knows that. The assistant professor of sociology also knows that times are changing, and that some corporations are not ready to move to more of a green look.
Ilu wants more corporations to think about the footprint that they leave on Earth.
Ilu conducted a discussion in the National Teach-In on Global Warming Solutions. He addressed how the sociological perspective on newly greened corporations could affect those corporations that have not yet attempted to go green. The premise of his discussion was how corporations need to change their way of operating due to global warming concerns.
"This is an issue we should be concerned about," Ilu said. "We have to change our way of thinking and have a different attitude than before when it comes to protecting the environment."
Ilu said America alone is using about 50 percent of the world's resources. Much of that comes from big corporations that need the resources to maintain business. Ilu said corporations should have to find ways to be sustainable, just as much as turning a profit, even if that means enforcing government involvement.
One example that Ilu gave of a corporation changing its ways was Interface Global. The company's plan, referred to as the "seven fronts of sustainability," helped the company become more environmentally friendly.
A few points of the plan were eliminating waste, finding renewable energy, using resource-efficient transportation and teaching stockholders the importance of going green.
It is these types of models and plans that Ilu said each corporation should have in its efforts to try to reduce the problems that many corporations face when trying to become more environmentally friendly.
"I think sustainability can be achieved in corporate America," Ilu said. "We've already been interconnected to the world by the Internet. Now companies have to start rethinking their own strategies."
"I thought this was an interesting issue," said Christine Martin, a junior public relations student who attended the discussion. "I know companies are trying to go greener, so hopefully more will do that for the environment."
Ilu wants more corporations to think about the footprint that they leave on Earth.
Ilu conducted a discussion in the National Teach-In on Global Warming Solutions. He addressed how the sociological perspective on newly greened corporations could affect those corporations that have not yet attempted to go green. The premise of his discussion was how corporations need to change their way of operating due to global warming concerns.
"This is an issue we should be concerned about," Ilu said. "We have to change our way of thinking and have a different attitude than before when it comes to protecting the environment."
Ilu said America alone is using about 50 percent of the world's resources. Much of that comes from big corporations that need the resources to maintain business. Ilu said corporations should have to find ways to be sustainable, just as much as turning a profit, even if that means enforcing government involvement.
One example that Ilu gave of a corporation changing its ways was Interface Global. The company's plan, referred to as the "seven fronts of sustainability," helped the company become more environmentally friendly.
A few points of the plan were eliminating waste, finding renewable energy, using resource-efficient transportation and teaching stockholders the importance of going green.
It is these types of models and plans that Ilu said each corporation should have in its efforts to try to reduce the problems that many corporations face when trying to become more environmentally friendly.
"I think sustainability can be achieved in corporate America," Ilu said. "We've already been interconnected to the world by the Internet. Now companies have to start rethinking their own strategies."
"I thought this was an interesting issue," said Christine Martin, a junior public relations student who attended the discussion. "I know companies are trying to go greener, so hopefully more will do that for the environment."
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