Magazines Archives - 2008 March

THE theme Take care of the environment; this is the only planet we have reverberated at a session entitled Creating the ‘Green’ — Protecting the Environment and Your Bottom Line. The panel of speakers represented retail players REI and Best Buy, the US Green Building Council and the Chicago Department of the Environment.

The group agreed that paying attention to, and protecting, the environment would be good not only for our planet but also for improving employee morale, productivity, financial savings and psf sales. Shoppers like it too.

REI, a leader in outdoor equipment and experiences, tries to be accountable because it is “the green and right thing to do”, said Kevin Hagen, director, corporate social responsibility. REI’s initiatives include developing green buildings, using sustainable paper for catalogues, and aiming for carbon-neutral activities and zero waste by 2020.

Its corporate philosophy is, said Hagen: “We believe if we can get you ... outdoors, you will have a great time and will conclude that we need to take care of it.” For Best Buy, sustainability is part of its core values, said Brenda Mathison, the company’s director of environmental affairs. Its key areas of focus are energyefficient practices and transportation, recycling, education, compliance, and green facilities and products.

Best Buy begins with engaging its employees (numbering about 140,000) to share their observations on what is being done and their expectations of what should be done. Its goal is to have them impact millions of customers as well as their own lives.

Suzanne Malec-McKenna, the commissioner for the Chicago Department of the Environment, assured: “The sky is not falling. We all have strong arms to hold it up. There’s a lot we can do.” On the city’s efforts, from pilot studies, testing and marketing to implementation, Malec-McKenna declared: “Everything we do is in partnership with ... businesses.

Programmes include ‘green’ roofs; vegetated areas (gardens and flowers) in shopping centres; planted medians on roadways; creation of bike lanes; and installation of traffic signals using LED technology.”

She told retailers: “Green drives people towards your business.” Chicago also encourages energy saving through insulation and the capture of storm water to cool buildings. It offers businesses credits for the use of alternative fuels and renewable energy, with special incentives for restaurants and hotels. The city advocates building retrofitting, presenting awards for green products, and waiving building fees and waiting time for those going green.