CRSWatch International Magazine Vol 1 Issue 4, 2013.

Grab Your Copies of the new, exciting and highly informative CSRWatch Magazine Vol 1 Issue 4 2013.

 

Read about;

West African Pipelines Company, WAPCo’s claim of a whooping $2million CSR expenditure in Badagry, Lagos

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The Deadly KEMPS cream crackers biscuits.

The Top 20 corporately responsible companies in Nigeria.

Our ‘CSRAcademy’ & The CSR center, Lagos Business School.

Our Focus: GTBank’s Adopt-A-School initiative.

Our authoritative ‘Diary of the societal vulnerable’.

& Our Special exclusive Interview: CEO Etisalat Nigeria, Steven Evans, speaks on the over $500million invested in Nigeria in the last 5years.

 

you cant afford to miss this.

Waste-To-Wealth: The Lagos Example

By Joseph Chibueze

 

When in August 1999, the new government of Bola Ahmed Tinubu in Lagos State launched the waste to wealth programme, it was obviously in response to the terrible state of the environment in the state as at the time. That singular action earned the government a lot of commendations and it was seen then as a government with foresight.

But like most other government programmes before it, there was no further action beyond the official launch. Nigeria is a country noted for initiating beautiful policies that also go with very nice slogans. Remember operation feed the nation, green revolution, school-to-land, operation sweep and many others? Unfortunately most of these programmes in spite of their nice slogans and acceptance by the generality of the people, never achieved their objectives.

The reason is simple: There is just no political will on the part of government to implement them, while on the other hand, some greedy individuals within government circles saw the programmes as opportunity to enrich themselves. At the end of the day, the programmes remain on the drawing board, but the money budgeted for them have been spent.

That was probably the fate that befell Lagos State Government’s waste-to-wealth programme. It has been in the limbo until recently when the present administration decided to dust up the file and give life to the project by empowering the Lagos State Waste Management Authority (Lawma), the body charged with the responsibility of waste management in the state.

Though the government of Babatunde Fashola made environmental cleanness a top priority on assumption of office in 2007, his efforts appeared not to be yielding the desired result as the volume of waste kept increasing by the day. The landfill sites were over flowing necessitating the creation of new ones. For how long will that continue knowing that land is a scarce commodity in the state?

So it was time to look for a solution, a solution that will not only help the state maintain a clean environment and a healthy citizenry, but also save the landfills and create wealth. Mrs. Tolu Adeyo, recycling manager, Olusosu Recycling Plant in an interview said “we could not afford to continue to land fill those waste while there are recyclable materials in there. That is why we are looking at the issue of recycling so that it will prolong the land fills and ensure environmental sustainability. So as much as possible we try to reduce what goes into our land fills.”

Lagos State generates over 10,000 metric tonnes of waste daily. In time past virtually every street had a refuse dump rising as high as a storey building, producing offensive odors and obstructing traffic and in some cases causing flooding as it blocks the drains.

A challenge it was, a serious one for that matter, but that which was a problem is about to become a gold mine, a money spinner for not only the state government but also for the citizens.

 

The project

The State’s Waste To-Wealth programme is an integrated waste management system that involves recycling of solid waste into various new products including clean energy.

The project which is being executed by the Lagos State Waste Management Authority (Lawma) in partnership with the United Nations Environment Programme (Unep) and the African Carbon Asset Development (ACAD) is expected to capture methane gas from waste and use it to generate electricity. The project apart from preventing the release of greenhouse gases which endanger the environment, will also create jobs and provide infrastructure through public-private partnership (PPP) among others.

It is a huge leap for wealth creation and environmental health in Lagos State, as the authorities move from traditional landfill disposal to modes of waste management that are economically rewarding and socially responsible.

Mr. Ola Oresanya, managing director of Lawma in an interview said the project is essentially a private sector driven initiative. According to him, “The reason for this is obvious, if it must be sustainable it has to be in the hands of the private sector while government only play the role of a regulator. In fact as we speak, this project has been concessioned to a private outfit to execute for 20 years. The government did that to ensure sustainability. So it is a Public-Private Partnership.”

He explained that the objectives of the project are to fully harness and utilise alternative options available in managing waste, thus reducing reliance on landfill disposal as well as minimise the emission of greenhouse gases, while managing waste in an environmentally sound, socially responsible and financially sustainable manner.

“We want to harness a new line of economic activities for interested parties within and outside Lagos. We have developed gas wells to manage and recycle municipal solid waste into clean energy. Landfill gas can be generated 24 hours per day, seven days a week.

“The gas is extracted from landfills using a series of wells and a blower or vacuum system. This system directs the collected gas to a central point where it can be processed and treated depending on the ultimate use for it,” he said.

The project holds strong possibilities for job creation, reduction in urban poverty, wealth redistribution and small business enterprise development. Globally, megalitres of raw sewage that would otherwise be pumped into the ocean, and tonnes of organic waste that would normally go into landfills, are being converted into electricity, fertiliser and clean water.

The waste to wealth programme according to Oresanya, also include nylon buyback programme, recycling banks, recycling plant at the Olusosun recycling centre; collection of PET bottles, aluminium cans, cardboard, cullet and other materials; and compost facility in Ikorodu in collaboration with Messrs Earthcare.

Others are the establishment of the recycling village for waste to wealth; engagement in school advocacy programme; waste paper collection; attracting investors for recycling, tyre and waste to energy projects among others.

According to Adeyo, there are different types of recyclables, nylon, metal, paper, plastics, bottles, pet bottles and so on. “But right now Lawma recycles plastics. We have a nylon recycling plant located at Olusosun our land fill site. We also have a composting plant in Ikorodu which is producing organic manure. What we are doing as a government is not to go into the business of recycling, but to show that it is possible, here lawma serves as a waste brokerage, we serve as a stock exchange. Government is supposed to be a regulatory body, but we need to jump start the process so that people will see that it is possible.

 

A new culture

For Adeyo, the whole idea of waste sorting and recycling is a new culture which must be imbibed by the people. “That is why we are doing a lot of education. The recycling banks are there to raise the curiosity of the people and get them asking questions and eventually they will get the right answers and that will help them to begin to imbibe that habit of separating the waste right from their homes.

“The level of compliance is still quite low and we need to do a lot of education and that is why we need to work with the private sector. Yes we are getting response from companies but it is still at a low level yet because not everybody knows that we have these things. That is why we are intensifying our efforts to create awareness and education. The issue of separating waste is a culture that needs to be inculcated and until people start seeing the value in it they will not imbibe it. So we will keep working and educating our people. From the responses we are receiving from our radio and television programmes where people are calling to say so they can actually make money from sorting waste, and they are asking how they can do it better, it is obvious that the message is making an impact. It is a waste to wealth thing, it is an alternative source of income. And we want our people to see it from that angle, in the long run, they will also discover that their environment is becoming cleaner and they are living healthier,” she said.

 

 

Wealth for all

One good thing about the waste to wealth programme is that it has opened up a new business line, the selling of recyclable materials. Moving through Lagos streets these days one sees bundles of satchets water packs which hitherto liter the streets obstructing flow of water in the drains, neatly packed ready for sale to waste merchants. Same goes for pet bottles, waste paper, old cartons, old office files and of course metals of different types.

“What we have done is to put value on those supposedly waste materials by buying it from the public. We have jingles on the radio and television to sensitise people and let them know that there is a market for their pure water sachets. All we want is to get the people sort their waste right from their homes,” said Adeyo.

She added that being a new idea, it would be difficult to get the people to comply if they cannot see any value they can derive from sorting those waste. “You can’t just go from household to household, you can talk from now to eternity people will still not do it, but when you have value that is attached to it, they would by themselves start cooperating with you and that is why that recycling banks are out there to help change the mind set of the people. When people see the banks, they would ask questions and that way they would begin to comply.

“To be honest with you, recycling is a profitable business, if it is not profitable you won’t find people there and it would not be promoted the way it has been in other parts of the world. A lot of companies are now looking inwards because they want to reduce their over heads. Recycling will help to reduce the operating cost for most companies and a lot of companies are looking that direction now. In fact if you go to our land fill site you won’t find metals there because as they are coming people are there waiting to buy them.

“One of the areas we are focusing on this year is tyre recycling. We are working to ensure that after the shelf life of the tyres they don’t end up in the land fills and you know that it remains there, over time it will start releasing some gas that pollute the environment,” Adeyo said.

For Mrs. Tolu Adegbite, a recycling officer at the Olusosun Recycling Plant, “People are actually responding, just a few days ago, an old woman came here with her bundle of satchet water packs for us to buy, even though we have stopped buying satchet water packs for now because our warehouse is over flowing with them, we just couldn’t refuse her. We bought them from her. Another thing we have done is we have rebranded scavengers, they are now called Resource Managers. We did that because we want to give them a more honourable outlook, that way more people would freely join and earn a living from supplying us recyclable materials. It is all part of the job creation part of the programme.”

 

New business opportunity

A visit to the Olusosun landfill site on a typical day, will present the picture of a busy market place with hundreds of scavengers dutifully turning every piece of refuse dropped on the site. It is a case of the faster you are, the more you get. The business is mostly dominated by people from the northern part of the country with a few southerners who in most cases serve as middlemen, buying from the scavengers and reselling to merchants or companies.

Umar Kabila who came all the way from Katsina State is one of the resource managers. Kabila, a secondary school leaver whose aspiration is to do a National Certificate in Education (NCE) programme in a College of Education had to go into scavenging to raise the money he needs to finance his education. He said he has been in the business for four years.  “I want to go to college of education. I finished secondary school in 2004, I tried to do NCE but I don’t have the money, so I decided to come here and hustle. If I get enough money I will go back to school. I have saved up to over N100,000. It would have been more than that but you know I have to assist my parents. We are more than 20 children in my family,” he explained.

Kabila said that metal gives more gain than nylon and plastics. He also reveals that because of the competitive nature of the business, customers deposit money with the suppliers pending the time the materials are available.

On the volume of materials one can pick in a day, Kabila said it could be as high as two tonnes a week or even more depending on how hardworking one is. “But that is no longer the case, the volume has been drastically reduced because many people have joined. I think that is because they have seen that there is a lot of money to be made picking scraps,” he said.

Apart from the scavengers, there are also others who are at the site providing support services like the food vendors, recharge card sellers, loaders and the carriers. Mustapha Abubakar is one of the carriers. He said he makes about N4000 a day carrying the scraps for those who bought them to their vehicles. But then he does not work every day because their work have been scheduled in such a way that every body gets a chance to work. They have a union.

Government also generates revenue from the business activities at the landfill. For instance, scavengers pay a daily rate of N70, sellers pay N100 weekly while buyers also pay N200 to government each time they were at the site to transact business.

From all indication this waste-to-wealth project is of inestimable value especially in a society where unemployment is at its highest peak and families are finding it difficult to feed and where there is severe environmental degradation and frightening trends in the climatic system. Turning waste into energy is a proven technology that has the potential to provide a significant amount of domestic energy needs, while reducing the nation’s over-dependence on landfill and also solving the perennial problem of erratic power supply.

It is instructive to know that this sustainable system environmental management through waste to wealth is catching the attention of other states in the federation. Ondo State has already introduced the system with the slogan: Pure water satchet = Cash. Plateau State is also thinking along that line but according to the state commissioner for environment, Mrs. Sarah Yusuf, the state is still trying to set up a central dump site.

 

 

Price list

 

Item                                                            Price per kg

PET bottles                                                      N20

White paper                                                     N20

Colour paper                                                    N10

Nylon bag                                                        N20

Metals                                                              N15

Shoe soles                                                        N30

Aluminum cans                                                N75

Jerry cans                                                         N14

Satchet water packs                                         N30

Clothes                                                            N10 or N20

Bottles                                                             N10 (each)

Diary of the Societal Vulnerable

Corporate organisations can help in providing water

by Okechukwu Enechi

 

It was Sunday afternoon; a lady emerged from a dusty pathway of a village with container on her head. She looks over 28 years but her real age may be between 19-23 years. Mere looking at her physique, you will know she is aged more than her real age due to the stress she go through daily. Strapped on her back is a baby, breathing so hard, coughing intermittently and eyes full of dirt. Without any medical diagnosis, you will quickly agree he has serious cold and cough, probably caused by exposure to harsh weather and dusty environment.

She is going to a stream, located about 10 kilometers away. It is the only stream around the area that is source of water for over five communities. Sometimes they spend as much as 12hrs at the stream waiting for turns to fetch a container of water not more than 20ltrs. But today, she is lucky and allowed to jump the line because of her baby. She spent only 5hrs. Others that do not have the patience to take their turns following the line had to take brownish ‘colored’ water that is full of red soil. They believe when it settles, it can be used in the house for washing, cooking and even drinking. Fetching water is a daily routine for her. She is as good as not doing any other thing except looking for water for the family to use daily. As she is walking home, balancing the container on her head with the baby grunting and crying, she came close to tears, asking herself questions that she don’t know where to seek answers from. When will this end? Can’t anybody help the village and ameliorate the suffering? She remembered the day some people came from the LG council and promised them borehole but it’s been over 2 years now and nothing is seen. She remembered how politicians come to them when election period approaches, promising them water if elected. Even some people that came with equipment to the village telling them they have come to build bore hole for them have not shown face again. In front of her house in the village stands a telecommunication mast erected by one of the giant telecommunication companies. She wished the mast is a water tank but it is not. Though she is not educated, she thinks that the company that erected the mast can help the village if they had wanted to. She thinks if the government decides not to help the village, companies that erected the mast at least should help or even well-meaning individuals can come to the village’s rescue. Back home from the stream, she is tired and could not do any other thing. For a whole day, she has only succeeded in getting 20 liters of water that is not enough for the family’s daily use.

And the reality is that every day in Nigerian rural communities, people go through this. The situation has continued to entrench cycles of poverty and leads to avoidable deaths daily. It is because of this scenario that the world came together in 2000 to agree eight millennium development goals and set 2015 as a milestone which is generally believed if achieved will rid the world of avoidable poverty and death. Provision of clean water is central to achieving these goals. With clean water provided, the women and children will be freed to do other things that will improve their economic and social status thereby reducing the level of poverty in the society; water related diseases would be eradicated, avoiding unnecessary deaths. Today, it is becoming clearer that Nigeria’s march towards achieving the goals in 2015 is mixed. At this age, cholera and other water related diseases are still killing people in Nigeria. Government and international donor agencies are left to take on this challenge of providing water to the people, but corporate organizations that make huge profits and budget substantial sums for CSR are turning blind eye to this critical challenge. Instead of turning blind eyes, the corporate organizations can do something. With less than 5% of the total CSR budget, a company can build more than two boreholes for a community depending on the size of their budget. What of the telecommunication companies? They can build boreholes at their mast locations scattered in several rural communities that are in dire need of water. Water is life and it is too critical to be left alone for the government. The corporate world has a role to play in this aspect. Companies in India and the Latin America have come to accept this fact. They are providing water in rural areas as their CSR projects using alternative source of energy technology to power the boreholes. In the urban slum areas, they are being innovative, providing water at a little fee for maintenance of the borehole and power generators. Nigerian companies can do it and do it better.

Various News on the Environment. by Kolawole Ilori

Going Green: AT&T sets new milestone

 

 

AT&T’s 10-year commitment to a cleaner corporate fleet is rolling into new territory. The company recently announced the deployment of the 4,000th alternative-fuel vehicle (AFV) in its corporate vehicle fleet – with more than 2,000 AFVs deployed in California alone. It also announced that it has deployed its 3,000th compressed natural gas vehicle (CNG).

AT&T deployed its 4,000th AFV in Chicago, IL; its 3,000th CNG in Houston, TX; and the 2,000th AFV of its California fleet in San Diego. All of the milestone vehicles are Ford E250 CNG vans.

The deployments are the latest in AT&T’s planned 10-year investment of up to $565 million to replace approximately 15,000 fleet vehicles with alternative-fuel models through 2018. Currently, the AT&T corporate fleet – which is part of the Department of Energy’s Clean Cities’ National Clean Fleets Partnership – features more than 71,500 vehicles and includes one of the largest U.S. corporate commitments to CNG vehicles to date. AT&T avoided the purchase of one million gallons of petroleum in 2010 as a result of its use of CNG vehicles.

“As the economy rises and falls with fuel prices, we have a responsibility to look for smart ways to reduce our costs,” said Jerome Webber, vice president, AT&T Global Fleet Operations. “Putting 4,000 alternative-fuel vehicles on the road – including 3,000 compressed natural gas vehicles – is a significant statement about the ability of fleet operators to not only reduce costs, but also to cut vehicle emissions. Every alternative fuel vehicle on the road brings us closer to energy independence, and that’s good for our company and our country.”

Along with its fleet of CNG vehicles, AT&T is deploying all-electric and extended range electric vehicles in its fleet. AT&T fleets in St. Louis, Dallas and Los Angeles received the first of these vehicles. AT&T expects to make additional deployments in 2011 and 2012.

Through 2013, AT&T anticipates it will have purchased approximately 8,000 CNG vehicles at an anticipated cost of $350 million. The company expects to invest an additional $215 million through 2018 to replace approximately 7,100 fleet passenger cars with alternative-fuel models.

According to a 2009 Center for Automotive Research report, AT&T’s planned alternative-fuel vehicle initiative would:

 

* Save 49 million gallons of gasoline over the 10-year deployment period.

* Reduce carbon emissions by 211,000 metric tons – the greenhouse gas equivalent of removing 38,600 passenger vehicles from the road for one year.

 

 

 

UPS also goes for 100 all-electric vehicles

 

 

UPS (NYSE: UPS) has announced the purchase of 100 all-electric delivery vehicles for deployment in California, bolstering UPS’s continuing effort to reduce the emissions of its truck fleet and improve its energy security.

The 100 vehicles will be acquired from Electric Vehicles International (EVI) of Stockton, Calif., and will replace older generation diesel trucks in the largest single deployment of zero tailpipe emission delivery vehicles in the state. These electric vehicles will have a 90-mile range and displace an estimated 126,000 gallons of fuel a year that would have been burned running diesel trucks.

“This purchase is a milestone for UPS’s alternative fleet expansion,” said Mike Britt, UPS’s director of vehicle engineering. “UPS’s research and development of alternative technologies has determined it is time to explore electric drive systems within the short-range segment of our delivery fleet. This purchase is an important first step in supporting investment and advancement in electric vehicle technology. EVI’s vehicle met our requirements in the test phase. Now we will operate these vehicles in the real world and help establish the future viability of this technology.”

UPS currently has 28 all-electric vehicles in its fleet operating in New York City and in Europe.

UPS operates one of the largest private fleets of alternative fuel vehicles in its industry with more than 2,200 in total. Since 2000, UPS’s “green fleet” has traveled more than 200 million miles. Besides all-electric technology, UPS has deployed Compressed Natural Gas, propane, Liquified Natural Gas and hybrid- electric vehicles in the United States, Canada, France, Germany, Brazil, Korea, the United Kingdom and Hong Kong. It also has tested hybrid hydraulic and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles.

UPS’s first foray into alternative fuel vehicles was with a fleet of electric vehicles that operated in New York in the 1930’s. Prior to this purchase, the company also tested an electric car in Santiago, Chile, and 13 zero tailpipe emission electric minivans in downtown Los Angeles.

“The advantage of an electric power train is zero tailpipe emissions.” added Britt. “These trucks will be perfectly suited for UPS’s short range urban delivery routes.”

UPS pursues a wide range of socially responsible and sustainable business practices designed to reduce its impact on the environment and improve communities around the world though the company has not yet began experimenting with any of these all-electric vehicles in Africa especially Nigeria.

 

 

Turner, Earle and Branson form OceanElders

 

Ted Turner, Dr. Sylvia Earle and Sir Richard Branson have joined together to help launch OceanElders to help put ocean conservation at the forefront of the global agenda. The newly formed non-profit organization brings together global leaders to use their wide range of experience and influence, supported by science and data, to pursue the protection of the ocean’s habitat and wildlife.

Joining Mr. Turner, Dr. Earle and Sir Richard Branson as founding Ocean Elders are Jackson Browne, Dr. Rita Colwell, Jean-Michel Cousteau, Graeme Kelleher, Sven Linblad, Captain Don Walsh and Neil Young.

“I have a great love for the oceans and I believe that we need a plan to save them,” said Turner. “I’m honored to work together with global leaders in order to advance critical ocean issues and help protect these ecosystems.”

Over the past four decades, Turner has stepped into the international spotlight with one accomplishment after another. Whether in billboard advertising, cable television, sports, sailing, environmental initiatives or philanthropy, Turner’s vision, determination, generosity and forthrightness have consistently given the world reason to take notice.

Dr. Earle, called “Her Deepness” by The New Yorker and The New York Times, is an oceanographer, explorer, author and lecturer with experience as a field research scientist. She will take the lead from a scientific and conservation perspective, helping navigate the wide range of complex ocean issues. Having led more than 100 expeditions and logged more than 7,000 hours underwater, Dr. Earle’s experience in deep-sea research, exploration and conservation is unparalleled.

Sir Richard Branson is Founder and Chairman of the Virgin Group. Virgin is one of the world’s most recognized and respected brands and has expanded into many diverse sectors from air and ground travel to telecommunications, health, space travel and renewable energy through more than 200 companies worldwide.  Sir Richard was instrumental in founding The Elders, an organization focused on human rights.

In addition to working at the global policy level, OceanElders will develop a web-based network of regional Ocean Elders focused on garnering support for ocean-related issues in their local communities. The overarching goal is to make the oceans top-of-mind in people’s thoughts and conversations, bringing the issue to the forefront of the global agenda for the first time in history.

The idea for OceanElders was born on the Mission Blue Voyage to the Galapagos Islands in April 2010, where more than 100 scientists, business leaders, philanthropists and celebrities came together to help Dr. Sylvia Earle, 2009 TED Prize Winner. Given “one wish to change the world” by TED, Earle asked for help in catalyzing public support for the urgent need for ocean conservation by advocating for the establishment of a global network of marine protected areas – “hope spots” in Earle’s words – big enough to save and restore the ocean.

A Mission Blue Voyage participant and philanthropist, Gigi Brisson returned home inspired to sustain the momentum sparked in the Galapagos. Aware of the mission and positive impact of The Elders in addressing human rights, Brisson believed that a similar structure could be applied to benefit the ocean. Following its model, Brisson created and funded OceanElders, and targeted global leaders who had a personal passion for the ocean and all marine life.

 

Nestle wins the 2011 Stockholm Industry Water Award

 

Nestle received the Stockholm Industry Water Award for its leadership and performance to improve water management in its internal operations and throughout its supply chain

The Award Committee recognised Nestlé’s work to improve the water management of its suppliers, which includes over 25 million people who are involved in its entire value chain. Joppe Cramwinckel, Award Committee Member and Director of Water Projects at the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, said: “Through its unwavering commitment, Nestlé has established itself as a leader in smart water management and is deserving of this prestigious award. It is providing an example for other food producers and distributors to follow. With agriculture accounting for nearly 70% of global water use, and food demand expected to double by 2050, companies have an increasing responsibility to improve food chain resource efficiency.”

The honourary award was presented to the chairman of Nestlé SA, Peter Brabeck-Letmathe, at a ceremony during the World Water Week in Stockholm. When receiving the news earlier, he said: “I am most grateful for this recognition. We have identified water as the biggest challenge for future food security, and beyond that, for economic growth. This is probably the most prestigious award in this area for a company – and it will be a strong encouragement for us to continue with our efforts.”

Nestlé is the largest food and nutrition company in the world, employing around 280 000 people in over 100 countries. Over the past decade, Nestlé has reduced the total water withdrawals by over 30 percent, more than doubled the water efficiency of their internal operations and made significant reductions in the quantity of wastewater discharged into the environment.

 

 

Green Festival celebrates 10th anniversary October 29th

 

Green Festival, United States’ premier green living event is billed to hold in Los Angeles October 29-30 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. This year, Green Festival celebrates a 10 year milestone with over one million attendees in eight cities.

This unique experience celebrates positive solutions working in US communities. It’s where people come to meet renowned authors, actors, visionaries and community leaders; shop with hundreds of green businesses; participate in do it yourself (DIY) workshops; enjoy live music and local vegan and vegetarian cuisine; and join friends at the organic beer and wine garden.

“In Mayor Villaraigosa’s ongoing commitment to make Los Angeles one of the world’s Greenest Cities,  he is happy to welcome Green Festival  to Los Angeles and looks forward to opening the festival on October 29th,” according to Romel Pascual, Deputy Mayor of Environment for Los Angles Mayor Antonio R. Villaraigosa.

Ten stages and pavilions will host more than 125 inspirational and educational speakers and teachers, including Dolores Huerta, Amy Goodman, Tom Hayden, Marianne Williamson, Rev. Yearwood Lennox and the Hip Hop Caucus, John Perkins, Starhawk, Mark Hertsgaard, David Korten, Jeffrey Smith, Jodie Evans and many more.

Spanish language programming will include Latino cooking demonstrations, greening your home and garden, and activities for the whole family at the Green Kid’s Zone.

“We’re excited to host the inaugural Green Festival in Los Angeles and bring Angelenos together to learn how to bring sustainability into their lives,” says Jonathan Parfrey, Climate Resolve Executive Director and a commissioner at the Department of Water & Power Board. “For those of us who care about Los Angeles and its future, the Green Festival is a place to talk about climate change and how to prepare to adapt.”

With the holiday season just around the corner, Green Festival is the perfect location to support local businesses all in one location. The Green Marketplace profiles hundreds of green and socially responsible businesses and organizations. Attendees browse everything from green, non-toxic home furnishings to organic clothing to Fair Trade gifts, children’s toys and much more.

View socially and environmentally impactful film shorts at the Communications Revolution Stage and the Sierra Club Green Cinema. Discover the latest in environmentally responsible construction materials and methods in the Green Building Pavilion. Empower your inner entrepreneur with Green Business Seminars and find your next green careers.

Check out the latest in all-electric and hybrid transportation at the Ford Pavilion and enjoy a test drive right at the Green Festival.  Join Ford in celebrating social and environmental innovation in the community and vote for the finalists who will win a $5,000 Ford Community Green Grant.

A joint project of Green America and Global Exchange, Green Festival is a non-profit 501c3 event to explore and build sustainable solutions for successful communities and a healthier environment.

 

Green sectors expanding into trillions of Dollars

 

While mainstream media, economists and general opinion still designate the Green Economy as “emerging” and assume green investments are riskier or provide lower returns than other investments, global investors have quietly and increasingly moved their assets into the green transition. The 2011 midyear update of Ethical Markets Media’s GREEN TRANSITION SCOREBOARD shows more than $2.4 trillion of private sector investments in green companies and technologies globally since 2007.

The Green Transition Scoreboard (GTS) counts non-government investments and commitments for all facets of green markets starting in 2007 to the second quarter of 2011 – totaling $2,405,182,005,199 worldwide. As Hazel Henderson, creator of the GTS, explains in “Good News on Global Green Transition,” the GTS anticipates investments and commitments of $1 trillion annually until 2020, a figure models and studies indicate will accelerate the global green transition.

Compared to the 2010 findings, global investors are slightly off the mark but still building momentum to reach $10 trillion by 2020. In an otherwise flat market, corporate R&D and cleantech M&A are driving much of the green economic growth. “This updated total is noteworthy, as it comes in spite of economic uncertainty,” says Henderson.

Corporate R&D in green transition technologies accounts for over $258 billion of the August GTS number, a notable increase from the $163 billion finding detailed in the Report on the Green Transition Scoreboard February 2011. This jump may reflect greater management awareness of the need for redesigning products and services for increased energy and materials efficiencies – criteria now driving innovation. And reporting standards are improving, as investors demand greater disclosure and governments, such as Japan, publish environmental accounting guidelines.

The R&D number is also significant in light of the above $100 million threshold in GTS research from 2007 to 2010, meaning thousands of R&D projects, with a myriad of novel approaches, remained uncounted. The 2012 report will focus on investments from small and medium enterprises (SMEs) not normally tallied in summaries, and the Ethical Markets research team plans to expand current categories and add new ones, particularly tracking the emergence of companies based on biomimicry of nature’s productive processes.

The August update is the first GTS report to include some R&D under $100 million. “Deals under $100 million, while barely moving a barometer tracking investments in trillions, are significant as they demonstrate how thousands of different companies believe in the economic soundness of greening industries,” says Timothy Nash, lead researcher for the GTS. “These diverse companies are all investing in making systems and products more effective, using less energy and generating less pollution throughout the life-cycle.”

‘Many big companies in Nigeria don’t have green footprints’

Ken Egbas, managing partner, TruContact Communications Limited pioneered CSR awards in Nigeria when his company introduced the Social Enterprise Report and Awards (SERA) in 2007. Five years down the line, SERA has become the most prestigious CSR award in Nigeria. Within the period, Ken has also become so deeply involved in issues of CSR that he now provides training for professional CSR practice in Nigeria. In this interview with CSRWATCH International, he talks about the going green concept, the position of Nigeria and Nigerian organizations with regards to that concept and the opportunities going green offers Nigeria and Africa.

 

The concept

Going green is a concept of doing business for today while putting your eyes on the future in terms of sustainability. This is because if we continue to exploit the earth the way we are currently doing, in the next 20 years or so, people say, we might need two planets because our planet as it is may not be able to sustain life any more.

The thing about going green is sometime that may look challenging for quite a number of brands because they fear what the likely consequences might be. Organizations that are in manufacturing are thinking for instance ‘if we change our boilers from the ones that are driven by turbines to the ones that are driven by solar, that is going to lead to another cost of changing our whole system. They are talking like that because most of them are thinking in the short term, but in the long term, reverting back to nature for assistance in terms of production will only make the world better and the cost of production or what we call the conversion process safer and cheaper.

 

Specific steps

Right now every organization should be looking at going green because that is the future. The innovative companies are already doing so and that is why they will remain the market leaders, they set the trend. If you look at the global market right now from America to Europe where most of these trends take root, you find out that most of these organizations are looking at how to manufacture products that can stand the test of time. You hear words like bio-degradable, these are materials that as they begin to wear out they don’t cause harm to the environment. Look at a company like Puma trying to manufacture shoes that last for longer period than the ones you use just for one season and you have to throw them away and buy another one. I’m seeing organizations designing products based on what nature does. I read something recently about a carpet manufacturing company that has been thinking of how to go green and they wanted to start doing things that agrees with nature. So they went and studied the bird of the sea. They sent their researchers into the environment to study how nature arranges its thing. They came with some of those pictures and designed a carpet that is almost natural. That single product alone moved them to a level of profit they had not made in 25 years. That shows you that the going green concept is also a platform for innovation. It gives companies opportunity to look at their services or their products and see how they can weave the green movement into it.

The thing about the green movement also is that anybody who doesn’t get on the train is going to be crushed by it because that is the future of business.

 

 

 

Nigerian experience, painting houses green

That is not what we are talking about. But from an innovative point of view, maybe when they colour their buildings green, they will begin to think of doing things that are green in the way they do their business. Definitely, the green is not in the colour of the paint. Even if we are looking at the colour of the paint what material did you use to produce the paint? Are they materials that are environmentally friendly or are they those that produce fumes that are toxic to human beings? There is a new way of making paint now to produce paints that are not harmful to humans. Is that the type of paint they are using? So it is not the issue of painting houses. What organizations need to do is to think of going green from a strategic point of view. The problem with Nigerian businesses is that when a brand begins to do something other brands begins to mirror it without understanding why and that is why at the end you have a bandwagon effect with no effect whatsoever on the company’s bottom-line.

We really need to get serious with this issue of going green because it is the way to go right now and it will become the bedrock for innovation in the future. This is because the way businesses are going now is that you have to study nature to get something out of it. Imagine a world economy without air, without water or without the nutrients that are under the ground or without trees that produces oxygen, just imagine that. It shows you that going into the future we have to do a lot of studying of the nature and try to borrow from her what we need for the future. How do I mean? Look at solar for example, in America now they are converting most of their energy sources to a more efficient and cheaper means, they are going solar, they have wind harvesters so that from wind alone you can provide energy that run cities and it is cheaper, the maintenance is cheaper and there are no fumes or noise, it is just energy from nature. Our brands need to begin to look at it from that perspective. When you are thinking innovation, you must think strategic innovation and one of the ways of thinking strategic innovation is to look at it from the perspective of going green and sustainability.

 

Challenges of Nigerian organizations

The first challenge I think Nigerian businesses are facing is that of understanding, because if you are going to imbibe new concept, the first thing to do is to find out how that concept works with you and that is where they have issues as we speak. In this year’s Social Enterprise Report and Awards (SERA), our theme is: ‘Leading Change: Building Competitive and Green Ground’ that is because we are championing this promotion of sustainability in businesses.

Look at it, out of the over 60 entries we received this year for SERA award, it is only about 40 per cent of them that are doing things that have semblance of going green. In fact you will be shocked that some of the biggest brands don’t even have any green footprint in the things that they do, you will also be shocked that quite a number of organizations in the extractive industry who you expect will be hit more by this bug of going green don’t even have any green footprint and the reason is understood. Most of these extractive companies are multinationals who have their headquarters in locations where these issues of environmental pollution are not prevalent, so they design their strategies from the headquarters and come to implement without a clear idea of the situation on ground.

Nigerian businesses have to learn and it has to do with openness because the thing about sustainability is openness, you talk about going green, you talk about sustainability, you talk about transparency and good governance, it is a progression. The moment you begin to think going green, it means that you are working towards being a company interested in opening up your system for scrutiny, come and see how we do things here, we do things in a quality way, we care about the environment, we care about the future, we are not just sucking the oil out of the ground and leaving everything hollow, we are not just interested in the oil and destroying the environment and the livelihood and the waters, the lakes and the rivers, the air and other means of livelihood for the community. We are doing business in such a way that the community would prosper.

Companies need to begin to do business in line with this concept and when they begin to do that, there will be a drastic shift in paradigm. I have had opportunity of interacting with a lot of people who have worked in sustainability and CSR globally and I make very bold to say CSR has reached its end in America and Europe, the next 25 to 30 years the best practices and innovation in CSR will come from the African continent. The reason is simple, Africa is still looked upon as the disadvantaged continent, we have all the myriad of problems from hunger to girl-child education, diseases, maternal mortality, every kind of thing and when you look at the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), you discover that Africa represents about 70 per cent of the reason why those goals were set. What does this tell you? Even though it looks like a problem, I think it creates an opportunity for corporations to be part of the solution of Africa and use all their strategies to sit down and not just think about how the company can make profit, but to think of how to make the communities to prosper while making profit.

When organizations begin to understand that all these problems present an opportunity for us to push our brands further into the hearts of the people, they will sit down and approach this idea of going green from a very totally different perspective. That is why I am very confident to say that every innovation now, the world will look the way of Africa. So this is the best time for our organizations to begin to do something that will position them to take advantage of these innovations. But they will not be able to jump onto that bandwagon until they understand the concept of going green and sustainability and how it affects transparency and corporate governance.

 

Everybody has a role to play

Going green is not a problem for only corporate organizations. As a matter of fact, I think there should be a way of  getting even smaller organizations involved in CSR and sustainability or going green. That is why this year our focal area in SERA is on small and medium enterprises. The way CSR has been portrayed, it looks like something that only big organizations are capable of doing. That is not true, even in a small office where you have 20 people working, how do you imbibe within members of your staff the issues of saving energy, how do we keep our environment worker friendly, how do we bring elements of nature into the office, how do we ensure that the work that we do, that people know us for can be expressed down the road on the street or maybe in an orphanage as something that has the DNA of our brand and why we are in business?

So it is important that you get small organizations to do that because if you watch very well, small organizations and big organizations go into one circle. These days, in Europe for example, when you are looking at measuring values of corporate social responsibility, they are even looking at suppliers and contractors. They are not just looking at you as a big company, they also look at the third party who supply your raw materials and those are the small and medium companies.

So I believe the best way to go is to get everybody involved so that organizations no matter how small will be conscious of doing something that protects the natural environment. The big organizations can help by insisting on certain standards. They can be asking questions like, ‘what are your views on safety of workers’ and things like that. That way, they will be serving as mentors for these smaller organizations. What we need really is a platform for engagement so that the ideas can be moved properly down the line.

 

Role of government agencies

It is a very sad fact that the government agencies that are in charge of the environment are not making any effort to enlighten the people or create awareness on issues relating to going green. But I think our problem is that we put politicians into technical positions and they know little to nothing about what they are supposed to be doing. That is simply because here we are always thinking about now, nobody is thinking about the future. When you have people in position who do not understand what the global trends are, they definitely will not know what the world is talking about.

I expect the minister for environment to be the one driving this campaign right now because the idea of going green should be the function of the ministry of the environment. But we don’t have that at the moment. If you look at the efforts of people in the private sector, they have to be applauded because they have brought this issue from the back burner to the front burner. All I can say is let those who are involved in this movement continue. Let them keep talking about it until it will get to a point where the government will find it embarrassing to stay out of it, then they will have no option than to join. You see, those of us in the green movement pressure group can make all the noise, but it is government that can actually take some policy decisions that can make these multinationals to do the right thing. There was a time when the Lagos State government accused a Chinese textile company in the state of discharging some toxic waste into the canal, everybody shouted but in the end what has happened? I still drive pass that way, all what they have done is to build a culvert to cover the thing from public view, but they are still discharging the waste. Whose responsibility is it in Lagos State to ensure that such a thing is punished?

Beyond taxation and seeing how to make more money, is government really looking at how to preserve life so that when you build good roads people will live long enough to enjoy the facilities you say you are providing?

I am happy to say this, you now see parks springing up here and there in Lagos State. These are places that were abandoned, government is turning them into green parks and people can now walk into such places and have a good time. Those are things government need to bring back into communities not just because it is right, but because it is just to do it.

Government should have a working policy on corporate sustainability and responsibility. How do we reward organizations who are doing this thing well and they are doing it right and of course how do we jump on a platform like SERA so that we make sure that we are promoting the right kind of companies so that other companies behind them can aspire to that same level?

In our tax laws for example we say companies should vote one per cent of their gross profit for CSR. If you meet that and we can see proof that you have done that, is it possible for the tax authorities to grant you tax waiver of 2.5 per cent because of the impact you are making on various communities through your CSR initiatives? I bet you, these companies will jump on that. For me the issue of the bill for CSR works two ways. Legislating CSR might be difficult in itself, but government can legislate on how you use land or how you use water or how a company operate in a community. I have seen that done in Brazil and India and it works.

Government need to jump in the front of this discussion. We might be here talking about sustainability and all the companies doing all they could do, but without the government backing, we are going nowhere because you find some companies because they know somebody in government, they will be doing what they like and that will discourage others that are trying to do the right thing. That is why we need to have people who are knowledgeable enough in positions of authority to make some of these issues go the way that we desire them to go.

 

Investment opportunities

There are lots of opportunities. The thing about going green is about innovation. You have to change how things are being done, you have to change how you produce your product. So it is a massive investment opportunity. The challenge there is that it involves huge costs right now. But any company that is looking at this cost right now is missing the point. The accountant always think about cost as at now, if they can think in the long term, they will see that they are saving a lot of money. Going green is the greatest money saver for organizations that are going into it now in the future. Look at today’s products, for example look at the prepaid electricity metre we are using in some places now, see how people are changing the bulbs they have in the house to energy saving bulbs and they are teaching their children, ‘if you are not using the light don’t put it on. Even when you go to the market to buy an applicance, you are asking, what is the energy consumption level. These are thing no one bothered about before. So there is a behaviourial change already going on, nobody is compelled, but you just have to change because it makes economic sense to do so.

What that also means is that when companies begin to know that consumers are beginning to pay attention to what material is used to manufacture things, they will have no option but to change. For instance, recently Etisalat made a presentation of how they now produce their SIM card from bio-degradable materials, and I thought that was smart. A lot of companies sit back and think, ‘how can we take advantage of this new trend?’ The companies who lead the market, are those companies who are able to put their finger on the pulse of the consumer and be able to feel what they are thinking in their head and through that be able to determine what will sell in the future. An innovation driven company does not sell for today, they sell for the future because they know that the product in high demand today will become a bore tomorrow. So they are constantly thinking of how to create new products that will sustain the interest of the consumer in the company.

Going green is the best platform for innovation because it causes you to think innovation not production. The mindset of most of the companies now is tuned towards production. Going green makes you innovation oriented even though eventually you are going to be producing, you will be attuned to what the new issues are.

Air Pollution: How ‘Asian Dilemma’ took over Nigeria

By Ugochukwu Chimeziri

 

The role of poverty in many aspects of life is a well-documented chronicle which stares the whole world in the face. Poverty has immense contribution to gender imbalance, abuse of rights, inability to access good food, water, healthcare amongst others especially in the third world countries.

This time, poverty has revealed that its tentacles are not shortened in the control of the transport and power systems in some of the third world countries especially experimenting ones of Africa. Nigeria is one or perhaps the only country in Africa housing over 15 million of various versions of 2-stroke engines. The Green Society of Nigeria has said that these messy and easily worn out engines are on every second of the day emitting partially combusted but very dangerous fuel gases to the ecosystem. The damage it metes out to the biodiversity is unquantifiable, Michael Walsh, an independent consultant who advises nations about motor vehicle pollution and control issues said. The global fight against depletion of the ozone layer aimed at protecting the biodiversity would not be complete if this menace described as ‘Asian Dilemma’ by Anumita Roychowdhury, associate director of the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) in India is not addressed immediately in all third world nations of Africa especially Nigeria where these two and three wheeled engines predominate currently.

In Asia where they originated and manufactured, their names were collectively known as Asian Dilemma but when the manufacturing nations saw that that cheap means of transportation were actually very expensive, they decided to re-baptise them for export. On landing in Nigeria, fanciful names like Boxer Bajaj, Jincheng, Suzuki, Qlink, Keke, Napep, Tiger etc were domesticated as our household names. Nobody told Nigeria that these flexible means of transportation and pocket friendly source of power generation were actually technologies from the pits of hell.

Illustrating this challenge in Nigeria, there are three types of 2-stroke engines that dominate the system. The two-wheeled bikes are called ‘Okada’ and the three-wheeled ones are named ‘keke or Napep’. Yet there is another that has claimed so many lives in Nigeria called ‘I pass my neighbour’, a small power generator common in most homes in Nigeria. Nigeria has a more or less totally collapsed power sector and cost of running bigger generators is not friendly to over 100 million pockets in Nigeria due to the fact that many are still living below the poverty line.  The introduction of ‘I pass my neighbour’ was like saying that a messiah has come. Most of these power generators that come from China cost as little as $55-$60 per unit. This pocket-friendliness made their acquisition a-must-have for every home in Nigeria irrespective of how poor the family is since the national power system is better said to be moribund.

This also goes to the nation’s transportation system. This system can better be said to be in shambles as almost all transportation activities in the country are done on the roads rendering severe pressures on the roads. But ‘Okada’ is a wonderful choice for fast and flexible movements within the city of Lagos and other cities that are traffic-jam ridden. The three-wheeler has adequately replaced taxis and so families, friends and associates these days fancy it to cruise in ‘keke Napep’ with dangerous gases emitted behind them as they cruise.  People choose these engines to get around and power their houses because they are cheap, powerful and easy to fix. But in the reverse, the environment and human health are compromised. As cities balloon and populations grow, the number of journeys and two-stroke engines are bound to grow with it if uncontrolled.

Just as was the case in the entire Asia and India-a co-inventor of these engines before 2004, about 75-80% of the traffic constitutes these machines, so is the case in Nigeria today. Due to poverty and inability for most people in the transportation sector to acquire 4 stroke engines for their businesses they go for these pocket friendly 2-strokes which must run by mixing petrol with engine oil. Experts have said that because 2-stroke engines burn petrol-oil mixture, they emit more smoke, more carbon monoxide, more hydrocarbons and more particulate matter than the engines that run on petrol alone. In effect, 2-stroke engines are highly wasteful in the use of fuel. Experts confirmed that up to 40% of the petrol and oil go out of the exhaust pipe not combusted leading to release of more dangerous carbons, nitrogen gas, sulphur, hydrocarbons as well as fine dust- all being much more toxic than the ones emitted by any 4-stroke engine. All these toxic compounds contribute immensely to urban air pollution and depletion of the entire biodiversity.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has stressed that these classes of pollution are responsible for air pollution leading to the death of more than half a million people a year. About two-thirds of the residents of Delhi and Calcutta suffered from respiratory symptoms such as common cold and dry and wet cough before the government put pressure to end usage of such vehicles.

Twisha Lahiri, head of neuroendocrinology at India’s Chittaranjan National Cancer Institute, largely blames these diseases on two-stroke engine emissions. WHO has also classified that urban pollution ranks 13th greatest contributor to disease burden and death worldwide. On the other hand, Mrs Tokunbo Jakande, executive director, Green Society of Nigeria said that research shows that these classes of emissions contribute immensely to the depletion of the ozone layer faster than would emissions from a 4-stroke engine.

Before the tricycles known as keke Napep in Nigeria are banned in Thailand, it was estimated that one keke is equivalent to 50 cars in terms of gaseous emissions and contributed 47% of pollution particulates in the air.  Today the nation has curtailed on the use of these vehicle. Philippines did same and India has also gone ahead to almost reduce to zero the use of these vehicular mess even though it is still a manufacturer of 2-stroke engine. The proliferation of these engines in Africa’s third world countries should be worrisome. Yes, many local respiratory related deaths are either not investigated or believed to be effects of tobacco smoking; it is becoming evident that most cases linked to tobacco smoking in these countries are actually caused by 2-stroke engine emissions in the air.

There is urgent need to cut down on the use of these engines as Nigeria has pronounced recently but again, for this to be effective, the government must provide an alternative. The snag would be if the Federal Government would have enough political will to tackle this menace which has direct local and global implications on the environment and human. When Bangkok toughened up vehicle inspections and emissions standards in 2000, 2-wheelers were over 96% of the city’s traffic. However, according to Supat Wangwongwatana, deputy director general of Thailand’s Pollution Control Department in March 2004, result show that only 40% was in use with 60% out of the streets.

Nigeria and other African nations would need to also adopt what Philippines did by offering interest free loan for operators of 2-stroke engines to upgrade to 4-stroke. This approach would appear most workable option as it is not easy to fix overnight the nation’s power and transportation systems. When 2-stroke baby taxis were phased out of Dhaka, Bangladesh, in 2002, particulate concentrations dropped up to 40%, with carbon monoxide as well as hydrocarbons falling significantly, S.M.A. Bari, director of engineering at the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority said.

According to the Federal Government gazette No. 47 of May 17, 2011, “with effect from April 28, 2011, any manufacturer or importer of 2-stroke shall not be allowed to assemble, manufacture or import for use in Nigeria: a two-stroke engine, a motor vehicle that does not have installed or an approved emission reduction technology; Motor vehicles with petrol and diesel engines should meet with emission standards specified in the gazette which is equivalent to Euro III.

This is a laudable move by the Government but that is to one side. Another side to this is the ability to have it enforced fully. According to Engineer Aminu Jalal, Director-General, National Automotive Council, Nigeria is one of the few third world countries that are still using motorbikes with two-stroke engines. He said that even countries that produce it for Nigeria are no longer using them because of the environmental implications.

“India and China have banned two stroke engines since the 1990s and as I speak to you India does not produce two-stroke engines any more for internal use.”

According to him, apart from being environmentally friendly, the four-stroke engines are more fuel efficient, faster and durable. Describing the move to ban the two stroke engine as a welcomed development, but the Act that will establish this is yet to be enacted.

2-stroke engines are the worst polluters still existing with mankind so let the whole world including Nigeria rise against the 2-stroke engines!

What is this going green all about?

By Joseph Chibueze

 

The green revolution is on and the bug is catching on like wild fire. Going green has become one of the most used expressions today — in print, on the air, and repeatedly on the lips of individuals, even those who have little or no idea of what it actually entails.

In Nigeria, many companies have joined the bandwagon by painting their offices green, changing their official letterheads, complimentary cards, their window blinds, their carpets as well as their cars to green colour. As far as they are concerned, they have gone green. This is a practice Dr. Ken Egbas, managing partner, TruContact Communications referred to as not only laughable, but outright off the point and a clear demonstration of ignorance. According to him, “The green is not in the colour.”

When the idea to write on this topic came up at our editorial meeting, it was shocking to observe that even those one thought should know, only have a faint idea of what going green means. In fact a number of the people at the meeting argued that Nigeria is not yet ripe to join the green movement because according to them, going green is not only expensive, it is also technologically demanding.

 

Wrong notion

The thinking of many organizations in Nigeria even those whose parent companies have already gone far with their green products in the western world, is that it is a capital intensive concept which they are not prepared to shoulder, at least not for now. If at all they have to do anything, it is planting trees and grasses around the office and go to town to announce that they have joined the green movement.

 

Meaning

Going green reflects a general environmental philosophy and social consciousness around saving and advancing earth’s natural resources — preserving them overall, but also protecting them for the sake of civilization.

For Egbas, “Going green is simply doing business for today while putting your eyes on the future in terms of sustainability.”

The key word in the whole idea of going green is sustainability, doing things that will ensure that the earth is not rendered unhabitable. Unfortunately in Nigeria, this does not seem to bother many people especially those that are engaged in activities that have serious negative impact on the environment. It will shock a lot of people to know that many companies operating in the country, particularly those in the extractive industry are just going about their business with reckless abandon without any regard for the environment.

Mr. Ufot Udeme, Managing director SO&U Saachi & Saachi, one of the leading advertising agencies in Nigeria while acknowledging that Nigeria is nowhere near the green economy, however said it is not yet too late to wake up. According to him, “I don’t think it is too late for us to imbibe those principles of sustainability but I think the earlier we start the better, if we don’t focus on those practices that will ensure sustainability even at personal level, it will be damaging for us.”

So it is something we should begin to look at more seriously. The reason why many people are looking at the concept of going green as something out of this world is basically because they do not understand the concept. According to Udeme, the reason Nigerian companies are not taking the issue of going green and sustainability serious is partly ignorance “because people tend to believe that we have so many other problems so why encumber ourselves with this one. My belief is that as any company embarks on the journey of anti corruption and integrity in business, it should also do the same thing for the environment, for sustainability. A time will come where if we are not careful we will be swallowed up. The world is focusing on Africa now and when they come, in fact they are already here, and many more will come, the danger we will face if we don’t put in place those rules and principles that will protect us, what we will see in our environment will be worse than what the oil companies have done when it comes to pollution. So we must start now to put those frame works in place to protect our environment,” he said.

 

Anyone can join the green movement

Going green is not all about hi-tech and lots of money in the pocket. In fact if anything it actually encourages innovation and cost saving in the long run. There are some simple steps that can also be taken that do not involve huge costs like fewer lights (bulbs in and on), using mugs not paper cups so that it can be reused over and over, 2-up double sided printing, less printing, making notebooks from scrap paper (of which there is lots), shutting monitors and desk lighting off.

In all types of cars, there are some things that can be done to help aid performance and decrease cost such as carrying less unneeded weight and striving to avoid speeding. Ensuring the car is properly tuned up, checking and replacing air and fuel filters and belts, and keeping tires inflated to recommended pressures also help keep a car running in the most efficient, environmentally friendly way. Evaporative emissions may be saved when avoiding pumping fuel on very hot days, while fuel efficiency may get a slight improvement by going without air conditioning whenever possible. The need for air conditioning to vacate really hot air from a parked car’s interior can be reduced by parking in the shade or using a windshield cover to help deflect heat, thus lessening heat build-up, Carpooling, combining multiple errands into single trips and taking public transportation.

In some advanced economies it is even suggested that people should engage in what is called Telecommuting (that is working at home and using the internet or other electronic device to link a central office), if one can handle it, as it saves substantially on pollution and cost, and more companies are offering this as an option. A company can also consider staggering work hours to avoid traffic congestion. If possible, walk, cycle, or use public transportation to get to work. Businesses can take advantage of natural light by installing solar panels. Garages can be rigged accordingly, and some car owners are even using solar power to charge their cars overnight. Some who wash their cars at home do so as a two-fold answer to conserving water as well as watering the yard; they simply park it on the lawn during a wash for less runoff. These are all simple ways of saving energy and reducing toxic emission into the environment.

But is it not surprising that simple as some of these steps are, organizations operating in this country are not thinking of them, instead their mind is focused on the more difficult ones like researching into manufacturing green products and changing their production lines to accommodate the new line of products.

What many organizations in this country have failed to realise, which is why they are still not bothered about the going green initiative, is that very soon as consumers become more aware of the need for sustainability, they will only be patronizing organizations that have proved to them that sustainability is an integral part of their business strategy. According to Udeme, “Saachi and Saachi has a unit called sustainability and they have shown that driving for sustainability can be rewarding in itself. In the western world where it has become a critical issue consumers are very conscious of what companies they deal with. You would want to buy goods from a company that you know is committed to ensuring that your great grand children have an earth they can live in. For the consumers, every good they buy from a company that is committed to sustainability is an investment, and what that means is that such companies will get more patronage.”

 

BOX THIS

Why to Go Green: By the Numbers

• 1 pound per hour: the amount of carbon dioxide that is saved from entering the atmosphere for every kilowatt-hour of renewable energy produced.
• 60 percent: the reduction in developmental problems in children in China who were born after a coal-burning power plant closed in 2006.
• 35 percent: the amount of coal’s energy that is actually converted to electricity in a coal-burning power plant. The other two-thirds is lost to heat.
• 2.5 percent: the percentage of humans’ carbon dioxide emission produced by air travel now, still making it the largest transportation-related greenhouse gas emitter.
• 5 percent: the percentage of the world’s carbon dioxide emissions expected to be produced by air travel by the year 2050.
• 1.5 acres: the amount of rainforest lost every second to land development and deforestation, with tremendous losses to habitat and biodiversity.
• 137: the number of plant, animal and insect species lost every day to rainforest deforestation, equating to roughly 50,000 species per year.
• 4 pounds, 6 ounces: the amount of cosmetics that can be absorbed through the skin of a woman who wears makeup every day, over the period of one year.
• 61 percent: the percentage of women’s lipstick, out of the 33 tested, found to contain lead in a test by the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics.
• 95 percent: the amount of energy saved by recycling an aluminum can versus creating the can from virgin aluminum. That means you can make 20 cans out of recycled material with the same amount of energy it takes to make one can out of new material. Energy savings in one year alone are enough to light a city the size of Pittsburgh for six years.
• 113,204: the number, on average, of aluminum cans recycled each minute of each day.
• 3: the number of hours a television set can run on the energy saved from recycling just one aluminum can.
• 40 percent: the percentage of energy saved by recycling newsprint over producing it from virgin materials.

Sources: Consumer Reports, Environmental Health Perspectives, Raintree Nutrition, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and EPA Water and EPA Recycling, Worldwatch Institute, Energy Information Administration, Ready, Set, Green, Earth911.org, The Telegraph, Yahoo! News

Sponsoring Japan’s Largest Environmental Exhibition, “Eco-Products 2012”

TOKYO. Nikkei Inc., Japan’s leading media source for business and economic information, and the Japan Environmental Management Association for Industry (JEMAI) – supporter of business efforts for the environment will be staging Japan’s largest environmental exhibition, “Eco-Products 2012” for three days – from Thursday, December 13th through Saturday, December 15th – at ‘Tokyo Big Sight’ in Ariake, Tokyo.

Taking the theme of environmental business promotion and the creation of a recycling society, the “Eco-Products Exhibition” which began in 1999, now marks its 14th year. There are 711 companies and organizations participating and approximately 185,000 visitors are expected over the three-day period, making it the largest environmental exhibition in Japan.

The exhibition displays eco-products, services and environmental technologies across a broad spectrum of fields: from home appliances and daily use items, to automobiles, energy and chemical applications, paper and other materials, housing and construction, food products, containers and wrapping materials, stationery and office equipment, and financial services.

There are also displays highlighting various efforts in national environmental policy, as well as local governments’ environmental business promotional efforts. For business people there is leading-edge information on environmental businesses, and for the general public there are hints about how to start living a greener lifestyle. Japanese companies are said to possess among the best environmental products and technologies in the world. In recent years, against the backdrop of global warming, there is a compelling need to deal with environmental issues on an international level. Please take this opportunity to visit the exhibition to learn more about the efforts in environmental activities and environmental technologies taking place within Japan.

Exhibition Overview

Name: Eco-Products 2012 (14th Annual)
Dates: Thursday, December 13th to Saturday, December 15th, 2012
Times: Thursday & Friday 10:00 to 18:00. Saturday 10:00 to 17:00
Venue: Tokyo Big Sight (Tokyo, Japan)
Entrance Fee: Free (Entrance Registration System)
Sponsors: Japan Environmental Management Association for Industry, Nikkei Inc.
Target Visitors:

● Business executives, Managers, Environmental Management, Product Development, Business Strategy, Social Responsibility Departments

● Regional Promotion Departments of Local Governments, Government bodies such as Purchasing Departments, and Environmental Departments

● Environmental NPOs, and NGOs, Civic Groups, other persons or groups interested in the environment

● The General Public

Websites:
English: http://eco-pro.com/eco2012/english/index.html

Chinese: http://eco-pro.com/eco2012/chinese/index.html

Korean: http://eco-pro.com/eco2012/korean/index.html

Press kit available at:
http://www.tradeshownews.com/events/Eco-Products-2012/presskit

Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available:
http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=50065114&lang=en