The implementation of green energy is new and has taken the business world by storm over the recent years, showing strides of change towards a more sustainable economy. As of September 22nd 150+ companies in the United States have joined the campaign that is committed to take climate actions. Goldman Sachs, Johnson & Johnson, NIKE, Inc., Procter & Gamble, Salesforce, Starbucks, Steelcase, Voya Financial, and Walmart have joined RE100, pledging to source 100% of their electricity from renewable energy to reduce CO2 emissions and seize the business benefits ("Fortune 500 Listed Companies Pledge to Use 100% Renewable Electricity."). These companies recognize that the transition to a low-carbon economy is the only way to secure sustainable economic growth and prosperity for all. Green energy has been in such a high demand since the government has become stricter on CO2 emissions and polluting other nonrenewable resources like coal and oil, which are becoming scarcer to find. These are a few types of green energy; solar energy, wind energy, hydropower, geothermal energy, ocean energy and hydrogen & fuel cells. The types of nonrenewable energy that our economy uses are coal and oil. Natural gas is another form of nonrenewable energy our economy uses but its practice of extracting the gas called fracking is dangerous and unhealthy for the environment. With so many different types of renewable green energy it’s hard to understand why companies didn’t switch over sooner. Is switching
This year we have seen more electric and hybrid vehicle startups than ever before.” (Morrison) Nearly everyone recognizes the benefits of the shift, both in terms of how it would help our environment in the long term, but also the economic impact it would have, (reduced gas costs, lower electric and other utilities bills... etc.) But still, many large companies work to impede the progress in favor of maintaining our dependence on fossil fuels. The American Petroleum institute has worked with many oil industry protection companies to stymie the renewable energy movement, even in some cases, “posing as environmentalist groups in order to attract the support of environmentalists while simultaneously pushing their anti-renewable agenda.” (Blankenhorn) Many of these companies striving against renewable energy also support the building of the Keystone pipeline, using the justification that the building of the pipeline would lower gas prices. But what they fail to acknowledge is the basic economic fallacy of this, “Fossil energy prices are not going to fall. The more you remove carbon-based resources from the ground, the more it costs to get more.”
The rise of green products and the want of consumers to become more environmentally friendly has been increasing. In 10 Green Marketing Milestones, the reading mentioned how the “rise of the Toyota Prius: It may not have saved the world, but at 1 million cumulative vehicle sales the Prius became the predominant fuel-efficient hybrid vehicle” (Neff 2). This is an example of how companies are actually wanting to go green in order to make more profit and rise above their competitors. Going off the Prius example, it was also mentioned how Hummer cars, which use an excess amount of fuel, sales have plummeted. This was because this model no longer appealed to the consumers and General Motor’s had to discontinue the model and even went bankrupt. This sale tactic works and is so successful because the consumer’s mindset have evolved to seek things that are better for the environment. Many would prefer Toyota over General Motor because of their company’s reputation with being green. Although this might not work for all companies, but for some, they have become more successful than their competitors by going green and so, convincing more and more to
Despite the bargain-basement prices, many electric utilities continued to reduce their reliance on oil in order to comply better with the 1994 Federal Clean-Air Laws. Such utilities, along with certain other industries, are capable of switching fuels. But, last year, the companies tended to stick with natural gas, which burns cleaner, even when oil would have been cheaper.
The main argument against switching to the alternative energies is that not everyone is willing to switch. People don't wish to switch because of the cost factor and that it may take a lot of time. That is foolishness. The reason no one wishes to switch is because they don't truly know how beneficial switching would be. Some even say they don't wish to switch because the American government won't either. The people who won't switch have not been completely informed. There is the savings benefit. Consumers can save a lot of money by making a switch. Consumers help the environment by switching and you help the economy. Most people would be willing, maybe even eager, to switch if they were well informed and knew the benefits of switching.
It is cold here! For 8 months out of the year, our low temperatures don't get out of the 40's at night, making for cold rooms and cold houses.
The United States is driven by capitalism, which is, “an economic system essentially based on the private ownership of the means of production, distribution, and exchange” (Free). This brilliant system allows for a prospering economy that is created by the people. In this system, it is common that businesses fail because profit is the driving force that keeps them going and only the strongest remain standing. While it may seem odd to link energy production to capitalism, the case can be argued that they share a connection. Energy production is a main avenue to the core of what capitalism represents. Each year, many energy producing companies profit millions of dollars since the world is dependent upon it. Considering this, these
A study done in 2015 by the Royal Society of Chemistry, a non-profit organization of chemical scientists in the UK, shows that, if the US were to switch to utilize solar and wind energy sources, the air pollution mortality will decrease by at least 62,000 premature deaths yearly. In addition, converting would eliminate up to 3.3 trillion dollars per year in “2050 global warming costs to the world due to US emissions,” and the average person would save $1500 in health costs and $8300 on climate costs yearly. (Jacobson). Opposition to cleaner energy sources comes mainly from the business world, which fears the EPA estimated $1.4 billion in factory modifications; however, “$2.9 billion to $5.9 billion will be saved each year due to fewer missed days of work and school, emergency room visits and premature deaths” (Adams). By changing the methods in which we acquire energy, we can change air and life quality in a positive
When making an analysis on why more companies are going green and to what are the benefits, the first argument that comes to mind are the government requirements that are now being required. Corporations are made to pass certain certifications to ensure that they are being environmentally responsible. A key industry that has been hit hard by such requirements is the automotive industry. The government in an effort to reduce the exhaust and evaporative gases that automobiles emit, have handed down regulations that must be implemented within a certain time frame. One program that the government came out with is called Light-Duty Vehicle Greenhouse Gas Emissions Standards Program. This program gave new standards for vehicles that are manufactured
Let us face the fact, the world will not be around forever, but with the right practices we can keep it around longer. Big companies use big energy, they provide the public with many services and products, but need more energy to do it. The push to become more self-sufficient and use more renewable energy is stronger than ever. We are seeing the “go green” movement taking the US by storm with more and more companies each year deciding to make the switch. Companies are seeing that the public is very receptive to companies that are environmentally focused and conscious about communities. The New Belgium Brewing Company is special
When the new Southeast Polk High School opened they added many new energy saving products. This included installing geothermal heating under the high school cutting back on the cost of heating such a large building. Many new windows help save on energy used to light the building along with automatic lights that turn off after several minutes without movement. The new high school shows how easy it is to save money and help the environment. Renewable energy is good for all aspects of the U.S, providing jobs, economical growth, environmental cleanliness, and new research for improving energy efficiency. Therefore the United States should use renewable energy to benefit the economy and environment.
They looked at two scenarios, inaction, where business’ continue finding and using carbon as they see fit, and action, where business’ use a low-carbon energy mix. They found that not only would the investment cost of the action scenario be no more than inaction, but it would even cost a bit less- 190.2 trillion dollars for action and 192 trillion dollars for inaction. This is before even considering the amount of money saved by the effects of the action scenario itself. The report found that, “the difference in climate damage costs between low (1.5°C) warming and high (4.5°C) warming scenarios could be as high as $50 trillion” (Business Insider). The effect of such a large economic company reporting this data is the perfect example of how using economics for the sake of reversing global warming can be really beneficial. The argument often used by economists is that becoming more sustainable would hurt the economy, but the data in this report proves just the opposite, and how terrible it would be if we did nothing. For the sake of investment in industry’s like coal and gas, this information is often denied. But this is not anywhere near the first time industry’s have had to adapt due to uncontrollable events. This report emphasizes the importance of recognizing
It was a huge revolution when scientists discovered the fossil fuel and since that time we have started to use it into wide ranges, which caused the industrial revolution and fancy transportation. However, carbon dioxide reached 400 parts per million (ppm) for the first time in recorded history of the global concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere according to NASA. The strict environmental regulations on air quality coupled with a consumer desire for more efficient engines has forced the automotive industry to start developing more advanced emissions after treatment technologies. Today, transportations and industries make air pollution (CO2) that is one of the largest problems facing the world today as well as we use them as daily paces. Why green energy companies has success in some countries and other fail? In order to understand the issue of green energy power and sources, we have to address the green energy dilemma, as well as the feasibility and the issues of legalization clearly.
In today’s day and age, everyone is concerned about the environment. Our society is increasingly encouraged to “go green,” to do our part in making the world a cleaner, more eco-friendly place. Green marketing is one major strategy being used to promote such efforts, but is it effective? There is some debate about this concept, including the history of green marketing, the problems with green marketing so far, the effectiveness of marketing schemes like Sunchips and Toyota, and the strategies that could be used to increase the ability of green marketing. While protecting our planet is a noble concept, its execution seems to be a little vague. Of all the aspects concerning green marketing, one thing is clear: our planet still has a long
Energy is a crucial necessity and with the ever increasing need for it and the high and fluctuating prices of oil, researchers are constantly coming up with newer and more sophisticated alternative sources of energy. However, energy comes at a cost, as it is either expensive or it possesses high health risks. This essay presents the concept of energy by discussing the two major types of energy, the various forms it could take, including renewable sources of energy, energy conservation and above all it talks about the safest and cleanest alternatives.
By taking the position as Raj Bhatt, Business Development manager of GE Canada, I am comfortable and confident that energy efficiency is an attractive industry and business opportunity. What makes Raj Bhatt believe that the Energy Efficiency projects will be successful in Canada is that the project helps not only the ESCo, which conducts the performance-based contracting, but also the customers, who are more aware of the benefits of Energy Efficiency project. The Energy Efficiency project will optimize the energy usage, including conservation, use of efficient equipment and off peak usage. Even though the project has required intensive initial capital investment and long payback period, it will