Local Companies Advocate For Green Business

Representatives from local Bay Area companies gathered at a forum in Foster City last night to discuss the current state, and future, of green business.

The panel was comprised of Seth Baruch from Deloitte Consulting LLP, Redwood City Councilwoman Rosanne Foust, Bruce Klafter from Applied Materials, Walter Ruzzo from Gilead Sciences and John Stockham from Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company.

All came to the Council Chambers in Foster City for a two hour discussion at the Community Impact Summit, which surrounded content addressed in the film "So Right, So Smart," which focuses on the ways many successful businesses have implemented energy conservation methods.

Those representing their businesses spoke to ways in which their companies have been able to ingrain energy conservation methods into the day-to-day operations of their business.

Ruzzo, Director of Environmental Health & Safety at Foster City-based biopharmaceutical firm Gilead Sciences, said his company started with the "low hanging fruit," or easily attainable goals, such as attempting to divert garbage from ending up at landfills.

He said it was not difficult to integrate green business techniques, because so many employees are willing to be part of the growing trend. He said the landfill diversion plan began in break rooms and quickly spread to the company's laboratories.

Stockham, Director of Facility Operations and Services at Lockheed Martin, agreed. He said once the seed of energy conservation is planted in a company, it grows quickly and expands on itself in ways that were likely not initially imagined.

"It allows ways to think outside of the box, which integrates into the departments and triggers innovation," said Stockham.

Klafter, Managing Director of Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability at Silicon Valley-based Applied Materials, said that energy conservation functions best in a company when the techniques are applied voluntarily by employees, rather than under instruction from executives.

"You want it to be seamless, not by demand," Klafter said of implementing green business techniques.

Caltrain spokesman Mark Simon, who served as the moderator for the discussion, questioned those on the panel whether they had encountered resistance from within their business in attempting to install energy conservation techniques, and what it took to overcome those hurdles.

Foust, who is also the President & CEO San Mateo County Economic Development Association, said many businesses fear that installing green business techniques can be expensive.

She said approaching businesses leaders in a constructive fashion, and attempting to show them that there are fiscal benefits to implementing energy conservation can be effective in spreading the ideology.

Stockham said the upfront cost to businesses that install energy conservation techniques, such as solar panels, is often offset over the long term with help of the incentives offered by the government or utility providers. 

The film, "So Right, So Smart," showed successful businesses models that implement green business techniques, such as equipment company Patagonia, cleaning product manufacturer Seventh Generation and dairy food producer Stonyfield Farms.

Baruch said the reputation of a company is enhanced once its known for utilizing green business techniques, and that can make it more attractive to potential employees who may be choosing where they want to go to work.

It is more important than ever before that companies join the green business revolution because the younger generation of people beginning to join the workforce have been educated to the importance of energy conservation, and now expect their employers to utilize the same tactics, said Foust.

But even with the momentum of companies moving toward green business, Klafter said more progress needs to be made as soon as possible.

"We are not moving fast enough," said Klafter, of the industry's greening.

He said he believed the biggest challenge of this century for business is meeting the demands of a company's fiscal bottom line, without sacrificing the well being of the planet for future generations.

Stockham agreed, but approached the same issue in a more philosophical fashion.

The planet is a living organism that has a lot of power, and it may revolt if the people living on it do not begin to treat it better than they have in the past, said Stockham.

"We need to get serious about it," he said.