The other side of the equation is the effect on American jobs. With 1.3 million employees and growing, Wal-mart has the most to lose for not getting Sustainable commitments right. The topics of American jobs and global warming go hand in hand and these agendas in Congress are taking center stage. Nancy Pelosi, the speaker of the House of Representatives, said it best in The Economist’s ‘The World In 2008’ print edition stating, “America will rise to the challenge of global warming”. The article, titled “Green Expectations” went on to say:

The Stern review, a British government study, made clear that the price of combating global warming pales in comparison with the cost of complacency. The study, the most comprehensive review of the economics of climate change, argued that taking action now will require a serious commitment and financial investment. With just 1% of global GDP each year, we could achieve meaningful reductions in greenhouse-gas emissions. On the other hand, as the “Stern Review” said, failing to take serious action would shrink the global economy by at least 5%, and as much as 20%, each year.

In the coming year, all of us around the world must decide to see global warming as a challenge, and also as an opportunity. We can start to address global warming with innovation and with market-based solutions that will grow economies around the world and create the next generation of good-paying jobs—including “green-collar” jobs.

Well besides the PR opportunity of creating such a Leadership position, I don’t know how corporate giants like Wal-mart and Apple could resist adding “green-collar jobs” to their resume of environmental and sustainable achievements. Wal-mart was smart enough to entice Adam Werbach of Act Now and former president of the Sierra Club, but as for Wal-Mart CEO, H. Lee Scott, he needs to be a little wiser and give Adam the official position of CGO. I sincerely believe the Personal Sustainability Project program is great, but accountability is what every great company requires; especially so that ‘slips’ like “Wal-mart Organics” and “toxic iPhones” never happen again.

Sincerely,

Yeves R. Perez, Editor and Chief

P.S. And lastly, for Steve Jobs, after you get around to Greening up the iPhone, make me an “EcoConnoisseur” edition with a bamboo case, and let me be your official spokesperson. Every “CGO” and “Corporate Green” would have to have one, Guaranteed!

Here's another great YouTube Clip:

Greenwashing CTV Interview

Is your product really green? CTV interview with Terrachoice explaining the six sins of greenwashing, ecologo, how to identify truly green products.

My inspiration for the position of CGO came from “The Rise of the Chief Green Officer”, written by John Davies, published Tuesday, November 14, 2006.

In his report, Davies states:

While solving the world’s biggest problems profitably may seem like a stretch goal, AMR Research has discussed that specific topic during 2006 with many of our Global 2000 clients. What we’ve found is that industry leaders understand the need for building a sustainable business. Few, if any, question the impact of global warming, all have concerns about energy security, and the role of globally responsible citizenship is taken seriously. They also see unique opportunities for new products and services for the emerging green economy. The intersection of business risk and profitable opportunity is giving rise to a new role in the organization: the chief green officer.

For many companies, compliance is a collection of tactical initiatives. Leaders, however, focus on more strategic engagement, both internally and externally. Internal engagement efforts tend to not only comply but embrace required compliance initiatives, viewing them only as a starting point to drive greater change throughout the organization. Internal initiatives target efficiency improvements with goals set at local sites and measurement systems providing a global rollup of corporate performance. For many leaders, the eventual measure of success is a zero environmental footprint.

Structuring the organization for green

In leadership organizations, we have noticed two distinct trends in terms of defining the role of the chief green officer. The single most important trend is the appointment of a chief green officer reporting directly to the CEO. This senior executive has a broad span of influence and control in terms of pursuing the company’s green agenda.

Organizationally, the chief green officer oversees both internal and external opportunities. This translates to having direct and indirect reports that oversee environmental health and safety (EH&S), energy, procurement, and regulatory affairs. In addition to these organizations, the chief green officer in many cases is also directly or indirectly responsible for environmental stewardship, corporate communications, strategic partnerships, and product innovation.

While the span of influence for the chief green officer is broad, corporate staff is kept lean. Rather than create a green bureaucracy, this person leads by taking a program management office (PMO) approach. The most important task for the chief green officer is to work with the management team to set the overall corporate strategy.

Once the corporate strategy is set, and the requisite goals and metrics established, the chief green officer works with various cross-functional groups within the organization to identify opportunities. His or her staff is then responsible for finding the disconnects within the business and identifying gaps where intervention is required. A common approach by many companies is to employ lean or Six Sigma expertise to address issues, disbanding the team once success is achieved.

AMR Research predicts that the next few years are critical for manufacturers, retailers, financial services firms, and others as they establish their roadmap toward green leadership. While early adopters are already reaping rewards, there are still significant opportunities for a new generation of chief green officers.

http://www.amrresearch.com/Content/View.asp?pmillid=19972

Founded in 1986, AMR Research provides subscription advisory services and peer networking opportunities to operations and IT executives in the consumer products, life sciences, manufacturing, and retail sectors.