Green Businesses

The much celebrated notion of green business emerged in 1990s as a result of confluence of circumstances. The term implies that business, as a responsible agent of society, would voluntarily embrace green values. It is argued that green business is a natural, inevitable, and essential progression, and the environmental responsibility is an expansion of earlier social responsibility of business towards employee and community, now expanded to include the national and international community as well as the environment.

Green business advocates use economic arguments and market mechanisms to illustrate the inevitability of business conversion to green. They maintain that the key to restoring economic vitality today is to recognize that social goals and profits are not only compatible, but so interdependent that a business cannot succeed unless it unifies these.

Considering the current state of environment and in view of business as usual practice of most corporations, one can not help but to wonder to what extent this argument holds true.

Since the governments either do not care or are incapable of enforcing green standards, then it is time for us, the citizens to take the matter into our own hands by making smart choices that reflect our green values. This could provide the financial incentive that is crucial for businesses to adhere to green values while allowing us to penalize those who do not care for our deepest concerns.