By Michael Lawshe

Often, the green movement is its own worst enemy.

Recently, in San Francisco, I attend­ed a green convention. As I entered, it was like going back in time. Everywhere I looked, I saw 1960s hippies in hemp clothing eating organic food and drink­ing herbal tea. I saw a few new technol­ogies, which were largely hidden by well-intentioned, preachy environmen­talists.

That’s all fine and good, but those things don’t represent my green move­ment — and likely not yours either. My green movement is all about new tech­nology to save energy, reduce costs and clean up our environment, and it’s not all peace and free love. My green move­ment is more like the Jetsons, and less like the Flintstones.

I am not opposed to saving the whales or our forests, but deep down I am a capitalist. I want to do the right thing and I want to make money, and I want my customers to make money while doing the right thing. Going green does not have to be expensive or im­practical; it can have a good return on investment. New sustainable technolo­gies should build better buildings and operate better stores for less money. That’s what’s exciting about the green movement.

But often the flood of self-proclaimed green products into the marketplace di­lutes my excitement and makes it hard to know which way to turn. I see new equipment and new building materials and ask, is that really right for me? Do I need that or is there something even better?

We are inundated with all that is green on a daily basis and it’s sometimes overwhelming. How can you sort through it all?

Do Your Research
Would you knowingly purchase a computer that is five years old? Of course not. You would likely conduct a little research and make your purchase based on the latest technology that fits within your budget and meets your needs.

The same is true for green prod­ucts. You shouldn’t purchase building materials and equipment based on old technologies that could be less energy efficient and less sustainable — and without doing some research before­hand. As you plan to remodel existing stores or build new ones, make use of the best materials available, which should not only combine initial cost effectiveness with return on invest­ment but also meet your energy effi­ciency goals.

Visit Web sites and contact organiza­tions that can help you in your search for information. As you develop your file on all things green, you build your organi­zation’s knowledge base and a network of resources for easy access to the most current information (see sidebar).

It Takes a Team
As with most things in life, building a sustainable business takes a little work, but the good news is that you don’t have to be a green expert to build a green store, and you shouldn’t have to do it alone. A few simple steps will help you build a solid team and create a game plan that can get you pretty far down the road to sustainability:

1. Build your team — which should in­clude senior management, marketing, operations, an industry design consul­tant, architect, contractors and other key consultants — early in the process and challenge them to think outside the box.

2. Conduct a green review of your ex­isting facilities and current plans with your team, and seek out opportunities for improvement. Key areas include building materials, energy management systems, lighting, equipment, water us­age, recycling and operations. The NACS Green Toolkit and the LEED cer­tification checklist are both good tem­plates to use while conducting your green review.

3. Break down each category and as­sign a subcommittee to evaluate. For example, in the energy management cat­egory, the subcommittee should look at multiple products from different com­panies for savings opportunities. Look at current electrical usage and challenge other manufacturers to share the usage rates with their system. In addition, look for additional functionality, such as re­mote access and programmability, be­fore making a recommendation. Once the subcommittee makes their evalua­tion, the final decision is easier. Breaking the tasks into smaller pieces like this makes the task less daunting.

4. Share the results with your design team and architect and task them to use the results in all aspects of the design process.

This process is not a one-time event, but a proven technique that ensures better energy efficiency and cost sav­ings with each project you undertake.

But It Starts With You
And yes, this should be a project you take responsibility for. Going green is not something that can be relegated to the construction department or out­sourced to your architect. It is a shift in your corporate culture that should start with you. So take charge and take a few moments to set some goals for yourself and your company.

And if your company employs a con­tingent of young folks, you might be surprised at how passionate they are about going green. For this group, the green movement is not just a good idea, but a way of life — it’s about where they shop, where they live and where they want to work.

Build a green team within your com­pany, include some younger employees, and stand back and let the magic happen. You will be amazed at the effects that your green movement can have. 

Michael Lawshe is the president and CEO of Paragon Solutions, a retail design and consulting firm based in Fort Worth, Texas. He can be reached at (817) 927-7171 or mlawshe@paragon4design.com.