What makes a company "green" in your opinion?

[cyrus buelton]

Mods - if "green" is considered political, just delete the thread

Everyone else - keep politics out and strictly to the subject at hands


What makes a company "green" in your opinion?


So Tiff and I are in South Beach right now (it is raining, 60 degrees, but at least we are under a cabana by the pool having overpriced drinks).

So at breakfast this morning, there was some serious business meeting going on next door. I won't get into specifics of the content, as it is a new product and IPO, and I dont even know the company, but know the product anyway.

The "inventor" was courting some investors.

He started talking about John Deere (the tractor company of course) and said they are a "green company"

How is a company Green that makes large diesel tractors that for the most part are involved in agriculture where pestacides, herbacides, etc. are dumped on the crop these tractors / farm implements were built to cultivate?

Now, I am sure their products are used at farms where this is not a practice, but where I live......it is not.

or

is being a "green company" have to do with your manufacturing aspect of how you dispose of waste, materials, etc etc.



I just can't see calling John Deere a "green" company considering what they build and what they are used for.



Discuss nicely.

[Popeye the Sailor]

They paint their tractors green. I don't see any way around it.

[Duck-Stew]

He was having the discussion on St. Patricks day.  That right there makes it a 'green' company.

[DucHead]

Envy

[Triple J]

is being a "green company" have to do with your manufacturing aspect of how you dispose of waste, materials, etc etc.

Yes

They paint their tractors green. I don't see any way around it.

This is very compelling though.

He was having the discussion on St. Patricks day.  That right there makes it a 'green' company.

Also compelling, but a little less so.

My company is green...because that's what color our logo is. 

[il d00d]

I think what you are saying is that despite whatever methods they may use to be ecologically friendly in producing their products, they are enabling bad practices.  I guess that's a way of being indirectly ungreen (directly red?)

So, should they take credit for the theoretical use of their products in greener agriculture?  Probably not.  Should they take credit for the things they are doing to reduce waste in the process of building tractors, which would in the end reduce the total waste produced in getting carrots or wheat to market?  I say yes - that's a net win for people that measure green-ness.

/green so I don't get pinched  Slainte, y'all..

[Grampa]

Ford adds a second turbo to the SHO and attaches the term ECO to it... eco boost


poof... instant environmentally friendly power   

[cyrus buelton]

Jeremy,

Yeah, I get what you are saying and feel that is why they call themselves "green" but really they aren't at all..........

building a large diesel combine isn't exactly green nor is the majority of the use for it.



Just a stupid made up term in my opinion unless from manufacturing to end use promotes environmentally green activities.

[Popeye the Sailor]

Jeremy,

Yeah, I get what you are saying and feel that is why they call themselves "green" but really they aren't at all..........

building a large diesel combine isn't exactly green nor is the majority of the use for it.


Just a stupid made up term in my opinion unless from manufacturing to end use promotes environmentally green activities.

Perhaps we shouldn't farm then?

[Triple J]

Jeremy,

Yeah, I get what you are saying and feel that is why they call themselves "green" but really they aren't at all..........

building a large diesel combine isn't exactly green nor is the majority of the use for it.



Just a stupid made up term in my opinion unless from manufacturing to end use promotes environmentally green activities.

I view it as a company can control their aspect of the process, and do it as "green" or "earth-friendly" as possible. They can only control how they make their product, not how it is used.

[cyrus buelton]

Perhaps we shouldn't farm then?

Never said that.

I just said I don't know how you are a green company when your buyers are farmers who use un-green materials.

I really don't care to be honest, I just think it is silly to advertise yourself green when you damn well know your products end use is not used for that.

How does a green company make a farm implement specifically designed to dump pesticides and herbicides?

NOTE: I am not really all that green outside recycling at home. Therefore, my opinion on the use of chemicals in farming is fine. Gotta keep the produce free of bugs, weeds, and keep it growing.

I view it as a company can control their aspect of the process, and do it as "green" or "earth-friendly" as possible. They can only control how they make their product, not how it is used.

Yeah, I get that......but that implement they design and make to dump chemicals isn't exactly environmentally friendly.





I don't know. I just think it is pretty funny they consider themselves green when they make products not used in green activities.

[somegirl]

So a company that makes recycled paper couldn't be considered green because some people choose to use excessive amounts and throw it in the trash?

[Oldfisti]

Yeah, I get that......but that implement they design and make to dump chemicals isn't exactly environmentally friendly.





I don't know. I just think it is pretty funny they consider themselves green when they make products not used in green activities.

The farmers who use the spraying implements can and do (though not as a majority) choose to spray liquid organic fertilizers instead of chemicals.

Does that change anything, or does majority rule?


I tend to agree with Triple J...

I view it as a company can control their aspect of the process, and do it as "green" or "earth-friendly" as possible. They can only control how they make their product, not how it is used.

[Goat_Herder]

How does a green company make a farm implement specifically designed to dump pesticides and herbicides?

I would like to think that they have designed better method to spray the pesticides so farmers can use less of it.  Trackers with smaller footprint that have less impact to the soil.  Better design of plows to lessen the top soil loss to wind/rain, etc etc. 

Auto makers have been trying to be green for awhile and their products are used specifically to burn fuel and pollute the air.  They achieved it with more environmentall friendly methods/designs/material.  And the final products are "less harmful" to the environment.

[NoisyDante]

A client of ours here refused to bring more work back unless we became 'more green'.  So, we put a bunch of water dispensers around instead of bottles waters, changed some light bulbs, etc . . .  but nothing too nutso.  Not sure what officially qualified a company to be 'green', but I would think in general for a company to be somewhat mindful of how much waste they compile ad how conscious of it they are.


One thing I remember reading a while back was about the Lucasfilm offices in the Letterman Digital Arts Center in the Presidio.  The building was originally a hospital, and they ended up reusing 80% of the buildings materials for the new facility.  I think it's pretty impressive they were able to do that, hopefully they're not overly smug about it.