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Conscious of the fact that they were moving relatively quickly and breaking new ground, the British government went out of its way to solicit feedback prior to the commencement of the CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme. The program, which will be based on a “cap and trade” auction scheme when it really gets underway, affects some 5000 large organizations within the country. Each company spends about $500,000 per year on energy costs and are significant contributors, therefore, to the problem of greenhouse gas emissions.

Fossil fuels have long been crucial to American society. We use fossil fuels to heat our homes, run our cars, and create our electricity. America’s appetite for fossil fuels is increasing dramatically. Consequences of our fossil fuel habit is depleting our resources and killing the planet.

Why is it that the definition of efficiency is not always encompassing, but rather more selective? Senior management and accountants tend to measure efficiency according to the organization’s mission statement, the reason why it exists. Efficiency may be measured according to use of raw materials, but traditionally that has excluded energy. In a critical world, it’s important to be aware of all performance parameters.

“Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs” — this is the way that the United Nations defines sustainability. They also go on to say that the whole process requires environmental, economic and social elements to be reconciled and therefore sustainable corporations must adopt this “triple bottom line” idea. Sustainability is an essential part of doing business these days, from any point of view.

Critics of government action which would force corporate attention to focus on environmental change, point to the fact that the federal government does not lead by example. The burgeoning organization is often touted as the country’s largest polluter and seems slow to accept its responsibilities and publish the size of its energy footprint.

While we tend to think of large industrial complexes, the fact is that the federal government is in fact the largest carbon emitter and user of energy. There are so many individual departments, hundreds of thousands of employees, vehicles and buildings it is surprising the issue of agency sustainability has not achieved more focus in the popular press.

You could argue that corporate decision-makers certainly earn their remuneration these days, as a business can face so many different challenges from so many different directions. Not only are competitive pressures unrelenting due to the downward economy, but costs are also rising, especially when it comes to the traditional sources of energy. The decision-makers could be forgiven for failing to hear the growing calls from environmentalists as sustainability becomes an issue of equal importance. Fully 80% of companies do not understand this or are not willing to take action, but this must change.

Following the issuance of an executive order, energy use is now the subject of considerable attention throughout federal agencies around the country. President back Obama issued his new EO with relatively little media fanfare, but we can be sure that its repercussions will be felt far and wide around the United States.

Major forces have been at work in recent times and they have all come together to project a “perfect storm” of responsibility. We have all seen what excesses can do during the recent most severe economic downturn and we are likely to want to lead our collective lives in a different manner in the future. In addition, there’s been a growing call for action when it comes to climate related issues and it is certain that we are all going to need to take responsibility for this action as well in future. Business around the world must now understand and engage in a process of on-demand sustainability, whether they like it or not.

Anxious boardroom members are searching for answers to help them as they begin to understand that environmental management compliance is required and is no longer an option. There was a time when it was simply “cool to be green” and organizations sometimes placed potential public-relations benefits as the key reason to release information on their sustainability.

Top notch multinational corporations have long been aware of their responsibility to a broad range of stakeholders, over and above those who might traditionally be the center of attention for the average business. Almost 80% of the world’s biggest companies have a focused environmental management strategy as part of the overall goal to attain corporate sustainability.

Earth Friendly Products is a company dedicated to helping the average person transform their lifestyle so that they minimize the expanse of damage done to the environs. By searching for environmentally safe alternatives to products such as bleach, Earth Friendly Products has taken big steps towards protecting the rain forests and minimizing the environment footprints left in the average home.