Should Big Corporations Be Required to "Go Green"?

SUSTAINABILITY: SHOULD BIG CORPORATIONS

BE REQUIRED TO "GO GREEN"?

English Composition

Professor ()

Date due:

Companies going green are good for people, for communities, for the planet and it is good for business too. The mission of a business is not simply to add value to its shareholders but also to its community and the planet itself. This seems like a radical concept especially for those businesses whose sole purpose is financial gain. This is a short sighted vision for any organization. Today, corporate social responsibility is widely accepted and every sector of society is putting pressure on corporations to go green. Big corporations should be required to go green despite mixed motivation, because applying green processes embraces environmentalism, provides a positive image, improves the bottom line, reduces waste and energy use, and most importantly corporations should be socially responsible to the environment.

Going green means many things to different business enterprises. The larger value of going green relates to maintaining a healthy environment. Corporate movements to embrace environmentalism can be performed by minimizing regional environmental impact or reducing the risk of confrontation with environmental regulations. There are many ways to reduce environmental impact, for example Buying Green Power. When you subscribe to Green Power scheme you are supporting the national switch to clean, renewable sources such as solar, wind and hydro power stations (Moreton Bay Regional Council, 2012). Despite mixed motivation, environmentalists are optimistic that as more companies catch on to the greener lifestyle, more consumers and citizens in general will also start caring about the environment.

Beware of companies who spend millions on publicity to pump up their green image. Some say green-washing, or when companies try to gain “green brownie points” by appearing greener than they actually are, is a concern. Marshal Cohen, a...