Sustainability is Surviability

by Tim Center

Most every business model promotes reducing your expenses and increasing your profits. And it’s even better if you can increase your market share by distinguishing yourself amongst your competitors.

But, what if I told you that you can do this while at the same time becoming an environmental steward and creating a better quality of life for your employees, customers and neighbors?
At this point, you begin talking about having a triple bottom line that will help sustain your business for years to come.

Whether you have been here for generations or are new to the Sunshine State, you realize – probably more than most – that our economy and environment are inextricably linked. Just look at the impact to the entire state’s hospitality industry when the Deepwater Horizon incident impacted our Panhandle beaches.

That’s why Sustainable Florida has worked for nearly twenty years to build awareness of and promote best practices to help companies, organizations and government agencies balance economic, environmnental and social elements to create a more sustainable Florida.

Sustainability is really surviability. Think about it. If the ocean runs out of lobster, what happens to Red Lobster? If sea levels are rising, what happens to beachfront hotel lobbies? While these might be drastic examples, they make the point.

Closer to home, we realize that energy costs will most likely continue to climb as the rest of the world wants seeks a higher standard of living. We know that food costs will continue to climb as transportation costs continue to rise. We worry about waste and cost to dispose of it knowing that the highest mountains in Florida are actually landfills.

Your hotel or restaurant is probably doing many things that go to your triple bottom line. And there are many great Florida-based companies and organizations who are adopting a triple bottom line. Let me introduce you to a few of the Sustainable Florida Best Practice winners.

Every day across the United States, hotels discard more than 1.5 million soap bars as trash; another 500,000 are thrown away in Canada. Yet each day, 9,000 children around the world die from illnesses such as acute respiratory illness and diarrheal disease - both preventable by washing with bar soap. Clean the World (www.cleantheworld.org) an Orlando-based non-profit, uses an environmentally and hygienically safe recycling process.  Gently used hotel soaps and bottled amenity products are repackaged and distributed throughout 40 countries.  They contract with more than 1,000 hotel partners in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico, operate four factories, employ 30 people and revenues are expected to reach more than $2 million. In two years, Clean the World has diverted 550 tons of hotel trash from polluting landfills and groundwater systems.

Valley Forge Fabrics in Pompano Beach has created a line of fabrics for sheets and duvet covers made from recycled PET plastic bottles (think water bottles.) This saves natural resources – especially since most non-recycled polyester is the fabric of choice for the hospitality environment and is made from petroleum. More importantly, Valley Forge established a reclamation process to facilitate the recycling of textiles. The fabric feels like cotton and exceeds all fire codes, abrasion, and longevity requirements for use in hotels. In addition to producing a green product, Valley Forge operates in a sustainable manner by greening its fleet and implementing a thorough internal recycling program.  For more information, visit www.valleyforge.com/sustainability-fresh/fresh-defined.

Darden Restaurants is taking the triple bottom line to the next level. Just a look at their website (www.GenerationCommitment.com) illustrates their commitment to their workforce and the natural resources that help put food on the table. Lighting is being re-engineered, native landscaping is being planted and even their new headquarters is certified LEED Gold. Their Season’s 52 restaurant line incorporates organics and seasonal variety to be more sustainable.

In each instance, these organizations have made a clear policy decision to maximize value to their customers which translates to a better workforce and market share. They are doing well by doing good. They have a triple bottom line.

Florida’s Green Lodging Program and other similar efforts permit you to publicly declare your commitment to Florida, her residents and our environment. Taking the Sustainable Florida Standards pledge can help you begin your effort to adopt a triple bottom line.

What are you doing today to help create a sustainable Florida?

Tim Center is the Executive Director of Sustainable Florida (www.SustainableFlorida.org) and runs Centerfield Strategy, a consulting firm that helps with strategic sustainability efforts.