Governor touts green businesses in SF
Photo courtesy of Governor's Office
By Janna Brancolini
The Environmental Defense Fund’s San Francisco office hosted Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger today to recognize five California companies and a host of green business practices identified in a new EDF report called “Innovations Review: Making Green the New Business as Usual.”
The EDF said the purpose of the report was to identity business innovations that are good for both the environment and a company’s bottom line. They said they hope other companies will consider emulating these green practices.
Schwarzenegger said the companies being recognized have realized that “business as usual was changing” and starting doing things such as powering headquarters with renewable energy, running shuttle buses to cut down on the number of employees commuting to work and implementing communications systems that use a fraction of the energy of normal equipment.
Schwarzenegger said that about a third of the more than 50 companies discussed in the report are based in California and said, “We are inspiring other states, and we are inspiring the country.”
Speakers said they hoped other companies would follow the example set by those in the EDF report, both because it’s socially responsible and because it can increase the companies’ financial health.
“There have been accusations that these companies just want to improve profit,” said EDF Executive Director David Yarnold. “And your problem with that is what?”
This candidly pro-business attitude was present throughout the presentation, from the CEO speeches to the Q&A with Schwarzenegger that followed.
Asked about his reaction to the White House meddling with the California’s proposed EPA waiver, the Governator said, “Our state is going to move forward, and we’re going to do everything we can legally.”
“I’ve said before, Washington is asleep on this issue,” he added. “We’re going to be like a bunch of Terminators — we’re going to march forward.”
Questions strayed from the topic of the environment and sustainability, as Schwarzenegger was asked to comment on his use of future state lottery proceeds to close this year’s budget gap and last week’s California Supreme Court ruling legalizing same sex marriage.
“I respect the court’s decision,” he said. “I see marriage between and man and a woman, but you have to look at the constitutionality of it. This is the fairest way of looking at it, and I wish everybody good luck with their marriages.”
He added that he didn’t want to force his opinions on anyone and was opposed to a ballot initiative to amend the Constitution.
Companies honored today included:
- The Fireman’s Insurance Fund for implementing policies that re-build destroyed businesses residences to green standards and provide discounts for covering buildings that are already green.
- Patagonia, an outdoor clothing store that uses organic cotton and incorporates recycled bottles into some of its attire. President and CEO Casey Sheahan said the company plans to launch an entirely recycled apparel line by 2010. A percentage of the company’s revenue is donated to grassroots environmental campaigns, and the company’s facility has Gold LEED certification.
- Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. for sustainable brewing practices. Co-founder Ken Grossman said the company already uses fuel cells and is in the process of installing solar cells, meaning 80 percent of the company’s electricity will produced on-site soon. The company also has a carbon dioxide capture system that catches the carbon dioxide coming off the distillation tanks and uses it in other phases of the brewing process.
- Computer company Sun Microsystems for its Open Work program. CEO Jonathan Schultz said the company has more than 18,000 employees who work remotely using 4-watt PC replacements. According to the company’s website, the program, prevents 29,000 tons of CO2 from entering the atmosphere and saves the company $68 million in real estate costs.
- Photovoltaic company SunPower, for setting up a Power Purchase Agreement that allows customers to bypass the pre-payment process of installing solar cells.
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