Though my feet are firmly planted in the corporate world, I do harbor a little secret: In reality, I’ve been a closet “granola” for years.

The biggest clue? I drive a Prius. (I also am a longtime Birkenstock wearer, but now only around the house.) Perhaps a better description would be a “capitalist granola.”

You see, while I did purchase a hybrid vehicle because I felt it was good for the environment – and yes, I am aware of the counter argument regarding the net environmental damage done in the manufacture of a Prius – it was not my motivating factor in buying one. I was a bit more calculating. I purchased my Prius during the last year of the full federal tax deduction.

My point here is that I think my own personal decision to purchase a “green” vehicle is actually a fairly good analogy for the thought process that companies go through in greening their businesses.

In theory, I think few of us would argue against the greening of America and the need to take better care of the earth. We’ve made some mistakes, and we do need to clean up our act.

But to quote a famous frog, “It isn’t easy being green.”

Purchasing a hybrid car directly benefited me, and that was a crucial point in my purchase decision. With the amount of short-distance driving I do, the cost premium on a hybrid vehicle was certainly worth it. Averaging 45 to 50 mpg has had a direct impact on my wallet in the past four years.

The fact that I’ve reduced my carbon emissions while logging all those miles? Truly, a good, yet secondary benefit in my book.

Good or bad, I think that to sustain the green business movement requires a real return on investment for participants. We’ve run a series of articles during the past few months that address this issue – green can be good for business, but it can take a little work.

I’ve read numerous studies about customer perception of green business; and in last month’s issue, we recognized a number of state businesses whose green efforts garnered them Corporate Citizenship awards. I tip my hat to them.

But what’s rare is to find a study or article from opponents of the green business movement or those who have made the decision not to go green. I can’t say I blame them for not going on the record about this issue. It’s not cool to put profit before the environment.

It’s pragmatic, particularly in our current economy.

Can you be pro-business and pro-green at the same time? Of course, and this month’s cover story and greenconstruction feature, as well as our monthly green business column from John Hill, are certainly examples of that. I applaud those organizations that make green business a priority.

But at the same time, I think we also have to understand why others simply don’t — or more to the point, can’t — make it a priority right now. Or those, like myself, who need a little more incentive to make things happen.

By Laurie Arendt

Laurie Arendt is editor of CRW. She can be reached at crweditor@crwmag.com

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