In his book, "The Secret Green Sauce: Best Practices for Growing Green Revenues," economist, author business coach and Entrepreneur.com columnist Bill Roth argues that businesses that "go green" are a step ahead from their competitors, and not only in a moral or feel-good way.
There's money in going green, he argues, and companies that take more sustainable approaches to the way they do business are going to have an economic advantage over those that don't. Sustainable companies, for example, have higher stock valuations than their non-sustainable competitors.
Roth, who lives in Oceanside, points out that every major corporation, from Walmart to Apple to Unilever, has a sustainability program in place, looking at ways to cut costs by greening their operations.
"You can make lots of money going green," said Roth. "Most people think you have to be green because of regulations, or because it's a moral issue, but when you go green, you're going to cut your costs."
What's more, Roth says, the unsustainable practices of the 20th Century are collapsing, costing more and delivering less, which means the market for sustainable products is only getting larger.
Based on financial models he has worked on, Roth says the demand for green goods and services is currently at more than $1 trillion. He expects it to explode to $10 trillion, boosted by the demands of the millennial generation and their "concerned caregivers" and "segment sustainable CEOs" looking to green up their supply chain.
Roth will be talking about these issues at a special panel that will be held at the Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce's Business is Green Expo, which will take place from 2-6:30 p.m. Thursday, March 14 at the Carlsbad by the Sea Resort & Conference Center (formerly the Windmill).
Roth has been a pioneer of sustainability. He participated in the launch of the first hydrogen-fueled Prius as a proof of concept, developed solar power systems with emerging technologies and designed Real Time Pricing that has enabled consumer acceptance of conservation technologies.
In his book, Roth profiles the best practices being used by businesses and entrepreneurs. The "green sauce, Roth said, came from a client in the construction business who figured out that going green helped him be more successful after a downturn.
Roth says the practices he talks about can be adopted by business of all sizes.
As an example, he pointed to a family-owned auto body shop in Salt Lake City that always wanted to land a contract with a large leasing company. Despite repeated attempts, they couldn't break into corporate America. After consulting with Roth, they saw that going green was the way to go. By adopting more sustainable methods, the company was able to get Avis as a corporate client.
"This works," Roth said. "I know how it works and of companies that are making it work, and I'm looking forward to sharing this with those who attend the Business
is Green Expo."
There's money in going green, he argues, and companies that take more sustainable approaches to the way they do business are going to have an economic advantage over those that don't. Sustainable companies, for example, have higher stock valuations than their non-sustainable competitors.
Roth, who lives in Oceanside, points out that every major corporation, from Walmart to Apple to Unilever, has a sustainability program in place, looking at ways to cut costs by greening their operations.
"You can make lots of money going green," said Roth. "Most people think you have to be green because of regulations, or because it's a moral issue, but when you go green, you're going to cut your costs."
What's more, Roth says, the unsustainable practices of the 20th Century are collapsing, costing more and delivering less, which means the market for sustainable products is only getting larger.
Based on financial models he has worked on, Roth says the demand for green goods and services is currently at more than $1 trillion. He expects it to explode to $10 trillion, boosted by the demands of the millennial generation and their "concerned caregivers" and "segment sustainable CEOs" looking to green up their supply chain.
Roth will be talking about these issues at a special panel that will be held at the Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce's Business is Green Expo, which will take place from 2-6:30 p.m. Thursday, March 14 at the Carlsbad by the Sea Resort & Conference Center (formerly the Windmill).
Roth has been a pioneer of sustainability. He participated in the launch of the first hydrogen-fueled Prius as a proof of concept, developed solar power systems with emerging technologies and designed Real Time Pricing that has enabled consumer acceptance of conservation technologies.
In his book, Roth profiles the best practices being used by businesses and entrepreneurs. The "green sauce, Roth said, came from a client in the construction business who figured out that going green helped him be more successful after a downturn.
Roth says the practices he talks about can be adopted by business of all sizes.
As an example, he pointed to a family-owned auto body shop in Salt Lake City that always wanted to land a contract with a large leasing company. Despite repeated attempts, they couldn't break into corporate America. After consulting with Roth, they saw that going green was the way to go. By adopting more sustainable methods, the company was able to get Avis as a corporate client.
"This works," Roth said. "I know how it works and of companies that are making it work, and I'm looking forward to sharing this with those who attend the Business
is Green Expo."