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278 P P a r t V : a r t V : T h e G r e e n i n g P r o c e s sh e G r e e n i n g P r o c e s s

The CGO, ultimately, is going to be responsible for three things:

• Reducing the organization’s environmental footprint
• Engaging diverse stakeholders
• Discovering new revenue opportunities
Transitioning
Although it would be wonderful to say that companies are choosing to go green because it’s
the right thing to do, that usually isn’t the case. True, many companies have a long
commitment to the environment, and they should be commended for that activity. But the
fact of the matter is that many companies started their eco-friendly behavior because, at
first, it was the law—they were simply trying to achieve a certain level of environmental
responsibility because of compliance issues.
But a good thing has happened. Even though the companies started out with their arms
twisted behind their backs, the momentum remained and they’ve started going beyond
what was required. What tends to happen in cases like this is a four-step process:

• Compliance Put simply, in order to obey the law, organizations started taking steps
to meet the minimum requirements. Compliance costs money, and businesses do not
like to cut into their bottom lines, but the end result is that they got the ball rolling.
• Personal commitment A company can only be as dedicated to environmental
friendliness as its leaders are. Although being green can be important to the CEO
(and therefore the organization), if that CEO leaves, there’s potential for green
initiatives to go out the window. It’s important for the entire organization to sign on
to the notion of being green.
• Public trust The public can be skeptical of your purported greening. Although the
public wants you to be responsible, it’s easy enough for a company to tell everyone
that it is being responsible, but still consuming way more power than it needs,
throwing computers in dumpsters, and using tons of paper every year. Although
advertising your green efforts is good for your company, you have to actually back
it up with action.
• Sustainable growth Once the organization has met its green goals, it’s all done,
right? No. Now is the time to set new goals and look for ways to develop greener
products, increase energy efficiency, and reduce waste further.
This sort of evolution is great, but it needs some sort of guidance. It is really easy to
simply meet compliance goals and then stop forward momentum. To help guide your
organization to the next steps, you need to ensure that someone is continually driving your
green initiatives. This is where the CGO comes in.
The ultimate goal of organizations trying to stay green is to have zero impact on the
environment. But in addition to this goal, it is important for organizations to have a good
level of trust with the public. As we mentioned before, you can’t just talk the talk without
walking the walk. You can improve your company’s image by forging closer bonds with
organizations such as the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC).