Green Stands for Profit AND Responsibility
Ok, Ok, so you’ve all heard about Green being Good for the Planet and Other Living Things, but what about YOUR business and YOUR profit? After all, according to “Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs”, (i.e., human motivation), an individual is ready to act on the next level of needs once the prior, more basic need is met. A brief overview of this follows (and how it relates to your business and green, which is why we’re reading this, right?)
On The Level
Here are the levels that must be satisfied to move to that next level (and then partake of your service or item as a great deal of what we provide or sell isn’t necessary to basic survival):
1) Physiological: hunger, thirst, bodily comforts, etc.; Once that is satisfied, we move to #2.
2) Safety/security: out of danger;
3) Belonginess and Love: affiliate with others, be accepted; and
4) Esteem: to achieve, be competent, gain approval and recognition.
Stop right here – this is where Green and our business comes in although it also matters in 5 – 8 below.
5) Cognitive: to know, to understand, and explore;
6) Aesthetic: symmetry, order, and beauty;
7) Self-actualization: to find self-fulfillment and realize one’s potential; and
Self-transcendence: to connect to something beyond the ego or to help others find self-fulfillment and realize their potential.
The Business of Green, The Color of Money
Really, saving the Planet, being Green, and other societal pressure (and believe me, it is becoming pressure) could really go down the ladder all the way to #2 – safety. With all the top scientists telling us we need to stop global warming, going green with your business satisfies not only your own person growth/motivation, but reaches out to the motivation of the consumer.
Preemptive Green
So why not make your own Green preemptive proposition? Give away your branded reusable bags. Or certify that even 20% of your stock is from nearby farms. Or your products have reduced packaging by 10% and uses recycled material. Surely you can rise above your competition and do the world (and your consumers and yourself) some good by being Green, as well as satisfying some of the most basic human needs. Maslow’s Hierarchy, first proposed in the 1950’s, is still a basic truth of human needs today and is still taught in colleges. Your business really can be both greenly responsible AND profitable. And that’s good for everyone.
-Rebecca
Tags: green
