Turn Off the Lights to Share the Light: Why Good Environmental Practice is Great Business Practice

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by Mark Polet

There is a misconception that good environmental management always costs money. Well, sometimes it does seem to cost when externalities are not costed fully (waste management, air and water pollution control) or when the company is not managed properly (contamination). 

Turn Off the Lights so You can Share the Light

However, there is another area of sound business management where good environmental management saves money. It’s called efficiency.

In short, turn off the lights.

It is easy for all of us to fall into complacency or just get too busy to really manage our costs, especially in the challenging places where you work. That is why we are looking for quick wins. The first quick win my colleagues and I have noted in working for Kingdom Companies is energy efficiency.

Turn off the lights when you leave! I find it remarkable how many times energy is wasted in companies, even where energy availability is inconsistent. We have seen whole factories lit up with not a soul in them.

Manage your air conditioning.  25°C (77°F) is often recommended, no cooler. If  you have your suit jacket on while you work at your desk, something may be wrong.

BAM is in the relationship business, and enrolling staff in Creation Care is one more step in discipleship.

Watch for phantom power costs. Turn off appliances when not in use. 

Many electronic appliances (i.e. monitor screens) are still drawing power even when ‘off’. If at all possible, shut off at the main plug.

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Messy Site, Messy Company: Aiming for Environmental Excellence

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by Mark Polet

When it comes to running a good business, cleanliness really is next to godliness.

I want to explore with you why you who are pursuing excellence in business need to weave good environmental practice into your operations.

Messy Site, Messy Company

Good environmental practice is not a stand alone activity. Good environmental practice is woven into all aspects of the company. Because poor environmental practice is often quite visible in a disorderly site and disorganized operations, it is often the most evident warning bell to any investor or customer that something is wrong with this firm.

Why do I stay that? After over forty years of assessing companies for environmental excellence, including Kingdom-Oriented firms, there is one correlation in my experience that always holds.

If the site is a mess, the accounting is a mess.

Good environmental practice is not a stand alone activity. Good environmental practice is woven into all aspects of the company.

A messy site means messed up books. I have reviewed firms across a score of industry groups. At times I will come across a  company that has an unkempt site. Sometimes it is debris lying around; other times it is  far worse, with spills contaminating the soil. In all cases, I find as I continue my audit that their financial records are equally messy, and their regulatory compliance is spotty at best. The management of their supply chain was poor. The amount of waste they generate, both in lost productivity and actual, physical waste, is evident.  Read more

55+ BAM Job Opportunities Around the World

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Each quarter we post an updated list of BAM Job Opportunities on The BAM Review. Welcome to the September 2019 edition.

 

NEW: Early Childhood Pre-school Teacher – Alabaster Project in West Africa

Alabaster Project is a Christian mission organization currently established in three countries. It is located and works among the unreached people groups of West and North Africa. One of it’s strategies is to use education as a springboard to sharing the gospel and discipleship opportunities. We have a teaching opportunity available for an early childhood education (Pre-school) practitioner. This opportunity is available on a short term (3 months) or long term (multiple years) basis. Those interested please contact us by email for further details. Contact Email

Marketing and Sales Team Leader – Purnaa in Nepal

Purnaa is an ethical cut-and-sew manufacturer based in Kathmandu, Nepal. Our mission is to provide world-class, ethical manufacturing that empowers marginalized people and survivors of exploitation to fresh starts and fulfilled lives. The job purpose will be to increase Purnaa sales by effectively leading the marketing and sales team to finding new contract sewing clients. As the marketing and sales team leader, you lead Purnaa’s marketing and sales efforts. You are an enthusiastic, motivated, and confident individual, passionate about results and growth. You can identify the right opportunities and enjoy connecting with potential clients. You can think strategically and manage a team, that includes a US business development manage, a local sales coordinator, and communications manager and help them be successful. Download Job Description 

 

Various Positions – Handmade Production Company in South Asia

We are a business located in South Asia that is passionate to create employment for women at risk and survivors of trafficking. Through our non profit affiliate we provide a path to employment to ensure that women and children never face the threat of human trafficking again. Our company provides safe and secure employment, on site daycare facilities, and wrap around support allowing each woman to build a bright future for herself and her children. Every day we observe the transforming power of hope and love through employment. We are inviting someone with strong marketing and fundraising skills to grow and improve our production in order to provide more opportunities of freedom and hope to women and children. We currently are seeking people for the following roles:

Fundraising and Marketing Manager: Develop fundraising tools and strategies for our non profit, while also supporting staff to promote and sell our products and services in order to create holistic services and employment for survivors. More information

Product Designer: Design new products and services, including developing technical sheets, training procedures, and product promotions in order to create employment for survivors. More information

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Should Environmental Concerns Be a Priority for a Christian Business Owner?

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In June this year, the Lausanne Movement gathered more than 700 Christian leaders from 109 nations in Manila for its Global Workplace Forum. Among the many topics discussed was where creation care should rank among other Christian concerns like evangelism and discipleship.

Should environmental concerns be a major priority for a Christian business owner? Here are the answers of Lausanne leaders:

 

Ed Brown, executive director of Care of Creation and Lausanne Catalyst for Creation Care (United States):

Yes! Without question, for two reasons. The first is uniquely Christian: obedience. Taking care of God’s world by responsibly caring for God’s creatures (Genesis 1) and by “tending the garden” (Genesis 2) was our first assignment from God. Lausanne’s Cape Town Commitment appropriately calls caring for God’s world “a gospel issue under the lordship of Christ.” This first task has never been taken away from us. Christian business owners are to be more than sound financial stewards and Christlike shepherds of our workforce; we’re called to be keepers of God’s garden.

The second is not uniquely Christian, but important nonetheless: survival. Business owners need to be concerned for the survival of the business, but also for the survival of the human race, including their community, customer base, and their own children and grandchildren. Yes, profit is needed for economic survival, but profit can’t be made in a collapsing world. Economic activity is a root cause of the environmental crisis, and wise businesspeople recognize that environmental collapse threatens their own business’ future, as well as the lives of their own grandchildren. Those who can run their businesses in ways that do not damage God’s creation will both survive and prosper.

 

Las Newman, Lausanne’s Global Associate Director for Regions (Jamaica):

Yes. Good business makes good sense. How can a Christian business operator witness for Christ and at the same time abuse his workers, short-change his customers, ignore environmental standards, contribute to environmental pollution, and affect the ecological balance of nature? Good business depends on three things: profitability that ensures return on investment for growth and development; care for the welfare of the people who help to produce such return on investment (i.e., workers and customers); and good environment for business that enhances the quality of human life and honors the Lord. Business operators in the aviation, food handling, transportation, tourism, earth extractive, manufacturing, and retail industries, among others, now recognize the importance of corporate social responsibility and include a green policy agenda to their business, including support of the arts.  Read more