Beyond Greenvilles Bottom Line A Green Economy is Growing

Just days ago the nation discovered that over 500000 jobs were lost in November. For many Upstate South Carolina residents, these statistics only exacerbate the already withered strands of emotional lifelines. We look for ways to stretch our funds and time, conserve energy and resources, and hope for the economic white knight to ride in on a gilded stallion.  

Despite these fragile economic times, some of the best news Greenville has recently received is our ranking for weathering the economic downturn. We were recently ranked 4^th in a recent study as to our ability to withstand these tumultuous times. Woohoo!

Well maybe I should be a little more conservative in my woohoos. We continue to hear of companies either closing or laying off employees. What is an employee but a number; replaceable or even a burden to the bottom line. We all know employers that care only for the bottom line. But now the backlash is showing its beautiful behind. Americans are standing up and making it clear that the bullish and greedy owners and CEOs are not welcome to continue their traditional ways. Both Republicans and Democrats are saying enough is enough. Many of the people I have recently spoken to are in agreement, most big businesses are dinosaurs and the hearts of those dinosaurs are blackened and hardened with age. Most of us want a better business model, but are uncertain as to what that model should look or feel like.

And yet there dozens of models out there that respect the lives and economic burden of employees, suppliers, customers and owners. These models follow the concept of a triple bottom line: people, planet and profits. More and more businesses are embracing sustainability in its many forms where socially responsible enterprise is the next generation of global economic modeling. From parallel currencies to fair trade to green banks to B-Corps, the market is expanding to include a variety of ways to establish a new way of doing business. By including people and the planet in a company’s mission and vision, they are venturing into slightly tested waters with the intention of placing value on more than just money. Yet the pioneers are mostly in agreement, you still need to grow and make profits. In other words, a new kind of social capitalism.

So where are these businesses here in the Upstate? Is this area ready to ride that wave of new and challenging economic swells? What happens when it breaks? Do we ride in smoothly and then paddle out into deeper waters? Or do we watch from the shore, making sure the waves are neither too large nor dangerous to ride?

Well there are companies here in the Upstate that have already been testing the waters for a while and not really knowing what to call their business model. They knew only that to not address the social and environmental issues was a crime to humanity, our community and their own business. These small businesses are scattered across our fractured landscape. There are, as well, the large well known companies taking on these issues as a recourse to traditional models for many reasons. Some recognize the importance of conducting business in a way that takes in account the social, economic and environmental factors where the ends do justify the means. It’s a matter of developing circular systems that mean more than just growth and decay.

Then there are the large companies who are only using the models to hoodwink the general public into believing they are doing good for goodness sakes. But it is sometimes difficult to identify the “greenwashers” and “socialwashers”. To some degree all large companies greenwash. Since more people want to incorporate green-living principles and products into their lives, these large companies recognize the marketing potential. They may already be adding better ways to conduct business, but are now pushing harder for the potential buck from that demanding public. Yes, I am glad the companies are promoting the new principles and products. I only wish there was more heart behind it.

Earlier today I ventured into a local Ingles and found a table in the book and magazine area covered in green-living books. There had to have been about 20 to 30 titles. I was excited for a couple of minutes before that recognition hit: more customers want to live green. Hence, they put out the most popular titles, which of course mention products. Those products are now slowly beginning to show up on the shelves. More and more organic food is available. Safer cleaning products. Greener packaging. And yet it accounts for less than 2% of what is available in the store. And what about the employees? Are they better off now than in the past? Most of them couldn’t tell you what organic is or what the store’s environmental or social policy is. We still have a long way to go.

The best signs of newer economic and social models in the Upstate can be found here on this website and on bulletin boards at local health food stores and wellness centers. They embrace the principles but struggle to market themselves. Many of these owners are altruistic, driven by the need to help others. Yet some of them lack the skills to be successful business owners. They rely on word of mouth and/or online viral marketing, only to skip sometimes critical advertising and marketing models. It is my intention to help connect people to some of these businesses.

Recently, businesses have been opening with no fanfare. And yet they are growing. For example I should talk about a couple of new businesses and a business to open shortly. The Raspberry Frog is a new eatery in the West End that focuses exclusively on yogurt, using strictly organic yogurt. The Wild Radish on Verdin Road is a natural wellness and food store that focuses on supplements, vitamins and a limited menu. Their juice bar exclusively uses organic fruits and vegetables and the store has a very casual seating area with literature to browse. You quickly find out that the customer comes first. Then there is a new healthy fast-food joint coming to the Woodruff Road insanity: Chipotle’s. The Southwestern style restaurant serves all natural foods and all the meats are hormone and antibiotic free.

While many other traditional style businesses are holding off on building and expanding, the green and socially responsible businesses are opening. It is a sign of both public demand and business sector growth. Green and social jobs are on the rise, but are not being marketed as such. A lot of people want to find work in these areas and don’t know how to find them. Hopefully, we will see a green and social employment agency in the near future. In the meantime, search out and support these companies. They need your support. And we need them.

The future of a strong economy lies with Americans building American businesses. LOCAL has been the new mantra for the last couple of years. It’s time for local to become mainstream. Customers must demand it. Americans are looking for change. Well I say change is not what we need. What we really need is a battle cry. Here’s mine:

USA

made by businesses in the

USA

So what is your battle cry? Let me know. Maybe we can find one we can put into action. It’s time for our voices to be heard.