Green to Gold: A Review

Green to Gold: A Review

Daniel C. Etsy and Andrew S. Winston compose a number of innovative strategies within their work Green to Gold. The most powerful part of this book is the attention it calls to the fact that our resources are fixed, and that we are quickly moving towards a demand that will deplete those resources too fast. Thus creates a situation where environmental issues are not just a societal or governmental concern, but a business one as well considering that less resources typically means a limited profit potential in the long run. One of the biggest key points covered in the book is the limitation of natural resources like water (Etsy & Winston p 44). There is a fixed quantity of water on the earth at any given time. Yet, the increase for water increases on a daily basis, making this a huge issue for companies to deal with. Incorporating green friendly strategies in a business model will not help reduce costs and expenses, while increasing the overall gain of the organization as a whole (Etsy & Winston 9). Thus, the authors posit a conservational approach to conducting a greener style of business, not just out of corporate responsibility, but out of corporate necessity.

To do this, the authors present a number of strategies. Each are specifically tailored to the reduction of costs and the opportunity to increase profits on a much longer time scale than current business models allow. First, the authors posit the importance of cultivating within the organization an eco-friendly mindset (Etsy & Winston p 145). Moreover, the authors present the need to focus on eco-tracking using the tools from AUDIO and Life Assessment (Etsy & Winston p 167). Redesigning the capacity of innovation towards green objectives is another key point, and incorporating eco-consciousness into every day behaviors and decisions within the organization and within the mindset of employees is a final point that proves crucial in the work.

To examine this further, two strategies will be examined in this research. First, the concept of embedding a notion of green well being within an organizational structure will be examined in order to discern whether or not it actually helps decrease costs as well as increases potential profit. Etsy and Winston posit the idea that helping cultivate an eco-friendly attitude within the organization from the ground up will help provide an essential foundation for green practices and production that will help the organization stay strong in the uncertain future. Essentially, other research does show that empowering the individual employees helps secure a stronger devotion to eco-friendly principles (Carmazzi "Organizational Culture-Based Leadership -- Affecting Corporate Culture Through Systematic Psychology" p 1). This includes focusing on retraining company executives to embody these eco-friendly practices in order to increase the strength they have within the whole organization. The research shows that it is difficult for an organization to cultivate eco-friendly attitudes if the leaders do not set an example (Carmazzi "Are Your Leaders Environmentally Friendly?" p 1). Otherwise, initiatives by management or middle management feel superficial rather than pushing for a true change in organizational culture. Changing the initial structure from the ground up is crucial to influence powerful developments in organizational culture (Mallinger et al. 2009). Therefore, organizations will need to redesign their entire scope in order to fit an eco-friendly motive to influence the adoption of the ideas. Thus, organizations can reconstruct simple operations, like featuring recycling bins and limiting water usage, as a way to increase the belief in the company's mission by employees.