Reducing operational costs with sustainable measures

Businesses can reduce their operational costs while helping the environment by using products, services and solutions that help reduce carbon emission, and thereby the effect of climate change. In recognition of that, Jumoke Kassim, sustainability consultant/chief executive, Naturescape Consulting Limited, is going all out to ensure businesses and individuals get this knowledge.

She says: “As part of the mission of Naturescape Consulting at helping businesses to operate more sustainably, we are hosting a Green Business Fair and Conference. The event is also an exhibition of all green products, services and solutions that help mitigate climate change effects. They also help reduce operational costs and help our environment.”

Apart from helping businesses to increase profit by reducing operating cost, helping the environment, and creating more jobs, going green is definitely the future for businesses. Kassim explains, “In some countries, there are already Carbon Disclosure Laws and emission cap laws. Businesses that emit excess carbon over their emission cap have to offset the excess by paying a fine or supporting a carbon offset project.”

As Nigeria is part of the global village, these laws would soon be in place. At the December 2011 World Climate Change Summit by United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Conference (UNFCCC) held in Durban, South Africa, scientists submitted that all citizens of the world have about four years more to run “businesses as usual” after which there will be more climate change catastrophes around the globe. Member countries acknowledged and agreed to cut down on carbon emission to prevent further climate change catastrophes.

Kassim notes, “We have two and half years more left to do “business as usual” and start adapting and voluntarily reducing our carbon emission/footprint as evidences abound that the negative climate change effects are already manifesting in Nigeria, as with other parts of the world.”

She further says, “We also want to draw more attention to the economics and benefits of climate change in the areas of cost savings, wealth and job creation so that we can also be players in the global carbon trading system, which is already trading on the Stock Exchanges around the world, in Europe, Australia and the US.”

On her business, she says, “We started as project managers and management consultants in 2008, and have grown into sustainability consulting.” According to her, the Green Business Fair and Conference will be focusing on educating delegates on global sustainable best practices and new sustainable trends with emphasis on resource management, accessing sustainable funding for acquisition of renewable energy and energy efficient products, sustainable self-management, minimising carbon emission from business operations and lifestyle so that new sustainable standards can be set.”

She adds, “We want all participating organisations to commit to separating their waste-from-source so as to increase the level of recycling in our system, so that we can create more green jobs particularly for young people. They can work as sorted waste collectors, (clean waste; papers, cans, pet bottles, glass bottles, etc). The companies who can recycle their products are also required to sign up to commit to receiving and optimising this process. Recycling also reduces energy use in the production chain.”

Event

She says, “This event is a “call to action” to the business community to start taking measurable actions towards voluntarily reducing their operational and lifestyle carbon emission and footprints. The event will be holding from July 9 – 11, 2013, at the New Banquet & Exhibition Halls of National Arts Theatre, Iganmu, Lagos, from 9am to 5pm daily.

“We will also be presenting our Environmental NGO: The EarthShield International Foundation – EIF, to the platform through which we can carry out some of our adaptation intervention projects.”

Attendees

Expected attendees at the forum include governments, private sector businesses, banks, retailers, schools – Nigerian universities, students, project managers, contractors, builders, real estate practitioners, operations managers, procurement managers, corporate project managers, tour operators, SMEs, manufacturers, entertainers, concert promoters, in fact everyone who wants to live and operate more sustainably, she says.

Special features at the event include exhibition of products, services and solutions that mitigate and helps to adapt to climate change effects, sustainable alliances between green products and financial institutions.

The sub-themes sessions will cover sustainable global best practices in sustainable business operations, sustainable self-management for a green life-span, green jobs fair and database set-up, demonstration of renewable energy use for events, demonstration of waste management processes and waste to wealth/energy processes.

Benefits

Corporate organisations will network with relevant stakeholders in the business of sustainability; they will acquire more skills about sustainable business operations and global new trends in green business operations. They will learn and set in motion the processes of reducing their operational costs by as much as 25 percent over a period of compliance after switching to the sustainable alternatives. Everyone will also learn about Sustainable Self-Management towards a Green Life Span. The public sector people need to attend to be able to hasten positive environmental policies and pass the Climate Change Bill, which has been waiting for two years now. They also need to start practising sustainable business operations so as to save on running cost of governance as well. Our collective savings on operational cost of business will translate to reduced carbon emission and improved environment.

Funding

Over 50 percent of emission from operations come from energy use and the alternatives that are clean energy are mostly renewable energy, ranging from solar powered devices, gas generators, hydro, wind energy, hybrids, bio-fuel, etc. Majority of these alternatives are rather still very expensive, same for energy efficient products. We reckon that if the banks can create payment plan products that will enable businesses acquire these products and spread the payment over a period, it would be easier for Nigerian businesses to start making the switch without tying down operating capital. The Central Bank of Nigeria can make this goal happen for all Nigerian businesses.

Exhibitors

All exhibitors will be showcasing their green products and services to all customers and will have possible alliance with the banks for payment plan services for their products. Visitors need to see these products, services and solutions to become more aware of the sustainable alternatives that are available. They can also be more aware about the prospect of wealth generation available through climate change.

Visitors will see an array of green and sustainable products, services and solutions and the opportunities of climate change. Exhibitors and delegates will also sign the petition for the government to sign the climate change bill, as would all participants. Aside sustainable business operations sessions, there is a session on Sustainable Self-Management, towards a Green Life-Span, which focuses on ways we can manage ourselves better and change the tide of decreasing life-expectancy in Nigeria.