The Future of Green

In business and life two things inspire me tremendously: nature and women. Women and nature have something in common in that they are both very innovative in conserving the future for coming generations. Strong women like Wangari Mattai, Oprah Winfrey, Hillary Clinton, Michelle Obama,  Queen Beatrix and Queen Rania make this similarity clear. In this column I want to focus on nature conservation as the basis of not only moral and ethical values but also of business opportunities.

Three elements are bringing "green" into vogue: first, past policy failures; second, strong social marketing; and lastly, the belief that global warming poses a very real threat to our existence.

It seems like the failure of Kyoto and the subsequent policies of the following 10 years,  unleashed  worldwide feelings of fear that  a time bomb is ticking under  mother-nature. Even the triumph of President Obama had a green flavor to it. The green-energy campaign and the surge of green marketing on social networking groups on the internet like youtube, facebook etc are reversing the slogan "drill baby drill."

The European Union took the lead in introducing legislation on clean technology, and carbon emissions , taxing the car and fuel, and forcing  limits on  the air-travel industry based in the European Union. The carbon tax and the polluter pays principle are on the horizon for man-made emissions of carbon-dioxide and pollution. Now in the US under the leadership of Obama, and worldwide, the green agenda is gaining momentum. Even Chindia (India and China) the emerging-market giants are joining the green movements with their very limited resources in legislation and enforcement.

Global warming is another element in the growing popularity of green policies. Now businesses are joining the environmentalists, the activists and protesters we can foresee that green will be a significant trend in the advanced societies and beyond. "Thinking Green" is becoming the motto for many despite the economic crunch, the falling price of oil, and the lack of money for investment in green alternatives. The political  "greens" that exist in Europe, the US, Japan, and many other countries worldwide will gather more momentum in the next 10 years: green cities, green technology, green architecture, green business etc will be the standard.

Certainly after the recent financial crisis, mindsets are ready for change - corporate sustainability, social responsibility and ethical and moral capitalism will become the standard for societies. Green as a lifestyle trend has many advocates: Italian architect Renzo Piano has built a new museum for the California Academy of Sciences that dissolves into the surrounding landscape in the hills of Golden Gate Park in San Francisco.  With "a living green roof with native plants, insulation made from recycled blue jeans and a large canopy of solar energy panels" it represents the cutting edge of the move to creating structures that are environmentally conscious.

My recent trip to Suriname, where tropical fruit trees grow everywhere and where the most beautiful, colorful birds come to your table while you are sitting on the terrace of your hotel, gave me a stronger feeling about how important green business and the conservation of biodiversity is for our children and the future of the human species.  Suriname has one of the largest near virgin forests in the world, and has committed itself to creating the Central Suriname Nature Reserve, a park the size of the Brussels and Amsterdam combined. The threatened Blue Poison Frog can be found in the south of Suriname, and more than 100 IUCN threatened species exist in the country. However, illegal and wild small-scale mining with mercury is degrading water quality and threatening the forest. These kinds of dangerous activities are also present in neighboring countries like former British Guyana and other places in Africa.

My desire to work with the Suriname Conservation Foundation can be traced back to my Surinamean roots. The country has a large, almost untouched jungle and many mineral resources, but economic gain doesn't benefit the general populous. It's quite possible to explore and make use of the many natural resources of Suriname without destroying the environment that the people depend upon.

However, Suriname is just one example, and their model could be replicated in many countries. Wangari Mattai, a strong woman created a similar movement when, in 1977 she founded the Green Belt Movement. Through the movement, the Nobel Prize winner prevented soil erosion in Kenya by planting millions of trees. Like mother-nature, she personifies the link between being a woman and taking care of the environment. It is no wonder that she is called "The Tree Mother of Africa."

Sandra Chedi is Chair of Suriname Conservation Foundation Netherlands. She won the title of Black Female Entrepreneur of the Year 2008.

This article has been published in the book "Beyond the Crisis" of author Adjiedj Bakas.