Green expos a sham for lazy companies seeking a free ride

It’s tempting. Send a representative of a company to a Green Expo for a whole array of simple, cheap ideas for how to be green. While there, stop by a booth and get an information packet about recycling or a quick lecture about how turning green can benefit a company financially.

Don’t forget to network with all the other company representatives that want to jump on the green bandwagon and find a quick, marketable solution. It’s tempting and maybe a start, but it’s not enough.

In a society of green pressures coming from consumers, business partners, and even legislation, it has been a challenge for businesses to develop green practices when the company only had one objective: to create the greatest profit margin, no matter what the cost. Now, it is a game of catch-up.

In order to react to the changing trends, companies are searching for basic practices to mold their company into a green company. What better place for that to happen than a Green Expo. Right?

On January 23rd, Queens hosted the Queens GreenBusiness Summit in which more than one thousand people visited the all day event. Company representatives were given the opportunity to network, learn and listen. So what is the issue?

It’s hard to believe that a company can transform its practices by simply visiting a Green Expo. It may be able to pick up a few tips about energy saving techniques or recyclable materials, but that should have been common sense years ago. Not to mention, if there is a green company that is showcasing their efforts, it is because they have worked to understand the many intricacies of the company in regards to what needs to be changed and renovated. It was not a simple fix that happened overnight.

All the Expo is doing is adding to the illusion that a green, sustainable overhaul is easy. The reality is, we need to be getting people into companies to change them, not bringing them out to lunch (or an Expo) to talk about it. Let’s not cram green into a day.