"Going Green" isn't just a feel-good initiative for businesses. It can have real economic benefits. Those benefits -- lower utility bills, less waste, among others -- are there to take advantage of regardless of whether the business considers itself green.
That's the message organizers of this year's Energy, Economy and Environment
(3E) Summit want businesses to grasp. The 4th annual 3E Summit is Oct. 5, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Xavier University's Cintas Center. Tickets are $50 each, with discounts for
Green Umbrella Members and students.
"There's a lot of small and medium businesses out there, the people making widgets, who don't always have time to think about how to green their business," says Cincinnati's Sustainability Coordinator Steve Johns.
The Summit hopes to remedy that, giving these businesses concrete ways to become more energy efficient, as well as insight into how that affects the bottom line.
There will be two panel discussions on Green Business. One is a CEO Roundtable featuring local companies that decided to incorporate green concepts into their businesses. The panel will feature
Mac's Pizza,
emersion DESIGN,
Compost Cincy and
Burke, Inc.
"Most of these companies aren't producing green products, but thought it was important to take care of energy and waste needs more effectively," Johns says.
A second panel discussion will feature reps from UC Health and Procter & Gamble highlighting their efforts to green their supply chain by seeking out sustainable suppliers.
"You can really have a competitive advantage by having a green business," Johns explains.
The Summit also will feature a "Speed Greening" session, where experts will be on hand to answer specific questions about greening businesses. Those experts can answer questions related to electric and natural gas, waste disposal, transportation and water.
In addition to the City of Cincinnati, the 3E Summit is hosted by Green Umbrella, Xavier University's Brueggeman Center for Dialog, the
Greater Cincinnati Green Business Council, and
USGBC Cincinnati Chapter.
Register and find more information at the
3E Summit website.
By Feoshia H. Davis
Follow Feoshia on Twitter.
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