The Triple Bottom Line: People, Planet, Profit

Those of you who have known me for awhile, know that I haven't always been the environment's best friend. Some of you will recall the joy with which I climbed into my new Range Rover (11 mpg) years ago. Things have changed a little for me, but it took a lot. It took the realization that making some changes would have an impact on my children's' lives, the planet (in a very small way), and my finances. And that's what sustainability is about for me. It's the Triple Bottom Line: People, Planet, Profit.

I know that business owners usually won't make changes just because it's the right thing to do for the planet. But when you combine that with employee health, improved productivity and cost savings, you have a compelling reason to make the change.

Here's a change you can make which fits all of the above criteria. I know I said I wouldn't talk about water bottles, but this is important (just ask my friend Ellen Volpe, from American Business Associates - see her comments to my previous post). You've heard this a thousand times, but many of you haven't yet made this simple effective change. Swap out the individual water bottles and even the big water cooler bottles for a water purification system that takes about the same space.

Here are just some of the benefits (people, planet, profit):

• No more lifting 42 pound bottles (people)
• No wasted office space for bottle storage (profit)
• Lower cost (profit)
• No landfill burden. Only 23% of water bottles are ever recycled (planet)
• Provides cleaner, purer water (people)
• Reduces carbon emissions from transportation and manufacturing of of water bottles (planet)

My friend, Alan Goldberg of WellSys NY can tell you a lot more about it (www.wellsysny.com or 1-866-681-AQUA (2782) ). He's knowledgeable and passionate about the subject and will show you how to do it right.

By the way, the Range Rover still sits in my driveway and is used very infrequently. My everyday car is now a Toyota Prius (averages 45 mpg). If you haven't already figured out the license plate, it's "Low Energy".

Thanks,

Ralph Benzakein