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November 13, 2007
And the company that has the most green buildings is...
...a company from my native Pittsburgh, the town that everyone associates with steel mills and so much pollution that the streetlights used to come on in the afternoons.
Not anymore, apparently... as PNC (Pittsburgh National Corporation) Financial Services Group, Inc. has more buildings certified through the USGBC's LEED Program than any other company on earth. And they also built a pretty spiffy ballpark here (which is rapidly being surrounded by terribly designed parking garages).
They just branded their own green buildings - Green Branch (sm), to show their commitment to the environment. Read more here: http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/prnewswire/NETU07513112007-1.htm
Part of me says GREAT. Whatever the motivation, I'm glad businesses are jumping on the green bandwagon. Part of me says they're just doing it for marketing value, and consumers aren't wise enough to look beyond the greenwashing to see... are they really a green company?
What are your thoughts? Are corporations who are supporting the green initiative greenwashing themselves, or are they making a significant impact?
Posted by Stacy Hunt at November 13, 2007 11:47 PM
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Oh, hard question. My current thinking (and it does fluctuate a lot) is that it's not all that bad. It'll lead to a change in worldview that is for the better. However, intentions tend to win out in normal ethical questions for me. I do think that a company that is superficially green will get grief for it in the market before too long. They'll either have to keep one-upping their competition, or it'll lose it's utility as a marketing scheme.
Posted by: Eric Helton at December 3, 2007 12:06 AM
