Going green is the new gold standard

Green is the gold standard in modern business, as industry leaders look for new and improved ways to implement sustainable strategies into their day-to-day operations.

The green economy is growing and includes 3.1 million jobs in America, according to a recent report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. California had the highest amount with 338,400, followed by New York (248,500) and Texas (229,700). The report noted that manufacturing hires in the green economy account for nearly 500,000 jobs, “the most among any private sector industry,” according to BLS.

So what exactly does it mean to go green? For business, going green means changing the way you provide products and services to reduce the negative impact to the earth. It is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore the concepts of climate change, environmentally sustainable (renewable) resources and being held accountable for the human resource aspects of your activities.

For many companies, green is a journey, not a destination. To help with the decisions along the way, UC San Diego Extension offers a Sustainable Business Practices certificate that focuses on the new three Rs of green jobs: reduce, reuse and recycle.

“No matter what your industry or area of expertise, there are various steps you can take to reduce the negative impact of your business on the environment,” says Vicki Krantz, assistant dean at UC San Diego Extension. “We see sustainability as the marriage of wanting to be good stewards of the planet and making a profit.”

Learn more at extension.ucsd.edu/sustainable.