Nike Leads Green Innovation

Nike cooperation, typically known for their shoes and athletic apparel, has recently opened up a new branch of operations called the Sustainable Business and Innovation Lab. This new venture capital effort will seek out companies focused on sustainable products, sustainable manufacturing and sustainable marketplaces. Additionally, the company hopes the Sustainable Business and Innovation lab will help cut production costs, begin a new generation of green-technology businesses, and foster a new system of cooperate integration called the closed loop business model. It is great to see a company like Nike open up this new branch. Since the investments will be focused on young companies that are environmentally geared, there is a high level of risk reward for Nike. It is estimated that thirty to forty percent of venture capital efforts like this one lose all or the majority of money they invested into the small businesses and seventy to eighty percent of the time investors do not get their projected rate of return. However, on the other side of the coin if the young businesses invested in create a new method of production or develop a new product, Nike has the potential to save millions of dollars. Nike is setting a great example for other companies to follow. Supporting green startup businesses is a great way to promote sustainable business. If other businesses follow Nike’s example, it is possible that a wider spread green revolution will come about in the business world very soon.

Link to Nike Sustainability: http://www.nikebiz.com/responsibility/

Make Orange Green

 

In 2008 the University of Tennessee Knoxville established the Office of Sustainability. The Office of Sustainability’s core objectives include fostering sustainable development and promoting environmental stewardship. To promote their initiatives to the general student audience The Office of Sustainability has begun referring to its efforts by the catchy slogan make Orange Green. Current make Orange Green programs include Friends of Switchie, RecycleMania, Recyclympics, Hall Vols, and Green Dining.

On Thursday I attended the kickoff event for this year’s make Orange Green campaign held in Presidential Courtyard. For those of you not familiar with UTK’s layout this courtyard is in the center of the majority of the freshman dorms. This was a very advantageous place to hold this event considering how many freshmen not familiar with the programs would be forced to walk through the event to get to their dorms. The event contained booths detailing the programs sponsored by the make Orange Green campaign. At one of my booths I received the mug shown in the picture above the article. I received this mug for signing a form pledging that I will begin using this mug to get drinks at various places around campus including the UC eateries and Einstein’s Bagels. The cups used in the UC cafeterias have a special plastic coating around them. This plastic coating makes it impossible to recycle them. By using any reusable mug instead of the cups provided, you will be helping the environment. If that is not enough of an incentive to use your own cups you also receive the drinks at a lower price!

Link:   http://environment.utk.edu/index.html