What do you understand by Green Management? Discuss its nature and scope.

Answer:

Environmental degradation has been a part of human history forever specifically from business operations. The Industrial Revolution of the 18th and 19th centuries, however, brought with it the ability to degrade the natural environment to a greater extent and at a faster rate than ever before.

In 1987, the United Nations World Commission on Environment and Development (The Brundtland Commission) defined sustainable development as one that ―meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

Definition of Green Management

Both improved environmental and business performance are basic goals of green management. When definitions of the exact term ―green management‖ are found in the literature, they often appear either too vague or incomplete. One of the most recent studies on green management defined the term as ―practices that produce environmentally-friendly products and minimize the impact on the environment through green production, green research and development, and green marketing. (Peng & Lin, 2008).

Characteristics of Green Businesses

Hirsch identifies nine categories of green business behaviour. Hirsch explains claiming that: when firms go green, they exceed legal requirements by:

1. Directly reducing their own regulated—or unregulated—environmental impacts in ways that will reduce regulatory risk, improve company brand, and allow firms to get out in front of anticipated regulations;

2. Reducing their customers‘environmental impacts and decreasing their customers‘exposure to unhealthy substances;

3. Increasing their reuse and recycling of materials used in the production process;

4. Improving their energy efficiency or that of their customers;

5. Improving their resource productivity or that of their customers;

6. Implementing systems to identify waste reduction, pollution prevention, energy efficiency, or resource productivity opportunities throughout the company or facility;

7. collecting and disseminating more information about the firm‘s environmental impacts and performance than the law requires;

8. Providing more opportunities for stakeholder input into corporate environmental decision making than the law requires; and

9. Financing and investing in green products and business models, such as those described above.

Nature of green management :

Green Management is designed to reduce the overall impact of the built environment on human health and natural environment by:

a)      Efficiently using energy, water and natural resources

b)      Protecting occupant health and improving employees productivity

c)      Reducing waste, pollution and environment  degradation.

Scope of Green Management:

•      Green Foods: Green business ideas allows people too grow  “garden parks” or small seeded trays that can be placed  anywhere at your surroundings.

•      Green Consulting: Green consulting is the one of the best low  budget businesses. All you need is to know best advertising  methods for business and need a mobile or email id, so that  people can contact.

•      Green vehicles: Using of electric scooters an small electric  cars. The cope is endless – once you start thinking about your  environment for the pollution free and fuel saving market.

•      Green Appliances (energy star logo)