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Environmentally responsible companies are far from de rigueur, but they also no longer stick out like green thumbs like they did a decade ago. And as eco-sensibilities grow more sophisticated, working for an employer with sound environmental ethics may be just the lure that entices you to seek employment there. Now the question is, unless you want to work for a well known, deep green company like Seventh Generation or Stonyfield Farms how do you figure out which employers are environmentally responsible?

How to work for an environmentally responsible employer

At large

Trying to decipher a company's environmental record is tricky at best, although corporations are more forthcoming as customers, investors, and stakeholders insist on better accountability in environmental issues. Here are some avenues you can take to determine the greenness of a potential or current employer:

• Read the report. Corporate social responsibility (CSR) reports (also called sustainability reports, environmental reports, or citizenship reports) provide a look at companies' environmental and social practices. While not commonplace, their numbers are growing steadily and some companies take it a step further by producing reports in accordance with the guidelines of the Amsterdam-based Global Reporting Initiative (GRI). Supplying a standardized method for companies to disclose social and environmental data is GRI's goal. About a quarter of the 253 companies (which includes more than two-thirds of Fortune 100 companies) submitting CSR reports in 2007 used the GRI guidelines.[1] You can access CSR reports, including those that went the GRI route, through CorporateRegister.com. You can also view CSR reports through SocialFund's Sustainability Report Center.

• Stock up. When deciding which eco-friendly stocks to plunk their money on, the increasing legions of green investors make use of socially responsible investment lists put out by organizations specializing in responsible money management. They have relatively stringent standards for who’s allowed in, so although they also take into account financial factors in making their selections, these compilations may serve as a jumping off point in your search for green companies.
  • SustainableBusiness.com: Sustainable Business looks for companies that best contribute to a sustainable economy, compiling them into a list of publicly traded Sustainable Stocks. They also publish a Top 20 every year.
  • Renewable Energy Stocks.com: This website features a listing of Cleantech Sector stocks in categories such as environment, fuel cell car, renewable energy, and water.
  • WilderHill Clean Energy Index: This new index (under the symbol ECO) tracks 36 US clean energy stocks.

• Consider nonprofits. By their very nature, nonprofits often display social responsibility if not environmental awareness as well. There are many regional and local nonprofits in addition to the familiar national groups. GuideStar.org has a large database of nonprofits you can access, the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) has a list of environmental groups, most of which are nonprofit, and a Mother Jones piece called A Guide to Environmental Non-Profits also includes a long list. To look for nonprofit jobs, check out EcoEmploy or Idealist.

• Go government. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has partnership and award programs that might steer you towards green employers. Granted, these partnerships may focus on only one environmental aspect that a company could excel in and fall flat in others, but again, it may be a place to start.
  • Climate Leaders: Companies that participate in this program are required to do a corporate-wide inventory of their greenhouse gas emissions, set aggressive reduction goals, and submit progress reports every year.
  • Green Power Partnership; The EPA works with a variety of organizations, including Fortune 500 companies, colleges, and universities, plus local, state, and federal governments, to help them make green power purchases that boost the development of renewable energy generation. You can see the top 25 as well as access larger lists.
  • National Environmental Performance Track: This program is open to facilities (large or small, public or private, manufacturing or non-manufacturing companies) with solid environmental records that work to improve the quality of air, land, or water. You can search the more than 500 members by state, region, or commitment in 13 categories, such as air emissions, waste, and material procurement.

• Look for carbon transparency. If an employer's carbon footprint is a deal breaker or maker for you in deciding where you want to work, it might behoove you to look at the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP). This nonprofit's website contains the largest amount of corporate greenhouse gas emissions data in the world. That said, you'll only find disclosures from 38.1 percent of the largest US companies for 2007, up from 27.7 percent when the CDP began in 2003—an encouraging trend nonetheless, according to GreenBiz.com's State of Green Business 2008.[2]

• Coordinate this. Find out if the company you're considering has a sustainability coordinator or sustainability manager—a sure sign of commitment to the environment.

In the office

If you want to work (or already work) for an employer that doesn't release a corporate responsibility report or have a sustainability coordinator on staff, it doesn't necessarily mean the company's not concerned about the environment. What goes on day to day in the office environs can also have a large impact on the earth. Here are some factors to consider:

Does the employer...

• have a recycling program?
• allow employees to telecommute or work on a flexible schedule?
• have carpool networks or provide incentives for employees to carpool to work?
• provide facilities for employees to walk, run or cycle to work?
• use energy-efficient lighting such as LED lighting or T5 or T8 fluorescent bulbs?
• incorporate green building features in its facility?
• use reusable food service items, recycled, or biodegradable dishes and flatware?
• use green power from its electric provider?
• buy products that are reusable, recyclable, less polluting, more efficient, and longer lasting?

Should you find a potential employer lacking in the above earth-saving measures and you're still determined to work there, once you get the job you might consider starting an employee-run green team. An office green team can raise staff awareness of environmental issues related to daily office activities and provide tangible, sustainable alternatives to the most environmentally destructive practices. Green teams consist of staff who volunteer a small portion of their time on a regular basis to develop and promote an office greening program.

Working for an environmentally responsible employer helps you go green because...

• You're part of a company whose practices in some way try to lessen its impact on the earth, restore damage done to the earth, or promote the appreciation or protection of the natural world.

The influx of green jobs paired with the rise of eco-consciousness, has made working for an environmentally responsible employer an increasingly viable and appealing prospect to job seekers infused with a desire to help the earth while they earn a living. A study conducted by MonsterTRAK showed that 80 percent of young workers surveyed said they are interested in a job that positively affects the environment and 92 percent would choose to work for a pro-environment company.[3]

A study released by the Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM) found that companies with environmental responsibility programs rack up some important gains over those without such programs, including improved employee morale and loyalty, stronger public image, increased consumer or customer confidence in them, and a boost to the financial bottom line. The survey also revealed that almost three out of four employees from companies with no environmental programs say they want their employers to jump on the eco-bandwagon and just about the same number felt it was very or somewhat important that their company implement an environmental responsibility policy. Even so, the SHRM survey found that while half of the organizations surveyed have a formal or informal environmental responsibility policy, 43 percent lack one and don't anticipate launching one in the next year.[4]

Controversies: green appearance vs. reality

Getting to the bottom of a prospective employer's green quotient is no easy task. Green business guru, Joel Makower, recently came out with the State of Green Business 2008 for which he and his staff poured over scads of data and found the information sorely lacking. The report states, "Government agencies, nonprofit groups, academic institutions, and companies themselves have done relatively little to quantify, let alone assess, simple measures of business environmental impact."

False eco-claims

To further cloud the waters, add greenwashing to the mix, defined in The Tenth Edition of the Concise Oxford English Dictionary as "Disinformation disseminated by an organisation so as to present an environmentally responsible public image."[5] TerraChoice, an environmental marketing firm, garnered much attention in late 2007 with its report criticizing most of the 1,018 products it surveyed for falling into one or all of the “Six Sins of Greenwashing”. The group argued that of the 1,753 eco-claims made, 99 percent of them were misleading in one way or another[6]—everything from irrelevant assertions (like stating they do not contain already-banned substances such as CFCs) to outright lies (claiming organic certification that is not verified in any way).[7]

Sticky wickets

Digging into corporate environmental claims may also reveal other discrepancies. This happened with Green Mountain Power, which in 2006 derived only 2 percent of its fuel mix from carbon-emitting sources compared to 70 percent for typical US utilities. Technically true, but 43 percent of Green Mountain's energy came from the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant, definitely not green in the eyes of many eco-friendly folks.[8] And in 2007, both CitiBank and Bank of America announced their commitment to spend billions in an effort to combat climate change.[9][10] That sounds great, but as the Rainforest Action Network (RAN) notes, these environmental announcements may be an attempt to hide their participation in a new “Coal Rush” that could result in the construction of over 150 US coal-fired power plants and upwards of $50 to 90 billion annually in associated social and environmental costs.[11]

The broad view

On the global scene, nine out of ten companies from emerging markets such as China, South Africa, India, Brazil, South Korea, Taiwan, and Russia now submit some sort of sustainability disclosure.[12] Looking at the big picture, corporate concern about operating sustainably is coming of age,[13] making it easier for people who want to work for employers that are truly environmentally responsible.

External links

• Greenwashing Index lets consumers evaluate real ads making environmental claims. Promoted by Enviromedia Social Marketing.
• Sustainable Business.com publishes up-to-date info about sustainabilty happenings plus has Green Dream Job listings.
• TerraChoice An environmental marketing firm who conducted "The Six Sins of Greenwashing" study.
• CSRWire The Corporate Social Responsibility Newswire offers the latest about environmental and social corporate responsibility issues.
• Greenpeace - Green or Greenwash? A Greenpeace Detection Kit