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The world needs help. Every year, thousands of acres of rainforest are chopped down, more plastic gets dumped into the ocean, and several species cease to exist. Our precious biosphere is in danger.
But this isn’t purely a concern for conservationists: it’s an issue for business too. Many major companies like Apple and Google have committed to “going green” over the next decade or so, deriving their energy needs from renewable sources and cutting back on the use of toxic production processes.
But there’s an increasing recognition that the actions of private industry are not sufficient to solve the problem. We need change at the government level too.
There’s a massive opportunity for people in the private sector to offer sustainable services to government-maintained public works. We need sewer, electricity distribution, and water systems which can cope with tomorrow’s demand while delivering at a fraction of the environmental cost.
Making that happen is not going to be easy. Utility-scale infrastructure is expensive and difficult to change. Many organizations in the industry do not currently recognize the importance of switching over to new business models and modes of operation. However, as the following infographic makes clear, the benefits can be enormous.
Companies that go green not only secure the wealth of future consumers of their products (by protecting the natural world on which the economy is built) but also save money in the process. Sustainable buildings, for instance, cost around 9 percent less to run than their traditional, unsustainable counterparts.
Use the following infographic for more information on the role of sustainability in public works.
Infographic by Norwich University
