How and Why Green Should be Good Looking

Induction Lighting and all types of newer technologies are many times associated with Green and not so good looking. I have a different perception. As a diplomat of Architecture it is the responsibility of the entire design team to seek out good looking solutions. See the photo, book me and hear my talk about integrating technology and aesthetics. It’s what makes American Know How more exciting and Profitable.

Reach me at for a speaking engagement or call our office directly http://www.designerspeakersbureau.com/speakers/3-designers/131-gerald-olesker

Pershing Hill Building Hills Street

In the series of Blogs that I have been pulling together there is no particular sequence to this series of articles other than platform for me to hopefully make a difference in the way another business person thinks. I have reached out over the years and sat on Boards for charitable organizations, community organizations, Advisory Boards for companies and given my time to help young entrepreneurs with their business dreams.

One thing that always strikes me as odd is the way service providers come to these business and promise great savings, good returns and a range of offerings that actually increase waste, throw off productivity and only enhance the bottom line of the service provider. Over the years I have been very careful with other people’s money. Architectural Detail
Group knows that one key to success is reduce your need for lavishness and over consumption. Mies van der Rohe the architect said “less is more”. My parents said don’t go spending your entire allowance in one place, save for a rainy day. There must be something to these phrases.

Have you ever purchased a pair of Mephisto shoes. They are great; and when the sole gets worn you send them back and they charge you a nominal fee to resole the shoes. But you know that those shoes will last a life time. Very little waste, cost less money in the long run than purchasing
shoes that when they break down are only good for land fills.

A good piece of furniture, especially a piece from Mies van der Rohe, (well constructed) is worth more today than when it was originally made - it was built to last.

Energy is truly a consumable and it does changes form once consumed.
Did any one tell you to turn off the lights when you were younger?
Probably because it “wastes” electricity. But what happens when you need to see. Without light it is dark. The obvious statement. Architects speak about natural light, but that’s only good when it is day time. Solar and alternative energy companies speak about storing the energy for a time to use later, but what happens when there is no wind or not enough sun light? What then. Would we all be in the dark?

How about a light bulb that consumes less energy, only needs to be replaced once in a long while, fills the room, office, school, arena, park, street or any space with a nice quality of light - does that exist? The power company would not ask you to buy this, the maintence-company may hold back too and not tell you about it and your bulb supplier is probably not too interested in telling you that there is this product available, since it will delay your purchase of their products for 20 years.

In the 50’s my folks did not replace the car every 3 years. They did not buy a new television every 2 years. They did hold onto good quality items though. They did buy lots of light bulbs, consumed lots items and then said do not waste, make sure you have enough for later. So I think I have an idea. This is the challenge to each and every business owner
to roll back consumption.

Call a colleague like me (we’ll tell you the secrets that the big guys won’t) and ask how to save on lighting bills in your big wherehouse. Ask “What can I do to reduce the a/c and at the same time, increase productivity, and all this
while increasing the bottom line through cost savings techniques…”

It’s either Turn off those lights
or Call ADG Eco to reduce
consumption and keep demand.

 We are often asked what is the difference in the light quality between Induction and other forms of lighting, and people often think we are exaggerating when we tell them it is clearly visible so we have made this little video for you to judge the difference

For more on Induction, you can visit www.adgecolp.com or download our handy Induction Lighting Brochure

To continue our conversation, Richard Roberts, Green Business and Marketing expert has several recommendations to help your business become more environmentally friendly:

• Waste is the biggest problem for business.

“ Eliminate Waste: all kinds of waste. It’s a country of abundance, but it makes it easy to just throw things away, when it should be easier to just use less–whether it is wasted electricity or wasted gasoline or wasted time, just eliminate the act of actual physical waste.”

• Don’t bite off more than you can chew from the environment.

Richard feels it is better use less and give more,

“Look at how you can change your business practices so that you’re not taking away more than you’re giving. It’s like this: You can always put back and replace what you’ve taken, or you can find other vendors that do that or that use products that are easily sustained. People talk about sustainability but if you cut down a hardwood tree, it takes 300 years to grow that tree, or you can use the tree that takes 10 years to grow. Use something that is easily replaceable rather than something that takes too long to replace.”

Following these basic steps will not only help you truly enter the green marketplace, it will also save you money as you waste fewer commodities and become more productive.

After all, as Richard points out,

“We only have one planet, we can’t go somewhere else. But once we use our natural resources, they aren’t coming back.”

As part of Architectural Detail Group’s ongoing efforts to lead the green lighting revolution, we’ve teamed up with Green Businessman and Marketing Guru Richard Lloyd Roberts.

Richard has been involved in the green movement since the 1970’s, when he was growing up in England. Now, he has taken the values he learned early in life and applied to them his present life, as a green entrepreneur and marketing expert.

Talking with ADG, Richard explains how he became interested in the current trend of going green:

I was involved in the Green Movement back in the 1970’s, in England. And the reason I got involved in it was my mother actually ran a rainforest charity. So it was for the protection of rainforests and stopping the deforestation. So she was one of the first people to really look at what being green really was, even back then.

In recognition of his efforts for the green business community, Richard was recently nominated for a Green Award for Green Practices by the Charlotte Business Journal.

According to the Charlotte Business Journal, “Working with the U.S. Green Building Council Charlotte Region Chapter, the event identified companies, nonprofits and individuals in 19 categories that have made sustainability a priority.”

Richard was nominated for his involvement with GreenDrinks.org, an international organization that brings ecologically aware business owners together in a casual setting to network and help each other learn more about going green.

He explains:

The Charlotte Business Journal and the Green Building Council decided to run a green business awards. So I’ve been running a networking opportunity called Green Drinks, which basically allows people to get together and talk about environmental issues. So several of my Green Drink buddies nominated me for the award. I didn’t win it, but when you see what she did, compared to what I did, you can see why.

I’d also like people to know that I am being featured this month in Charlotte magazine for Green Drinks this month.

Richard helps companies green their business practices. He tells ADG how he first became involved with green businesses:

I ran events in Los Angeles a few years ago, for celebrities and one when one of my friends decided to start a green cleaning company. We decided to have a launch party and put all of the green cleaning products we could find into that event, so that was my initiation into the green business marketing.

With such a long history of involvement in the green scene, ADG wanted Richard to share how every business can begin going green, so we’ve put together some of Richard’s green marketing and business tips to be presented in a weekly month long series.

For our commitment to the environment and energy efficient solutions and products, Architectural Detail Group has become an Energy Star Partner:

“Environmental responsibility is everyone’s responsibility - and today I’m pleased that Architectural Detail Group is taking this motto to heart,” said EPA Administrator Stephen L. Johnson. “By making smart energy choices, Architectural Detail Group is helping improve our nation’s energy and environmental outlook.”

ENERGY STAR was introduced by EPA in 1992 as a voluntary, market-based partnership to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through energy efficiency. Today, the ENERGY STAR label can be found on more than 50 different kinds of products, new homes and commercial and industrial buildings. Products and buildings that have earned the ENERGY STAR designation prevent greenhouse gas emissions by meeting strict energy-efficiency specifications set by the government. In 2007, Americans, with the help of ENERGY STAR, saved about $16 billion on their energy bills while reducing the greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those of 27 million vehicles.

For more information about ENERGY STAR, visit www.energystar.gov or call toll-free 1-888-STAR-YES.