Through a series of open letters, we aim to reach out to governments, political agencies, civil societies, investors, communities and to business leaders. This is a universal request and call for action to be a part of the change we all seek in the world currently.
This letter elucidates 3 key responsibilities which we request political leaders to prioritize.
Dear Political Leader,
We, at OneBarrow Corporation, are highly appreciative of the indispensable role policy makers and political leaders play in sectors that enable equitable growth worldwide.
Unprecedented times like the COVID-19 pandemic reveal the necessity of government intervention in social sectors like healthcare access, innovation and social justice. When it comes to pushing for sustainable business growth, government agencies are very relevant stakeholders. There are 3 key responsibilities elucidated upon in this letter which we request you to prioritize.
- Lead by example
Leading by example is the first strategy that allows you to work smarter, and not harder. Consider how your operations can reflect the changes you want others to make – How sustainably are government facilities operating? What does your energy consumption pattern look like?
Then you can push for enhancing energy efficiency in government owned facilities. This looks like switching to sustainable infrastructure like greener HVAC systems and recycling units. If your goal is to nudge businesses and individuals to act responsibly, set an example of what that looks like. When political leaders and government bodies make sustainable changes like using clean energy, citizens usually take notice and participate in green initiatives themselves.
2. Create an environment that fosters sustainable business changes
Noah Walley and Bradley Whitehead in “It’s Not Easy Being Green” (1994) elaborated upon the skyrocketing environmental costs that hinder companies from going green. Costs of switching to clean energy and paperless operations tend to discourage smaller businesses from going green, especially with post-pandemic economic slowdowns. When enacting environmental policies that require mid-size or small companies to bear high costs of switching to clean fuel or solar power, it is important to pair these costs with some benefits. You can consider employing measures like offering tax breaks and subsidized energy rates to companies that are setting a goal to become carbon negative, as this can also encourage more companies to lay out strategies to go green.
3. Incentivize Budding Green Businesses
Government funding and grants like startup financing schemes are highly sought after. Currently, the criteria of a majority of business development grants do not take sustainability into consideration. Encouraging green entrepreneurship is an ingenious way to encourage younger generations to innovate for the environment. Proactively incentivizing green businesses means that their operations are aligned with sustainable goals from the start, and will not require other incentivization measures like energy subsidies at later stages of their operations. This constitutes an enormous opportunity for small-scale environmentally conscious companies to grow.
As key natural resources run out, the cost of raw materials and inputs that are needed to run business operations is set to skyrocket. When business profits are threatened by environmental costs, sluggish economic growth can become a reality across nations. Political leaders are in a unique position of considering both, economic and consumer interests.
We sincerely hope you will lead all of us by setting up an example to prevent the upcoming economic and environmental devastation.
Yours Sincerely,
OneBarrow
Riya Shankar Sharma
Content Writer, OneBarrow
