Zeitgeist [tsyt‐gyst], is the German word for ‘time‐spirit’ or more often translated as ‘spirit of the age’. It usually refers to the prevailing mood or attitude of a given period. Green Zeitgeist means to us being a good steward of capital, people, clients, shareholders, the environment, and the world.

This might sound far fetched, but it is the logical step for any organization trying to be successful by taking into account sustainable develop-
ment and social responsibility. In the 1990s, the idea of a green, sustainable and socially responsible movement was relatively new. Only a few companies, such as Whole Foods started a business incorporating these ideas. Since that time, we have come a long way. Besides using solar, windpower, and other renewables, we have giants like Walmart leading the paradigm shift and influencing a whole industry to become more environmentally-conscious and accountable. Today, it is no longer a question of being eco-friendly, it is a step towards controlling costs in the
face of soaring energy prices and decreasing inventories of natural resources. These businesses have learned that going green boost their bottom line, keeps the public happy and provides resources for generations to come.

 

One day in 2007 my son Lennart, who was nine years old at the time, came up with the idea of encouraging our neighbors to collect their bottles and cans. So he created a poster letting people know that he would like to collect their bottles to save money for his future college education. He has been doing it since, and his initiative(along with the resulting social interaction involved) motivated our neighbors to bring bottles and cans from work to help him with his project.

Little things can make a difference: Last year Lennart came to us and told us that due to the drought and sinking water storage levels that we have to conserve water. Hence he started a program to collect greywater from our shower at home to be used for the toilet. Now every time we receive our water bill he checks our usage as a measure of the success of his initiative. Lennart's example shows good stewardship of people, the environment and of his capital. That's my boy!

We believe that the Green Zeitgeist movement will prevail and that every step we take to reduce, reuse or recycle resources will help us to
decrease our dependency upon a carbon-driven society, which will consequently reduce Green House Gas emissions.

Helge Biernath
President & CEO