Summit organizers push green economy

Three-day ‘Sustainable Cleveland` event sets goal of creating 10-year action plan

By JAY MILLER

for Crain`s Cleveland

4:30 am, August 3, 2009

As Charles Fowler sees it, sustainability is good business.

“Sustainability pays; it doesn`t cost,” says the president and CEO of Fairmount Minerals Ltd. in Chardon, repeating what has become a com-pany catchphrase at the producer of industrial sands.

As evidence of Fairmount`s dedication to the concept, Mr. Fowler and three or four members of his management team will attend Sustainable Cleveland 2019, a three-day summit sponsored by Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson that begins Aug. 14.

The summit`s goal is to spur the creation of an action plan for building a green economy in Northeast Ohio over the next decade — hence the ‘2019” in its title. Its organizers believe adhering to environmentally sound principles will help the region`s traditional manufacturing businesses produce innovative products and processes and will spawn so-called “green economy businesses” in fields such as renewable energy, green building and local food production.

David Cooperider, a Case Western Reserve University management professor who will lead the large-group sessions of the summit, said sustainability “will be one of the defining strategic issues of the 21st century.”

Dr. Cooperider, who is director of the university`s Fowler Center for Sustainable Value — endowed by Mr. Fowler and his wife, Charlotte — said the summit and efforts that come out of it can help brand Northeast Ohio as a center for business innovation. He said he hopes attendees will identify a dozen or more ideas that the region can turn into products or processes in the next decade.

For a long time, business wasn`t comfortable embracing the green revolution. To many businesspeople, it seemed to get in the way of making a profit.

But that discomfort is easing as companies begin to realize that environmentally sound practices can translate into business advantages. They are seeing that customers — whether the customer is a home do-it-yourselfer buying a can of paint or a dominant retailer such as Walmart aggressively demanding green products from suppliers — are asking for eco-friendly products and that environmentally vigilant corporate practices can help attract quality employees.

It also doesn`t hurt that the government increasingly is forcing businesses to pay the full, long-term cost of their acquisition of raw materials, and that rising energy costs are driving them to be more efficient in the way they package and moves goods.

A survey released in April by the American Marketing Association and the Fleishman-Hillard Inc. public relations firm found 58% of the communicators responding said their companies will be placing a greater emphasis on sustainable initiatives. Also, 43% said their companies believe an increasing commitment to sustainability offers a distinct business advantage because customers are asking for it, it supports their organizational culture and is the responsible thing to do.

Given all that, it shouldn`t be surprising that 200-plus business-people are expected to be among the estimated 500 people projected to attend the summit, said Andrew Watterson, the city`s sustainability programs manager. The event at Public Auditorium across from Cleveland City Hall is designed to identify approaches to building green economy businesses and to begin the transformation of traditional manufacturers who support new, green industries.

“We`re in a world where sustainability — green — is a necessity,” Mayor Jackson says in an online video promoting the event. “It`s not just a nice conversation to have.”

Mr. Fowler was reluctant to be too specific about the specific sustain-ability goals he would like to see the region set for the next decade. However, he said he hopes regional leaders will tackle issues such as the need for new manufacturing skills and technologies. In addition, because of the successes in cleaning up the Cuyahoga River and Lake Erie, Mr. Fowler wants the region to set goals on finding advanced solutions for water cleansing.

David Krueger, a professor of business administration at Baldwin-Wallace College and co-director of the school`s sustainability major, said so many businesses are getting involved in events such as the summit because they see long-term benefits to sustainability efforts that go beyond short-term gains made in cutting energy or packaging costs.

“The folks at Sherwin-Williams, I`ve heard them say they were going to (invest in sustainable practices) regardless of what the business environment is right now because it`s good for our long-term profitability and because it`s the right thing to do,” Dr. Krueger said.

Sherwin-Williams Co. is a member of the U.S. Green Building Coalition and makes a line of coatings that complies with the coalition`s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards.

Steve Revnew, director of marketing at Cleveland-based Sherwin-Williams, said his company is participating in the summit “to let everyone in Northeast Ohio know what initiatives our company stands for.”

Smaller firms also will be there.

Talan Products Inc. CEO Steve Peplin said his metal-stamping company is sponsoring the event in part because it has seen its long-term environmental efforts pay off. He said for the last 15 years, Talan has benefited from recycling and selling waste that includes scrap metal and office paper.

He also believes a green reputation has helped in other ways.

“I like the good PR,” Mr. Peplin said. “It gets the name out and attracts better employees.”