rhetorical critique response (250 - 500 words)

GREENER BUSINESS

Business is often seen as the “bad guy” in environmental matters because people feel that businesses will do anything to make a profit. And, in fact, many businesspeople believe that they cannot make a profit and be kind to the environment at the same time. However, it does not necessarily have to be this way. Using common business strategies, companies have found ways to become environmentally friendly, or “green,” and increase profits at the same time.

One such strategy that businesses use is called “product differentiation.” This means that a company advertises the fact that its product is different from other, similar products. Several environmentally friendly companies have done this successfully. For example, in marketing their products, organic food companies highlight the fact that no chemicals have been used to grow the food, and so it is better for consumers’ health and for the environment.

Another environmentally friendly business strategy that has been successful is waste reduction. Many companies have considered waste and pollution as a necessary part of the production process. They have done little to prevent either waste or pollution unless there were laws that forced them to do so. However, other companies have realized that there are definite advantages to reducing waste and pollution. Less waste and less pollution means a more efficient production process. The 3M company in the United States is a good example of this. In 1975, it started a program that rewarded employees for successful ideas about how to reduce waste and prevent pollution. This program has helped the company pollute much less and save more than half a billion dollars.

Some companies have taken the idea of waste prevention even further and have become “zero waste” companies. That means they produce no waste at all because everything from the production cycle is used or recycled. Asahi Breweries of Japan, for example, sends the waste from its beer production to farms to be used as animal feed. The plastic and cardboard pieces left over from packaging are recycled too.

Finally, companies can become more environmentally friendly by planning for a “greener” future. For example, two energy companies, Royal Dutch/Shell and British Petroleum, have started to invest in renewable energy sources, such as solar, wind, or hydrogen energy. Shell is also working with Daimler-Chrysler, an automobile company, and the government of Iceland to make Iceland the first country with a hydrogen-based economy. Other multi-national companies have also realized that global warming and climate change could hurt their business, and they have decided to reduce the amount of harmful gases their factories produce.

/430 words

SOURCE: Mikulecky, Beatrice & Jeffries, Linda, More Reading Power. NY: Pearson Education, 2004. p. 249.