Brooklyn's Progress
April/May 2007

BY TONIA SHAKESPEARE

Calling on the government and private sector for help in the fight to halt global warming, Senator John Kerry (D-Mass.) stressed in a hearing before the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship in March that public and private commitments as well as resources were needed to help small business owners implement energy saving programs to curb climate change.

With small businesses being responsible for 50% of all energy consumption in America, as well as half of the entire economy, Senator Kerry said it was imperative that resources and tools be made available to small business owners to help them implement and develop technologies to address the environmental problem of global warming and to become more energy efficient.

"We've reached a critical moment in the fight to save this planet, and we can't win the fight without the support of the private sector. Big Business can help and the government needs to get off the sidelines, but we need a concerted effort from America's small businesses to bring us home," said Senator Kerry, who along with 10 other senators recently introduced the Global Warming Reduction Act of 2007, a scientifically based climate bill that calls for a 65% reduction in CO2 emissions by 2050 and provides immediate incentives for the procurement of energy efficient products to reduce greenhouse gases in homes, businesses, and on roads.

The biggest threat thus far to the environment is carbon emissions for which dramatic measures are needed to control the greenhouse gases. Mistakenly though, many small business owners believe that the use of alternative energy such as biofuels, wind, hydro, and solar, results in higher costs. But over the long run, it’s actually more economical and cost competitive to oil and gas. In fact, the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce now uses wind power provided by a Con Edison Solutions program that partners the utility with Community Energy, Inc. (a supplier of wind energy) and the New York State Energy Research Development Authority. With environmental concerns looming, the Brooklyn Chamber, for the first time included alternative and renewable energy in its state legislative agenda, Brooklyn Agenda for Growth (visit the "Chamber Advocacy" section of http://www.ibrooklyn.com/ to read the full document).

Wayne Miller, proprietor of Go Green on Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn, switched his maintenance company over to one that offers environmentally safe cleaning products for both businesses and homes and is now a part of the alternative energy revolution. “Through the years we were using standard janitorial supplies, and afterwards some of our tenants were becoming affected by the bleach, disinfectant and ammonia. Being concerned about the tenants, myself, and my workers, sparked the idea to meet the needs of my business while offering environmentally sustainable products,” said Mr. Miller.

Practicing responsible capitalism by using environmentally safe cleaning products has resulted in increased productivity for Mr. Miller’s business. He anticipates the long-term impact to be increased profit for Go Green. Mr. Miller’s company serves as a perfect example of the type of message that Senator Kerry wants the government and private industry to get - that if they improve their outreach to small businesses, then according to Senator Kerry, they can “demonstrate to them that these savings are real, and that the win for their bottom line is a win for the long-term health of the planet.”