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Imagine working in an automobile-free city where shaded walkways and narrow streets encourage people to walk in a small, compact environment. If your destination is too far, you may choose to hop on a personalized, speedy solar-powered transit system to take you to your destination. And access to researchers, students, scientists, and investment professionals are all just a short ride away within the close-walled community. Meanwhile, the digitally-managed city is powered by renewable energy from wind and surrounding photovoltaic plantations.

The oil-rich Middle East is probably one place where you would never expect to find a city like this. But the emirate of Abu Dhabi (of the U.A.E.), one of the world’s largest oil suppliers, has a vision – one that is green.

Enter Masdar, which will be the world’s first carbon-neutral city upon its tentative completion in 2009. The 3.7-square-mile area will be used as a potential solution to reduce the country’s energy needs and the long-term health costs associated with urban pollution. Abu Dhabi is the first hydrocarbon-producing nation to grant land for such a project. The Masdar Initiative is being conducted under the guidance of major international universities and research institutes such as Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Construction of the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology, a world-class research university within the city that will offer programs in science and engineering, demonstrates a commitment to educating the world about the use of sustainable energy and environmental efficiency.

The city will provide commercial office space to a number of companies that are focusing more on the advancement of renewable-energy technologies. Joining this select group is British Petroleum, for instance. The oil-producing company sports a new slogan, “Beyond Petroleum,” which supports abandoning a carbon-focused business model. The city plans to offer BP and other pioneer companies an incentive package which includes a one-stop-shop program of government services, carbon-credit bonuses, one-hundred percent foreign ownership, tax-free environment, and proximity to nearby markets. The government of Abu Dhabi also established a $100 million clean technology fund to co-invest with private sector partners in domestic and foreign companies focused on emerging technologies.

Now imagine what your business could accomplish if it started to “go green” and improve its environmental performance. It could save your business money and benefit the environment as well. It will lower costs, reduce liability, and boost competitiveness. Just reducing your energy bill by 20 percent could add the same amount to your profits as a five percent increase in sales. In addition to improving your bottom line, you could also enhance your reputation and attract more potential workers to your business. It will also be easier to stay ahead of inevitable government regulation in the long run.

We can all have a small impact by following Masdar’s example: simply making the extra effort to walk up the stairs instead of using the elevator, turning off the light when the office is unoccupied, or remembering to throw paper in the recycle bin. You could have your business use a double-sided print policy or even use a “think before you print“ approach mainly for printing office emails and other items off the web. If you feel it is necessary, you could even place a monthly paper limit on employees or departments. Toilet flushings are a large contributor to water usage. If your toilet was made before 1992, chances are it is not as efficient and can use 3.5 to 7 gallons per flush. But if your toilet is newer and more efficient, it uses less than 1.3 gallons per flush, saving your business at least two gallons every time someone uses the facilities. And if there is a leak in anything: toilet, faucet, or pipe – fix it! These small changes in your habits could have a positive impact on your budget and your reputation, as well as the environment.

By pioneering a zero-carbon atmosphere, the city of Masdar intends to demonstrate a change in how the world understands the utilization of energy. Beginning with the Masdar Initiative, Abu Dhabi’s green vision can become a reality around the globe. It can be done one carbon-free city, one energy-efficient business at a time. So how green is your business?

Friday, October 19th, 2007 leave a response

By Chris White