Optimize:
How do I maximize my green investments?
In most markets (regulated or voluntary), proving a business has reduced its energy consumption, and hence its carbon footprint, potentially entitles the company to take advantage of carbon trading. The sale of greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reductions, or carbon credits, can frequently offset some of the costs incurred in executing the program itself, possibly rendering some environmental investment decisions as being more cost effective.
Besides the financial benefits, there are a number of other benefits to becoming more environmentally friendly, including brand image, employee satisfaction, and public and investor relations. ICF has helped countless companies optimize the impact of their successful environmental programs by designing strategic communications campaigns aimed at leveraging their environmental success across an array of public relations, marketing, and corporate communications tactics.
Likewise, ICF has designed several leading employee participation programs to help our clients’ employees get excited about being green.
To help clients get the most out of their green investments, ICF supports clients who have implemented programs with:
Emissions Trading
ICF has worked with numerous clients to offset the costs of their energy and environmental programs by monetizing the carbon credits (or other emissions credits, such as NOx and SOx) they can claim as a result of improved energy and environmental efficiency, or other carbon abatement projects. There are various exchanges available both domestically and internationally, voluntary or regulated (e.g., cap and trade), where these credits can be sold, generating real revenue for the seller.
In addition, for larger multinational organizations, ICF has set up internal exchanges in which companies can trade credits among their own facilities, operations, and subsidiaries, thereby taking advantage of their own efficiencies and diversity.
Green Strategic Communications
Branding your company “green” carries a lot more weight today than it did five years ago, and many companies are finding significant value in publicizing their green business initiatives. ICF’s strategic communications team has worked with many clients to maximize the impact of their green activities by helping them to better promote their environmental activities. From promoting carbon neutrality to financial savings from reduced energy consumption, typically there are many messages and audiences to consider as part of a green communications strategy.
Aside from the messages themselves, ICF also works with clients to green their marketing activities, including green conferences and events, green print collateral (e.g., soy-based inks on recycled paper), and even green marketing infrastructure (e.g., ENERGY STAR-compliant servers for hosting a company’s Web site).
Regardless of how far a company wants to go, ICF’s strategic communications team can help leverage green activities to support branding and promotional initiatives.
Green Workforce Services
Being green is an increasingly important consideration factor for top talent entering the workforce or looking for new career opportunities. Many of today’s leading employers are finding that having a green strategy has significantly helped them recruit and retain a top-notch workforce.
ICF’s workforce team has extensive experience across a number of core workforce issues ranging from recruitment to training and career development to aging workforce issues. Across all these services, ICF believes that maintaining and integrating a green strategy is critical to the overall success of any workforce strategy.
ICF has specifically supported various clients in leveraging their green strategies as part of their recruitment and talent development programs to enhance program results. Likewise, ICF has designed and managed numerous employee participation programs to help those interested in getting more involved in a company’s green initiatives. From corporate sponsorships to green lunch-and-learn sessions, to extracurricular green activity planning, to employee discounts and deals on green merchandise, ICF has built customized programs for many clients wanting to optimize the effects of their green activities.