The dawn of Green
For decades, environmentalists have warned of the coming climate crisis, but the alarms were largely ignored. Now we are starting to see signs of the destructive potential of global warming.
Sadly, the solutions offered by green activists - curbing pollution, using less energy, rejecting technology and returning to a simpler way of life – are unappealing to most. Asking the world's wealthiest and advanced societies to turn their backs on abundance is fruitless.
Humans pollute because our industrial systems leave no options. Homes, high-rises, factories, freeways and power plants were developed before there were any ideas about pollution and global warming. The consequences of our progress were not grasped.
Consider the automobile – an ecological disaster, contributing to polluted atmospheres, oil-slicked oceans, and Mid East wars. As the enormity of these problems begins to really sink in, markets will emerge for sensible alternatives. Today a Toyota Prius burns far less gasoline. Tomorrow there will be vehicles that consume no fossil fuels and emit no greenhouse gases. Progress is indeed being made towards a better, more sustainable future.
Some of the Indian software majors are planning for long-term growth in this arena. They see ‘clean-tech’ software and systems as the next big opportunity. This is the programming and monitoring for thousands of global companies which will be launching the drive to become carbon neutral, more energy efficient. They see this need as inevitable; a safe bet rather than a strategic risk. Becoming more energy efficient is a profit opportunity beyond just satisfying regulators, or image improvement.
The idea is to use energy-related software to reduce material costs, simplify logistics, drive down electricity charges and shorten supply chains. As large companies start to do this, it will require a lot of data management – which is what Bangalore-based Infosys and others are focused on. They think the opportunity is huge, and they intend to provide the leadership that will satisfy the demand.
Will this new clean-tech demand be satisfied from forward-thinking developers in the US or Europe? Or, will the technology leadership come from places like India?
Business and fun
Winning is the lifeblood of any society. People in successful businesses are happier, more motivated and achieve more success. Most businesses want to win the right way. They want a better life for their families, colleagues, communities and society.
Profits are just part of the goal. Winning is a personal journey. It is about reaching a chosen destination. At its most fundamental, winning is about balanced achievement, not just for an individual, but for an integrated company within the global marketplace.
At Action Instruments, the company I founded, we had a basic theme: "Let us have some fun and make some money." It is important for businesses to have fun. Some think that this means that making money is not important. All things being equal, it is much more fun to work in a business that makes money consistently – it provides the ability do a lot of fun things. It is a circular argument – the businesses that win have fun, and businesses that have fun tend to be winners. Winning is enjoyable – and it is more enjoyable when you are having fun doing it.
The key is to make goals achievable and tied to effort, not just results. A focus on creating a positive and productive business environment will help players to flourish. The wins will come.
Jim Pinto is an industry analyst and commentator, writer, technology futurist and angel investor. His popular e-mail newsletter, JimPinto.com eNews, is widely read (with direct circulation of about 7000 and web-readership of two to three times that number). His areas of interest are technology futures, marketing and business strategies for a fast-changing environment, and industrial automation with a slant towards technology trends.
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