A guest blog from Plug'n Drive's intern Jessica Turchet who is studying Green Business Management:
Hailing from University with a degree in history and geography, I decided to pursue additional education that would introduce me to real-world sustainability issues and challenges. I am a student at Seneca, halfway through completing the Green Business Management post-grad program. A reoccurring theme in all of my classes is the "Business Case". We have been taught, or, better yet, trained that the majority of CEO�s don't want to discuss environmental sustainability. They are interested in one thing: Profits! So, the question is, how do you present a green idea without emphasizing the environmental benefits?
I was assigned to intern at Plug�n Drive, which was great because I knew nothing about electric vehicles, but I quickly learned how they work and about the economic, social, and environmental benefits associated with them. As the semester was coming to a close, I saw how EVs could potentially break out of they're niche market and expand into the corporate world. And, yes, I saw this through the lens of their "Business Case".
Two of the key components in the EV Business Case are the long-term cost savings and the power of green marketing. It's simple: an EV will save you money because charging up your fleet with electricity costs less than pumping it full of gasoline. The upfront cost tends to be higher, but with government incentives for both EVs and EV chargers, the opportunities for savings are getting better. Secondly, when a corporation installs an EV charger or purchases an EV as a company car, they create a competitive advantage and a sustainable atmosphere for employees. A great example of employee satisfaction is at the LoyaltyOne head office in Mississauga. Debbie Baxter, Vice President of Workplace Services and Chief Sustainability Officer of LoyaltyOne, spoke to our class about their public transportation, carpool, and fuel-efficient vehicle promotions. LoyaltyOne has purchased several EVs and hybrids to keep on site for employees to use during the workday if they made their commute via public transit. Employees are grateful for the flexibility and the reduced commuting costs and LoyaltyOne has reinforced a positive image of the company itself.
Although a reduced carbon footprint is important to some, the majority of companies place environmental concerns low on the priority list. Therefore sustainability consultants, or future sustainability advocates like myself, must stress the economic and marketing benefits in order for certain products or ideas, like the EV, to even be considered into their bottom line.
