Jacob Ogles
Sustainability officials in Sarasota County say tackling long-term environmental concerns can boost both the public and private sector.
Sara Kane, Sustainability and Resilience Manager at the UF/IFAS Extension Office in Sarasota County, addressed attendees at the Florida TaxWatch Spring meeting in the Ritz-Carlton Sarasota. There, she stressed that many of the water- and energy-sensitive practices of local government could bring benefits to businesses as well.
“You’ll hear on the local government side of things talking about sustainability, resilience,” she said. “But on the private side, you’ll hear about corporate social responsibility or corporate sustainability. There’s a lot of advantages to making sure your business has long-term viability and resilience.”
She touted a Green Business Partnership in Sarasota County. That program doesn’t have any additional government bureaucracy, Kane said, but provides resources to businesses that want greater sustainability. Participants can earn Green Business certificates. The county government then promotes those participating businesses online.
Many consumers appreciate the waste reduction and energy efficient practices and will reward participating businesses. But Kane said the practices also will have long-term benefits to companies internally, even if there are up-front costs to absorb.
Part of her presentation included testimony from the Venice Golf and Country Club about more than $400,000 in electrical cost savings from following the practices, for example.
“You can have a lot of financial savings,” she said. “You can reduce your energy and operating costs for your business. … Then you can use that money for other things.”
Sustainable landscaping can improve property values. And a regular evaluation of energy and air conditioning use can often reveal other business efficiencies, she said.
The IFAS program regularly evaluates ways to improve sustainability and savings. The institute is looking at transportation issues now, she said. The group also just finished a study on vulnerabilities and adaptation, and that opens the opportunity to pursue grants for implementation. But the data is also available online for all businesses to examine.
