Published in the Atlanta Business Chronicle
Rutherford Seydel, partner at law firm Davis, Pickren, Seydel & Sneed LLP, and Laura Turner Seydel, chairperson of the Captain Planet Foundation, spend the majority of their waking hours working to make the world a healthier place for future generations, including their three children. Their creative eco-efforts begin at their home, EcoManor, the first LEED-certified Gold residence in the Southeast, and extend out into the business world and various community involvements.
Q: What are some creative ways business people can incorporate sustainability in their business?
Rutherford Seydel: You can improve the management of the use of water and electricity in your business. You can save a lot of green by going green! Atlanta has the highest water rates in the country. We caught on to the idea of changing out water-guzzling toilets and faucets and we’ve done it at home, at my law firm and at Philips Arena. Even my fraternity at UGA made the switch. We found it cuts your water bill nearly in half.
Laura Turner Seydel: Approximately 70 percent of Fortune 500 companies either have a chief sustainability officer or a corporate sustainability report. Sustainability has become a reality for Fortune 500 companies. But they can afford to do that. In Atlanta we have a lot of small and midsized companies that really don’t have the ability to make that kind of commitment, but they can start by putting together a “green dream team” or have a staff meeting to get input on potential sustainability efforts. They can stop buying one-use throwaway plastics, which will cut back on their waste-hauling bill. They can look at the habits of employees. Are they leaving lights on? Are they leaving their computers running over the weekend? You can really start with the more obvious ways to conserve energy and water and reduce waste. Sometimes just making your employees aware is enough to get things going on the right track.