Contagion, contagion, contagion

The spread of green during the last decade or so has been big. No doubting that. Sustainability has gone from buzz to megatrend. The fact that it brings such tremendous benefits to companies, governments, households and ecosystems draws new converts every day.

But we have a problem here. For all the progress made, it is nowhere near fast enough. The challenge is monumental. Emissions from developed and developing countries alike have not even slowed their rate of growth, as fossil-based new development outstrips green advances designed to halt emission growth by the end of this decade and provoke an 80% nosedive by 2050, the timeline put forth by the UN IPCC and 98% of the world's climate scientists.

So it is quickly becoming part of the global consensus on climate change and the green economy that sustainability-as-usual will just not do. The movement needs a turbo charge, a huge hyper boost. One would certainly be next-generation renewable-energy sources. Another: long-range electric cars that require less of a charging-station infrastructure. And resource-saving materials that can be scaled globally in no time. All these innovations and more are in the works. It's what's fueling the green economy and turning it into a grand growth hope for the future.

But today, they're not crossing the urgency threshold and likely won't for a while. There is, however, one innovation we can implement rather quickly and at a very low cost relative to the incalculable gain. It is a social innovation aimed at consumers and small and mid-size businesses. Turn those two segments on to green at a global and massive scale -- and I mean massive! -- and the resulting acceleration just might get the job done.

It is a behavior-change challenge of unprecedented proportions. Never in history have so many had to change their behavior so widely and so rapidly. This is contagion acceleration. How to achieve it? In many ways, but three in particular seem fastest and most effective.

1. Person-to-person influence. With today's digital marketing and communication tools, particularly social media, ideas spread like wildfire. Green ideas do so all the time. The meteoric rise of 350.org is but one shining, recent example. Needed now is a deeper, more systematic approach that taps not just greenies, but general-market consumers at a far broader level. And one that achieves a far bigger spillover into society at large, especially those who don't use social media or the internet at all.

2. Neighborhood-level, grassroots contagion. Sustainable communities and districts are all the rage in many parts of the world, and they provide major lessons that if converted to a global strategy for neighborhood-scale contagion, would become truly game-changing. It is people and companies feeding off each other where they live and work, and creating linkages in how buildings and systems are designed and used (waste recycling, water use, steam sharing, car sharing, etc.). All led by green leaders at the grassroots level.

3. Product marketing and substitution. One sure way for people and small companies to convert and embed new green habits is simply by buying the right products and services -- substituting the stuff they use today with similar products that are both outright green (fluorescent bulbs, bikes, biodegradable everything) and lifecycle-green (produced following a cradle-to-cradle process, regardless of the product). Studies show that roughly 70% of consumers choose green and are even willing to pay a bit more when they know something is green. That takes shopper marketing and consumer education in the buying process. Same goes for small businesses in their purchasing. Such product substitution is happening now, but far too slowly.

Again, the pace of organic contagion today won't do the trick. The still-rising emissions, despite all that has been done, is a clear signal. A bigger, faster social tipping point is begging. For that, we must turn to consumers and small businesses by deploying contagion solutions such as these at a massive, global scale. There is simply no other way.

A sense of common purpose

The green economy, like all things in business, is grounded on such things as deals, customer acquisition and relationships, employee engagement, supply chain management, sustainable operations and more. That's as it should be.

But in the case of green, it needs to go further. Caribbean Business has launched the Green Economy Project in part to bring Puerto Rico's green-economy leaders and participants together and create a sense of common purpose around one theme: contagion and the rapid expansion of the island's green marketplace.

The one market dynamic holding back the growth of green here and in every market around the world is ignorance. Most businesses and consumers simply aren't aware of what green is, much less the hands-down, no-brainer benefits it holds for them.

We're convinced there's a big mission here, that of spreading the message far and wide to every corner of the island. Every business should be aware that there are low-hanging, easy, inexpensive and even no-cost steps they can take right now to become more sustainable and save a ton of money in the process. Some of these steps they're surely already taking, given the cost-cutting frenzy the deep recession has sparked. They just don't know they're acting green by doing so, nor that green is so much more and can bring such additional value.

Like new products they can sell, whether they make them or simply distribute them. Consumers are enjoying a bunch of products in other markets that are not yet available in Puerto Rico. Who will be the first to bring them in and profit handsomely? Our newspaper is publishing awesome stories with numerous examples of concrete steps companies are taking on the island to profit from green. The stories are available online at cb.pr/greeneconomy. Take a look. It is truly inspiring.

So far, green has spread in Puerto Rico as it has spread elsewhere: through word of mouth and, lately, government incentives. But it still pales compared to the broad contagion seen in such places as Germany, Scandinavia, Brazil, cities throughout the U.S. and countless other places around the world. The calling is for that degree of contagion to happen here, as well.

That means nothing short of a consumer and ecodustrial revolution. And that doesn't come about with green business as usual. It takes breaking the mold and spreading the message with far more vigor and passion than is typical of new business trends.

Consider consumption. Puerto Ricans are obsessive consumerists. A dollar earned is a dollar spent, mostly on products that damage the environment both in the way they are produced as well as in how they are disposed once used. The challenge is to transition to an economy in which most of what is bought at stores, restaurants, beauty parlors, auto mechanics, hardware stores, etc., is made and disposed sustainably -- so we may all continue growing without the catastrophic interruption that climate change will bring if we don't transition quickly.

That spells opportunity for every business in Puerto Rico that makes and sells the substitute sustainable products, whether the sale is done here or in markets overseas. Companies are already getting it done in those other markets. We don't have to reinvent the wheel. And as we see in those CB articles, many are starting to do it here as well. Again, the challenge is to accelerate the transition.

Such massive contagion will lead to mushrooming growth of the market for your green products and services. Ditto the supply-chain market, creating opportunities for you to become a supplier to large corporations and government agencies. Everyone wins. Big!

So don't delay. Let's come together through the Green Economy Project, compare notes and share experiences in our LinkedIn group, huddle on your own with new partners and stakeholders, and create the contagion needed to create in Puerto Rico one of the greenest economies in the world.

For the latest green news, visit cb.pr/greeneconomy and follow me on Twitter @alexdiazeco and on Newsvine at alexdiazeco.newsvine.com. You may also contact me by email at alex@casiano.com or by phone at 787-923-0743.

Accelerated change = higher profitability

The objective of this Caribbean Business Green Economy Project -- as indeed should be the case for the entire sustainability movement globally -- is to accelerate solutions to climate change by creating thriving green local markets across all segments of the green economy.

Allow me to break down that charged statement. First, the segments. They run the gamut: renewable power generation, smart grid, biofuels, building and company efficiency (energy, water, waste, data centers, landscaping, logistics, materials and supply chains), new urbanism and smart growth, transportation, green products, carbon finance, green banking, product lifecycle manufacturing and distribution, land use, forestry and biodiversity, ecosystem services, sustainable agriculture, organic food, local sourcing, employee-community-customer-stakeholder engagement, climate mitigation, and more.

Quite a scope, isn't it. Behind each of these segments are companies doing business and creating green jobs. That's why this is called the green economy -- companies looking to sell products and services to make money in ways that reduce carbon emissions, allowing for economic growth to continue, only with sustainable production and consumption. Which brings us to the second point: thriving markets. This is the Age of Green. There are lots of companies creating value, scaling up and cashing in across all segments. The question is: are you?

Next: local markets. In light of the complete inability of UN-sponsored climate talks to strike a deep and binding agreement on reducing emissions at a global level, all eyes are on local markets to get the job done. Markets like Puerto Rico, where we're at, and local markets throughout the United States, Latin America and every continent on Earth. Cities, counties, provinces, regions, states. Leaders at all levels -- corporate, government, civic, academic, neighborhood and individual -- must step up. It won't happen otherwise.

Finally, acceleration. Climate change is at an advanced stage in 2011. We're past 390 parts per million in the atmosphere (the metric used in climate science), and instead of slowing down the rate of growth, emissions continue to rise at a rapid pace. Given the momentum of non-sustainable development around the world, the risk is high that we will be unable to stop the rise and provoke a dramatic nose dive of emissions on time to avert catastrophic climate consequences. Unless we move far faster today. Green-business-as-usual ain't working. We must do everything we're doing now, and more, at an accelerated rate.

The good news is that, not only will that contribute to solving the problem; it also translates into more business for companies that get in on the act and create thriving green local markets across all segments of the green economy.

That's our challenge, and our opportunity.

Keep up with the latest by following me on Twitter @alexdiazeco, on Newsvine at alexdiazeco.newsvine.com, and by joining our networking group on LinkedIn (Green Economy Project).