Fiscal Environmentalism is a hybrid term of two traditional and often conflicting

philosophies Philosophical schools of thought and philosophical movements. A Absurdism - Action, philosophy of - Actual idealism - Actualism - Advaita Vedanta - Aesthetic Realism - Aesthetics - African philosophy - Afrocentrism - Agential realism - ...

environmentalism Environmentalism or environmental rights is a broad philosophy, ideology, and social movement regarding concerns for environmental protection and improvement of the health of the environment, particularly as the measure for this health seeks ...

and fiscal conservatism, created to emphasize the growing understanding of the middle ground between the two, where the goals of each are simultaneously fulfilled. The result is a

business practice Business ethics (also known as Corporate Ethics) is a form of applied ethics or professional ethics, that examines ethical principles and moral or ethical problems that can arise in a business environment. It applies to all aspects of business co ...

based upon principles of intelligent

environmental design Environmental design is the process of addressing surrounding environmental parameters when devising plans, programs, policies, buildings, or products. It seeks to create spaces that will enhance the natural, social, cultural and physical environm ...

and financial discipline, associated with each.

Concept

Traditional practices of environmental stewardship (including preservation, elimination of

waste Waste (or wastes) are unwanted or unusable materials. Waste is any substance discarded after primary use, or is worthless, defective and of no use. A by-product, by contrast is a joint product of relatively minor economic value. A waste prod ...

, and increased

energy efficiency Energy efficiency may refer to: * Energy efficiency (physics), the ratio between the useful output and input of an energy conversion process ** Electrical efficiency, useful power output per electrical power consumed ** Mechanical efficiency, a ra ...

), complement bottom-line-driven economic policy (including increased profitability, reduced waste, and organizational efficiency). As future economic growth will demand both a higher degree of environmental awareness and a stronger utilization of available investment monies, the hallmarks of an efficiently organized and profitable company, organization, government, or household stand to benefit from environmentalism’s

holistic Holism () is the idea that various systems (e.g. physical, biological, social) should be viewed as wholes, not merely as a collection of parts. The term "holism" was coined by Jan Smuts in his 1926 book '' Holism and Evolution''."holism, n." OED On ...

approach. Fiscal environmentalism is a useful term for individuals who are familiar with either of the philosophies, and is related to very general concepts such as "

sustainable business A sustainable business, or a green business, is an enterprise that has minimal negative impact or potentially a positive effect on the global or local Natural environment, environment, community, society, or economy—a business that strives to m ...

practices" and "socially responsible business practices", and other concepts more specific to traditional fields, such as Ecological Economics, and Environmental Management Systems. Compared to these other terms, fiscal environmentalism emphasizes fiscal discipline. It is used in discussions with business leaders who are looking to answer public demand for increased environmental awareness while still focusing on bottom-line success.

Corporate examples

Recent examples of fiscal environmentalism include the rise of

green Green is the color between cyan and yellow on the visible spectrum. It is evoked by light which has a dominant wavelength of roughly 495570 nm. In subtractive color systems, used in painting and color printing, it is created by a combi ...

building practices among government and traditional businesses as an attempt to save costs in energy consumption and improve

indoor air quality Indoor air quality (IAQ) is the air quality within and around buildings and structures. IAQ is known to affect the health, comfort, and well-being of building occupants. Poor indoor air quality has been linked to sick building syndrome, reduce ...

. Even retailer

Wal-Mart Walmart Inc. (; formerly Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.) is an American multinational retail corporation that operates a chain of hypermarkets (also called supercenters), discount department stores, and grocery stores from the United States, headquarter ...

, which has often been strongly criticized by

environmental groups An environmental organization is an organization coming out of the conservation or environmental movements that seeks to protect, analyse or monitor the environment against misuse or degradation from human forces. In this sense the environmen ...

for its environmental practices, has begun to embrace a fiscal environmentalist approach, if only to save money. It recently hired a new senior level Environmental Affairs officer. Wal-Mart has also recently made a monumental commitment to promoting energy-saving

compact fluorescent A compact fluorescent lamp (CFL), also called compact fluorescent light, energy-saving light and compact fluorescent tube, is a fluorescent lamp designed to replace an incandescent light bulb; some types fit into light fixtures designed for inca ...

light bulbs.Wal-Mart Aims To Sell 100 Million Compact Fluorescents In One Year

TreeHugger ''TreeHugger'' is a sustainability website that reports on news, and other subjects like eco-friendly design, homes, and gardens. It was rated the top sustainability blog of 2007 by Nielsen Netratings, and was included in Time Magazine's 200 ...

According to a global

Newsweek ''Newsweek'' is an American weekly online news magazine co-owned 50 percent each by Dev Pragad, its president and CEO, and Johnathan Davis, who has no operational role at ''Newsweek''. Founded as a weekly print magazine in 1933, it was widely ...

ranking, which measures how effectively the top 100 companies manage environmental risks and opportunities relative to their industry peers, Royal Bank of Canada is the most environmentally friendly company in the world.Global-Warming Ready

, 8 April 2007, Accessed 19 July 2007 Other companies in the top five include

Lafarge La Farge, LaFarge or Lafarge can refer to: People * Antoinette LaFarge (1966–), American artist and writer * Christopher Grant LaFarge (1862–1938), American architect and partner in the firm Heins & LaFarge * Christopher Grant La Farge ( ...

, Grupo Ferrovial,

Westpac Westpac Banking Corporation, known simply as Westpac, is an Australian multinational banking and financial services company headquartered at Westpac Place in Sydney, New South Wales. Established in 1817 as the Bank of New South Wales, ...

and

Yell Group Hibu Inc. (styled hibü), formerly Yellowbook Inc., is a provider of digital marketing and advertising solutions to small- and medium-sized businesses across the US. Hibu’s specialties includes web development and hosting, digital listings and ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fiscal Environmentalism Environmentalism Environmental tax Fiscal policy

Concept

Corporate examples

See also

References