Times Square is going green. Ricoh, the electronics and technology giant that's Japanese by way of West Caldwell, NJ is putting up the world's first 100 percent solar and wind-powered billboard. Slated for location at 3 Times Square at 42nd Street and Seventh Avenue, it will be 47 feet high by 126 feet long, and draw energy from 45 solar panels and four wind turbines.
Ricoh estimates this billboard will cause a CO2 usage reduction of 18 tons per year. Interestingly, if there is insufficient wind or sun available to power the sign, it simply will not be illuminated. This is a substantial marketing sacrifice, but they're willing to let it sit dark in lieu of powering it by carbon-based fuels.
It's a laudable business choice, but the real story here is in the way Ricoh has considered its effects on the environment for the past 30 years. This company set up an Environmental Protection Group that, to quote their press material, “works to keep Ricoh's environmental goals and strategies as a key consideration when planning, developing, designing, and promoting new products and services." Additionally, it's recently developed a forward-looking Environment Action Plan that is using the year 2050 as a watermark in order to see the ways it and other businesses can reduce their carbon footprint.
Consider this: Ricoh is not the only company that has been taking the long-term approach in considering the way its operations affect the world.
The point is that there are a few companies that saw the advent of out-of-control-fuel prices along with the detrimental effects fossil fuels have on the environment. These companies are now poised to move into the next generation of commerce, but many still are not. It's one thing to play catch-up, it's another thing to not play at all. Which players do you think will win?
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