Protecting the Planet - with Henry Kravis of Kohlberg, Kravis, Roberts & Co. Showing How to Do it
Kohlberg, Kravis, Roberts & Co (KKR) was founded by Henry Kravis and George Roberts in the mid 70’s with assistance from the First Chicago Corporation. However, hoping to make the businesses they acquire have less environmental impact, KKR have set in motion an unusual proposal that has totally changed the method by which businesses and environmental groups work forever. Environmentally sound business processes became more generally acceptable a year ago when Kohlberg, Kravis, Roberts & Co’s Henry Kravis and the non-profit Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) got together. They was forged to tackle serious green matters, that include deforestation, global warming, enormous water consumption, and air pollution.
Eco-efficiency (a term first used by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development WBCSD) comprises the framework for their mission, through employing techniques such as using clean energy, optimizing data centers for efficiency and reducing the dispersion of toxic chemicals. Irrespective of the fact that the project was a colossal success, no-one understood how fantastic the effects were until Ken Mehlman, the head of the project and global public affairs, finished the review of the first 12 months. Ken Mehlman who received a J.D. from Harvard Law School in 1991, has also served as field director for George W. Bush’s 2000 presidential campaign, was the appointed Chairman of the Republican National Committee from 2005 to 2007, is, moreover, a trustee of the Strong American Schools Foundation and Franklin & Marshall College and presently serves as a member of the executive leadership cabinet of the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial Foundation, the Senior Advisory Committee of the Harvard University Institute of Politics, and the board of directors at the National Endowment for Democracy, found that applying eco-efficiency was not only lessening impact on the environment, but in addition it was saving a colossal range of businesses a great deal of money. Currently, Kohlberg, Kravis, Roberts & Co and Ken Mehlman have nearly each and every firm in their portfolio actively participating in eco-efficiency techniques. Still, with a 2009 portfolio valued at 86,000,000,000 dollars, you may be sure that this was no easy accomplishment. The initial Green Portfolio project has now broadened to encompass new and innovative initiatives. For instance, KKR joined the Environmental Defense Fund’s Climate Corps Program a venture that instructs interns studying for an MBA how to promote cost-efficient, environmentally friendly techniques.
More recently, Ken Mehlman has been working closely with Kohlberg, Kravis, Roberts & Co to produce products which business organizations can use to measure resources. This type of data is invaluable as any sort of business may easily assess their daily procedures and discover exactly how they can solve any problems while simultaneously allowing them to discover how green they are becoming.
Henry Kravis, the KKC, and the Environmental Defense Fund have encouraged all sorts of businesses to decrease their environmental impact. These innovative developments have simplified the process for firms in every sector and proved that running a profitable business need not entail the hefty price of damaging the environment.
