Global warming sceptics seem to have gone rather quiet recently. Whether you’re a believer or not, sustainable practices and carbon counting are here to stay; and like it or not, the climate is changing and our lives are going to have to change with it.

However, there has been much controversy over the global warming theory. For years, many people, including some at governmental level (most famously the Bush administration), simply denied global warming was a reality. The sceptics have since greatly diminished as the evidence has grown overwhelmingly and there are now very few who still maintain that the climate isn’t changing rapidly.

However, some companies have been accused of using climate change and other environmental issues as a “greenwashing” exercise. The term is used to describe organisations that put more time or money into advertising their green credentials, than actually carrying out green practises. Examples include changing the name or label of a product (for example, using the images of a pristine forest on a bottle of bleach), or making token efforts that provide little positive benefit to the environment, hoping it will win favourability in the eyes of the public.

However, whilst there are few companies around today who haven’t painted themselves in some shade of green, there are many who are genuinely striving to be more environmentally friendly – and not just for the publicity. Companies want to be seen as responsible and sensitive to the needs of the environment, and if it also makes business sense for them to switch to green practices, then they’ll do it.

So rather than seeing sustainability as a greenwashing PR scam, some companies are viewing green practices as an exiting new adventure requiring innovative new business models, fresh approaches and a change of business culture – and it’s these organisations who are likely to create not only a cleaner, greener future for the planet, but also a long term future for themselves.

To help those companies who want to make a change for the better, there are now some courses on offer, such as the Leading for Sustainability Programme, designed to help businesses executives, governmental agencies and anyone else who’s interested, to implement more environmentally sustainable changes within their organisation.