'Don't be smug' and other advice.

• Author: Lewis, Richard
• Position: Techniques in environmental policy planning - Leadership in Environmental Initiatives

Recognize that environmental issues won't go away. Ever. The world is only going to get smaller, more industrialized, and more garbage-filled.

Consider the environment an investor relations problem. Overhanging environmental liabilities can hammer down the price of your stock.

Recognize the opportunities. Consumer companies, in particular, now have public "permission" to redesign products and packages to lessen the costs of materials and shipping.

Don't be smug. Every company has vulnerabilities. Banks may seem "clean" but they risk foreclosing on polluted properties. Every corporate office can be charged with landfill abuse.

Take a leadership role. Unless your company has a "dark environmental secret," you should be out in front of this issue.

Develop a program before disaster hits. Too many companies wait for an environmental crisis to prod them into action.

Go for long-term solutions. If you get ahead of the issue, you can develop thoughtful, efficient responses, as opposed to having to throw money at a crisis.

Don't forget the cost of lawsuits. You may decide it's worthwhile to spend more on environmental prevention.

Get your CEO involved. Environmental issues touch almost every corporate department. Only the CEO, or his agent, can sort things out and get people working together.

Sensitize your marketing people. They focus on brand competition, not the corporate reputation. Exaggerated claims for biodegradable garbage bags got one company sued in six states.

Never underestimate how bad the problem can get. One California company is being sued for polluting the ocean floor.

Never underestimate the press. One Connecticut company was charged -- in banner headlines -- with being a major polluter. Reporters had found "evidence" by sifting through the company's garbage and analyzing the residue of an empty paint can that had been discarded by the maintenance staff.

Print your annual report, or at least the financial section, on recycled paper. While this is basically a token gesture, the inclusion of the recycled "bug" in...