By Lisa Hochgraf
Here in Rochester, N.Y., where this telecommuter lives and works, local credit unions are well loved. But if you ask residents what financial institutions they like doing business with in general, HSBC Bank and Canadaigua National Bank and Trust are also likely answers.
In this competitive market, every piece of positive press and positive impression counts.
HSBC recently got good press in my local paper for its new "green" branch in a northwest suburb of Rochester. Not only did the article detail the branch's use of solar electricity and wise use of water, but the bank's VP and director of environmental sustainability was quoted saying the bank would take what it learned in Rochester and apply it to its new headquarters in Illinois. What a positive impression it makes that the bank has an exec in charge of the environment and is constantly learning and doing more for the green effort.
And this is just one piece of good coverage HSBC has gotten for its green initiatives. In this Earth Day post, Robbie Wright links to HSBC's "virtual forest" for switching to e-statements and information about the bank's effort to be carbon-neutral.
A piece of me says financial institutions "going green" is just another fad. But deeper down, I know it's a bigger deal. Our planet can use every ounce of "going green" it can get. And competitive financial institutions need every piece of good press and every bit of positive impression they can get.
As Robbie aptly asks in his Life & Times of a CU Employee post, how hard would it be for a CU to install solar panels on the roofs of their branches?
Lisa Hochgraf is marketing/operations editor for CUES' Credit Union Management magazine and edits the CUES Tech Port e-newsletter, News to Go.
Read "Crazy Ideas ... or are They," an earlier Skybox post that turned into a "green" discussion.
Also read this Credit Union Management article about three CUs that are working at "Green Living."
