Source: DiGi Telecommunications Sdn. Bhd.

Google has been touted as “the most desirable place to work in the United States”. All the way across the globe however, I have discovered that based on aesthetics alone, in my own personal experience, DiGi Telecommunications’ head office, aptly named Digi D’house, is undoubtedly the most desirable place to work in in Malaysia.

It was a good while ago but I significantly recalled reading the newspaper write-up on DiGi’s head office in Subang Hi-Tech Industrial Park. I remember seeing the pictures of the head office and thinking to myself “this can’t be in the country!” but yet I continued ogling at such a marvel of an office place. Needless to say I leaped at the opportunity to see first-hand the place DiGi calls home. I certainly went with my own set of expectations in mind and I must admit that right from the moment I set foot in the lobby, keeping my cool was quite a task in itself.

Indeed, we met DiGi. No, the resort-like workplace is not an urban myth but I digress. When we heard of DiGi’s latest Corporate Responsibility (CR) programme we knew we wanted to know more. Any one of us who has lived in Malaysia in recent years will know that DiGi is synonymous with the colour yellow. So when DiGi announced Deep Green (“DG” – pun intended?) it certainly piqued our interest in wanting to delve deeper into DiGi’s CR initiatives. And upon finally coming to a time that is in agreement with the right people, DiGi graciously allowed us to pick at their gray matter.

Initially, the initiation seemingly appeared as a shift in terms of DiGi’s CR efforts. We have always known to associate DiGi’s efforts to community engagement, with which more often than not, it is in relation to the young and the creative ones. “Why the sudden shift?” we thought. It was then revealed to us that it is not a sudden shift that was conceived out of the inevitable growing affinity towards all things going green. It has been a while now that with much awareness, DiGi recognized that there is an alarming and urgent need for change in the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) industry. The one fact that stood out was that from “a McKinsey report on the environmental impact by various industries revealed that the ICT industry is set to outstrip the aviation industry as the major source of CO2 emissions by 2012” (Source: DiGi Telecommunications Sdn. Bhd.).

This doesn’t just involve the industry makers alone – but this includes consumers, myself included, who depend on the ICT industry that contributes to the alarming statement. It is with this in mind that DiGi has cultivated a stance consistent throughout its organization to ensure the preservation and salvation of the environment. It is with such conscientiousness that has led for DiGi to include Environment as one of the legs of the tripod that forms the CR Strategic Focus. From the preservation of the hillock in its office grounds that was kept and built around down to the concept of the large, wide windows throughout the building to ensure reduction of electricity consumption, DiGi is consistent in that it has clearly incorporated sustaining the environment within its own organization before venturing out into the community.

The tagline under the company’s Corporate Responsibility arm – “Doing Great While Doing Good”. The office culture, working environment and D’House alone, this a reflection and fair representation of the company? I for one definitely wouldn’t mind clocking in the long hours (if necessary) in a working environment like this – if everyone works together a common belief, a common good. And yes, I shamefully admit that claiming a site like DiGi D’House as a second home is an all-too alluring thought.

The Unsung Heroes

And so it is. Ingenuity in the green context does pay off. Here are some of the rich greenies who earned enough fortune and deeds to help save planet earth! Well at least to some certain degree - to sustain a livable future.

Some of these rich greenies proved one thing. That being environmental responsible and earning the millions at the same time is possible. I wonder what it’s like to be waking up to the world every day with such complete sense of satisfaction. My business will change the course of the human race. That is big. Surely it is something that anyone can live with for long.

[Source from http://earthfirst.com/tag/renewable-energy/]

John Mackey, Whole Foods

Way back in 1978, John Mackey dropped out of college and borrowed $45,000 from family friends to open Safer Way Natural Foods, a small vegetarian health food store in Austin, Texas. After experiencing some difficulty in his first few years in business, Mackey approached the owners of another Austin health food store about a merger, and together they became Whole Foods, which later became the most successful natural foods chain in the world. Mackey has declined to disclose his personal net worth, but we know that prior to 2006, when he announced that he was no longer in the business to make money and would henceforth only make $1 per year, he was netting $400,000 annually. He reportedly has enough money now to give at least $1 million away to charity every year, and as CEO of such a huge company, we’re sure he’s pretty damn comfortable.

Pedro Moura Costa, EcoSecurities

EcoSecurities is an Irish carbon mitigation firm that has developed more projects than any other similar business, and co-founder Pedro Moura Costa got $10 million richer last year when he sold some of his shares in the firm. Moura Costa knew that the carbon market could be big business, especially once the Kyoto Protocol was established. It may have taken longer than he expected for the market to become very profitable, but he’s done well and will continue to make even more: his remaining shares are worth an estimated $83 million.

When asked by Reuters whether the thought green business was a bubble, Moura Costa said, “It’s become quite obvious we do something now or it will be an irreversible trend with catastrophic consequences. The only chance of it being a bubble is if we lack the political commitment to drive emission reductions worldwide — and if we do that we might as well forget about any environmental effort whatsoever because climate change is hitting us hard and the trend is likely to accelerate. I think it’s very unlikely political support will go away.”


David Scaysbrook, Novera Energy

When David Scaysbrook founded Australian firm Novera Energy in 1998, he was convinced that unlike other forms of renewable energy that were available at the time, wind power had real potential. He became a millionaire when cashing in $7 million worth of shares in the company, and is still a non-executive director on the board. He’s also a founding shareholder of Viridis Energy Capital, a specialist green energy fund with a global focus and a portfolio of investments in landfill gas, biomass and hydro power.

David is confident that we haven’t seen anything yet when it comes to the success of the wind power industry, telling Reuters that he believes fears about energy security, the rising price of oil and growing concerns about the environment will push the scale of investment in wind to far greater proportions, which will undoubtedly continue adding millions to his bank account.