What business owners can do to go green
thecat
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It`s exciting to see that Startup Nation has included a green section!I`d like to introduce Jess Sand, who has a column on at BoDo - The Sustainable Studio. Her latest post, Substantial Profits, Sustainably (Part 1),
shares tips on how we, as business owners, can do to go green.The post is aimed at the design audience at BoDo, but as you`ll soon see, most business owners can use her tips.And while I`m here, I`d like to share another great resource, Design Can Change.
shares tips on how we, as business owners, can do to go green.The post is aimed at the design audience at BoDo, but as you`ll soon see, most business owners can use her tips.And while I`m here, I`d like to share another great resource, Design Can Change.
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Oh and one more, when your bored, go plant a tree.
bert2007-6-20 23:4:54
1. Check lighting - companies like WSI Lighting can help you invest in
fixtures that use less energy, you get more life out of the bulbs, and they
are brighter creating a brighter, cleaner work environment.
2. Check insulation and sealing - if you own the building, you can find
an energy auditor who can give you ideas on how to reduce usage and
make the environment more comfortable.
3. Start a recycled paper program, recycle tin cans and plastic water
bottles, recycle cardboard.
4. If you are redecorating, use zero-VOC products - Flor carpeting and
Harmony paint from Sherwin Williams are both great products.
5. Change the cleaners to eco-friendly products which are non-toxic to
the workers in the office.
That`s just a beginning.
You can keep watch of my site for more info, I`ll be adding more and
more to the site. www.sagebgreenenergy.com
Thanks and good luck!
Julianna
between uses and kept them in sealed (reused, of course!) plastic bags?
It`s a pain, but maybe less of a pain than having to replace them
all?Jess, I didn`t realise that about the outside temperature. Makes sense though.I`m most likely wrong, but I vaguely remember the instructions saying that you can`t put used cartridges back. It`d be great if we could as I`m tired of the expense of buying new just because they`ve dried out. thecat2007-10-1 21:14:5
thank you
We recently came across a product that is unbelievable in cleaning applications. The name of it is "Awesome" It is a spray cleaner.We found it in a Dollar Store and tried it. It is 100% organic and has a pleasant smell. There are no chemicals in it at all. We would recommend it to all.
Hope this helps.
Paul
At Beyond Zebra Inc. we help Hollywood and fortune 100 companies green their marketing programs one tchotchkee at a time! A giveaway doesn`t have to be a throw-away. If you make thoughtful choices in your marketing you can increase brand awareness, increase ROI, AND save the planet.Here are some things to consider on your next promotional product purchase:* Reduce paper consumption and your carbon footprint by sending clients/prospects USB drives instead of proposals and printed brochures* Utilize a fast growing plant material like bamboo for uniforms or company apparel - it is not only sustainable but is also a natural anti-microbial * Choose organic cotton tshirts and hats for online company stores- conventional cotton is one of the worse crops for the environment. It gobbles up 10% of the worlds agricultural chemicals, 25% of the insecticides, 3% of our land; that`s more than any other crop per unit. That adds up to 1/3 of a pound of chemicals to produce enough cotton for one tshirt! * Opt for Post-consumer recycled PET (made from recycled soda bottles and plastics and woven with cotton) tote bags for trade show giveaways.* Stop purchasing paper plates, cups and utensils for your employee kitchens. Instead, purchase glass and ceramic that can be reused over and over and eventually recycled. If dish washing just won`t happen, go for corn based products that are compostable.* Purchase local whenever possible. This reduces shipping costs and your carbon footprint* Keep it simple - Choose products that don`t require excessive packaging, clamshells, etc. * When shipping large quantities, don`t request special pack outs (ie-smaller number of pieces per carton or adding inner cartons). This increases waste and increases your shipping costs.No matter what your budget, you can find ways to be green. It just takes research, research, research!Happy greening!-StacyPremiumGuru7/3/2008 7:43 PM
Everyone here really needs to be aware of the concept of "greenwashing," and what that both means and does to those who are genuinely attempting to make real environmental change. When you replace one environmentally unfriendly practice for another, and claim you`re being "green," you`re greenwashing. When you tell only half the story about your products (perhaps you use recycled content in a product, but the energy used to produce that product is higher than if you used virgin content), you`re greenwashing.
These practices do real harm to both your business and to the environment you claim to be protecting. Consumers are not idiots - they are becoming increasingly more aware of the tactics businesses (and their marketing departments) use to mislead them simply to sell products. You can say you`re as green Kermit the Frog, but that doesn`t mean you can live off a diet of flies - saying so doesn`t make it so.
If you`re a business owner and you are genuinely interested in improving your operations and reducing your environmental footprint, you`re going to need to go a lot further than simply swapping out one bad piece of the supply chain for another. Here`s my advice for anyone who is about to make a claim about just how green they are:1. Do your research. Know what you`re talking about, or your decisions will very likely be misinformed, and may do more harm than good.
2. Consider the entire supply chain. If you`re using recycled paper, but that paper has to get trucked in from across the country, and then you have to go drive for an hour to pick it up at the big box store, you may very well be causing more environmental damage in that process than if you were to walk to your local independent retailer and pick up a ream of virgin content paper manufactured in-state. You need to look beyond the simple, obvious step, and really consider the entire footprint/implications of your decisions.3. Explore alternatives. Look for unusual or creative options to solve your problems. I was having a real problem finding recycled brown envelopes in the size needed, so I joined FreeCycle instead, and lo and behold someone was giving away a box of 500 of exactly what I needed. I didn`t have to go out and buy new non-recycled envelopes from a company, thereby increasing the demand for such products. I also could have switched my approach and chosen a different color or size of recycled envelopes.
4. Remember that although "green" products are better than "non-green," not consuming more stuff is the even better option. The problem with our current methodology is that the rate at which we consume products, green or otherwise, is not sustainable. That is, the resources required to produce anything are diminishing at an irreplaceable rate.5. Be wary of green claims. Don`t assume that just because a company claims they`re green, that they really are. See Six Sins of Greenwashing for more details about a recent marketing study that found that of over a thousand green marketing claims, all but ONE was either false or misleading. Again, do your research. If you`re looking for ways to evaluate just how green a company, you can check out my article on the subject.6. Ask yourself if the claim you are making can be supported by scientific facts. Can you provide legitimate, 3rd-party information backing up the claims you make? Are you willing to disclose the details to consumers who might ask? If not, you may want to reconsider making such claims.
When I read suggestions like, "Reduce paper consumption and your carbon footprint by sending clients/prospects USB drives" I have to shake my head. Electronics are made with toxic chemicals that are as bad or worse for the environment than the chemicals used in paper manufacturing. This is not necessarily a greener alternative, and to claim it is is irresponsible and misleading. I don`t mean to single people out, but businesses who make false or misleading claims make the rest of us look bad.
The real question shouldn`t be "what kind of tchotchkee should I send to prospects," the real question should be "what is the most effective way to market my business to prospects without sacrificing the environment or public safety to do so?" From there, you might just find that a quick phone call to a well-targeted prospect is better than sending out thousands of pieces of junk to random people that will just collect dust in a desk drawer, or worse, a landfill.
It`s not just a matter of swapping one thing for another; whole business models need to change if we`re going to have any real impact on the environment. And that includes the way we market our businesses and the kind of claims we make.
Sorry to be a downer here, but I`m a little tired of businesses jumping on the green bandwagon only to steer it off course for those who are genuinely making real changes to their business structures in order to measurably reduce their environmental footprint. There`s a reason the phrase "green fatigue" has begun being tossed around in relation to consumer behavior, and it`s because of the deluge of false claims being made.Roughstock7/2/2008 1:09 PM
Having said all that, I am more than happy to admit that I have a lot to learn. We all do. I have spoken with friends who are environmental consultants and people who I consider to be experts and even they admit that that the more you learn, the more you don`t know when it comes to environmental issues. There is always another angle, another viewpoint, another way of thinking that you may not have realized. IE - the heated discussions on forums about the Prius, is it REALLY environmentally friendly when you consider the production and disposal of the batteries?
My point is, I think we are all here to learn from each other. So I will graciously accept your criticism and with it ask that you excuse my mistakes that I make along the way. I will ask more questions and try to keep my proverbial vegan shoe out of my mouth! Deal?I have a question about education and training for you, Roughstock. I`ve read cradle to cradle and Silent spring (although that one was many many years ago), and many of these types of books. However, I`m interested in a more classroom type of sustainability management training in the So Cal area. Besides going back for an MBA or the like, is there anything that you can recommend?PremiumGuru7/4/2008 1:59 AM