Forums: Discussions for entrepreneurs and small business.

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.





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Catherine Morley | Project Manager
BoDo: Business of Design online

thecat,

can you ask jess to post here so we can benefit from her perspectives within our forums? that would be ideal as we try to build an emphasis on green business...


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Rich Sloan , Co-Founder, Chief Startupologist, StartupNation

Rich,

You beat me to it. I was so busy chatting with Jess via email and on another forum, I forgot to let her know I shared her bits here.




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Catherine Morley | Project Manager
BoDo: Business of Design online

Hi all!

Wow, it`s kind of wierd having a "reputation that precedes me," I feel so...green.

First of all, I`m really excited to see this forum category on here—it is SUCH an important issue and I think it`s going to be incredibly important for businesses (especially small businesses) to understand the issues and start implementing sustainable practices themselves.

There are so many advantages to going green that it`s hard to know where to even begin. I think the article Cat posted to (above) is a good start, because even though it`s primarily directed at graphic designers it`s actually applicable to pretty much every business on here.

I`ll definitely try to drop by more than I have been—I`ve been crazy busy these days!

Best,
Jess


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Roughstock Studios | Notes From the Rodeo | Newsletter
Strategic communications without the selling of souls.

Roughstock glad to joined the forum. I have an idea for going green, Stop printing. Yep I see it all the time people print emails, simple funny photos, etc. ONLY use the printer when it`s absolutely necessary. Uuse PDF`s or overhead projectors to reduce meeting document print costs and as always use recycled paper.

Oh and one more, when your bored, go plant a tree.

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He who gets greedy like a pig, gets slaughtered like a hog!

This is great advice. I have a little note in my email signature that reminds people "Please consider your environmental impact before printing this email."

I have a implemented a PDF workflow in my office and I am in the process of converting all of my client intake forms into online forms.

You can also print double-sided, print on "draft" mode (uses less ink) when not printing critical docs, and reusing wasted prints as scrap paper.

—J.


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Roughstock Studios | Notes From the Rodeo | Newsletter
Strategic communications without the selling of souls.

Another idea is something as simple as heating water.  Turn the water heater thermostats down, if possible.  Most offices keep them way to hot.  In addition most businesses have flat roofs.  Solar hot water heaters are not real expensive to replace a water heater with and they like flat roofs.  Since most companies work during daily light hours they can provide 100% of your hot water.

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Bert at Harvey Software, Inc.
Multi-Carrier Shipping Software and Supply Chain Solutions for Internet Retailers

Also a provider of free shipping information and resources at Harvey Software`s Parcel Shipping Blog along with free tracking solutions at TrackingPage.com...

I`m in the tropics so I`ve had ceiling fans put in all rooms. Hopefully this will stop the use of ac.

I`ve also installed latticing outside main windows to cut down on the sun coming in. Lined curtains cut down the rest.

And of course, like Jess mentioned, I`ve had lights taken out and energy lights installed in their place.

I use taxi and public transport (skytrain and underground), owning a gas hog is not on my horizon. And of course, I walk whenever possible.

Cutting down on printing is a good suggestion. I`ve never printed out emails, but I do print speeches and reports when needed. Paper is reused for handwritten notes or sketches. I`ve grown used to not printing out these days, so at times months go by and the ink dries up before I can use it again. This is a major problem and I`m not sure how to get around that one. Ink is not cheap (I have an Epson, not sure if that matters).




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Catherine Morley | Project Manager
BoDo: Business of Design online

A lot of people don`t realize some things about ceiling fans.  Ceiling fans only save if you turn up the AC higher.  As a general rule, a ceiling fan will make you feel cooler so you can set your AC higher.  They will not really make the room cooler.  Also, do not leave ceiling fans on when you leave the room.  They do not keep a room cooler, they just make you feel cooler.  If you don`t do these things you will not save nearly as much from having them.  One last thing about ceiling fans is to use compact fluorescent light bulbs if your fans have lights.  The higher wattage standard incandescent bulbs actually heats up the air comes from the fan and uses too much electricity.

If you want to know how much energy your business uses and where you could potentially save visit this site and calculator:

http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=small_business.sb_calc ulate

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Bert at Harvey Software, Inc.
Multi-Carrier Shipping Software and Supply Chain Solutions for Internet Retailers

Also a provider of free shipping information and resources at Harvey Software`s Parcel Shipping Blog along with free tracking solutions at TrackingPage.com...

I dislike having ac on all the time as it makes living in a hot climate unbearable. How? Because if you work and sleep under ac, getting out and about feels extra hot because you body is used to the cool.

But, in the hot months (40°++), I`m forced to use a bit of ac. I turn it on to take the stifling heat out of a room, then shut it off and use a fan only.

In the cooler season, my ac won`t be used at all. Well, unless I have visitors, then I sympathise as they are not used to the heat out here.

As for lights in the ceiling fan - I opted out when told that it`s the lights that are the main culprits when it comes to noise. There is nothing more annoying than a creaking fan!

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Catherine Morley | Project Manager
BoDo: Business of Design online