Up until approximately 6 months ago, I was of the impression that being conscious of the environment was strictly for the benefit of the environment itself, and that I would derive nothing from it; the ultimate beneficiary of any recycling/waste reduction would be future generations, and the greater effect of my efforts would occur long after I was gone.
Thanks to Dr. Anthony Watanabe and my work as the web developer for the Toronto Regional Green Building Festival website at http://www.greenbuildingfest.com , I have come to the realization that there are reasons beyond the ecological benefits mentioned above.
In speaking with Anthony, I noticed that he uses the word "sustainability" and the phrase "sustainable growth" quite frequently when describing his business. He even went so far as to conceive the Sustainable Business Resource Centre (http://www.sustainabilityincubator.com), a network of for-profit and not-for-profit businesses whose collective mission is to grow while maintaining a sense of social responsibility and ensuring that they use the minimal amount of environmental resources
It was in speaking to the owners of the other members at the SBRC launch party that I discovered the direct financial benefits of sustainable growth:
Lower energy/utility bills. By using energy-efficient appliances and renewable sources of energy (e.g. solar), consumption of energy resources decreases and, in turn, utility costs decrease.
Increased productivity. A cleaner office environment will keep employees happier and consequentially more productive.
Government rebates and incentives. Depending on where you live, there may be municipal, provincial/state-wide, or federal incentives designed to reward environmental responsibility.
Lower costs on goods, both in the short and long term. Reduced use of goods and recycling provide an increased supply of goods as well as a decreased demand for said goods. Simple economic theory teaches us that this increased supply and/or decreased demand leads to lower costs for goods.
WAYS TO GO GREEN AND SAVE MONEY
Some of these ways may seem obvious, but bear repeating in order to ensure that as many of us as possible are contributing to our own sustainable growth:
Purchase energy-efficient products for use in the office. Look for consumption ratings on products that make use of hydro and gas. Another positive sign that a product is energy efficient is the Energy Star logo.
Don't print/photocopy unless absolutely necessary. I've seen many people print non-necessary documents, web pages, and even personal pictures on the office printer and distribute them to friends and colleagues.
A good rule of thumb when it pertains to paperwork is, "if you don't need a permanent record of it, don't print it."
Turn off all electrical devices and adjust the thermostat to match the outside conditions when no one is in the office. If you don't want to adjust your thermostat manually, consider investing in an electronic programmable thermostat. These thermostats can be programmed within 10-15 minutes of installation and very rarely need to be adjusted.
Choose environmentally responsible companies for your commercial needs. Companies such as Diamond + Schmitt Architects Inc. (http://www.dsai.ca) that show a commitment toward sustainable growth will help ensure that your needs are met while making minimal use of natural resources.
Transmit mass-consumption documents electronically where and when possible. Besides being far less expensive to do so than to mail out said documents, paper use is also minimized.
Consider features for your fax line such as Call Screen and Privacy Guard. Companies such as Primus (http://www.primus.ca) offer features for any phone line that will allow the owner of the line to filter out and eliminate needless and unnecessary calls.
In the case of a fax line, activating filtering features will allow you to block known mass fax senders from tying up your fax line, shortening the lifespan of your fax, and wasting ink and paper an on unsolicited commercial faxing. These features are typically minimal in cost (usually no more than $5.00 per feature per month) and can be considered a wise investment on the basis of avoiding unsolicited commercial materials alone.
These are just a few examples. If you examine your own business environment, you will likely find many other ways to contribute in a positive manner to both the environment and your company's bottom line.
Adam Senour is the owner of ADAM Web Design, a leading web design and development company in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. His website can be found at http://www.adamwebdesign.ca .
Other Articles related to "Why Going Green Makes Good Business Sense" by Adam Senour
•Preparing Your Business For January
Why Worry About January During the Holiday Season?
Over the first couple of weeks of December, I have been in meetings and had telephone discussions with clients who have no interest in targeting their promotional efforts for the holiday season. They have, instead, chosen to focus their efforts on promoting websites during the month of January.
At first, I found the logic very confusing based on a common misconception. Why market during the month of January? Most people tend to have a...
•Creative Offline Website Marketing Techniques
by: Adam Senour
Although the vast majority of website traffic is the direct result of search engines, there are many offline marketing techniques that can be used to draw customers to your website. The examples listed below are but a few ways in which you can market your online presence to an offline audience in an inexpensive manner. Some of the examples listed below even can be implemented at no extra cost!
Some of these ideas are fairly common, but some are rather unique and I personally...
•Effective Email Communication
by Adam SenourEmail, when used properly, can generate additional direct sales and leads; can be used as a tool to communicate with your existing client base to let them know of upcoming events which may affect them; and as a means of ongoing promotion for your business.The following is a list of simple guidelines and tips that will help you become an effective email communicator. Please bear in mind that many of these guidelines assume that you have never established any prior dialogue and,...
•Eliciting Constructive Website Feedback
by: Adam Senour
It's good.
You've done a nice job.
I don't like it.
At some point, you have probably received comments like this when asking for constructive criticism of your website efforts. Unfortunately, the generic nature of these comments does not give specific information on elements that you need to improve your site.
So how do you elicit specific, constructive, targeted feedback from the public in order to improve your website? The seven techniques below, when implemented properly,...
•When is a website ready for launch/relaunch?
THE COMMON MISCONCEPTION
On September 1, 2005, I was contacted by Ivan Schneider of Award Kitchen Refacers at http://www.awardkitchenrefacers.ca . Award had confirmed participation as an exhibitor at the National Home Show in Toronto at the end of the month and wanted to have a website, logo and set of business cards that could be presented to the public to support their offline marketing efforts at that time.
Ivan and I sat down the next week and went through the various materials and...
•The Secrets of The Shriekers
by: Adam Senour
I am constantly bombarded with all sorts of advertisements, single-page sites, and sites offering very little real content but some wonderful new product or service for sale that purports to make its customers wealthy beyond their wildest dreams.
For the purposes of this article, let's refer to Amazing Formula (http://www.amazingformula.com) as an example of such a site. (Note: I have never purchased this product and can make no claim, verification or guarantee one way or...
•iKobo Review - Part 1
by: Adam Senour
The Initial Discovery
In April of 2004, I became aware of a company called iKobo as the result of a posting on Web Design Forums (http://www.webdesignforums.net), a website design discussion board. An individual who was new to the discussion board posted a series of comments regarding iKobo and its presence as a possible serious competitor to PayPal. Upon further research on the company, a series of other forum discussion board posts were discovered. Forum link examples can...
•iKobo Review - Part 2
by: Adam Senour
Attempt 1 Conclusion
On July 13, 2004, the transaction was cancelled. My MasterCard was never charged.
However, I did notice that my limits as a sender and receiver had been unilaterally raised to $500 USD. I had not contacted iKobo by telephone or email with regard to raising my limits, nor had I sent any of the required documentation.
It also appeared that Penny Wang was correct. MasterCard does appear to cause processing difficulties with the iKobo system.
Attempt 2 -...
