Please keep in mind that there are 27 million small businesses in the US and consider these facts from the SBA: Small businesses…

• Employ just over half of U.S. workers. Of 119.9 million non-farm private sector workers in 2006, small firms with fewer than 500 workers employed 60.2 million and large firms employed 59.7 million.
• Represent 99.7 percent of all employer firms.

I see three distinct public health implications:

Public Health Implication #1: I have a case study in my new book that talks about greening that is recognized by the EPA and OSHA as exemplary and that points out that quality, environmental, health, and safety standards are all intertwined; a company that set and meets the highest health and safety standards is the surest route to profitability and competitiveness. The Ideal Jacobs Corporation, a commercial printing company in NJ, has been recognized by both the EPA and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) for environmental and social responsibility. One of a few, small independent manufacturers in the EPA’s Performance Track program—a program for companies with the best environmental management systems in the country.

Says Andrew Jacobs, President: “You can’t get the best profits, you can’t even compete worldwide unless you are the ultimate in making as little garbage as possible, having the least amount of it around so your people won’t get sick, and being one of the safest you can be. So by being the best employer, you’re also being the most profitable.”

Jacobs chose to focus on two high-impact areas of his business: solid waste and hazardous waste.

“After working through the EPA application [twice], I realized the correlation between reducing solid waste and higher profit margins. It suddenly dawned on me: Of course, create less pollution and [you’ll] have more end-product…We invited in OSHA, which was unheard of at the time. Then, I realized that the healthier and safer our place was, the more money I was making. Every click we made in terms of quality, environmentalism, and safety, every time we notched up, we made more money.”

Since 2002, the company has reduced its solid waste per dollar of sales by more than 50%. By substituting less toxic materials in its sheet-fed printing operations, the company achieved an 18% reduction in pounds of solid waste per $1 in sales and a 23% reduction in pounds of hazardous materials used per $1 in sales. Ideal Jacobs is proof that good sustainability practices are good for business.

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I’m especially happy its happening virtually because my favorite CEO, Jeff Schwartz of Timberland, is giving the keynote. If you, like me are out of town, you do not to have to miss it.

It makes sense that a summit on new models of social responsibility should take place making use of a new model of communications. And the event is environmentally friendly as well. By utilizing web conferencing technology, the live summit’s carbon footprint is minimized (because large events can have significant environmental impacts).  According to the organizers:

This is a ground-breaking summit that is using the latest communications technology to reach everyone who can help add to the knowledge necessary to to make social responsibility the way all organizations conduct business.

The summit has all the makings of a must-attend event:

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This week I spoke with Jamie Wimberly whose firm, EcoAlign, just came out with a report called “Green Gap Redux: Green Words Gone Wrong”. Wimberly is CEO of Distributed Energy Financial Group (DEFG), a company in the clean tech space that includes EcoAlign. Jamie has nearly 20 years of experience in the energy and environment space, previously having served as the Vice President of the Consumer Energy Council of America (CECA), the President of the Center for the Advancement of Energy Markets (CAEM) and a Director on Boards of technology companies. He is a published author, frequent speaker and the Executive Producer of the award-winning Day In The Life Of (DILO) video.

Q: Hi Jamie.  Before we talk about the “Green Gap Redux” report, can you talk about how your focus on energy makes EcoAlign different from other green marketing agencies?
A. I was attracted to the energy sector because it impacts so many of the big issues of our day, including the environment, and is integral to modern society in all aspects.  The relationship between energy and environment is a symbiotic one, meaning that we won’t be able to clean up our environment and manage climate change without a transformation on how we produce, deliver and consume energy.  Our deep expertise in energy (the partners alone have over 50 years of collective experience in the sector) means that we can go beyond your usual agency engagement and truly discuss all aspects of strategy – operational, financial, marketing, etc.  As such, we are able to elevate the discussion of such things as messaging/ communications, product development, customer engagement, campaign design, channels and metrics, and other marketing-related activities to the C-level suite of our clients.  Finally, I would note that “sustainability” is evolving into a complete management model.  For that transition to be effective, you need to have a lot of skill sets and a strategic perspective that only comes from a deep understanding of all the moving pieces of a company. The end goal is for sustainability to become a business and economic driver to enhance profitably.

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What does that mean? The most effective greening of purchasing involves thinking about your entire inbound supply chain with an overriding purpose in mind: to select and purchase goods and services that are affordable, and have the least possible environmental impact throughout the course of every phase of their lifecycle including manufacturing, shipping/transportation, use, and recycling or disposal. And, contrary to popular belief, green purchasing does not always have to mean higher costs—although sometimes it will. In fact, by greening your supply chain you can often streamline your purchasing process, reduce overall costs, and improve your environmental footprint.

There are five good supply chain strategies that can be used to reduce waste. You can start by considering strategies that reduce the physical distance between where materials are sourced and where they are used. These strategies not only help reduce travel-related emissions, but also often result in shorter times to market and lower inventory holding costs:

Buying local is an excellent greening strategy. There significant social, environmental, and economic benefits to creating local economies. At this writing, some thirty-six cities and towns—from Albuquerque to Tampa—have adopted programs to label and promote locally owned businesses. It is always worthwhile to check with your vendors about the availability of local products and materials. Buying local also provides business owners with more control over their materials and end products. As an example, one wholesale distributor of locally grown food products in Michigan tells the story of being able to deliver poultry products that are cut to customer specifications quickly and on a regular basis, something that would be impossible if he were using larger, more distant vendors. The Business Alliance for Local Living Economies (BALLE) is a good resource for finding a local business network in your area.

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Tip #1: Source locally. Use local and sustainable produce, flowers, beverages, décor and rentals for holiday parties and meals.

Beyond that, there are two primary categories of activities involved in greening holiday parties and events: Finding ways to minimize the impact of the consumption occurring at the event itself, including food, flowers, beverages, décor, gifts, ect… Finding ways to mitigate the carbon footprint resulting from the airplane travel, car travel and lodging consumed for the event.

The good news is that there are a number of greening strategies that can deal with some or all of these factors that that are sexy and require little to no extra costs.

1. Make sure you have a recycling plan in place. Make recycling easy by having a sufficient number of well-marked recycling bins near where people need them.
2. If you are exchanging gifts (…think Secret Santa), make them green. There are a host of environmentally friendly gifts items ranging from aluminum water bottles to solar powered messenger bags to fair trade chocolates to locally made crafts that could fit the bill.

   Read more of this story »

   ]]> http://ecopreneurist.com/2009/09/21/17-ways-to-green-your-holidays/feed/ http://ecopreneurist.com/2009/09/02/the-top-10-greening-tips-myth/ http://ecopreneurist.com/2009/09/02/the-top-10-greening-tips-myth/#comments Wed, 02 Sep 2009 17:54:28 +0000 Jennifer Kaplan http://ecopreneurist.com/2009/09/02/the-top-10-greening-tips-myth/ Yet again, a LinkedIn question (asking for top 10 greening tips) got me thinking.  Is there really a thing such as a generic list of top 10 tips for greening? I don’t think so.

   As a start, the foundation of a green program lies in what a business is already doing. Do you recycle? Do you use CFLs? Do you have a programmable thermostats? Do you leave their PCs on all night? How much water do you use? What are your transportation needs? Depending on the answers to these and other questions, you will be able to identify the areas where the top green opportunities lie.  Even if you business practices are not very green now, you will probably find that you’ve adopted a green business practices already, and that you can implement others with no cost or change in business performance.  As an example, for most small businesses, changing to high efficiency lights or using recycled copy paper will have no direct impact on your core business operations.

   So how do you know what the top 10 things you can be doing to green yourself are? One way to determine which greening practices will yield the most bang for the buck (a.k.a. be a top 10 tip) is to focus on the largest expense areas. There is often a correlation between expenses and volume of use. If you cut back on what you spend, you will likely reduce what you use.

   So, whether reducing paper use or switching to high efficiency lights is a top 10 tip depends, well, on how much paper and electricity you’re using.  A business may want to target all expense areas over a certain threshold amount. You can measure this in dollars or as a percentage of overall expenses, such as any expense on which you spend over $500 a month, or that represent 10% or more of total expenses. A list of business expenses can guide the planning process. Start with the areas of the business that will have the greatest financial impact. You may not be able to change things as dramatically as you’d like, especially at first. Look for actions that are achievable and cost effective to implement. If staff leave lights on in unoccupied rooms (bathrooms, storage sheds), you may want to make turning off the lights in unused areas a priority. That step may be as simple as posting signs on light switches. If, on the other hand the lights are generating significant added costs, they may want to install motion sensors or bi-level light switches.

   Read more of this story »

   ]]> http://ecopreneurist.com/2009/09/02/the-top-10-greening-tips-myth/feed/ http://ecopreneurist.com/2009/08/27/why-a-clever-logo-matters/ http://ecopreneurist.com/2009/08/27/why-a-clever-logo-matters/#comments Thu, 27 Aug 2009 16:22:12 +0000 Jennifer Kaplan http://ecopreneurist.com/2009/08/27/why-a-clever-logo-matters/

   The FedEx logo has a hidden message. Does it matter?

   In a blog post called “25 logos with hidden messages – Amazing Graphic Designing tricks!” Charlie Johnson, the author, talks about what makes a logo a good marketing tool. He says:

   …make your logo look more conceptual and clever using the graphic designing tricks. As it is said, a logo should not be a plain looking symbol…it should reflect you and your company’s personality.

   Read more of this story »

   ]]> http://ecopreneurist.com/2009/08/27/why-a-clever-logo-matters/feed/ http://ecopreneurist.com/2009/08/24/let-me-nominate-you-100k-small-business-competition/ http://ecopreneurist.com/2009/08/24/let-me-nominate-you-100k-small-business-competition/#comments Mon, 24 Aug 2009 15:46:10 +0000 Jennifer Kaplan http://ecopreneurist.com/2009/08/24/let-me-nominate-you-100k-small-business-competition/
   American Express, in partnership with NBC Universal, is holding a competition to “Shine A Light” on an “inspiring” small business.

   I find so many of you inspiring, I’m thinking: Could it be you?

   They are looking for small businesses that are:

   • Innovative
   • Give back to the community
   • Demonstrate a “customer first” mentality.

   If so, they want to hear your story and you might win a $100K grant in cash and marketing support from American Express.

   Read more of this story »

   ]]> http://ecopreneurist.com/2009/08/24/let-me-nominate-you-100k-small-business-competition/feed/ http://ecopreneurist.com/2009/07/28/12-ways-to-make-the-peoples-stimulus-green/ http://ecopreneurist.com/2009/07/28/12-ways-to-make-the-peoples-stimulus-green/#comments Tue, 28 Jul 2009 20:12:51 +0000 Jennifer Kaplan http://ecopreneurist.com/2009/07/28/12-ways-to-make-the-peoples-stimulus-green/ I just read about the People’s Stimulus Package and am impressed.  Started by an Alabama pharmacist who thought his little town need its own stimulus, he gave his employees $700 bucks each ($300 to part timers) in $2 bills.  All he asked is that they give 15% to a charity and to spend the rest locally in independent stores.  Now, Turman Commercial Painters has formalized the program and are hoping it spreads across the country.

   I hope it does, but I would add one more requirement: Make the spending green.

   Buying local is itself an excellent greening strategy, in part because of evidence that there are significant social, environmental, and economic benefits to creating local economies. Beyond that, a local green stimulus is a great opportunity to educate staff about what they can do with a few extra bucks.

   Here are twelve easy, low-cost things you can do to stimulate the local economy green-ly:

   1. Join the locavore movement and buy produce, bread, food stuffs and crafts made within your home town .
   2. Buy some high efficiency bulbs.

      Read more of this story »

      ]]> http://ecopreneurist.com/2009/07/28/12-ways-to-make-the-peoples-stimulus-green/feed/ http://ecopreneurist.com/2009/07/17/six-companies-that-help-make-recycling-easier/ http://ecopreneurist.com/2009/07/17/six-companies-that-help-make-recycling-easier/#comments Fri, 17 Jul 2009 14:31:22 +0000 Jennifer Kaplan http://ecopreneurist.com/2009/07/17/six-companies-that-help-make-recycling-easier/ In some respects, waste is immeasurable—it touches every aspect of your business, from the scrap paper that fills your waste bins to the fuel you use for business travel.

      And while we know that that aiming for zero waste is a fast, cheap and effective strategy for combating climate change, its not always easy to do. You can’t find the resources, it involves trips here and there, its expensive. There are all sorts of obstacles. However, these six companies (some are actually non-profit organizations and government agencies) make recycling easy.

      1. Earth911.org is an excellent site with good recycling information.  Their recycling search tool makes it easy to locate waste collectors and drop-off sites.  It covers resources for paper, metal, hazardous waste, plastic, glass, electronics, automotive, household, garden, and construction waste. Two of my favorite resources are: 1) a great list of manufacturer and retail take-back e-waste programs and 2) an awesome free widget for your website that can not only give your customers access to the world’s largest database of over 100,000 recycling locations, but can pre-populate recyclable materials search to fit your readers. For example, a blog focused on car care can auto-populate the widget to search for locations that accept used motor oil or car batteries.

      2. LampRecycling.com is a new online resource for facilities that need a simple and cost-effective way to recycle their fluorescent bulbs, CFLs, batteries, ballasts, and electronic waste. These guys make it super easy to recycle. You can order recycling containers for multiple types of waste and return them via pre-paid FedEx. Once the waste has been received for recycling, a recurring order is triggered and a new EasyPak container is shipped out automatically. You can view recycling reports that give totals of all waste you have recycled and every time waste is recycled with EasyPak, you are issued a certificate of recycling that verifies your recycling efforts and details exactly how much waste was recycled.

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      ]]> http://ecopreneurist.com/2009/07/17/six-companies-that-help-make-recycling-easier/feed/ http://ecopreneurist.com/2009/07/10/remanufactured-ink-and-toner-makes-good-green-ense/ http://ecopreneurist.com/2009/07/10/remanufactured-ink-and-toner-makes-good-green-ense/#comments Fri, 10 Jul 2009 20:44:08 +0000 Jennifer Kaplan http://ecopreneurist.com/2009/07/10/remanufactured-ink-and-toner-makes-good-green-ense/ Consumer Alert: There are three things you need to know about remanufactured ink and toner cartridges:
      1. They are not inferior in quality to new Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) products. (In fact, in 1997, the US EPA stated that remanufactured products are “as good as new.”)
      2. Using a remanufactured or any cartridge other than that of the OEM will not in fact void the printer equipment warranty. (Not that manufacturers didn’t try.  They did but the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act of 1975 specifically states that a warranty may not be voided because of the use of aftermarket products.)
      3. Buying them will typically save you money and selling spent cartridges will typically make you money.

      (This information comes courtesy of Ecogreenoffice.com whose primer about the truth about remanufactered print cartridges contains lots of additional information.)

      There are two sides to greening your ink and toner purchases: The Buy and the Sell.

      The Sell. The act of selling ink and toner cartridges is one of the easiest ways to make money and be green at the same time. On the revenue side, cartridges are valuable (some are worth as much as $22). If cash isn’t what your looking for, retailers such Office Max, Office Depot and Staples have rewards programs that give up to $3 in store credit for each eligible cartridge and have drop boxes in stores. (Office Max also has a postage-paid shipping program for those who recycle high volumes of cartridges—up to 300 a month). In any event, selling spent cartridges is easy and sometimes even lucrative.

      The Buy. Want to know the impact of all those cartridges you’re using? The folks at SB Office Supplies, an online office supply retailer with an extensive green catalog, have a nifty Remanufactured Cartridge Savings Calculator that tells how much oil is saved and how many cartridges stay out of land fills when you buy remanufactured cartridges.

      Convinced? They are basically two routes to go.

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      ]]> http://ecopreneurist.com/2009/07/10/remanufactured-ink-and-toner-makes-good-green-ense/feed/ http://ecopreneurist.com/2009/07/02/10-great-cheap-green-office-supplies/ http://ecopreneurist.com/2009/07/02/10-great-cheap-green-office-supplies/#comments Thu, 02 Jul 2009 20:37:17 +0000 Jennifer Kaplan http://ecopreneurist.com/2009/07/02/10-great-cheap-green-office-supplies/ In the past I’ve written about how you can save money by reducing the amount of paper you use and the 7 basics of green procurement (which includes defining office supplies standards). Now, let’s talk about basic office supplies that are great, green and cheap.

      It’s easier to buy green office products than ever before. The three largest office supply retailers, Staples, Office Depot and Office Max each carry thousands of reasonably priced products with recycled content and other environmental attributes.

      Some even innovate. Take Office Max, they were one of the first national retailers to carry TerraCycle products and they now sell a range of their products from notebooks made from used potato chip bags to juice pouch pencil cases.

      There are also a number of green office suppliers online such as Green Line Paper.com, TheGreenOffice.com or Green Apple School Supply that offer thousands of eco-friendly products. And green promotional item companies like John Simonetta’s ProformaGreen.com and EcoPromotionsOnline.com are also good places to find green office supplies.

      I found ten awesome green office supply products under $10 because no matter how small every single purchase has an impact on the environment. Whether you’re buying copy paper or forklifts, that purchasing decision is an environmental decision. So, if you want to start with some small stuff, basic office supplies are a great place to start.  Here are my favorite cheap, green office supplies:

      #1. on my list is reasonably priced private-label recycled content copy paper from office supply retailers. A scan of websites today (July 2, 2009) revealed the following prices for a 10 ream case (5,000 sheets) of 30% PCW 20 lb. 8.5″ x 11′ copy paper:

      Office Depot: $3.30/ream (for a limited time until stock lasts; regularly $4.00/ream)

      Office Max: $4.00/ream

      Staples: $4.10/ream

      2. & 3. The TerraCycle E-Waste Recycling Can is made from 100% e-waste (such as crushed computers and fax machines) that would otherwise have ended up in landfills. It comes in both blue and green, holds 28 quarts and costs $9.99 (www.officemax.com).  For a more funky and slightly smaller version, the TerraCycle 12″ Urban Art Recycled Trash Bin (its that groovy one above) also costs $9.99 (ShopOnlyGreen.com).

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      ]]> http://ecopreneurist.com/2009/07/02/10-great-cheap-green-office-supplies/feed/ http://ecopreneurist.com/2009/06/12/19-free-green-tools-for-small-buinesses/ http://ecopreneurist.com/2009/06/12/19-free-green-tools-for-small-buinesses/#comments Fri, 12 Jun 2009 17:05:46 +0000 Jennifer Kaplan http://ecopreneurist.com/2009/06/12/19-free-green-tools-for-small-buinesses/ Another post inspired by a HARO request.  This time it was an ask for low or no-cost tools used by small businesses.  I did a quick search for the word “free” in my book and realized there are dozens.  Here are my 19 favorites:
      1. Free energy-efficiency information, resources, and technical advice—ENERGY STAR for Small Business provides free information, resources, and technical advice on hundreds of cost-savings practices. Includes a downloadable copy of the free ENERGY STAR for Small Business Guide, “Putting Energy into Profits” and information about ENERGY STAR–labeled products.
      2. Free recycling and conservation signs—You can customize, download, and print free recycling and conservation signs at recyclereminders.com.
      3. Free control of your IT—If you run a network, software from companies like LocalCooling.com allows the settings on computers to be controlled centrally so you can automatically turn those babies off when no one is using them.
      4. Free Green IT for Dummies—HP sponsors a free, downloadable, condensed, limited edition of the Green IT for Dummies guide.
      5. Free recycling bins—The Coca-Cola/NRC Recycling Bin Grant Program provides recycling bins to selected grant recipients for the collection of beverage container recyclables in public settings.
      6. Free rideshare widget for websites— at GooseNetworks.com.

         Read more of this story »

         ]]> http://ecopreneurist.com/2009/06/12/19-free-green-tools-for-small-buinesses/feed/ http://ecopreneurist.com/2009/06/05/how-to-green-your-landlord/ http://ecopreneurist.com/2009/06/05/how-to-green-your-landlord/#comments Fri, 05 Jun 2009 12:03:53 +0000 Jennifer Kaplan http://ecopreneurist.com/2009/06/05/how-to-green-your-landlord/ This post answers a question posed by @jonat82 in a Twitter conversation:

         How do you convince your property managers that greening the building is a financially sound investment?

         Unfortunately, there is no silver bullet argument for this one. Like the majority of small businesses you probably lease your facilities. If you do, you’ll find that some greening strategies require the cooperation of your landlord.

         You may also find that your landlord does not yet see the financial benefits to making efficiency-related capital improvements because, in a typical commercial lease the landlord pays for improvements but the tenants, who pay the utility bills, reap the benefits of the savings.

         Don’t give up hope.The inclusion of environmental criteria into relevant lease clauses, such as requiring Energy Star appliances or providing recycling services, are becoming more commonplace. So, the best time to talk to your landlord about greening is when you are signing or renegotiating your lease.

         Read more of this story »

         ]]> http://ecopreneurist.com/2009/06/05/how-to-green-your-landlord/feed/ http://ecopreneurist.com/2009/05/27/green-marketing-101-make-green-second/ http://ecopreneurist.com/2009/05/27/green-marketing-101-make-green-second/#comments Wed, 27 May 2009 14:23:09 +0000 Jennifer Kaplan http://ecopreneurist.com/2009/05/27/green-marketing-101-make-green-second/ Here’s a basic marketing tip: Don’t position your product as green.  Well, not primarily green. Instead, position your products and services first as delivering core consumer benefits then-as a second set of attributes-green. You may even find that your competitors are not onto this savvy positioning strategy.

         A couple weeks ago I was looking for examples of this principle. I wanted to show how a company’s marketing message should extend beyond greenness to appeal to other core consumer attributes people expect from a good products.  I put out a query on HARO and received dozens of interesting products.  Of those, five stood out.

         

         The first thing I noticed about Vers iPod Docks is that they are incredibly beautiful.  But, they first thing theat Vers wants you to know about their products is that they sound great. They let the fact that they have been touted as the most environmentally friendly iPod dock available speak for itself and focus instead on the benefits that consumer’s want in a an iPod dock: Great sound and good looks.  In the words of David Laituri, partner in Sprout Creation makers of Vers products:

         “We tend to focus on superior sound quality and design, and environmental thoughtfulness a fast second. Since our sustainable design efforts are a work in progress, we avoid ‘green’ and ‘environmentally friendly’ whenever possible.”

         

         Green Toys are made out of recycled milk containers and are made in the USA (so from a supply chain position they are very environmentally sound.) Green Toys are also packaged in recycled corrugated boxes with no plastics, cellophane or twist-ties, and are 100% recyclable. But most importantly, they positioned as safe (they contain no traceable amounts of Phthalates or BPA and have no external coatings with lead paint) and fun (they are chunky and colorful and beg to be played with).

         Read more of this story »

         ]]> http://ecopreneurist.com/2009/05/27/green-marketing-101-make-green-second/feed/ http://ecopreneurist.com/2009/05/20/energy-efficiency-is-good-for-business/ http://ecopreneurist.com/2009/05/20/energy-efficiency-is-good-for-business/#comments Wed, 20 May 2009 19:13:15 +0000 Jennifer Kaplan http://ecopreneurist.com/2009/05/20/energy-efficiency-is-good-for-business/ Why bother improving energy efficiency? We know we should, but how do you articulate why? Of course, if there is an ROI case to be made then the analysis is easy. But really, it seems to beg a larger issue. Is there a reason beyond ROI?

         Whatever the industry, managing costs is good for business, and increasing energy efficiency and reducing energy costs does just that. Given rising energy prices and a growing awareness of the importance of energy conservation, a carefully conceived energy management strategy may well be one of the most important steps a business can take to sustain and grow business.

         Furthermore, research by Innovest Strategic Value Advisors suggests that companies with a clear energy management strategy have a competitive advantage. Companies that lead in energy management achieved superior stock and financial performance over “laggards.” They even achieved significant financial premiums in stock prices over competitors. This from the National Environmental Education Foundation:

         Companies have been engaging in energy-efficiency strategies for years as a means to control costs. Increasingly, a body of evidence suggests that companies that take a systematic and strategic approach to energy management can enjoy a broad array of tangible and intangible benefits of interest to investors. As financial analysts and institutional investors come to understand this energy-value connection, energy management is becoming another measure by which they assess companies.

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         ]]> http://ecopreneurist.com/2009/05/20/energy-efficiency-is-good-for-business/feed/ http://ecopreneurist.com/2009/05/18/3-steps-to-recycling-buy-in/ http://ecopreneurist.com/2009/05/18/3-steps-to-recycling-buy-in/#comments Mon, 18 May 2009 16:01:15 +0000 Jennifer Kaplan http://ecopreneurist.com/2009/05/18/3-steps-to-recycling-buy-in/ A question on a LinkedIn hotel group was asked the other day: How does your housekeeping team encourage guests to recycle? Do you place separate bins in the guest rooms for paper, glass etc.? How can you do this while maintaining a 4 and 5 diamond look? And it made me think about what advice to give about getting buy-in for recycling programs. In this case, from both staff and consumers.

         It seems to me that the topic of how to effectively implement recycling programs is essentially the same regardless of business size. At its most basic, there are three components to implementing a successful recycling program:  

         1. Make it easy.
         2. Communicate the expectation of recycling.
         3. Communicate the how and why of the program to employees.

         Starting with making it easy, it may seem self-evident, making recycling easy for patrons and staff is the number one action you can take to facilitate a recycling program.You can do this by providing clearly marked containers throughout the room and locating them in places where people need them, such as near sinks, kitchens and minibars. As to the issue of matching the aesthetics of the facility, as long as the recycling bins are just as aesthetically pleasing as your existing trash cans (or hidden in cabinets) I do not see how they detract from the ambiance. That brings me to the second point.

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         ]]> http://ecopreneurist.com/2009/05/18/3-steps-to-recycling-buy-in/feed/ http://greenbuildingelements.com/2009/05/12/is-nyc-the-greenest-building-city-today/ http://greenbuildingelements.com/2009/05/12/is-nyc-the-greenest-building-city-today/#comments Tue, 12 May 2009 14:33:58 +0000 Jennifer Kaplan http://greenbuildingelements.com/2009/05/12/is-nyc-the-greenest-building-city-today/ Whenever I see my friend James D’Addio, the architectural photographer, I ask him about which new green buildings he’s been shooting. Not surprisingly, in a city with dedicated green building blogs and the NYC Department of Design & Construction’s award-winning programs, NYC may be the greenest city in the United States.  Here two projects in NYC that exemplify where green building is going.

         It seems like if a building is going up, its just as likely as not to be green. McGraw-Hill research tells us that 53% of building professionals expect to be dedicated to green on over 60% of their projects in the next five years. It seems like there is ample opportunity for innovation in the building industries despite a downturn in overall building. I guess NYC is as good a place as any to lead the charge.

         Norman Foster’s Hearst Tower, which sits atop a 1928 landmark building in Manhattan is engineered to use 25% less energy than required by code and boasts the world’s largest “air conditioner.” The two-story, stepped waterfall is also a huge radiant cooling system that along with other measures saves 1.7 million gallons of water every year. Other interesting facts about the building include:

      7. 90% of the structural steel used came from recycled materials
      8. More than 80% of the orginal structure was recycled for future use
      9. 26% less energy was used during construction
      10. Light sensors and controls throughout the building
      11. It has a 14,000 gallon water reclamation system in the basement

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      ]]> http://greenbuildingelements.com/2009/05/12/is-nyc-the-greenest-building-city-today/feed/ http://ecopreneurist.com/2009/05/11/new-green-stimulus-guide-hits-the-stands/ http://ecopreneurist.com/2009/05/11/new-green-stimulus-guide-hits-the-stands/#comments Mon, 11 May 2009 16:44:59 +0000 Jennifer Kaplan http://ecopreneurist.com/2009/05/11/new-green-stimulus-guide-hits-the-stands/ Having spent considerable time discussing how ecopreneurs can get a piece of the stimulus money, I was eager to read the new Green Stimulus Guide published by The Green Research Council.  A 83-page document, it summarizes all the various opportunities presented by the stimulus package.

      

      The Guide is filled with lots of information and hundreds of links to sites where more info and funding applications can be found.

      The Guide starts by explaining the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) and how it breaks down. Contained within the Guide is info about Green Energy Initiatives (DOE), Tax Credits, Green Environmental Projects (EPA)  Green Transportation Initiatives (DOT), Green Building Initiatives and Green Jobs/Job Training. It provides a modest number of “tips” and information as to how to actually land stimulus money which will be helpful to many people outside the Beltway. One that stuck out to me was contained within the “How To Apply” section:

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      ]]> http://ecopreneurist.com/2009/05/11/new-green-stimulus-guide-hits-the-stands/feed/ http://ecopreneurist.com/2009/04/30/how-green-in-your-grocery-store/ http://ecopreneurist.com/2009/04/30/how-green-in-your-grocery-store/#comments Thu, 30 Apr 2009 15:00:21 +0000 Jennifer Kaplan http://ecopreneurist.com/2009/04/30/how-green-in-your-grocery-store/ Last night Keilly Witman from EPA’s GreenChill Advanced Refrigeration Partnership, the program that attempts to get grocery stores to reduce ozone-killing refrigerant leaks, talked at EcoTuesday in DC. What I thought might not be our most exciting topic turned out to be one of the most interesting I’ve heard in the 8 months of co-hosting these events.

      

      Ozone-depleting refrigerants are also potent greenhouse gases. One pound of the most commonly used HFC refrigerants has the same impact as about 4000 lbs of CO2. This is why Witman calls the reduction of refrigerant leaks the low-hanging-fruit of emissions control. There are 35,000 supermarkets in the US and each typically carries about 4000 lbs of refrigerant and leaks about 25% of that.  So, you do the math: 1000 lbs of high global warming gas from each of 35,000 supermarkets = 35,000,000 lbs leaked each year.  And its pretty simple and cheap to cut that number in half, which is where most GreenChill partner markets come in.

      According to a 2008 GreenChill press release:

      Compared to the rest of the supermarket industry, GreenChill partners are already emitting fewer ozone-depleting refrigerants and greenhouse gases than their competitors, and saving money at the same time. The partners’ savings in operating costs equal almost $13 million.

      If every supermarket in the nation joined GreenChill and reduced their emissions to the current GreenChill average, the industry could prevent the release of 13 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent and 157 ozone-depleting potential tons annually.

      GreenChill has about 30 supermarket partners.  Let’s start applying the Big Green Purse principle and ask: Is your market a Greenchill partner or should you shop elsewhere?

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