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.

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I thought this was a neat idea and if the manufacturer’s claims are true, it could be the first step towards individual energy independance for a lot of people. Honeywell, the same people who made my safe, teamed up with Earthtronics to produce a home wind turbine that lacks many of the drawbacks of larger wind turbines. Namely, all it takes is a gentle breeze to turn the blades, providing up to 2,000 kWh of energy annually.

It is a compact and neat idea. My only question is, does it actually work?

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1. Use smaller pots and pans.

Whenever you heat up water in a pot or fry food in a pan, it uses power to distribute the heat. If you use a smaller container, you won’t have use as much heat to cook your food. As an added bonus, smaller pots and pans also take less water to wash when dinner is over.

2. Choose organic drinks.

You may have already cut bottled water out of life, but what about beverages for special occasions? There are actually a number of wineries and beer manufacturers that make organic alcoholic drinks. They’re better for the environment, and you’ll be supporting a smaller business. If you can find a local bottler, even better.

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One Jackson Hole, Wyoming business, WordenGroup Strategic Public Relations, has announced a “Go Paperless” initiative for Arbor Day, April 24, 2009.

The company wants to reduce office paper flow and save trees in honor of the national tree planting holiday.

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Clip coupons.  Shop sales.  Stock up.  While everyone seeks ways to save on food costs in today’s economy, most of the “tips” offered are sounding like a stale rerun, repeating the same conventional basics over and over.

Maybe what we really need is a time of crisis is to rewrite some of the old rulebook.  Maybe we need a dose of frugality innovation.
With that in mind, here are some fresh perspectives on saving a dime while saving the planet.  For those in the Madison, Wisconsin area, come join me for my workshop on this topic of cutting costs while eating well at the upcoming Isthmus Green Day on April 25 at the Monona Terrace.

1.  Use it Up
Every year around early spring, my family and I go on our annual “food buying detox diet” where we literally go cold turkey as best we can on buying food.  This isn’t as depriving as it sounds as we focus on eating through the pantry, using up all those items we already invested in that are often lingering near expiration dates.

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Prolonged inflammation causes the immune system to become off balance, and can result in damage to healthy tissue.

Poor diet is a main contributor to chronic inflammation, but several lifestyle factors such as lack of exercise, and excessive stress can promote inflammation as well.

Many health and nutrition experts are now starting to emphasize the importance of following an anti-inflammatory diet.

Here are a few tips to get you started on your way to less inflammation and better health:

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Editor’s Note: This is a contribution from one our content partners, Divine Caroline.

By Ransom Riggs of Mental Floss for DivineCaroline.com

Birds do it, bees do it (we think), even educated monkeys do it. So let’s do it, people. Let’s fall asleep. We’ve talked about the whys of taking naps before—they improve mood, creativity, memory function, heart health, and so much else—but never, to my knowledge, have we discussed how to take a nap. In fact, whenever we write about naps, we always get a few comments from people claiming they’re unable to nap during the day; they just can’t fall asleep, or when they do nap, they wake up groggy and unable to work. In that case, read on, my sleepy friends.

1. The first thing you should know is, feeling sleepy in the afternoon is normal.

It doesn’t mean you had a big lunch, or that you’re depressed, or you’re not getting enough exercise. That’s just how animals’ cycles work—every 24 hours, we have two periods of intense sleepiness. One is typically in the wee hours of the night, from about 2 a.m. to 4 a.m., and the other is around 10 hours later, between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. If you’re a night owl and wake up later in the morning, that afternoon sleepiness may come later; if you’re an early bird, it may come earlier. But it happens to everyone; we’re physiologically hardwired to nap.

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Protip #5: How to create win-win situations and gain popular support

Pan Wenshi was recently featured by the International Herald Tribune for his success working with locals in a small Chinese village to protect the white-headed langur. But it wasn’t until Pan lent a hand to help locals that he began to realize success. After Pan helped a villager to get clean drinking water, the villager freed a langur from a trap and brought the animal to Pan, who learned from the experience. Now, Pan advocates for new schools and health clinics in the area where the langurs live. In return, he gets local support. “When you help the villagers, they would like to help you back,” says Pan. “Now, when outsiders try to trap langurs the locals stop them from coming in.”

Pan’s success grew when he won an environmental award that allowed him to install biogas collectors. The villagers could now cook without the toil of chopping firewood and the langurs benefited by slowed deforestation. Serving the needs of others has allowed the langur population in Pan’s nature reserve to expand from 96 to over 500. “This [serving the human community] is the most important thing we can do,” says Pan. “If the villagers can’t feed themselves, the langurs don’t stand a chance.”

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The survey was conducted by Harris Interactive for the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD), a leader in children’s oral health.

It found U.S. parents and caregivers are uninformed about cavity-causing bacteria and teeth-friendly snacks.   One result showed 96% of U.S. adults with children under 12 years old in their household thought a cracker was better for children’s teeth than a piece of caramel.  Starches, however, can also cause cavities like sugars, and caramels dissolve more quickly from the mouth than crackers.

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When we experience stress too often, our autonomic nervous system rarely has a chance to activate the relaxation response.  This can eventually lead to physical or emotional illnesses such as high blood pressure, irritable bowel syndrome, insomnia, and depression to name just a few.

Making simple diet changes can help reduce stress, here are a few tips to get you started:

(Remember to always use organically grown foods when possible, it’s healthier for you and for the planet.)

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I was, before I launched by own dream green business and starting making time to smell the flowers and eat the strawberry.

Here are 5 tips to start a green business based on my experiences and book, ECOpreneuring: Putting Purpose and the Planet before Profits:

(1) Follow your Earth Mission.
Wealth without purpose is poverty. Who wants to be the richest person in the cemetery? Turn your passions and sense of purpose into an enterprise. Ecopreneurs craft an “Earth Mission” to use their business as a catalyst make the world a better place, often defining success qualitatively, not quantitatively.

(2) Operate your green business with a triple bottom line: people, planet and (some) profits.
Rather than the purpose of business to simply generate profits, sustainable businesses thrive in a restoration ECOnomy based on restoring or enhancing the planet, providing fair and equitable relationships amongst all stakeholders, and generate profits to sustain the business and its mission (in various ways, to make the world a better place).

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]]> http://ecopreneurist.com/2008/12/17/5-tips-for-fortunate-ecopreneurs/feed/ http://sustainablog.org/2008/12/03/aboutmyplanet-launches-go-green-revolution-ebooks/ http://sustainablog.org/2008/12/03/aboutmyplanet-launches-go-green-revolution-ebooks/#comments Wed, 03 Dec 2008 14:47:17 +0000 Jeff McIntire-Strasburg http://sustainablog.org/2008/12/03/aboutmyplanet-launches-go-green-revolution-ebooks/ Tips, tips, tips, tips… everyone’s got ‘em (including us). Yesterday, our friends at AboutMyPlanet.com went boldly where few of us in the green web have gone before with the publication of their Go Green Revolution ebooks. Your Life and My Office Handbook bring together a wealth of tips and practices and create (according to AMP) “an easier way for people to see how they can go green.”

I just got copies of the books yesterday, so have only had a chance to flip through them. Fortunately, they’re organized to make such flipping a useful activity: while either book could be read from cover to cover, the division of chapters in each makes it easy to find the exact information you want.  I particularly like the layout of Your Life, as it combines substantive sections on greening your home (inside and out) and lifestyle with short, self-explanatory tips set off in text boxes. My Office Handbook doesn’t just look at paper and energy use at work, but uses the framework of the typical workday: getting ready in the morning, traveling to work, and even eating lunch. The information I read looks solid, and I can definitely see the advantages (especially for “green newbies”) of having all of this information centralized in one place.

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]]> http://sustainablog.org/2008/12/03/aboutmyplanet-launches-go-green-revolution-ebooks/feed/ http://sustainablog.org/2008/11/29/another-green-living-option-hand-wash-your-clothes/ http://sustainablog.org/2008/11/29/another-green-living-option-hand-wash-your-clothes/#comments Sun, 30 Nov 2008 04:25:20 +0000 Caroline Savery http://sustainablog.org/2008/11/29/another-green-living-option-hand-wash-your-clothes/ … and easily trade cost and environmental impact, for time!

“Do laundry”… what does that mean to most of us?  It means carting a large pile of clothes in a bin or basket to one’s home washer and dryer, or if you’re one of the many unfortunate bunch like me, you cart it to a nearby laundromat’s washer and dryer.  I’ve only “done laundry” once since moving into my new apartment, and as I don’t own a car–you guessed it–I packed my clothes into a massive backpack and pedaled it across my neighborhood to the laundromat, swaying all the way.  Obviously not an impossible scenario, but surely an uncomfortable one!

But as with so many other things about living a modern American lifestyle, my conscience shouts louder and louder each time I subscribe to certain activities that I know to be environmentally harmful.  The toxic chemicals in many common soaps aside, purely the use of electricity (when knowingly powered by coal plants, as is true for my region) is a harmful act.  I don’t like living with the idea that I must contribute to environmental devastation each time I want to wear fresh-smelling, tidy clothing!  Not washing clothes at all, ever (as many of my “crust-punk” friends do) is not a reasonable option for most of us.

The clock was ticking. I had only an hour or two to make my decision, before I had to leave for work.

Today was the periodically dreaded day when my laundry bin reached critical mass, and I realized I needed to do laundry.

Do I take it to a laundromat, dump it into appliances, and read a book while my clothes become easy-breezy clean?  The consequences of that are: energy use, travel energy, and cost!  Washing and drying clothes at a laundromat can cost up to $5 a load!

But what if we could re-invent our notion of what “doing laundry” means?  Forget “high-efficiency” washer and dryer appliances that, while an improvement in terms of water and energy use, still perpetuate widespread and probably-ultimately unsustainable practices.  Where can the energy–and water–come from that would be sustainably sourced?

Your hands.  And your sink.  (And for clothes-drying?  The air.)

It’s such a simple solution that I might almost have missed it!

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]]> http://sustainablog.org/2008/11/29/another-green-living-option-hand-wash-your-clothes/feed/ http://ecochildsplay.com/2008/10/30/12-tips-to-prevent-your-kids-from-eating-too-much-halloween-candy/ http://ecochildsplay.com/2008/10/30/12-tips-to-prevent-your-kids-from-eating-too-much-halloween-candy/#comments Fri, 31 Oct 2008 04:40:43 +0000 Derek Markham http://ecochildsplay.com/2008/10/30/12-tips-to-prevent-your-kids-from-eating-too-much-halloween-candy/

What’s the scariest thing for a parent about Halloween?

Watching your children get hammered with a sugar buzz, a candy overdose, and a sick stomach.

Help to prevent your kids from eating too much Halloween candy with these 12 parenting tips:

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]]> http://ecochildsplay.com/2008/10/30/12-tips-to-prevent-your-kids-from-eating-too-much-halloween-candy/feed/ http://ecopreneurist.com/2008/10/29/three-fresh-ways-to-green-your-supply-chain-better-and-faster/ http://ecopreneurist.com/2008/10/29/three-fresh-ways-to-green-your-supply-chain-better-and-faster/#comments Wed, 29 Oct 2008 21:54:03 +0000 Olga Orda http://ecopreneurist.com/2008/10/29/three-fresh-ways-to-green-your-supply-chain-better-and-faster/ We saw Wal-Mart, a company with worldwide-wide revenues only second to Exxon-Mobile, signal last week in Beijing that it is moving away from “intermittent transactions with many suppliers toward longer-term arrangements with a smaller group of manufacturers“. Then, this week in the news, IBM starts on a roll to eliminate the ‘burden’ of paper — including paper costs, compliance risks and environmental challenges — from their customers’ supply chains with a handful of recently launched software and services.

What is going on here? Both companies are adopting tactics used by sustainability minded entrepreneurs as part of the time tested sustainability supply chain model: measure, purchase local where possible, maintain long-term relationships and integrate accountability at all ‘nodes’ of the chain.

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]]> http://ecopreneurist.com/2008/10/29/three-fresh-ways-to-green-your-supply-chain-better-and-faster/feed/ http://greenbuildingelements.com/2008/10/27/ten-tips-to-save-energy-this-winter/ http://greenbuildingelements.com/2008/10/27/ten-tips-to-save-energy-this-winter/#comments Mon, 27 Oct 2008 16:27:15 +0000 Dawn Killough http://greenbuildingelements.com/2008/10/27/ten-tips-to-save-energy-this-winter/ As the weather cools, the heating bills go up!  The Energy Trust of Oregon has published a list of ten tips to help reduce the cost of heating this winter.

1. Turn down the thermostat when leaving the house.  Even better, purchase a programmable thermostat, so you won’t have to remember!

2. Seal air leaks on exteriors walls, doors, and windows with caulk or weatherstripping.  To check for leaks, hold a lit incense stick next to the opening and watch the smoke, or walk around with a damp hand to feel for air flow.

3. Seal leaking ducts with mastic sealant or metal tape.  There are firms that will come out and test your ducts for leaks and fix them for you.  Check in the phone book under “duct sealing” or “duct testing.”

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]]> http://greenbuildingelements.com/2008/10/27/ten-tips-to-save-energy-this-winter/feed/ http://travel.greenoptions.com/2008/09/01/the-cardiologists-moving-forward-with-the-mediterranean-diet/ http://travel.greenoptions.com/2008/09/01/the-cardiologists-moving-forward-with-the-mediterranean-diet/#comments Mon, 01 Sep 2008 17:00:34 +0000 Jahon http://travel.greenoptions.com/2008/09/01/the-cardiologists-moving-forward-with-the-mediterranean-diet/ Enough with the attacks on the Mediterranean diet: return to healthy food ‘made in Italy “. It’s the appeal that Roberto Ferrari, the first Italian head of the European Society of Cardiology, launched by Monaco of Bavaria at the opening of Congress annually.

This diet, known worldwide for its positive effects on health and its preventive effect, is increasingly left alone right in our country: six out of ten families have changed over the years their habits. In declining consumption of bread, fruit, vegetables and olive oil while increasing the consumption of fat and calories.

Cause of price increases? Perhaps, but not alone. This shows a recent survey of FAO in the last 45 years the Mediterranean diet was gradually abandoned precisely in places where originates. “A great pity - comments the professor Ferrari - because healthy eating is the most effective way to stay healthy.”

It’s the winning weapon of prevention ‘

In Italy it is estimated about 15 million hypertensive, 3 million to 4 million diabetics. A citizen on 5 presents cholesterol values too high. Just to improve the level of awareness of citizens on this issue is born in Italy the first observatory to the enhancement of the Mediterranean diet. “A permanent structure, with a home made available by the Region of Sicily, a partner in the project which will involve the most relevant disciplines,” continues Professor. Ferrari, which is of the Scientific Committee chairman.
In addition to cardiology, are also involved oncology and diabetes, but also the metabolic diseases and paediatrics. “Why this diet - insists Ferrari - is really the weapon winning for the prevention of diseases daughters so-called welfare.

The Centre, which will have a dedicated site (www.dietamediterraneaesalute.org), will be operational from mid-September.

THESE FOODS TO MAKE THE TABLE IN
The Mediterranean diet type is formed to 15% from protein, 60% from carbohydrates and 25% from fat.
There is no iron diet, but experts recommend using:

DAILY: whole cereals and tubers: bread and whole wheat pasta, rice, corn, etc.; pulses and green beans, peas, chickpeas etc.., And all types of fruit, pulp and shell, all the vegetables and vegetables; condiments: extra virgin olive oil, fresh herbs: basil, thyme, garlic, oregano etc..; whole milk or cow’s and goat cheese; wine.

THREE TIMES A WEEK: meat: predominantly white, and then poultry like chicken and turkey. Or rabbit, pork and veal; fish: Predominantly blue as anchovies, sardines, herring, aguglie, mackerel, spatulas, etc..; Eggs.

WITH LESS FREQUENCY: sweet, red meat.

From dispel the idea that pasta is a high-calorie food: are the condiments fats, which often are added in excessive quantities, to raise the caloric intake of pasta dish. In itself, however, this product, suited to form the backbone of a meal, provides about 350 calories per 100 grams, a perfectly reasonable if one considers that 80 grams of a good ration is only 280 calories.

As condiment is good rather avoid using excessive quantities of fat (butter, lard, margarine, etc..), Bacon, cheese, cream, instead giving preference to sauce and tomato in olive oil. There are few fried, remembering that olive oil was considered safer fat for frying.

]]> http://travel.greenoptions.com/2008/09/01/the-cardiologists-moving-forward-with-the-mediterranean-diet/feed/ http://ecochildsplay.com/2008/08/07/mothers-milk-why-breastfeeding-can-be-frustrating-for-stay-at-home-dads/ http://ecochildsplay.com/2008/08/07/mothers-milk-why-breastfeeding-can-be-frustrating-for-stay-at-home-dads/#comments Thu, 07 Aug 2008 15:06:29 +0000 Levi Novey http://ecochildsplay.com/2008/08/07/mothers-milk-why-breastfeeding-can-be-frustrating-for-stay-at-home-dads/ There are many challenges that stay-at-home dads face. It should go without saying that one of the major battles is keeping one’s self-esteem and confidence high when societal norms have typically only allowed for women to be the primary caretakers of children. Many people still feel that this is the case.

As one father told me just weeks after my own daughter was born, “You have to realize, Levi, you really aren’t that important in the first year. It’s all about mom.” Of course, it makes sense that the bond between mother and baby should be stronger initially than that between the father and baby. As a father, you have not had your child growing inside you and using your body as his or her source of nourishment and as his or her protective home. But I still wonder, is it really fair to say that the first year is all about mom? And what does this mean for stay-at-home dads?

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]]> http://ecochildsplay.com/2008/08/07/mothers-milk-why-breastfeeding-can-be-frustrating-for-stay-at-home-dads/feed/ http://sustainablog.org/2008/08/06/towards-a-redefinition-of-sustainability-justin-van-kleeck-and-caroline-savery-6-caroline/ http://sustainablog.org/2008/08/06/towards-a-redefinition-of-sustainability-justin-van-kleeck-and-caroline-savery-6-caroline/#comments Wed, 06 Aug 2008 17:51:40 +0000 Caroline Savery http://sustainablog.org/2008/08/06/towards-a-redefinition-of-sustainability-justin-van-kleeck-and-caroline-savery-6-caroline/ Dear Justin… and Dear all!

Special thanks to Jeff Strasburg for helping us indulge our imaginations in this series!  I’d also like to extend my gratitude to Justin for engaging me in this form.  It has been edifying to explore concepts about sustainability.  I hope that the readers of this “debate” have enjoyed the process as well, and I know I speak for Justin when I say: we welcome all comments!  This a dialog, a free exchange of ideas, so tell us yours and help to fuel the mutual inspiration.

(Author’s Note: I include the image above not only because, figuratively speaking, the “sun is setting” on our Sustainability dialog, but also because I will be travelling westward-ho! throughout the United States until the beginning of September.  My objective is to get some relief from my high-technology-based lifestyle right now, so the vacation will heavily consist of camping in national parks.  Therefore, I will blog if I am able to during this time, but if not… be prepared for both the Sust Enable episode debuts AND a bona fide blogging bonanza upon my return in early September.)

Without further ado,

Here are my final thoughts, in conclusion.

1) If you can learn to modify your life to be as close to environmental sustainability as possible, it is necessary that you proceed to do so. The human will is one of the most powerful–and dangerous–elements on the planet.  At first glance, it might feel like “too much” to give up using a flush toilet (just for an example).  But is it really?  Think about the idea.  Get familiar with it.  Picture what it would look like to use a composting toilet in your home.  Maybe start with a little one, to be used only sometimes.  Soon, the consequences may not seem all that daunting. There is always a choice. 

Don’t let your true identity and dreams for what the world could be become casualties of conforming.  You only have one life, so use it, in the most effective ways visible.  If many individuals decided that, deep in their hearts, ecocide felt wrong to them, that many persons when taken together comprise a mutiny against old, obsolete customs and beliefs.  Your little action today plays a role in a social revolution, of the “green” kind.

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