Shrinking Your Environmental Footprint

We’ve all heard or read about the serious threat to our way of life posed by environmental

degradation, including the acidification of the oceans, the warming of the global climate system, and the loss of biodiversity. In recent years, warnings issued by organizations like the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) have grown increasingly dire. The consensus among experts, and a growing number of world leaders, is that we need to get our collective act together if we intend to leave a decent, livable planet to our grandchildren.

There is no one, single “magic bullet” that can address all of those problems simultaneously. In order to answer the challenge, we will need to combine our skills of cooperation with our capacity for prudent, individual decision-making. And the workplace happens to be a venue where personal initiative and collaborative effort both come to the fore.

If you’re concerned about your business’s impact on the environment, but worry about the cost or difficulty of implementing more eco-friendly alternatives, fear not: there are some simple, inexpensive techniques you can try that can make a positive difference.

Invest in new lightbulbs and energy-efficient appliances.

Replace your old, incandescent bulbs with LED bulbs, and make sure the office refrigerator, microwave, and dishwasher are all certified energy-efficient and built to last. Another advantage of the pursuit of energy efficiency (besides the environmental dimension) is the money you stand to save on your electricity bill.

Conduct regular checks of your office’s heating system to ensure that air is able to flow freely through the vents.

Turn out those lights!

Instruct the last person to leave the office in the evening to turn out the lights, and make sure all of the office computers are switched off. The same advice applies to rooms not currently in use, and chargers for cell phones and other gadgets that continue to sip electricity even when the device is fully charged. Unplug these when they’re not needed.

If possible, try scheduling “work from home” days.

One of the primary sources of vehicular pollution in our society is the daily commute to-and-from work—cars, trucks, and buses idling at stoplights and sitting in traffic. Instead, encourage your team to work from home if they can. With the communications technology available today, there is often no need for professionals to congregate in a single location in order to keep in contact with each other and get work done.

Reuse, recycle, and compost.

Many municipalities have citywide recycling programs, and some (like Vancouver, B.C.) have municipal composting programs. By separating recyclable items and organic materials from garbage, you’ll save space in your waste receptacles, conserve energy and, ultimately, contribute to the diminution of landfills and refuse processed at incinerators.

If you have a lot of old documents with text on only one side, conserve paper by writing on the other side. Set aside a trove of defunct, one-sided documents for this purpose.

Order paper products made from recycled material.

A wide variety of paper products made from recycled materials—including plates, napkins, paper towels, toilet paper, tissues, and document sheets—are available for purchase in stationery stores and through wholesale distributors. Whenever possible, try to order such products, particularly if they are compostable.

If your work is finished early, go home.

Many businesses operate on the basis of set hours, like the stereotypical “9 to 5”. But unless there’s a good reason for you to remain at work throughout the allotted time period, you’re better off shutting down your computer, cutting the lights, and heading home. You may even profit from the opportunity to beat the evening rush, which will save you fuel (better for both the environment and your bank account), and spare you frustration.

Spend some of your free time enjoying the natural world you’ve helped to preserve!

Clean Technology - The New Bubble?

When it comes to investment "bubbles" we've recently experienced two major "popping" incidents. The first was back in the late Nineties with the technology bubble popping leaving a wreck of literally hundreds of online startup businesses.

The second was the housing bubble from the early 2000s. We're still feeling the impact of that bubble bursting.

Now there is a worry that clean technology will be the new fragile bubble. However, there are indications that would point in the direction of longer lasting investment opportunities with clean technology businesses.

Here's why:

Clean technologies get paid first.

Unlike the internet companies who were offering free services, most clean technology companies like those making and installing solar panels are paid up front for their services. In other words, nobody is giving away a solar energy system for free in the hope you'll buy another one. The potential drawback is that for these businesses to succeed they will require a serious investment from the consumer. This brings up the need for a strong marketing campaign to make sure the consumer understands all the money-saving benefits of clean technologies down the road.

It's good for the planet.

At the heart of any green technology is the desire to make the world we live in a better place. By reducing our dependency on fossil fuel burning forms of energy we can make important strides in protecting our fragile eco-system. That approach holds a lot of appeal for many folks. We might not need to buy a luxury item from some online web store but we should all be interesting in preserving the environment. This makes clean technology more of a "calling" as opposed to a "fun fad" and that is going to increase its longevity as a business.

Government support.

For the most part, governments have stayed out of online businesses. It also seems that any government involvement in the real estate industry has had dubious effects. However, with clean technology the government can play a vital role in terms of offering support. Not only have they been providing loan guarantees to clean technology business but there have also been tax credit incentives to spurn consumers into investing. The partnership between the government and clean technology appears to be in for the long haul.

Slow and steady growth.

Unlike the internet and housing bubbles, nobody is going to become an instant millionaire in the clean technology industry. That doesn't mean you can't find success but the approach is one of slow and steady growth. That removes a sense of urgency in investors looking for overnight returns. Smart investors understand the nature of the clean technology business model and will make the appropriate decisions towards infusing those industries with the needed capital.