Green Business Practices
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Showing posts with label Greener Business. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Greener Business. Show all posts
Tuesday, 8 September 2009
Thursday, 26 March 2009
Printing? Go green!
Did you see Rosario Dawson plays Emily Posa in the movie "Seven Pounds". No, I am not going to write a movie review but what I noticed there was the antique printer that operates manually.
It had me thinking; going automatic makes people more wasteful often times. Let us start with when printers run on electric power and can spurn out tons of pages at a time. What are the consequences?
The more you print
the lower the printing rate
The lower the printing rate
the more you choose to print
The more paper printed
the more trees cut
The more you have of the same
The less you would appreciate
what's there...
I know. My "poetic" ranting is not going to move anyone to run on manual again. But if you cannot opt to go electronic to communicate with your consumers, consider using suppliers who think green in their processes. And since we are talking about printing are there certified "green" printers"?
Yes! There is Bacchus Press. And how green will they go?
1) They plan jobs to minimize electricity use = less fossil fuels used.
2) Their paper are from "Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)" certified companies = well-managed forests that adhere to strict environmental standards.
3) They recycle and reuse paper and other supplies whenever possible.
Definitely some steps that you too can pick up in your own businesses.
It had me thinking; going automatic makes people more wasteful often times. Let us start with when printers run on electric power and can spurn out tons of pages at a time. What are the consequences?
The more you print
the lower the printing rate
The lower the printing rate
the more you choose to print
The more paper printed
the more trees cut
The more you have of the same
The less you would appreciate
what's there...
I know. My "poetic" ranting is not going to move anyone to run on manual again. But if you cannot opt to go electronic to communicate with your consumers, consider using suppliers who think green in their processes. And since we are talking about printing are there certified "green" printers"?
Yes! There is Bacchus Press. And how green will they go?
1) They plan jobs to minimize electricity use = less fossil fuels used.
2) Their paper are from "Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)" certified companies = well-managed forests that adhere to strict environmental standards.
3) They recycle and reuse paper and other supplies whenever possible.
Definitely some steps that you too can pick up in your own businesses.
Monday, 14 July 2008
CSR Vending
The best way for children to learn something new is when they are able to pick it up the fun way. So, let us teach them to recycle beverage cans by taking a leaf out of Art-o-mat's book, through vending machines that are no longer in use. Modify them so that the machines can accept recyclables.
So who is going to fund this project? Here are some ideas to work on:
1) Make it a corporate social responsibility for companies to place their advertisements on such machines. The advertisement fees can be used to acquire the vending machines.
2) The "reward" from the slot machine can be monetary or corporate gifts of companies who sponsor this green project. A sense of suspense can be created if the recyclers are not aware of the "reward" they are going to get when they drop their recyclables.
3) The vending machines can be placed in public areas, beside trash bins or schools' canteens. The schools can encourage students to create stuff made up of abandoned aka waste material for such machines. If this project is carried out globally, you can have creations of students from other countries placed in vending machines in the local schools in exchange.
4) The money raised from the recyclables dropped into the machine should also be able to generate funds to make it work.
To make it a success, work the following motivation points and strategies highlighted by by Aceti Associates
1) Sign strategy - A vending machine is large enough to be seen from a distance.
2) Outreach volunteer strategy - children who have enjoyed using the vending machine will become natural ambassador to this recycling project.
3) Recycling incentive - the gifts from the vending machine should attract participation.
4) Commitment strategy - create gifts in sets that will be dispensed singly so that children will recycle to collect complete sets.
5) Bins decal - the vending machine provides sufficient space for decals.
If you think that this is not likely to happen, then you ought to check out ENVIPCO. The founder of this company, Bruce DeWoolfson, invented what is called "reverse vending equipment" that can make automatic cash incentive pay out for returning used beverage containers.
Do a search for "recycling vending machine" and you will find many more of such manufacturers worldwide. This could well be a business opportunity to look into if you have the space for such machines in your outlets.
So who is going to fund this project? Here are some ideas to work on:
1) Make it a corporate social responsibility for companies to place their advertisements on such machines. The advertisement fees can be used to acquire the vending machines.
2) The "reward" from the slot machine can be monetary or corporate gifts of companies who sponsor this green project. A sense of suspense can be created if the recyclers are not aware of the "reward" they are going to get when they drop their recyclables.
3) The vending machines can be placed in public areas, beside trash bins or schools' canteens. The schools can encourage students to create stuff made up of abandoned aka waste material for such machines. If this project is carried out globally, you can have creations of students from other countries placed in vending machines in the local schools in exchange.
4) The money raised from the recyclables dropped into the machine should also be able to generate funds to make it work.
To make it a success, work the following motivation points and strategies highlighted by by Aceti Associates
1) Sign strategy - A vending machine is large enough to be seen from a distance.
2) Outreach volunteer strategy - children who have enjoyed using the vending machine will become natural ambassador to this recycling project.
3) Recycling incentive - the gifts from the vending machine should attract participation.
4) Commitment strategy - create gifts in sets that will be dispensed singly so that children will recycle to collect complete sets.
5) Bins decal - the vending machine provides sufficient space for decals.
If you think that this is not likely to happen, then you ought to check out ENVIPCO. The founder of this company, Bruce DeWoolfson, invented what is called "reverse vending equipment" that can make automatic cash incentive pay out for returning used beverage containers.
Do a search for "recycling vending machine" and you will find many more of such manufacturers worldwide. This could well be a business opportunity to look into if you have the space for such machines in your outlets.
Friday, 4 April 2008
Kids not reading. Lure them to it online.
I have been trying to get my children to read more often but I have not succeeded so far.
Since they enjoy going online, I hope that the introduction of eBooks by Greener Business will lure them back to a good reading habit.
Just in case, the words are little too tough for them, I have also complied a list of websites they can go to for explanations. Many of these websites have translation in other languages, such as Spanish, Italian and French.
Hmmmm...., I wonder if they will pick up a foreign language in the process. This I know for sure. If the idea of reading books electronically picks up, we do not have to cut down more trees.
Since they enjoy going online, I hope that the introduction of eBooks by Greener Business will lure them back to a good reading habit.
Just in case, the words are little too tough for them, I have also complied a list of websites they can go to for explanations. Many of these websites have translation in other languages, such as Spanish, Italian and French.
Hmmmm...., I wonder if they will pick up a foreign language in the process. This I know for sure. If the idea of reading books electronically picks up, we do not have to cut down more trees.
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