How To Reduce Your Carbon Footprint As An Entrepreneur

1. One Page At A Time

Reduce your margins! If you can print on one 1-2 sided page, you can save a LOT of paper (and ink and $)...

Remember to put your name, website and contact info on any
handouts for speaking engagements.

Thanks to: Camille Leon of The Holistic Chamber of Commerce.

2. Saving Money & the Environment

Print on recycled paper on both sides of the paper. Only use single sided paper for professional final documents. To save on ink use the everyday print style and only use the best function for professional final documents.

Thanks to: Carol Coots of Practical Cost Reduction.

3. Meet Local

More often than not, when other entrepreneurs request to schedule a meeting with me, they ask to meet at a Starbucks. I politely ask if they would mind meeting at a local establishment instead. It generally takes less than 10 minutes of research to find a place that is locally owned and serves local sustainable food. I would definitely recommend people check out http://www.eatwellguide.org/localguide/ to see if there is a guide to eating locally in their city.

Thanks to: Debra Brown of MobilizeUs.

4. Save Paper with PDFs

I have reduced the amount of printing I do by printing receipts and confirmation notices to PDF and saving the file electronically. By printing less, I am saving energy, and saving paper at the same time. I have more room in my file cabinets, too. I also keep in mind the three R's: reduce (print two sided whenever possible),
reuse (when people send you paper printed on one side only,
print on the back of it) and recycle all paper when you
don't need it anymore.

Thanks to: Pat Valdata of Cloudstreet Communications.

5. Business Over Babies!

Choose a business career over having children! Each new human effectively doubles your personal carbon footprint. They are a major drain on natural resources - not to mention sleep... the little darlings.

If you really MUST... then consider postponing having a family till we have worked out how to better manage our planet!

Thanks to: Alison Berry of Designer's Eye Publishing.

6. Greener Is More Efficient

Production Manager in the company employing 250 workers
Reduced paper docs to min by introducing software that organises and monitors complete production process.
The system is much faster, more accurate & more reliable then if we used old paper docs and we save 700 sheets of paper daily.

I am the author of a novel - The Twelfth House who decided against the traditional tree-cutting publishing and went with e-publisher. The book is available for free download until the end of July.

Thanks to: Bojan Zecevic of Metalfer Steel Mill.

7. Best Bang for The Buck

Occasionally I'm asked for simple, cheap ‘green’ ideas that can result in tangible benefits. Very briefly, here are some ideas to reduce a building's carbon footprint with (usually) a good ROI:
- Procure Energy Star-certified equipment
- Do a lighting study; not just replacing incandescents, but also addressing whether daylight is adequately used and can number of fixtures be reduced
- Sensors to turn off lights when unneeded
- Paint your roofs white or light colors to reflect sunlight

Thanks to: Marc Karell of Climate Change & Environmental Svcs.

8. Happiness Coaching Gone Green

I launched an online happiness coaching service. Meaning? Everything is computerized. No contracts to file, no checks to deposit, no file cabinets full of records. None of that.

What do I have a lot of? Savings. No ink needed, no paper, no storage facility needed, no large office. It's awesome. And who gets to benefit from savings? My clients!

I use an external hard drive and a thumb drive to store almost all my data. It maintains security and EVERYTHING is easily mobile.

Thanks to: Logan Lindabury of Happiness Can Help.

9. Free Fill, Not The Landfill

If you need free packing fill, visit a lamp store. Another source is a hair salon. Every delivery they receive must be cushioned, and becomes waste. We've obtained free biodegradable packing peanuts from a hair salon for years, completely eliminating the need to buy filler. For shipping, pallets can be obtained free from home improvement or hardware stores, as well. Happy packing!

Thanks to: Linda Stein of Zosimos Botanicals .

10. No Such Thing as "Trash"

Recycling is just one part of keeping our environmental footprint low. "No Trash" starts with what we buy. Make your kitchen and break rooms paperless. Use cotton towels and napkins (Fiberactive Organics), washable plastic plates made from recyclable plastic (Preserve) and bio-degradable utensils (Recycloholics). Ask employees to Never think of anything as a single use item. When things wear out recycle them or put them into your Company Compost Bin. Use the compost on your Company Garden.

Thanks to: Julie Mullin of Fiberactive Organics, LLC.

11. Print On Demand Center-A Must

Many printers are capable of generating quality documents,making it convenient for businesses to produce the lion’s share of their marketing materials internally. The mistake is focusing too hard on the initial outlay to purchase equipment,not what it costs to generate document after document. Think of it in terms of purchasing a car.If you buy a vehicle for $20,000 that gets only 14 miles per gallon, are you better off than if you had spent $28,000 for a vehicle that gets 31 miles per gallon?

Thanks to: Chip Miceli of Des Plaines Office Equipment (DPOE).

12. Go Green with Clean (Burn)

Our Clean Burn System takes the used oil, from cars we work on in our service department, and turns it into fuel to heat our shop.

This keeps our fuel costs and reduces our carbon footprint. As a Subaru dealership we take great pride in being a eco-friendly business.

Thanks to: Andrew Shipp of Busam Subaru.

13. Measure First To Reduce

The best first thing to do to reduce your carbon footprint is to measure it. If you don't measure something, you'll never know how much you've saved, and your incentive to conserve will wane. There are several good and easy carbon footprint calculators for businesses online: www.nativeenergy.com, www.carbonfootprint.com, www.terrapass.com to name three. The steps in filling out the calculator will help you see where you have the most impact, and what to start on first.

Thanks to: Lew Bonadies of BtoB Projects.

14. Stop the Thermostat Wars!!!

Many small offices experience thermostat wars where one person turns up the thermostat and another person turns it down, this causes the system to run needlessly, wasting energy and adding to their carbon footprint. A tamper proof thermostat will allow the business to control how high or low the thermostat can be set and will put an end to the thermostat wars. Plus a programmable thermostat that turns the HVAC off when the space is not occupied will reduce your carbon footprint by 2000lbs/yr.

Thanks to: David Lowe of ControlTemp Thermostats.

15. Ship Green and Cut Carbon

US Business Send Millions of corrugated boxes to landfills annually. Most cartons are used once, then dumped. Instead, Enlist Your associates and customers in a green plan to reuse clean shipping cartons. Customers will support this effort. We remove the old shipping labels from the clean, sturdy boxes our vendors send to us.
Avoid packing with bubble wrap, air bags and Styrofoam peanuts. Instead use newspapers or biodegradable balls, or use cross-shredded papers to cushion shipping contents.

Thanks to: Michael Grossman of My Green Mind.

16. Unseen Green

Hoteling or hot-desking: Having employees who are frequently offsite (telecommuting or with clients)reserve a workspace for the times they'll be in the office. This allows multiple workers to use the same office space, minimizing the physical space that you must heat, cool and maintain. Hoteling is good for the environment and good for your growing company’s bottom line.

Thanks to: Jennifer O'Connell of Dean Evans & Associates.

17. Glass Insulates Like A Wall

Heat Mirror® heat reflective insulating glass (IG) containing a transparent heat reflective film inside the IG air space can dramatically increase insulation performance while reflecting unwanted solar heat. Single, double and even triple internal films that create as many as four separate cavities inside a Heat Mirror insulating glass unit can achieve a center of glass insulation value of R-20, superior to an insulated wall!

Thanks to: John Miller of Southwall Technologies, Inc..

18. Greening The Web

Invest in green energy that goes back into powering the Web, thus making it sustainable.

Thanks to: John Carson of Greenscroll.

19. Reduce Your Paper Footprint

I run a travel consulting company and paper consumption is a big issue for us. To minimize our paper footprint I have asked everyone at the company to be aware of how much paper they consume. If you need something saved, filed, stored, do it so in digital form on your PC. If you are asked to mail or fax something, ask if they will accept it in digital form though email. All this will save trees, save space, save money and save time.

Thanks to: Andrey Zakharenko of Russian Connections.

20. The Camera That Saves 10lbs

What is an easy way to save $10K per employee, keep them happier and more productive, and save the environment?

Telecommuting is an easy way to save costs and still keep employees connected. With the low-cost tools available to businesses today, it makes sense to include telecommuting as part of a flex work schedule. Skype, TokBox, and others are easy ways to engage in video chats and even virtual video rooms, for FREE.

Save gas, electricity, travel time, fewer absences, supplies, etc.

Thanks to: Marcos Cordero of Green Business Bureau.

21. Turning Bike Rides Into Cash..

Encouraging your employees to ride bicycles in lieu of carbon-emitting trips is a great way to (amongst many):

1. Promote your corporate responsibility
2. Encourage your stakeholders to do their part in being environmentally conscious commuters/travelers
3. Encourage a healthy lifestyle and decrease your health insurance costs
4. Provide a means by which to make cash...

Employers earn cash through CityRyde Inspire while employees make cash through an array of tax incentives by biking.

Thanks to: Jason Meinzer of CityRyde LLC.

22. Network or die!

Once you have taken steps to reduce your ecological footprint and you are running a green business you need to make that a fiscal asset. Networking with other green business people is the easiest way to strengthen and grow your green business. Start at your local "green drinks." Find other business people who serve your client base with a different service. Design a plan with them to cross-market and cross-promote.

Thanks to: Thea Dodds of Greener Photography .

23. Swap out Paper for Online

Think about how much paper a business goes through every day, with the majority of printouts ending up in the trash. This kills trees, adds to trash and recycling piles, and also hikes up costs associated with office supplies. Solution? Go online. Collaboration tools like SharedDoc enable colleagues to review and share documents via an online platform, limiting the need for printouts. Work online,reduce the need for paper and make a world of difference for your business and the environment.

Thanks to: Caroline Vanderlip of SharedDoc.

24. Set realistic expectations

Green credentials can be a company’s greatest selling point but becoming ‘carbon neutral’ doesn’t happen overnight. There are; however, easy steps entrepreneurs can take to put them on the green path. Start with an achievable goal like recycling all eligible materials or purchasing from vendors that only supply sustainable or recyclable products. Recycling is one of the biggest and easiest ways businesses can help protect the planet.

Thanks to: Jon Olafsson of Icelandic Glacial.

Compiled by Mike Michalowicz, Author of The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur

Pingback: Tweets that mention How To Reduce Your Carbon Footprint As An Entrepreneur | Toilet Paper Entrepreneur Blog -- Topsy.com
http://www.rehabstrong.com Wes

SOMEBODY HELP ME! I have been so happy the last 5 months, trying to grow my business, spending time with the kids and family, living like a TPE! But my business is not growing as fast as I’d like and my wife is coming down on me! I found an ad for a great “job” and I am considering applying. SOMEBODY TALK ME DOWN…PLEASE!

http://www.ToiletPaperEntrepreneur.com Mike Michalowicz

@Wes – NNNNNOOOOOOOO!!!! Come off the cliff, brother. Come off the cliff. Here is the key to salvation, my brother… go look and find all the rich people – go find their houses, and swing by the golf club, or watch who is buying the Mercedes (and I suggest you have the wifey come with you). Then do these two steps: 1. Ask them what they do for a living (there is a HIGH likelihood they own their own business) 2. Ask them how long it took for their business to achieve its success and support the lifestyle you observe (chances are it took 5 to 10 years or more).

Success in entrepreneurship goes to the people who are relentless, who weather the storm, who never, never, never, never quit.

- Mike

http://wsimarketingstrategy.com Kim

I’m shocked that so many people suggested recycling and using paper on both sides. Good grief, we need to do a heck of a lot more than that to save the planet!

Here are some less common, but very easy-to-implement tips on going green in the office:

- Host your website at a wind-powered facility. Website servers require a tremendous amount of energy, so this is a very green choice.

- Don’t buy products that say suddenly advertise they are “green” when they are obviously just marketing the latest fad (I see this a lot with toilet paper, paper towels and cleaning products). Most of them don’t change anything in their products since “green” is not a label that is closely regulated. Support companies who have been green all along and are doing it for the right reasons.

- Use laptops for all employees over desktops as they use much less electricity.

- Ban bottled water and insist everyone use their own reusable cups. Get a water filter if anyone complains about tap water.

- Buy used office equipment. Not everything has to be new, so save some money and get your furniture at yard sales or even better, business closing sales.

- Prioritize your purchases: local & less packaging are worth paying more for.

- Stop using bleach and other harmful chemicals at work (and home!). Vinegar disinfects just as well as bleach, so mix 1 part vinegar with 1 part water and a squirt of mild dish soap in a spray bottle to clean all bathroom & kitchen surfaces.

- Dust with a damp rag (water only) and stop buying anything in an aerosol can.

- Do not buy Fabreeze or other toxic chemicals that are harmful to our lungs and the planet.

- Obviously we should all be buying energy efficient light bulbs, but we also need to shut the lights off every time we leave a room.

- Turn your heat down (or your air up) by 2 degrees. You won’t notice and it will save a lot of energy/money over time.

- Turn your hot water tank down a few degrees. You won’t notice and you’ll save money/energy.

- Stop shopping at Dollar stores where the regulations on plastic are not the same as those for other stores. These plastics are much more toxic, not to mention that the factories in China and elsewhere do not have the same manufacturing environmental standards. It’s not really possible in this day and age to buy a DVD player or TV that are *not* made in China, but if you have a choice, avoid those at all costs.

- Bring re-usable bags when you shop for office supplies or groceries. Here in Canada, it’s becoming more and more common for stores to charge a fee for bags, so most people bring their own. Plastic bags become more toxic as they break down and pose a serious risk to wildlife since they often “escape” the garbage truck and garbage dump (they get blown away and end up in rivers & lakes).

- Do NOT use Styrofoam plates & cups at office parties. Styrofoam is pure evil and does not break down. There are paper and sugar-based biodegradable alternatives. If you don’t want the added expense, volunteer to wash dishes after an event so that you can all eat with real dishes and sleep with a clear conscience.

http://www.ToiletPaperEntrepreneur.com Mike Michalowicz

@Kim – Thank you, thank you, thank you for sharing this!!!!

http://wsimarketingstrategy.com Kim

My pleasure!