Today’s savvy consumers are quickly catching on to the “green-washing” that many businesses are trying to feed them. It seems like the first step businesses take to green their operations is to add a leaf and some varying colors of green to their logo. It certainly catches your eye and makes you want to check it out, only to find out that they don’t even have a recycle bin for the plastic soda bottle you have in your hand. You glance around the office and realize that most of the staff is out at an off-site meeting yet the computers and lights are still on as though they would be back any minute.
As the new year begins to unfold and your business wants to be more green, start with the obvious: turn out the lights, recycle the easy stuff, turn off the water. If you’ve done those things already take the next step by purchasing recycled products and thinking about what products are packaged in.
The best way to market you efforts is to establish a baseline and track, track, track. Track how much money you are saving by turning off lights and computers, track how much garbage you are diverting. All these things can be tracked and used as marketing material. Hang up the statistics on the bulletin board. Post updates in the conference rooms where your clients meet. Post it on your website. Give your clients, customers and vendors something tangible that shows the progress you are making. The market understands what a green business should have even if they cannot do it themselves. Start with the easy stuff and get your momentum going.
Tags: business, green, operations, sustainable
February 1, 2009 at 6:18 am |
I do a pretty good job at tracking my efforts, however, I could do a better job at posting the results up and around the office.