Small Busines Green
The greening of small businesses across the country is a movement all its own.
While it may be easy to dismiss the impact of small companies when compared to
the big guys, consider the following stats from GreenBiz.com: “Small Businesses
(defined as firms with less than 500 employees) employ half of the private sector
workforce and use half of the electricity and natural gas consumed by the commercial and industrial sectors. In 2006, small businesses accounted for 99.9 percent of the 26.8 million businesses in the country.” Imagine the impact small businesses
can have by collectively adopting eco-efficient technology and sustainable business practices. But how does a company start on this track, considering that most small business owners can’t afford to hire a “Green CEO” or “Director of Sustainability Initiatives”?
How about a consultant? Hiring a professional or an expert to come to your business and assist you in your efforts is not only a smart idea, but one that can pay for itself. Professionals charge a fee to assess and then prepare a plan of action for your business. You then follow the plan and promote your own efforts. What about updating your customers on your progress so they can green their own business? Wouldn’t that be an added bonus of doing business with your company? Something that separated you from the crowd? A general consumer insight is that with all other attributes being equal, we will pick the product with an increase in a given attribute, especially if we value that attribute. Designing products with the right mix of attributes to appeal to a group of consumers is an essential part of marketing. There is no doubt that there are people who are conscious of the environment and willing to base some of their purchase decision on how the product or
service will impact the environment. The important thing is that you are always thinking and keeping up with trends in the green market. Luckily, the
green small-biz movement is comprised of several networks
and organizations that provide resources tailored
for this sector of the economy. Among the most prominent
organizations include The Business Alliance for Local Living
Economies (BALLE), Co-Op America’s Green Business
Network, and now B Corporation (www.bcorporation.net)
has developed a free online survey that business owners
can use to assess how they currently rate on a green biz
scale. The survey is comprehensive in scope. It looks not
only at how a business fares from an environmental
perspective, but also from a social perspective as well.
Best of all, the survey includes links to a “best practices”
section with useful information about how to implement
various sustainability initiatives. It is written in a clear and
concise manner to optimally help the concerned small biz
owner with limited time and resources.
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