“Sustainability and”: A thoughtful approach to greening your small business
“Sustainability and”: A thoughtful approach to greening your small business
If your business is trying to improve its sustainable efforts, but you feel stuck — you’re not alone! It can be hard to know what steps you can take towards greening your business will actually matter in the long run. The sheer volume of potential tactics can be overwhelming, from recycling to commute trip reduction to carbon offsets to fossil fuel divestment. Before you get so overwhelmed that you quit trying — there’s another approach that can both reduce your environmental impact and your connections in your community. I like to call this concept “sustainability and.” Simply, what steps can you take that reduce your environmental impact and make an impact in another area you value?
THOUGHTFUL CONSUMPTION = LOCAL ECONOMIC BOOST
For example, buying local can reduce your carbon footprint, and it also boosts the local economy. Evaluate your buying ‘web’ — places and people you buy from (or pay, in the case of outsourcing.) Are there tweaks you can make, shifting to a green or local business (or better yet, a green, local business!)
Another way to reduce waste is to look critically about the waste you generate. I’m not talking about sandwich wrappers or bits of plastic…
