It’s not easy being green- for businesses

Published on 15^th April, 2011

As Kermit the frog once sang, It’s not easy being green. And if it’s not easy for the world’s most beloved frog who, let’s face it, will hardly have the biggest carbon footprint, then it certainly isn’t easy for businesses large or small. In these challenging times, increasing expenditure in order to tackle climate change may seem like an unnecessary burden for businesses, and even act as an inhibitor for growth. After all, expansion can only mean increasing your carbon footprint, right?

The latest government approach to getting large corporations to manage their environmental impact more efficiently has been named the Carbon Reduction Commitment, then renamed the Carbon Reduction Commitment Energy Efficiency Scheme- you have to hope no one was paid too much to come up with the change. Under the scheme, large businesses will be required to monitor their environmental performance, and will be ranked according to how well they improve. Now if there’s one thing to drive on businesses to perform, it’s a bit of healthy competition!

Going back to the question of making improvements to environmental efficiency and the ever-important question of cost, here at EcoLogicLiving, we’ve found that vast improvements can be made to environmental performance that won’t hit the pocket- and might fill it a little. Read on and you might learn a trick or two!

Carbon Footprinting- the new Financial Audit?

Working in the renewables sector, I hear the words ‘carbon footprint’, oh, say, a million times a week? But then doesn’t everybody? Listen out for it, because like it or not, the term is everpresent. And, as we discovered, a pretty handy auditing tool as it happens. A carbon footprint needn’t be a nagging device designed to send you into a spiral of shame and panic- it can be a useful way to spot negligence and extravagance in business expenditure. At EcoLogicLiving, we are currently gathering data to produce our own carbon footprint, which should help reveal where we’re overusing resources and therefore overspending. Think of it as putting your business on a diet- you save money by cutting ‘food’ costs, and get the benefit of losing ‘weight’- and gain kudos from your customers and competitors as a result. For more information, visit the Waste & Resources Action Programme website, or read their summary of why Beanz Meanz using lighter materials to increase business savingz.

Invest for the future

With the triple whammy of the Enhanced Capital Allowance, Green Investment Bank and Feed in Tariffs and Renewable Heat Incentive, forward thinking companies are running out of reasons NOT to invest in renewables As well as providing a source of income for the company, better green credentials are rapidly becoming not just a want, but a demand from savvy customers unprepared to put up with low ethical standards.

Workers, unite!

Ok, ok, not in a Marxist uprising kind of way, but hey! If that’s your thing, go for it. Nevertheless, encouraging employees to make suggestions can make them feel more involved in the direction of the business, and can give disconnected departments something they can work on together, apart from spending a soggy night in a team building exercise tent!