Recently, Burt’s Bees made the news after an innovative exercise in which their employees donned hazmat suits and waded through two weeks’ worth of company garbage. They worked to sort out everything that could have been recycled, and what they found was an annual savings of, potentially, $25,000 or more if they are more careful with there trash.
Undoubtedly, when you’re wading through old lunch remains and dirty tissues, you’re going to sit and take notice more so than if you just get a memo about the need to go green.
So what are you doing to inspire your employees? …read more

Maybe you use CFL bulbs in your store. Maybe you drive a hybrid. Maybe you’re recycling more in your office.
But what about the products you sell? Do you have an inherent green “seller’s responsibility”?
There are hundreds – maybe even thousands – of products on the market that are unsafe for consumers. For example, in the beauty industry, many brands are still using phthalates in their products. Phthalates have been linked to asthma, reproductive conditions, and developmental problems in children. Eek.
So, what if you own a drug store? Is it your responsibility to make sure that none of the products …read more

Merry Christmas from Greener Assets and b5media! As a special green Christmas reminder, remember the following green Christmas points:

Shut down computers before you leave.
Give employees Friday off!
Turn down the heat while no one is in the office.
Send out Christmas wishes via email, not snail mail.
Get organic goodies for office parties.

What did you do/are you doing to green you holiday celebrations this year?

The human spirit is a competitive one. In every industry, there are awards given to the top companies, and we like to simultaneously receive these awards and give these awards to others who deserve to be recognized. The world of “going green” is no different. Competition is healthy and natural, so why shouldn’t we recognize those making a positive green difference?
In early November, MillerCoors received a number of Energy Saver awards from the U.S. Department of Energy. (Read more at Environmental Leader.) Why do awards just have to go to companies though?
Have you consider awards – or even rewards – …read more

Earlier this month, the Aluminum Association set clear goals for the future. By 2015, they hope to be recovering 75% of all aluminum containers made in the United States. That number currently stands at just 54%, though has been as high as 69% in the past.
To help meet this goal, the Aluminum Association is increasing public education, expanding the recycling infrastructure, and focusing on new legislation that will mandate recycling in areas where it is currently voluntary or legislation that will focus on recyclable deposits. Studies should that states with deposits have a 74% or higher recycling rate, while …read more

Recently, Environmental Leader posted a story about Envirowise, a company from the UK urging small business owners to share their utility bills with employees to motivate them to go green while at work. I’m not 100% on board with that idea. It might work for some, but review this list of pros and cons before sharing your bills:
Pros to Bill Sharing

Promotion of responsible action (ie, shutting down computers, using company recycling bins, etc)
Sense of unity among employees to reach a common goal
Trust in the company

Cons to Bill Sharing

Distracts employees from other work
Raises concerns about confidentiality
Identity theft

The last to “cons” especially …read more

I read a very interesting article from the New York Times today – apparently, the youngest generation is increasingly more interested in the environment than their parents.
In a world where many soccer moms still drive vans and SUVs, their children are talking about hybrids and smaller cars. It is now the five-year-old who turns off the light after a parent who has left the room or advocates shutting off the water while brushing your teeth. Kids are learning a lot about the environmental problems we’re facing…and that’s a good thing!
How can children help your business?
As a business owner, you …read more

California, once one of the most polluted places in the country, is now the epicenter for the American go green movement. This week, San Francisco’s mayor, Gavin Newsom, challenged businesses to make this state an even greener place. After all, just because there’s a push to go green in this state doesn’t mean that it is perfect. There is still a lot of work to do.
Newsom’s challenge to the 1500 largest businesses in the city asks companies to invest in solar energy for their business processes. Those who accept the challenge will become part of the Mayor’s Solar Founder’ …read more

Recently, Visa announced a partnership with Repay International to help businesses around the world go green. This card is similar to the recent consumer card launched earlier this year, so if you’re looking for a card to use with your business, consider this new carbon offset concept.
When you make a purchase using this card, it is grouped into one of 24 categories. You can then log onto a special cardholder website to see the carbon emissions per products/services bought. Your purchases are then offset with investments in forestry, renewables, energy efficiency, and carbon capture projects.
You can read more …read more

Personal experiences with Wal-Mart and friend who have worked there lead me to believe that they aren’t, by far, an amazing company. In fact, they might be seen as part of the problem – it is usually a greener option to buy locally produced products, even if Wal-Mart does sell it at a lower price. Furthermore, their hiring policies are shady at best.
That said, Wal-Mart is taking steps in the right direction. Earlier this year, they announced that they were committing to only buying legal, greener wood products, and this past week, they also announced a plan to cut …read more