How to Make Your Small Business Green

“How to Improve Your Bottom Line, Grow Your Brand, Satisfy Your Customers and Save the Planet” by Jennifer Kaplan (Prentice Hall Press; November 3, 2009; $19.95), is an excellent book for any small business owner or employee who is concerned about their company’s impact on the planet and would like to take actions to improve it.

“Going green” is a way for each of us to make a positive impact on our world, (woot!) and it doesn’t have to be expensive. In fact, as Jennifer explains, making your small biz more eco-friendly can save money and boost profits. (woot woot!) GREENING YOUR SMALL BUSINESS tells readers what they need to know to make their business more competitive by making it more eco-conscious. She covers everything from the basics such as recycling, reducing waste, energy efficiency and reducing the carbon footprint, to more in-depth concerns such as green marketing, communications, biz travel, and green employee benefits.

Get it on Amazon at 32% off: http://bit.l y/3SXH2a

Clear the Air eMagazine November 3, 2009

Check out the latest eMagazine from Clear the Air, featuring news on green articles from around the world.

As well as viewing it page by page, you can also:

Download it as a PDF

Download it for your Amazon Kindle/Sony ebook

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350 Parts – International Day of Climate Action

A few weekends ago saw over 1,000 people gather on the forecourt of Sydney’s Opera House to form the number 350 – a global message board to send a climate change message to world leaders. 179 counties are taking part in 4,500 events worldwide as part of the International Day of Climate Action. Australia was the first of the countries to take part in the international event.

The environmental movement 350.org, is named because there are 350 parts per million – the limit on the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere which many believe is needed to avoid climate havoc.

Blair Palese, CEO of 350.org Australia said “most people feel pretty disenfranchised about things like the United Nations Copenhagen meetings and there is no way for people to take leadership for that.”

Multiple cities throughout the world were also part of the 350 effort.

Christine Watson

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DID YOU KNOW: Save on Your Heating Bill

Turning your thermostat down 1 degree can save up to 10% on an annual heating bill.

Simon Turner

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DID YOU KNOW: CD’s versus Downloads

Did you know:

When you buy music online you cut carbon emissions by 40% to 80% compared with buying CDs.

DID YOU KNOW? Recycling 1 soft drinks can could save enough energy to power a TV for 3 hours

Recycling 1 soft drinks can could save enough #energy to power a TV for 3 hours!

The Sad Truth by Can Ertekin: Stop Global Warming

This video is outstanding, moving and extremely touching.

It’s hard not to take global warming seriously after watching this. We’re not just saving the planet for our own benefit, after all.

Do just a little more today and tomorrow than you did yesterday.

Simon Turner

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GREEN FACT: Up to 5,500 ltrs of water is wasted through a leaking tap per year.

Fact: Up to 5,500 ltrs of water is wasted through a leaking tap per year.

Clear the Air eMagazine October 14 2009

Check out the latest eMagazine for Clear the Air.

As well as viewing it page by page, you can also:

Download it as a PDF

Download it for your Amazon Kindle

Eco-Friendly Corporate Promotional Items

Proforma has been in the print and promotional items industry for over 30 years, being named #1 Promotional Item Distributor by Promo Marketing magazine and #1 Business to Business Supplier in North America by Entrepreneur Magazine. Since 2005, John Simonetta, the owner of Proforma Simonetta Freelance, has focused on providing clients with creative eco-friendly promotional solutions, items like the NOT A PAPER CUP – http://3.ly/z44 – and E.C.O FLEECE JACKETS – http://3.ly/Vb4

For updates on sales and specials follow John at http://twitter.com/ProformaGreen

DID YOU KNOW: Recycling in Britain

Up to 50% of the rubbish thrown away in Britain can be recycled.  

Get Paid for Reducing Your Carbon Footprint.

It’s always nice to come across environmental innovations that can be used worldwide.

The website MyEex provides a monetary incentive for consumers to reduce their carbon emissions.

A simple carbon exchange program, all you have to do is reduce your carbon footprint and subsequently be rewarded with credits that can be converted into pure hard cash. As much of us all may want to improve our footprint, the colour of money is sometimes a bit more powerful than relying on ones conscience.

All you need to do to participate is create a user profile on their site (free, of course), and using data from your last 12 months of energy bills (electricity and heating) the site will calculate your base usage.

From this point, using numerous tips and a variety of information sources (including participating in a very social manner) you seek to reduce your energy bills. Each month you’ll enter your power usage and you’ll subsequently have any reductions certified and awarded with Certified Emissions Reductions (known as CERs) which are tradable on the Voluntary Carbon Market (VCM).

Working on one CER being equal to one ton of carbon reduced (at a price of between $10 – $25 USD), your earnings will be paid via Pay Pal.

Definitely worth a try!

Simon Turner

Green Building Material: Straw Bale Houses

Whilst not necessarily a new building material, straw is increasingly been seen as a greener option to build a home.

Simon Turner

Save Water: Re-Cycle Your Bath Water

Imagine reusing your wasted water in the bathroom.

Designer Jun Yasumoto has created one, his mini-eco-system uses the principles of phyto-purification, a filtering process that recycles the water that is wasted.

Normally used in ecological purification systems, an organic system re-cycles the water from the shower and basin allowing it to be reused.

THE PHYTO PURIFICATION PROCESS:

- Rushes are planted in sand which allows the filtration of larger particles. The root system of the rushes contain various bacteria enabling the breakdown of these particles for absorption by the plant.

- Reeds are planted next to the rushes due to their ability to filter the heavy metals from the water.

- Floating water hyacinths are used due to their ability to draw some of the water borne particles through their roots.

- Lemnas (aquatic plants) bind to the remaining aquatic micro-organisms to complete the filtration process.

- The final step uses a carbon filter to absorb the remaining micro-particles.

Ok, so you may not like the idea of bathing again in this water (or it may take some getting used to), but the water could prove acceptable for many other household requirements thus reducing your carbon footprint and allowing you to become more green.

Simon Turner

http://marquetteturner.com/eco-friendly-your-bathroom-can-be-an-eco-system/trackback/

Sustainable Energy: Is Clean Coal Really Clean?

When I hear the term “clean coal” I can’t help but wonder what it could possibly mean? Coal to me is black and dirty and produces horrible black and smelly smoke when it is burned. The term “clean coal” is used to refer to any process used at a new or existing facility which will significantly reduce sulfur dioxide emissions or other green house gases in the fight against global warming.

Around 50% of electricity production in the USA is through coal fuelled power stations. The clean coal technology term is used to describe the process by which carbon is captured and sequestrated (confiscated and stored). There are currently estimates that clean coal technology reduces emissions by as much as 77% so there are still at least 23% of emissions that are not captured.

The other issue is of course in the storage of pollutants and radionuclides. Significant amounts of fossil fuel energy are required to mine coal and transport it to power stations. Disposing of pollutants and transporting the waste also require large amounts of fossil fuel energy and therefore the whole notion of “clean coal” technology seems questionable at the very least.

Coal mining can strip away mountains, hills and natural areas and can cause enormous environmental destruction due to subsidence, erosion and degradation. While there is no question that “clean coal” technology reduces green house emissions it does not compare to the efficiency and environmentally friendly solar and wind technologies. These should surely be the methods Australia pursues. We can only hope.

Michael Marquette on +61 433 170 170

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