How to Become Envoirmently Friendly

How to Become Environmentally Friendly Ivy Hartman: Green washing is becoming more and more common place unfortunately as being green becomes more and more hit but trendy and a great marketing tool so how do small businesses walk the top when it comes to being environmentally friendly. Lori Allen: Well it’s about your daily business practices the decisions that you make, you take into consideration more than just the profit. It’s about products that you offer and to their effect on the planet and the people who make them and use them. It’s about how you get your supplies for your businesses. Ivy Hartman: You know green washing isn’t been knew its fashion in genes it’s that fuzzy line between really implementing green practices and jus claiming to. Jean Ponzi: Green washing is like white washing or brain washing. It’s kind of a little thin of the year of environmentally friendliness that doesn’t really go any deeper than a super florist look. Ivy Hartman: Jean Ponzi is the Program Manager for Earth Ways Center. A non-profit organization that’s helping educate business owners, homeowners and consumers on how they can leave more sustain ably. Jean Ponzi: And the truth here is to think like an eco system. Think in systems. Think in cycles, think of the ways in which output or still put or waste products can continue to cycle for your business or can be network to another business, another entertainment that you use back part of your business, output that you cannot use. So that there is minimal ways or zeal ways. In our own facility here we really strive to walk our tough we use a 100% recycle content copier paper. You know copiers internet. We have coffee and beverages available. We always serve those things in reusable glasses and coffee cups and plates and we have a dishwasher and we wash those here on the site. We also have cloth napkins and we happen have a washer and dryer and we laundry those here on site. Another feature of the Earth Ways Center is some renewable energy production. We have a 1.5 kilowatt affordable tip for solo panel array and that is why into our kitchen appliances. Our copiers, our printers are all energy star qualified appliances, our computers, our energy stock qualified appliances. Ivy Hartman: One small business owner in the fashion industry is building her business around being green. Aside from the color of the walls boutique Chartreuse is a green boutique selling eco- fashions that are either maybe from sustainable, recycled or repurpose material and are constructed under fair trait practices. Lorie Allen: And what fair trade is basically that there is no — the market there is whatever the market is there. Fair trade on the other hand says that when we go in and work with artisans or people in another country that we have the obligation to treat them fairly and justly and that they are paid fair working wages for their labor. Ivy Hartman: In addition to offering a green product Lorie also operates this green business in environmentally conscious way. Lorie Allen: And for us as a green business you can buy walls of bright green. I sell a green product that is more to it than that and just a small list of the things that I do. For instance I have energy star appliances so my laptop and my other computer peripherals are energy stock and I compact fluorescent bulbs all of my bulbs are fluorescent bulbs in the main part of the store that the rest of the complex fluorescents. My cleaners are all eco- friendly so anytime I do clean anything my glass cleaner, my vacuum cleaners, anything is an eco- friendly, biodegradable products. Ivy Hartman: As a business owner if you outsource your cleaning recycling or other services you want to be sure that they are legitimately eco- friendly. Jean Ponzi: Pure business does business with green product or service vendors. Do your homework and make sure you’re really dealing with legitimately green stuff. Certifiably green stuff and get references before you work with any kind of service provider from someone who has find out if they’re real or if they’re bogus. Ivy Hartman: The key to being a green business is they keep it simple. Lorie Allen: And it’s always about little decisions too. You have to and can’t do perfect I don’t ever suggest that someone has to go all or nothing. Its little things here and there and you can’t always do all of it but you can do what you could do and you can stand by the act. Jean Ponzi: Marketing is very important but legitimate claims are very important. If you’re in a business and you’re, just starting to implement a few green things be honest about that. Everybody is on a learning about stability and about green. So stay on that curve, be legitimate, be open to one of this things don’t be afraid of crisis and turn those into suggestions for growth. For me it is an ethical issue. Lorie Allen: I can imagine doing it in any other way. Jean Ponzi: And yes market the intelligence, the green intelligence that your business is developing with the products that you source the way in which you outfit your trace the business. The way in which you treat your employees. Lorie Allen: The types of services and groups that you choose to provide. Jean Ponzi: Bracket that probably because our whole society is when living in that direction and we don’t want to help with those. Ivy Hartman: Either ethic consumer or as a business owner it’s important to strive to become stubby when it comes to going green. Jean Ponzi: It’s important for us to learn how to ask the question that reveals whether something is legitimately sustainable or the weather will be in green one. Ivy Hartman: I’m Ivy Hartman reporting for sbtv.com where small business is our only business.