“It’s not easy being green”
Deciding to green your business doesn't need to be overwhelming. Getting started is actually easier than you think. According to RBC's "Greening your business: a guide to getting started" there are 5 basic steps to becoming a green organization. The first and most important step is to commit to change. Then, you need to look at what your environmental impacts are and use these to make your case for change. Next, create a vision of what your environmentally sustainable organization should look like and identify priority issues. Then it's time to create a strategic plan, prioritize actions and develop a path to achieve environmental sustainability. Finally, these steps need to become mainstream in your organization.
Things as simple as having recycling bins everywhere or using compact fluorescent lightbulbs to conserve energy or even encouraging your employees to take public transportation to work are excellent first steps that will improve your organization's ecological footprint. From there you can change the way you deliver products and services by eliminating packaging or by becoming a community partner that helps to improve the ecological and social health of the area in which you do business. The benefits of becoming green are varied: cost savings for your business, environmental benefits, high worker morale, quality products and services.
You can start learning about greening your business at the Canada Business Ontario site and at the Canada Business Network. Both sites provide numerous tips, links and resources for greening your business. As well, the library has some excellent books that can help you improve our planet while improving your business:
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