RiverWired's Top 10 Tips

Send This to Your Favorite Small Business Owner: Top 10 Tips to Green Your Small Business

susan — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 13:30:23 -0400

By Susan Seliger

I met an inspiring small business owner recently – the founder and CEO of Pangea Organics – a skincare company – who is the perfect reminder of the “power of one.”

Joshua Onysko launched Pangea with a simple business plan, as he put it: “Make soap, sell soap.” But along the way he realized that every step in the process counted – and had to be environmentally and ethically sound.

It wasn’t enough to make eco-friendly products – he said he had to be equally friendly to his staff – paying a living wage, including health and dental insurance for all. And why stop at natural soap and lotions when you can also make the packaging entirely out of recycled newsprint?

And why stop with simple recycling – when you can tell the consumer who just bought that Facial Scrub that they can stick that empty package in a flowerpot and step back! Before they can say “I live in an apartment and don’t have a compost pile,” they will be sprouting herbal plants whose seeds were embedded in the box. Nice touch, Joshua.

Small businesses are what make America great. And their influence – if they choose to go green – can be as big as the mighty corporations getting all the attention for joining the eco-friendly fray these days.

“Independent firms with less than 500 employees employ half of the private sector workforce and use half of the electricity and natural gas consumed by the commercial and industrial sectors, In 2006, small businesses accounted for 99.9 percent of the 26.8 million businesses in the country,” according to Jonathon Bardelline, in The Big Impact from Greening Small Businesses at GreenBiz.com.

So here are 10 simple Go-Green Steps for entrepreneurs everywhere — no matter what your core business may be.

1. Ask your employees for green ideas first.

You don’t need to hire a Director of Sustainability. Ask the people who always have the best ideas – your team. After all, if they have to implement these plans, it’s smart to get their buy-in from the start. Offering bonuses for eco-ideas that save the company money wouldn’t hurt.

2. Buy everybody a mug.

Warning to CEOs: Do not put your mug on their mug, as one CEO we know thought of doing. It’s funny for the first 2 seconds –and then it’s just creepy (and a little Orwellian). Your logo is OK. Giving each employee the gift of a ceramic, reusable mug engenders good will – and it will save you a fortune on those nasty Styrofoam cups. The average office worker uses up to 500 disposable coffee cups per year – and Styrofoam takes about one million years to fully decompose. Give the extra mugs to clients and visitors to use and then take home. Not a bad way to reinforce your identity as a company that cares.

3. Buy green coffee – and green cleaning products — while you’re at it.

Coffee with the Rainforest Alliance Certified seal of approval has been produced by companies committed to sustainable practices and treating their workers decently. Stock the kitchen and bathrooms with natural, organic hand soap, detergents and dish soaps that are kind to employees’ busy hands — and the environment.

4. Replace the office refrigerator, microwave – and all your equipment – with energy-efficient models.

Newer Energy Star-Rated appliances use up to 40% less energy than older versions. Look for star ratings on fax machines, copiers, printers and everything you use.

5. Recycle Paper – this is a big one – and easy, too.

Do we really have to remind you about this one? About 40% of the garbage in our landfills is paper that could have been recycled. * Buy recycled paper – along with biodegradable paper plates and napkins. * Encourage copying on both sides. * Have bins for recycling paper in convenient locations – like next to the coffee machine – to give added incentive to toss paper in the right spot.

6. Apply the 3 R’s to electronics and office equipment, too

The eco-mantra, reduce, reuse, recycle, doesn’t stop at paper. You can refill ink cartridges. Recycle electronics safely – Staples and Office Depot are getting into the recycling act. When in doubt, go to Earth911 to see where to recycle – or donate – in your area. You may even qualify for a tax credit for donations to local schools or non-profits. Other recycling resources: Top 10 Recycling Resources ; Electronics Recycling; Who Makes The Greenest Electronics?.

7. Replace bottled water with a water filter

Bottled water costs too-to-three times as much as gasoline. Americans spend more than $8 billion a year on bottled water – and generate over 1.5 million tons of plastic that will not break down in landfills for tens of thousands of years. A water filter costs pennies per gallon. You do the math.

8. Save on travel costs – telecommuting, teleconferencing, hybrid vehicles

Consider allowing some employees to telecommute from home one or two days a month and teleconference their meetings – the energy savings, time savings and good will can be immense. If you need a new company car, consider a hybrid — you may even qualify for a tax credit up to $3,400. (Check The IRS Rulings on Hybrids .)

9. Consider laptops – instead of desktops – for staff.

A laptop’s LCD screen uses 1/3 the energy of a typical Cathode Ray Tube. And employees can take laptops with them – at night or when they travel — to get more done. Win-win.

10. Change your lights to CFLs — Are you seeing the light?

If every American installed 5 CFL bulbs, we’d save close to $8 billion each year in energy costs — and prevent greenhouse gases equivalent to the emissions from 10 million cars, according to the EPA’s Energy Star site.

What are you waiting for? There’s gold in going green.

Photo Credit: A site to go to for more tips on green business ideas: Hub Pages

Top 10 Green Excuses

kbutler — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0400

If you’re reading this article, odds are that you’re probably at least a light pale green in your commitment to Mother Earth. (That or you’re a friend or relative I’ve harassed to read my blog – you guys rock!) So in honor of the many shades of green out there, I present a list of top ten green excuses for your every day use.

TOP TEN GREEN EXCUSES

10. “I know I smell, but you couldn’t possibly expect me to shower longer than 1.3 minutes and waste an extra 3.6 gallons of water.”

9. You can’t eat dinner at your mother-in-law’s because you can't be subjected to another helping of her non-organic food/soul-crushing criticism.

8. “Of course I’m tired. I was up all night trying to figure out exactly why Madonna is on the cover of Vanity Fair’s 2008 Green Issue.”

7. “I’m sorry, but attending your son’s Bar Mitzvah/daughter’s confirmation/sister’s wedding will offset my carbon footprint.”

6. When you’re pulled over for speeding, you say, “How about I give you 25 useful facts on solar power to make this whole thing go away? Okay, make it 50.”

5. You walked into that adult sex shop because you thought that sign read “We’re totally organic!”

4. “What do you mean, I can’t set up an industrial wind turbine farm in my front yard? What is this, Communist Russia?”

3. You tackled that distinguished gentleman on the street because you thought he shared Al Gore’s dreamy profile.

2. When you’re mistaken for a homeless woman, you explain you’re just taking “reduce, recycle, and reuse” to the next level.

1. “Oh, like you’ve never tried to run a Hummer off the road!”

Top 10 Ways to Prevent Global Warming

kbutler — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 01:13:58 -0400

By now, we all know that global warming could end us all. So what can one person do to save the earth?

TOP TEN WAYS TO PREVENT GLOBAL WARMING

10. Ask the public if they want the concept of “room temperature” to necessitate mandatory string bikinis – for all.

9. You enlist Morgan Freeman to miraculously empower Emperor Penguins to stage a military coup of Antarctica.

8. Reduce methane production by attempting to shame cattle about certain impolite emissions.

7. You lock the kings of oil and several polar bears in a room together and won’t let them out until some earth-positive decisions are made.

6. You reveal a mysterious study proving ice cold showers work better than Botox, thus motivating the city of Los Angeles to turn down its water heaters.

5. You reduce your phantom electricity use by staging an exorcism involving energy-efficient light bulbs and one mightily-annoyed chicken.

4. You motivate real estate magnates to take action by buying up all the future oceanfront property in Iowa.

3. Promise people that you will send all celebutantes straight to the center of the sun if they turn down their thermostats just one degree.

2. Ask people if they really want a world without snow. (Do not do so near or south of the equator.)

1. Point out that Canada will become a land super power. And can we really take that risk?

Want to learn more about global warming?

Top 10 Lesser-Known Myths About Global Warming

New Report: Doubts Grow About Global Warming

Send an Instant Message, Fight Global Warming

Global Warming Cartoons

Jared Leto Pushes Back on Global Warming

Clean, Renewable Energy: The Answer to Global Warming

What You Eat Can Affect Global Warming, New Study Shows

Top 10 Green Products: From Solar Backpacks to Bamboo Bikes

RiverWired.com — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 02:04:24 -0400

Here at RiverWired, we pride ourselves in bringing you some of the most eco-friendly, economic, and all-around intriguing green items we can find. With that in mind, we’ve compiled this list (in no particular order) of 10 of some of our favorite products. Enjoy!

Click on each product for full description, price listing, and buying info.

1. Reware Solar Backpack

2. Vlatec CFL light bulb/air freshener

3. Baggu Reusable Shopping Bags

4. Calfee Designs Bamboo Bicycle

5. The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Green Living

6. Wine Trio From The Organic Wine Company

7. Beko Energy-Saving Washing Machine

8. Natalie Portman’s Té Casan Footwear

9. Organic Soy Briefs from 2(x)ist

10. Elephant Dung Stationery

Top 10 Ideas for Saving Gas, Money and Driving Green

RiverWired.com — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 00:00:00 -0400

Gas prices getting you down? Carbon emissions weighing heavy on your shoulders? At RiverWired we want to reduce your worries as we help you reduce your footprint. Instead of talking problems, we offer some solutions for saving gas and improving mileage. Now more than ever, you have big reasons for driving green.

1. 15 Tips For Better Mileage -- Want to Get 70 MPG in Your Toyota Prius?

2. The Hype About Hypermiling

3. Two Wheels Are Greener Than Four

4. Honda Civic GX Tops List of Greenest Cars

5. Driving Green = Fewer Greenbacks

6. Five Tips to Find the Cheapest Gas Near You

7. Top 10 Most Fuel-Efficient Cars: Save Gas, Save Money

8. Record Month For Selling Gas -- Saving Cars Getting Better Than 30 MPG

9. GE Backs Electric Cars -- This Time For Keeps!

10. Top 10 Green Things to Do While Stuck in Traffic

Attention Bargain Shoppers: Top 10 Green Brands!

Julia — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 15:46:11 -0400

According to advertising conglomerate WPP, these are the top ten green brands to be on the look out for.

These results are based on 1,504 online interviews in the U.S. and 1,525 interviews in the U.K. Do you think they’re accurate? Any others you would like to contribute to the bunch?

1. Whole Foods – natural and organic grocery store (http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/).

2. Wild Oats – natural and organic grocery store, now merged with Whole Foods.

3. Trader Joe’s – specialty retail grocery store featuring organic and natural foods (http://www.traderjoes.com/).

4. Toyota – Japanese multinational corporation; currently the world’s largest automaker (http://www.toyota.com/).

5. Honda – Japanese multinational corporation, engine manufacturer and engineering corporation (http://www.honda.com/).

6. Sub Zero – the industry leader of built-in refrigerators, freezers and wine storage (http://www.subzero.com/).

7. Ikea – a privately-held, international home products retailer that sells flat pack furniture, accessories, bathrooms and kitchens at retail stores around the world (http://www.ikea.com/).

8. Body Shop – The Body Shop is the second largest cosmetic franchise in the world and has over 2,000 stores in more than 50 countries (http://www.thebodyshop.com).

9. General Electric – a multinational American technology and services conglomerate that is the world's third largest company (http://www.ge.com/).

10. Aveda – a company headquartered in Blaine, Minnesota, that manufactures skin care, cosmetics, perfume and hair care products, and trains students in cosmetology, and esthiology at the Aveda Institute (http://www.aveda.com/).

Top 10 Most Fuel-Efficient Cars: Save Gas, Save Money

susan — Sat, 24 May 2008 09:05:20 -0400

Here are 10 cars that might just make driving a not--so-guilty pleasure again. The only way you can get closer to a free ride is to bike. You may be surprised to find that hybrids are not the only winners on this list of the 10 most fuel-efficient cars currently on the market, ranked and tested by Consumer Reports.

Toyota Prius Base (Overall Miles Per Gallon 44)
Toyota Prius Touring (42)
Honda Civic Hybrid (37)
Toyota Camry Hybrid (34)
Toyota Yaris Base (manual) (34)
Honda Fit Sport (manual) (34)
Toyota Yaris Base (33)
Nissan Altima Hybrid (32)
Honda Fit Base (32)
Honda Civic EX (manual) (31)

Is all that not good enough for you?

Want to drive even longer for less?

Then watch out for the extreme hybrid -- a plug-in hybrid SUV that gets 150 miles per gallon – and could be hitting the market before too long. It is being developed by AFS Trinity Power of Bellevue, Wash., which showed off a prototype at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

For more information, check out:

15 Tips For Better Mileage -- Want to Get 70 MPG in Your Toyota Prius?

The Hype About Hypermiling

Two Wheels Are Greener Than Four

Honda Civic GX Tops List of Greenest Cars

Driving Green = Fewer Greenbacks

Five Tips to Find the Cheapest Gas Near You

Record Month For Selling Gas -- Saving Cars Getting Better Than 30 MPG

Top 10 Recycling Resources

Marcus — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 01:00:00 -0400

We all mean to recycle. The problem is that it’s sometimes quite difficult to actually get your recyclables to the proper facilities. If your apartment building or neighborhood doesn't have a recycling program in place, you're on your own. And even if it recycles ordinary stuff, there are always those difficult items -- like computers or big things -- that need special handling.

But fear not, friends. This handy list will help you ease those recycling woes and give your old stuff a new lease on life.

1. www.ForRecycling.info

Get motivated with this great site for general info on what happens in the process of recycling, what the benefits are, what materials can be recycled, and an extensive list of links for further information. A great overview.

2. www.Earth911.org

Earth 911’s most compelling feature is a recycling center search engine that allows you to search by location and material that you’re looking to recycle. Like ForRecycling, above, it also has general information and useful tips.

3. www.Resource-Recycling.com

Here's a huge database of links that covers pretty much everything recycling-related, from recycling and composting equipment sites to state and regional organizations and centers.

4. www.Recycle-Steel.org

Recycle Steel has everything you need to know about recycling- you guessed it- steel. There's info on how to responsibly dispose of anything from an old car to a toaster oven.

5. www.MyGreenElectronics.org

My Green Electronics provides information and resources for how to recycle those old, neglected electronics that you’re just not sure what to do with.

6. www.ShareTechnology.org

Share Technology focuses on recycling computers. Whether your computer’s still in usable shape, or only a few parts can be salvaged, this site will show you the most eco-friendly method to dispose of your Mac or PC.

7. www.rbrc.org

The Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation provides you with a wealth of information about the benefits of recycling rechargeable batteries and cell phones, and has information about where to drop these items off to ensure that they are re-used.

8. www.DressForSuccess.org

The mission statement of this non-profit that recycles women’s business clothing is to “promote the economic independence of disadvantaged women by providing professional attire, a network of support and the career development tools to help women thrive in work and in life.” That pretty much says it all.

9. www.OperationFairyDust.org

This site recycles formal and prom dresses for girls who would not otherwise have the economic resources to obtain them.

10. www.NewEyesForTheNeedy.org

Instead of throwing out those old eyeglasses when your prescription changes, donate them to New Eyes For The Needy -- you’ll be reducing the garbage problem and helping out someone who truly needs it.

Want to find out more about recycling?

Recycling Tips: Did You Know You Cannot Recycle Messy Pizza Boxes?

The Benefits of Recycling: Let’s Talk Trash

Recycling the Looking Glass: When Garbage and Art Collide

Recycled Record Snack Tray

The Benefits of Recycling Cardboard

The Art of Garbage

Reduce, Reuse… FREECYCLE

Recycle Those Electronics!

Back to Basics—RRR

Picking Up Garbage TVs and Recycling as Art

Students Recycle and Reduce Garbage: Take It Or Leave It

Knight Rider Recycled—Reborn With Green Twist!

Recycling Your Garbage: Where Does it All Go?

Top 10 Signs You Don’t Have a Green Job

kbutler — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 13:04:58 -0400

Sure, it is a bad job market out there and some of us are eager for work. But if any of the following sound familiar to you, you might want to reconfigure the resume. Or call Greenpeace to see if they are hiring.

TOP TEN SIGNS YOU DON’T HAVE A GREEN JOB

10. You fall asleep on the job and people in hazmat suits wake you up.

9. Interviewer asks if you can type, get coffee, and resist toxic waste.

8. You’re paid in baby seal pelts.

7. You take a lot of “before” photographs that involved undeveloped land and happy, frolicking wildlife.

6. There’s a sign at the office that reads “EPA Superfund Site.”

5. You discover your boss can cough up tar, and he’s not a smoker.

4. You become convinced that the office plants are glaring at you.

3. Your job description includes the letters “FEMA.”

2. You’re required to screen all visitors for hidden cameras and 20/20's John Quinones.

1. At the end of the day, you glow.

Top 10 Lesser-Known Myths about Global Warming

kbutler — Mon, 19 May 2008 00:00:00 -0400

Sure, there’s lots of finger pointing when it comes to who is to blame for global warming. Kyoto Protocol aside, there are whispers of other mysterious figures who may responsible for August arriving in May. (At least in Los Angeles, where the idea of “Hey, at least we don’t have humidity” is being swiftly losing ground to “When did the Mojave Desert expand into Santa Monica?”)

It’s a conspiracy by…

10. The fur industry to get animals to abandon their fur.

9. Bitter athletes who want to end Canadian dominance in hockey. Not so cool when you skate in slush, is it?

8. Evil supermodels sick of having to cover up in the winter.

7. Annoying guys who walk around saying “Hot enough for ya?”

6. Hollywood, who wants less money spent on heating oil and more money spent on blockbusters about the ravaging effects of global warming.

5. Pot smokers who want to see how high they can get off trapped greenhouse gases.

4. The pork industry, who wants to promote bacon by openly frying it on the sidewalk.

3. Failed plastic surgeons eager to see people’s faces melt off.

2. Icelandic folk sick of wearing Icelandic sweaters.

1. Real estate magnates who have already bought up the soon-to-be balmy south coast of Antarctica.