Subscribe to our Environmental/Green Businesses Business Guidance Feed

Practical Ideas For Reducing Your Carbon Footprint

Adapted from the website www.climatecrisis.net which is linked to “An Inconvenient Truth”. I’m not suggesting that you do all of this – but choose a few to make a start and see the benefits. I’m sure you’ll continue to do more. read more

 

Making Changes For The Benefit Of The Planet – And Your Business

Making changes to your business to be ‘greener’ is not about making profound changes. You can take small steps and make a big difference and the good news is that many of the changes will be good for your business, too. So why worry if the Climate Change arguments are right or wrong? It is in your interests to ‘just do it’. You can’t fail to have seen the storm of publicity about the dangers of Climate Change and Global Warming. read more

 

Switch off this Christmas: Businesses Stand To Waste £500 Each by Leaving The Office On Stand By

British Gas Business, the greenest major UK energy supplier, is warning businesses: “as you switch off for Christmas, don’t leave your business on stand-by”. The advice comes as figures show businesses could each waste up to £500 this Christmas holiday by leaving office equipment such as fax machines, photocopiers and computer monitors on stand-by. The Carbon Trust estimates businesses waste £6,000 per year by leaving equipment on over weekends and Bank Holidays. That is £52 a day (based on 104 weekend days and 10 Bank Holidays). read more

 

Green Computing

Everyone is now concerned about the environment, thank goodness. The idea of being greener in the workplace is well established, with the only question being exactly how this should be achieved. People have the idea that computing should be able to help. Well, yes and no is the answer to that. Computing can help a bit — but the people operating the computers can do more. The notion of green computing itself is mired in some controversy. read more

 

What Might A Recession Mean For Green Business?

It could be a blessing in disguise. Out may go green luxuries, some of the more extravagant corporate commitments, some of the investor confidence. In may come green economies, smaller cars used less, fewer flights and luxuries, less strain on the planet. If you look at the oil crisis in the 1970s, this was the invitation to small Japanese cars vs the American gas-guzzlers. Of course depending on the depth of recession it could bring suffering in ordinary families and communities, and it could hold back development in poor regions – definitely a mixed blessing. But perhaps less so than the global Somalia predicted if we carry on as we are and the climate does drift into the red part of the gauge. read more

 

Green Start Ups

A few years ago Red Herring interviewed a number of venture capitalists and analysts in order to make predictions for 2006. Their number one answer turned out to be ‘more investing in green products’. In the US the predictions have come true, with $2.9B invested in 2006 into cleantech i.e. alternative energy and energy efficiency. The figures in Europe are slightly less impressive at $700m, but this is still high growth in green investing from a low base (which one commentator from WWF in 2002 described as ‘bugger all’!) read more

 

Marketing For Green Businesses

Green businesses are ones founded on sustainable values and principles: they set out to be good for people, profit and planet. They often benefit from idealism and its knock-on effect on productivity, identity, attracting talent and so on. But they often find paradoxically that the best marketing strategy is conventional – awareness, product benefits, value for money, convenience and so on - rather than green communications. read more

 

Green Marketing For Mainstream Businesses

Green marketing has been much in the news. Announcements by businesses like Wal-Mart, Marks & Spencer and BSkyB have grabbed the headlines. Less noticed but no less significant are all the smaller businesses in printing, construction and local food deliveries that have seen the sense, and also hopefully the good, in chasing the green pound. Mixed in with the optimistic examples are concerns about green washing, which can lead to a backlash. ‘Greenwashing’ is claiming to be green without substance: representing what already existed in a more flattering green light. read more

 

Climate Change – ‘A Convenient Truth’ For Investors?

Inadvertently, we have already touched on how climate change can impact on investors in previous articles. As an example, the use of the commodity, Platinum within catalytic converters is a direct result of legislation to reduce harmful emissions which directly impact climate change. Or there is the the use of ethanol as a climate friendly fuel indirectly impacting the price of wheat, a potential soft commodity asset class. But is climate change mostly about hyperbole or is having an impact on companies and policy makers in a way that will seriously impact on the global investment environment? read more

 

‘Business Link Encourages ALL Businesses To Go Green And Prosper’

The new ‘Environment and Efficiency’ Theme offers specific information on how businesses can gain bottom line benefits by tackling environmental issues relevant to their business. Whether it’s advice on reducing waste, marketing green credentials or understanding your legal obligations, Business Link is the essential destination for all UK businesses seeking advice on ‘going green’. read more