| Going "green" is big business today. Not only is going | | | | in-town trips. |
| "green" an environmentally responsible approach for | | | | Teleconferencing provides many of the benefits of |
| businesses of all sizes to take and one that is the | | | | "being there" in person and now with the advent of |
| current rage, but going "green" can leverage profit | | | | Web conferencing (which is video with telephone |
| dollars to your bottom-line too. | | | | conferencing combined and includes computer |
| First, what exactly do we mean by having your | | | | application sharing), putting in "face time" with a client |
| business go "green"? When we talk about "green", | | | | just got significantly easier and less expensive. |
| we mean making a concerted effort to save our | | | | When you as a business owner, do not have to pay |
| natural resources concerted action. Actions such as: 1. | | | | for employee air travel, rental car expenses, hotel |
| Saving on paper supplies - consider going digital for all | | | | rooms, meals, long distance calls, mileage, and airport |
| of your internal office correspondence thereby saving | | | | parking fees for even one less trip per month, the |
| on office supply costs and saving trees at the same | | | | savings can be huge! Over the course of a year the |
| time. 2. Lowing office energy consumption - lower | | | | potential savings and benefit to your profit can be so |
| your thermostat in the winter and raise it in the | | | | significant that you may change your employees to a |
| summer. Consider using an electronic programmable | | | | very limited travel schedules. What might be some of |
| thermostat to lower your energy consumption when | | | | your actual cost savings? Here is just one example |
| people are not in your office in the evenings and | | | | of actual travel expenses for an employee based in |
| weekends. 3. Recycling drink bottles - get your | | | | Washington DC to traveling to Groton, Connecticut |
| employees to sort their lunch trash and recycle | | | | for a three day business trip: |
| bottles and cans. Encourage the use of | | | | Air fare ;$400 Hotel for three nights ($120 per night) |
| environmentally friendly alternatives to Styrofoam | | | | $360 Per Diem ($50 per day) $150 Airport Parking |
| cups. 4. Using recycled paper - whenever possible use | | | | ;$50 Mileage to airport and back $20 Total Expense |
| recycled paper in your print marketing materials | | | | $980 |
| saving trees and forests. 5. Using biodegradable | | | | This is just one example of a potential travel saving |
| alternatives - replace plastic packaging and plastic | | | | and is calculated at the government per diem rates. |
| shipping materials with new biodegradable "plastic-like" | | | | Your own company's per diem reimbursement rate |
| alternatives. Many of these new alternatives do not | | | | may even be higher. It is clear that not every trip |
| cost more and warrant your consideration. 6. Driving | | | | can be replaced by teleconferencing, but what about |
| less - drive less by consolidating the trips that you do | | | | the quick one day trips and meet and greet type |
| need to make in your car saving fuel, mileage | | | | contract reviews or routine sales calls. These can |
| expenses, and decreasing air pollution in your city. 7. | | | | effectively be replaced by regular teleconferencing |
| Using mass transit or considering car pooling - save | | | | saving a business a huge amount of travel expenses |
| money, conserve our natural resources, and lower air | | | | over the year and leveraging a significant amount of |
| pollution all at the same time. 8. Buying Energy Star | | | | profit to the bottom-line. |
| products - when you need new appliances or heating | | | | Before you comment "my clients need to have me in |
| and cooling systems purchase those with the Energy | | | | the same room", consider trying out Web |
| Star label for increased efficiency and lower energy | | | | conferencing first. You may be pleasantly surprised to |
| consumption. You'll recover your initial investment and | | | | find that the positive statement you make as a |
| then start saving money in just a few years. 9. | | | | "green" company resonates with your clients. Your |
| Stopping the Use Aerosols - use office and beauty | | | | clients may appreciate your efforts and willingly |
| products that are aerosol free. Consider letting your | | | | embrace your change to only occasional travel and |
| cleaning staff know to limit the use of aerosol based | | | | more frequent Web and teleconferencing contact in |
| cleaning products in your office as well. 10. Limiting | | | | their effort to help with your company's "green" |
| your travel by teleconferencing - not only will you | | | | thrust. |
| minimize the pollution you would normally create in | | | | Going "green" can help leverage money to the |
| traveling but will make a significant savings on travel | | | | bottom-line. Just how much flow-through you get |
| expenses improving your bottom-line significantly. | | | | simply depends on you and the efforts that you are |
| Although you may not be able to embrace each item | | | | willing to take. Web and teleconferencing are easy to |
| in our list above, one of the biggest items that will | | | | try, are fairly inexpensive to use, and can leverage |
| leverage profit directly to your bottom-line is to | | | | the most profit to the bottom-line in the long run. |
| increase your use of teleconferencing and decrease | | | | Consider putting a "green" face on your business and |
| the amount of your travel both for long distance and | | | | improving your bottom-line in the process. |