Change Your Habits

Fight global warming and save money with a simple change in habits.
A few small changes can make a big difference.

Heating, Cooling and Insulation

• Dress appropriately to the weather. In summer, wear lighter clothing to reduce the need for air conditioning. In winter, put on a sweater before cranking up the heat.
• During the summer, a 5°F higher setting on your air conditioning thermostat will save about 10% on cooling costs.
• During the winter, set the thermostat to 68°F when you are home (health permitting) and lower when you are away. Lowering the temperature 3 to 5°F can save you up to 20% on heating costs.
• Reduce air conditioning costs by using fans, keeping windows and doors shut and closing shades during the day.
• Replace or clean furnace filters regularly and get a furnace tune-up. Keeping your furnace clean, lubricated and properly adjusted can help you save on heating costs.

Lighting and Electronics

• Turn off unnecessary lighting and use task or desktop lamps with CFLs instead of overhead lights.
• Replace standard incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) and save on lighting costs. If all Californians replaced five bulbs with CFLs, it would be like taking 275,000 cars off the road.
• Unplug electronics, battery chargers and other equipment when not in use. If all Californians unplugged electronics when not in use, it would be like taking 120,000 cars off road.

Water Use and Appliances

• Cut water use by installing faucet aerators, low-flow showerheads and low-flush toilets. As much as 19% of California electricity is used to pump, transport and treat water.
• Turn your water heater down to 120° or the “Normal” setting when home, and to the lowest setting when away. Water heating accounts for about 13% of home energy costs.
• Wash clothes in cold water. About 90% of the energy use in a clothes washer goes to water heating.
• Run your dishwasher and clothes washer only when fully loaded. Fewer loads reduce energy and water use. Use the air-dry option instead of the heat-dry. Check and clean the dishwasher drain.
• Make sure your dryer’s outside vent is clear and clean the lint filter after every load.
• California Urban Water Conservation Council’s H2O house is full of great ideas for water saving appliances around the house. Saving water is a key way to reduce energy use, since more than 19% of the energy used in California goes to water in one form or another.

Winterize and Save

Making sure your home is well-sealed against the elements is the first step to winter efficiency. By sealing leaks and adding insulation you’ll cut drafts while reducing the amount of heated air you lose to the great outdoors. Combine these upgrades with a programmable thermostat and your annual furnace tune-up and you’ll be set to save all winter long.

Cut costs and keep cozy this winter

Join the ranks of winter-wise homeowners today by exploring our tips or by scheduling a home energy audit.

Low cost and no cost tips for beating winter energy bills

• Get a furnace tune-up yearly. Professional tune-ups ensure safe and efficient operation.
• Keeping your furnace clean, lubricated and properly adjusted can save up to 5% on heating costs.
• Window curtains and blinds are an easy way to insulate your windows.
• Use caulk or expanding foam sealant to seal indoor air leaks, such as gaps around pipes and wires, electrical outlets, foundation seals, and mail slots.
• Weather-strip your doors and windows. Sealing old windows can be more cost effective than replacing them.
• Install foam gaskets behind outlet and switch plates on walls.

Great investments for long-term savings and comfort

• Install R-30 attic insulation and R-13 wall insulation to save up to 25% on heating costs.
• Install a programmable thermostat to automatically adjust your heating settings and maximize efficiency.
• If you really want to save, purchase an ENERGY STAR qualified furnace.

For the Home

Steps to take that cost nothing, listed in order of energy (and money) saved, are:

Lower your water heater temperature to 120°F, lower your thermostat in winter, wash your clothes in cold water, turn off unneeded lights and electronics, and air dry your clothes in summer.

Install a programmable thermostat, seal large air leaks in your home, insulate your water heater, add insulation in your attic, seal and insulate your HVAC ducts, and install efficient showerheads.

Conduct a home-energy audit, have your heating system serviced, and open curtains on south-facing windows during the day to allow sunlight to naturally heat your home and close them at night to reduce chill.

Walmart Suppliers: Beware the Top 10 Sustainability Myths

By Catherine Greener and Marc Major:

This ancient Chinese curse resonates with Walmart suppliers today — many of whom have noted their relationships with the retailer growing more turbulent and unpredictable in the past few years. Walmart has shifted gears to focus more on store upgrades than expansions, to reinvigorate its private brands, and to get undeniably serious about sustainability.

Suppliers who feel this is a lot to handle, in addition to the everyday rigors of doing business with Walmart, are not alone. These challenges are not going away. However, Walmart is trimming the number of its suppliers and focusing on building “strategic relationships” with companies, large and small, who demonstrate leadership. Some companies supplying Walmart today may not be supplying Walmart tomorrow. Fortunately, there are numerous bright spots in the story — with sustainability at the epicenter.

Having worked elbow-to-elbow with Walmart for several years to help that company create and roll out its sustainability strategy, we have witnessed firsthand the disruption that embedding sustainability into the core of a business can bring. We know that, for Walmart as well as suppliers, addressing sustainability for the first time can bring confusion, discomfort, and even fear. But it can also bring unforeseen avenues for growth — from conversations you never imagined having to ideas you never dared thinking to opportunities you never knew existed.

This summer Walmart introduced its Supplier Sustainability Assessment. As our clients process the assessment and begin to understand how it will impact their organizations, certain recurring themes arise in the form of perceived barriers — reasons suppliers give for not embracing sustainability. All of these are rooted in fair and realistic thinking, but may also lead to inaction. And Walmart is turning away from suppliers who offer excuses instead of innovation. The company would prefer to build strategic future relationships with suppliers who look at challenges like sustainability as an opportunity to improve their businesses, reduce costs, and bring “Save Money, Live Better” to life for the customer.

For suppliers who want to build strategic relationships and grow along with Walmart, here is the first in a series of articles in which we discuss the …

Top 10 Sustainability Myths in the Supplier Community

1.    This too shall pass. I’ll just hunker down and wait for this to blow over — just like RFID (radio frequency ID tags), just like “Made in the USA.” My buyer will change in a year or two anyway so even if they’re excited about it now, I can out-wait them.

2.    The green consumer doesn’t exist. Who’s going to really care about this? People say they want greener products but their behavior at the register seems much different-the evidence is shaky and they never pay more. I’d rather wait until I have solid proof that it really matters to the customer.

3.    It’s too complex. Sustainability is just too complicated and it seems to be changing by the minute. I don’t have the information I need to take the right actions. How can I know I’m doing the right things in the right order?

4.    We can’t afford it. This will cost too much and I’m still getting hammered by my buyer on price … besides, if all this were really good business practice, my suppliers would already be doing it.

5.    Going deep on sustainability is too extreme. We’ll do some efficiency things because it’s pretty easy to see the benefit. But we don’t want to go farther than we have to … it might put us at a disadvantage. We’re not ready to transform our company or anything. Maybe someday.

6.    This won’t look good in our financial reports. I’m evaluated based on our short-term performance, and can’t wait for the long term to make progress. Our obligation is to our shareholders, and I’m under the gun to hit our immediate targets.

7.    Mixed messages from Walmart are slowing me down. I hear different things about sustainability from Walmart’s leaders than I hear from our buyers, and buyers aren’t all engaged or sure what they want; therefore, until this confusion is resolved, I’m not going to do anything.

8.    We shouldn’t do anything until we know how Walmart will reward us. We’re asked to do a lot of things but when will we be rewarded? It’s hard to take this seriously unless we know what’s in it for us. When and how will Walmart recognize us for the strides we make?

9.    I am an island — without the support I need. I’m committed to this, but I’m not sure my whole company is, and there’s only so much I can do. I will do what I can, but am not sure if it will really make a difference.

10.    Just paint me greener. We do care, and are doing some good things in some areas, but people don’t know it. So we’re already doing enough; we just need to tell our story in a better way.

Over the next few weeks, we will explore each of these myths and demonstrate that guidelines such as the Walmart Supplier Sustainability Assessment can help reduce costs and risk while improving operational efficiency, innovation capacity, employee productivity, brand loyalty and community relations.

Catherine Greener and Marc Major founded Cleargreen Advisors to bring their sustainable business expertise to companies in a variety of sectors. Cleargreen Advisors helps clients of all sizes to generate concrete value while embedding environmental and social sustainability into their business strategies and practices.

Reducing Energy Use

By MyLifeRoi:

Most corporate offices leave their computers on 24/7. I know that I, in my workplace, lock down my computer but leave it on when I leave for the day. Why? Because it makes signing on easier when I get in the next day. Saves me 30 seconds!

By implementing a mandatory power cycle every night when the office is closed down, you could save as much as $100 per year per computer. If your facility is 24/7, like the place I work at, you could implement a policy that says employees must power down when they leave for the day. Whether it is forced or un-forced the savings are the same. The same could be said for peripherals like printers and fax machines (if not being used). My facility has over 50 computers.

What other areas could we look to as a way to cut energy use? My facility has three TV’s in a pretty small break room that are always on in case someone wants to watch them. Could we shut them off and just simply leave a remote for people to use? We have multiple fridges that are never at maximum capacity. Could we cut down the number of fridges and run them at a higher utilization rate?

The idea here is to think outside of the box. Energy is getting more expensive and you want to look at ways to reduce your usage. If you are a one facility operation, the cost savings may be minimal.. coming up to a few thousand per year. If you are a huge network of facilities, like with my company, you could wind up saving in the hundreds of thousands by adopting policies to reduce energy use.

Easy and Affordable Going Green Business Tips

By Michelle Crossley

Creating a “green” business or transforming an established business into an eco-friendly environment, may seem like a very overwhelming task. Yet, in today’s era of escalating energy costs and climate change, energy efficiency is the most important aspect of greening your business. You can reap immediate savings by lowering your overall energy use and doing so will automatically reduce your business’s carbon emission footprint. You can also save money in the areas of waste reduction, equipment use, transportation, and building design.

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How to Raise Capital For Small Green Business - Steps to Follow

By Walt Harris

Self-employment is simply a marvelous idea especially when the current situation in the job market is worsening day by day. There is one brilliant idea using which you can not only earn a great deal but also help keep the environment clean and pure. The small green business is a unique concept and is growing popular with time. It is expected that more and more people will soon take interest in developing their own green businesses which will in turn help save our planet. How to raise capital for small green business is one of the main concerns with entrepreneurs willing to enter in this field. Here are few ideas that have proven effective for many entrepreneurs:

Importance Of A Business Plan

Before you start off with your fund raising program for the small green business, you should create a foolproof business plan. This should be the top most priority - and in case you are skipping this step - you might end up in a mess. In fact the business plan is required when you are about to take a loan from any financial organization. The business plan should cover all aspects of the business proposal. The objective of the business, the profits and the risks involved and also the amount of funding initially required - these are the key features of a perfect business plan.

Sources Of Funds

Now when you are ready with the business plan, consider the sources from where you can expect the funds. The co-operative societies often readily fund independent small business projects. There are some charitable organizations as well who like to fund these sorts of projects. You can also seek help on the web. Just type “how to raise capital for small green business” in the search box and you will find a large number of organizations that fund these types of ventures. You can also look for an efficient small business funding directory where you will get all possible resources that you might need.

In fact the fundraiser websites have specific categories for the businesses. If you are planning to start a business with the home grown vegetables or other organic food stuffs like nuts, poultry items etc., there are certain organizations which specialize in funding these businesses. If you are good at cooking or know people who can help you with this, open a business for organic cooked food and chances are that you will prosper a lot. Apart from the food products, there are beauty and decorative products that are prepared organically. These make excellent salable items. Their wide array includes soaps, candles, oils and many more products. Personalized stuffs, Christmas gifts, wraps, clothes can be your products for small green businesses.

Once you know the ins and outs of the small green businesses, you can go ahead and approach any financial organization, community, charitable fund etc for financing the project. If you can impress them with your idea, then you will never have to worry about how to raise capital for small green business.

Never before has Raising Capital For Small Green Business been this quick and easy! Grab all the inside information while there’s still time at Internet Fund Raising

Green Business 101

By Mansi Aggarwal

Environmental conservation has recently become the latest buzzword among major countries in the world. As governments of developed countries realize the importance and inevitability of working towards environmental conservation, major business houses are trying to comply with eco friendly operations. All leading companies around the globe have realized an importance for sustainable trade for their long-term survival.

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How to be a green business