ECO Seal

Would you like to place this seal on your website, get listed in our goeco friendly sites and get the recognition that you deserve? If you need a little inspiration check the goECO ideas list below.

Requirements

1. You must practice an eco friendly gesture to either your company or household.
2. You must send us an email detailing what actions you are taking
3. You should post our seal on your website
4. You must continue to perform these actions while posting the seal.
5. You should check our site frequently to get more ideas and update us on any changes you've made so we can update your profile.

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goECO Ideas

• Turn off equipment when it's not being used. This can reduce the energy used by 25 percent; turning off the computers at the end of the day can save an additional 50 percent.
• Encourage communications by email, and read email messages onscreen to determine whether it's necessary to print them. If it's not, don't!
• Reduce fax-related paper waste by using a fax-modem and by using a fax cover sheet only when necessary.Fax-modems allow documents to be sent directly from a computer, without requiring a printed hard copy.
• Produce double-sided documents whenever possible.
• Do not leave taps dripping; always close them tightly after use. (One drop wasted per second wastes 10,000 litres per year.)
• Install displacement toilet dams in toilet reservoirs. Placing one or two plastic containers filled with stones [not bricks] in the toilet's reservoir will displace about 4 litres of water per flush - a huge reduction of water use over the course of a year.
• Find a supply of paper with maximum available recycled content.
• Choose suppliers who take back packaging for reuse.
• Instigate an ongoing search for "greener" products and services in the local community. The further your supplies or service providers have to travel, the more energy will be used to get them to you.
• Before deciding whether you need to purchase new office furniture, see if your existing office furniture can be refurbished. It's less expensive than buying new and better for the environment.
• Replace high-energy-use light bulbs, fixtures, and equipment. The quickest thing you can do is to switch to low-energy use light bulbs. Next, if you have old equipment, it may be time to upgrade. And there may be money available to help. Check with your local utility company for rebates, loans, or grants to enable you to transition to energy-efficient equipment.
• Buy recycled products. Look for "post-consumer waste" products, including stationery, packaging materials, paper towels and other kitchen and bathroom supplies. This keeps waste from ending up in landfills.
• Buy environmentally-friendly products. The market for non-toxic supplies has exploded, giving you more affordable choices in items such as cleaning supplies, inks, and other materials.
• Use recycled and non-toxic materials for production. If you're a manufacturer, ask suppliers for environmentally-friendly materials. They may be less expensive than the raw materials you're currently using.
• Offer environmentally-friendly alternatives. If you're a retailer, look for non-toxic, recycled, or organic products to sell. Being green can help bring in the green cash, too.
• Reduce commutes. For most businesses the biggest energy impact comes from commuting. Encourage carpooling. Perhaps some employees could telecommute — work from home — a few days a month or work four 10-hour days instead of five eight-hour days. When relocating, look for sites near your home or public transportation and where employees can be recruited nearby.
• Conduct more of your business online. Do you really need to take the trip to the bank to transfer funds? Can you send a document via e-mail rather than by delivery service? That's a lot less expensive as well as reducing overall fuel consumption.
• Open the windows or doors. When the weather turns warm, before turning on the air conditioning, do something as simple as opening the windows and doors. In my office, we're often able to avoid using the air conditioning altogether.
• Buy hybrid cars. When buying a new vehicle for your business, look for cars or trucks that are energy-efficient, especially hybrids. Regardless of the vehicle, make sure your cars and vans are well maintained and tires are properly inflated. That reduces energy use.
• Find innovative uses for excess inventory or waste or recycle. If your business generates a lot of waste, sit down with your employees to come up with ways to turn that waste into something useful. As a publisher, my company ends up with hundreds of books returned from bookstores when new editions are released. We donate these to non-profit groups rather than just sending them to a recycling center.
• Check online information sources. Start with the Federal Government's Energy Star website for small business, www.energystar.gov/smallbiz. You'll find links to state resources, including financing sources to help you purchase or transition to energy-efficient equipment or fixtures. Another great resource is Greenbiz, www.greenbiz.com, which has links to and directories of websites with environmental information, including a searchable database of government programs and assistance.
• Stop throwing away money Go through your trash. You'll get a new sense of how much it costs to buy, store, and dispose of stuff. Eliminate unnecessary photocopying and reuse packaging for shipping.
• Get an energy audit Most local utilities offer businesses free on-site consultations on how they can reduce usage and save money. Among the frequent suggestions: Improve insulation, and install timers to turn lights off automatically.
• Go paperless Encourage e-mailing. When paper is necessary, photocopy on both sides and use old letterhead for scratch.
• Consider the commute Provide preferred parking for carpoolers. Offer transit passes to employees who take the bus or subway and bike racks for cyclists. Let workers telecommute.
• Curb business travel Teleconference instead of traveling. For must-go trips, keep track of the miles driven and flown and buy "carbon offsets" from a nonprofit like Carbonfund.org to make up for the greenhouse gas emissions.
• Buy green Tell suppliers that you're interested in sustainable products and set specific goals for buying recycled, refurbished, or used. Make the environment, and not just price, a factor when purchasing.
• Detox Many offices have toxic substances, such as used batteries and copier toner, on hand. Talk to suppliers about alternatives to toxics, and make sure you properly dispose of the ones you can't avoid using.
• Rethink transportation Consider the petroleum it takes to ship and receive products. Evaluate the impact of products you buy or sell, and find ways to mitigate those impacts.
• Get the employees involved Create a team to lead the company's eco-efforts and determine where you can have the biggest impact for the least amount of money.
• Communicate Inform suppliers and customers about your efforts. And get in touch with local regulatory agencies, many of which offer financial incentives to businesses that clean up their acts.