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Tag: How to go green

  • Tweak Your Company’s Mission Statement to Inspire Sustainability With Just One Word | Entrepreneur

    Tweak Your Company’s Mission Statement to Inspire Sustainability With Just One Word | Entrepreneur

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    Companies have vision statements that summarize their values for a reason — employees that get on board with your mission and vision tend to work harder for you, and according to the Dale Carnegie institute, companies with engaged workers outperform competitors by 202%. Still, as the current focus on environmental, social, and governance (ESG) demonstrates, times change. You’ll have to update your vision to keep pace with this new ESG focus, but as little as one word can be all you need to improve your relevancy and influence.

    Related: Vision Statements: Why You Need One and How to Create One

    Brief and built into everything

    Good vision statements are memorable. To achieve that memorability, your best bet is to keep your new, ESG-oriented vision statement as brief as possible.

    Take Cisco. If they had written something like “to build voice-over-IP systems that utilize the most advanced internet connection technologies, are the best in the industry, and return a great value to our shareholders,” people probably wouldn’t have given the words more than a quick skim before moving on to something more interesting. Their actual vision, “changing the way we work, live, play and learn,” is more to the point and free of jargon. It gets across that Cisco wants to be a change agent and that it understands the significance of connection and communication in our world.

    At Merchants Fleet, we adhered to this rule of simplicity first by consolidating the multiple vision statements we had for different areas of the business into just one: “Enabling the movement of people, goods and services freely.” To update this for ESG later on, we added a single word: “responsibly.”

    Once you have a concise vision statement that incorporates some ESG values, you’re not done. You then have to go back and look at all the training and messaging your company has. Are the ESG values there, too?

    Ensuring that the values are consistently visible in everything you do supports buy-in to the vision statement because it shows your team that you’re serious about the ESG shift and are going to follow it up with a real plan of action. At the same time, the concise vision statement helps workers understand why you’re approaching the training and messaging the way you are.

    Related: Why Companies Need to Think More Strategically About Their Environmental Impact

    Perspective and keeping promises matter

    When we added the word “responsibly” to our vision to ensure it had an ESG focus, we recognized a critical point — “responsibly” means different things to different people.

    If our business suddenly got rid of every gas vehicle we’ve got, it would seem responsible to clients who are fully behind electric cars, vans and trucks. But it would seem irresponsible to clients who don’t have a lot of charging stations around or who have to travel distances that are still beyond the range of an electric vehicle (EV). For one of our clients, it didn’t make financial sense to try to install the infrastructure EVs would have required.

    In the same way, our company’s diversity profiles in New Hampshire and Chicago are very different. In New Hampshire, our profile is at 5% diversity, yet that’s higher than the New Hampshire average. In Chicago, we’re 45% diverse, simply because that area is more diverse overall. To require 45% diversity would seem responsible in Chicago but near impossible in New Hampshire.

    So as you adapt for ESG, be careful to give the word or words you add careful thought and avoid absolutes, even as you push for something that’s still specific. The words should be acceptable and understandable on a broad level, but they should also be flexible enough that you can still meet the needs and expectations of your entire base. They shouldn’t alienate anyone, including your employees.

    Similarly, make sure that your mission statement is realistic and attainable. If you choose a word that makes it impossible to follow through on your promise, customers will see that you’re not doing what you said and lose faith in you. Suppose you’re an airline company. If you added the phrase “on time” to your mission statement, you’d be opening the door to a massive number of complaints, as there are just too many variables around airlines to promise you’ll hit every time point perfectly. If you add “safely,” though, that’s much easier to achieve consistently.

    The best practice is to aim for something that’s timeless and a little better than what you had. Leave buzzwords and trends on the shelf because the more you change your vision statement, the less memorable or sticky it will be.

    Related: Three Letters That Will Make Your Company More Successful and Sustainable

    The journey, action, and accountability are all ongoing

    Keeping in mind that there’s a connection between your ESG vision statement and the practices of your company, consider your vision statement an ongoing journey. Revisit it on a regular basis to make sure it still works for you in an authentic way.

    Any time you tweak your statement and add more words, make sure you have an execution plan and accountability. When we added “responsibly” to Merchants Fleet’s vision statement, we were clear that we were adding an ESG team. But your moves could also include reorganizing, doing more training or developing checks and balances. Expect to sum up what you’re doing and the results you’re getting in reports along the way. The rule is to understand that you’re signing up to develop new goals and take additional action with whatever you add.

    Related: Why ESG Companies Are Better Equipped to Weather an Economic Storm

    ESG can deliver both stability and positive change

    Even though ESG is getting more press than it used to, it’s something great companies have always practiced, and the need to connect your ethics to your action will always be relevant. ESG values can ground your business through multiple generations in a powerful way. At the same time, they can help you continuously explore how you can still grow to be a larger help to everyone around you. If you integrate those values into your vision statement, which is the foundation for everything you do, you’ll get the buy-in necessary for the positive change you want.

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    Brendan P. Keegan

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  • 7 Water-Saving Strategies for Your Business | Entrepreneur

    7 Water-Saving Strategies for Your Business | Entrepreneur

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    Water is critical to sustaining our society, but we are pushing some resources to their limits.

    In the US, the Colorado River, the primary water source for seven states, including California, is dipping dangerously low due to poor river management and a drought lasting more than two decades.

    Lake Powell, a holding tank for outflow from the Colorado River, is perilously close to a “dead pool,” where water levels get so low that water cannot flow downstream. If Lake Powel goes dry, the consequences will be immediate and sweeping, given that Colorado supports $1.4 trillion in economic output and 16 million jobs.

    A dry Colorado River would affect drinking water, sanitation, agriculture, manufacturing, and even electricity, since Lake Powel provides power to more than 4.5 million people.

    Related: 5 Ways Technology Can Help Save Water; Here’s How!

    Water scarcity does not just impact the US. From South Africa to Chile, countries worldwide have grappled with water shortages. Today 450 million children live in areas of high or extremely high water vulnerability.

    But here’s some encouraging news. Water scarcity doesn’t have to be inevitable. As governments work to renegotiate better water management, businesses can take steps to avoid a true water crisis and prepare themselves for upcoming water constraints.

    1. Use behavioral change to conserve water

    From washing hands to watering crops, all businesses use water. Non-manufacturing businesses may not see major daily water use, so encouraging employees to think more consciously about their water usage may be one of the most effective ways to conserve water.

    The Queensland Business Bureau provides suggestions to help businesses such as:

    • Create an employee led water savings initiative.
    • Establish a company wide water use target.
    • Appoint a ‘water champion’ to check and monitor progress.
    • Provide information on ‘using water wisely.’ This can include education on how much water goes into products like paper (2 liters per sheet!).

    Businesses can also learn lessons from the behavioral change campaigns Cape Town ran during its water crisis. In an effort to get all residents to use no more than 100 liters per person per day, Cape Town helped residents quantify water usage with online calculators and campaigns that illustrated different ways to measure one liter of water. Setting an actionable goal and teaching people how to measure that goal are key to success.

    Related: 6 Meaningful Ways to Reduce Your Company’s Carbon Footprint

    2. Invest in technology to increase water efficiency

    Your first step to investing in water efficient technology may be surprisingly simple: routinely check for leaks and learn how to fix them. Real-time leakage detection systems can help to monitor pipes and faucets you do not regularly see, like the ones under your sink or behind your toilets. There are also apps to monitor your water usage through your utility. No matter the method, finding and preventing leaks can save gallons of water every day.

    Installing a water fountain for employees that tracks how many water bottles are saved can reduce plastic usage. While we know single use plastic bottles create excess trash, plastic water bottles also contribute to water waste using 1.39 liters of water for every liter bottle produced.

    3. Understand the impact across your supply chain

    Given the importance of water as a resource, understanding how much different products contribute to your water footprint helps prevent a water crisis and saves money. The Water Footprint Calculator helps businesses and entrepreneurs better understand the water footprint of different products.

    Water footprints have three parts. Green water footprints indicate the consumption of rainwater, blue water footprints indicate the consumption of surface and groundwater, and gray water footprints indicate the pollution of surface and groundwater. Understanding how much water different products use can help you choose products that rely on less water and are likely, cheaper.

    Related: Role Of Startups In Creating Sustainable Water Solutions

    4. Build a low-water use business

    Some industries have exceptionally high water usage, including agriculture, apparel, beverages, biotechnology, and electric power. These industries also happen to be vital to modern existence. Disruptive businesses that find new alternatives to water intensive business models stand to thrive.

    As water levels continue to fall, farmers will be particularly hard hit, given that agriculture accounts for 70% of the world’s water usage. AI and other new technology can allow for “precision agriculture” that carefully monitors how much water plants need at any given moment. These technologies will be critical for the future of farming. Innovators should also look to sustainable fashion initiatives for potential business opportunities.

    5. Support technologies that create more sustainable water systems

    Where there is a problem, there is an opportunity to invent a solution. Technologies like Hawa Water tackle water scarcity in the UAE by harvesting drinking water straight from the air. Even governments are getting creative. Now that aquifers have been pumped dry, cities are turning to groundwater recharge projects and other man-made interventions to replenish them.

    As the crisis grows, governments are providing money for startups with creative solutions. India, for example, has 18% of the world’s population but only 4% of its water supply. The country’s Clean Water For All challenge asks Indian entrepreneurs to pitch, pilot and scale solutions that help manage the subcontinent’s water issues.

    Related: Alleviating the Impending Water Scarcity Through Sustainable Water Resource Management

    6. Invest money in good water governance

    Investing in companies that promote good water governance and don’t rely on outrageous amounts of water may be a better long-term bet. Not only will it contribute to safeguarding the world’s precious water supplies, but it will also ensure that soaring water prices don’t eventually destroy your investments overall. Groups like Fidelity have put together guides to investing in companies that take the future of water seriously.

    7. The future of water is the future of business

    Water impacts business in more ways than people might ever imagine. In addition to everything mentioned above, low water levels along the Mississippi recently resulted in a 3,000 barge backup that impacted how quickly people could get their goods.

    As businesses think about adapting to an ever changing world, they must pay attention to the world of water as it does far more than keep us alive. Water generates electricity, prevents disease, grows food, produces goods, cools computers and keeps modern society moving forward.

    Related: This Ex-Google Employee is Restoring India’s Freshwater Bodies Scientifically

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    John Boitnott

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  • 10 Billionaires Stepping Up to Fight Climate Change | Entrepreneur

    10 Billionaires Stepping Up to Fight Climate Change | Entrepreneur

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    Billionaires get a bad rap for leaving a giant carbon footprint, but some of the world’s wealthiest people are leading the cause to help reduce the devastating effects of climate change.

    These business leaders are investing their private fortune in renewable energy sources, funding research to reduce pollution, and helping to create sustainable jobs. They’re also propping up green businesses and organizations trying to make a lasting impact.

    On the subject of sustainability, many business leaders and companies talk the talk (greenwashing has been well-documented), but here are some billionaires who are putting their money where their mouth is.

    Related: ‘I Give a Lot More Money to Climate Change Than Elon Musk’: Bill Gates and Elon Musk Reignite Feud

    Yvon Chouinard

    Estimated Net Worth: $1.2 Billion

    Yvon Chouinard founded Patagonia, a California-based clothing and gear company. What started as Chouinard selling clothes to support his equipment business in 1973 turned into a $3 billion company today, operating in multiple countries.

    Last year, Chouinard, his wife, Malinda Pennoyer, and their children, Fletcher and Claire, transferred their entire Patagonia ownership to a trust and the non-profit organization, The Holdfast Collective, whose mission is to combat climate change. Chouinard says he wants Patagonia’s profits to combat climate change and safeguard undeveloped land.

    Marc Lore

    Estimated Worth: $4 Billion

    Tech entrepreneur Lore founded Jet.com and Quidsi and was the former CEO of Walmart U.S. eCommerce. He’s built his success on a commitment to customer satisfaction and a drive to make a difference.

    Lore recently outlined his vision for a Telosa, a “new city in America,” an eco-friendly metropolis he wants to create across 150,000 acres of American desert land. Lore hopes it will be home to 50,000 “diverse” people by 2030.

    His vision is to deliver sustainable energy production and a “15-minute” city design that lets residents access their work, schools, and other necessities close to their homes and eliminate commuting times.

    Gwendolyn Sontheim Meyer

    Estimated Worth: $6.8 Billion

    Gwendolyn Sontheim Meyer is an inspiring female billionaire and philanthropist. The great-great-granddaughter of the founder of Carfill, William Wallace Cargill, Meyer owns a stake in the privately owned U.S. food giant.

    She founded a leading software company and advocates for women’s rights and economic sustainability.

    For her economic philanthropy, Meyer has made working with Native tribes a priority and was recently actively involved in the campaign to protect Bristol Bay from a mining project. Meyer is passionate about preserving the natural environment, supporting a sustainable future, and creating an ecologic future for the area.

    Phil Knight

    Estimated Worth: $45.6 Billion

    Co-founder of Nike, Phil Knight is a self-made billionaire who turned a small footwear business into one of the world’s most recognizable brands.

    Referred to as “Uncle Phil,” Knight has infused a culture at Nike that defends our environment. They have launched a move to-zero campaign, which is Nike’s vision to reach zero carbon and zero waste.

    Outside of Nike, Knight made the largest cash donation Stanford had ever received from an individual – $400 million – to help create a new program, Knight-Hennessy Scholars, to impact poverty and climate change. He made the announcement one day before his 78th birthday.

    Robert F. Smith

    Estimated Worth: $8 Billion

    In 2000, Smith founded the private equity firm Vista Equity Partners, which with $96 billion in assets, is one of the best-performing private equity firms in the world today.

    Smith has long advocated addressing and tackling climate change. With Business Roundtable, he works alongside CEOs from the largest U.S. companies, including Amazon, Chevron, and General Motors, to support market-based carbon prices and create strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

    The group says it will support initiatives to reduce U.S. greenhouse gas emissions to 80% below 2005 levels by 2050. In addition, he has donated significantly to educational institutions, and his commitment to giving back has made a difference in countless lives.

    Jensen Huang

    Estimated Worth: $19.2 Billion

    Billionaire and co-founder of NVIDIA, Jensen Huang revolutionized how we experience computing. His expertise in Artificial Intelligence, Graphics Processing, and High-Performance Computing has made him one of the most successful entrepreneurs in the world.

    Huang believes that AI can be used to simulate the future, particularly the impacts of climate change over time. He and his wife, Lori Huang, donated $50 million to Oregon State University’s Innovation Complex, which he believe will help scientists understand how to manage climate change effects. The complex will include a supercomputer acting as a “digital twin” to Earth to simulate and predict climate change.

    Donald “Bubba” and Dan Cathy

    Estimated Worth: $8.1 Billion Each

    Founded by their late father, Samuel Truett Cathy, in 1946, Chick-fil-A has become one of the most iconic restaurant chains. After his passing in 2014, his sons Donald and Dan have taken the reigns of the Dwarf House and Chick-fil-A, continuing the social responsibility of their operations.

    They follow a unique approach to reducing construction waste and have implemented a process called “Lean Construction,” which has a 50% reduction in construction waste. The Cathy brothers have centered the key to their corporate purpose is being a “faithful steward of all that is entrusted” to them, including the planet.

    Alice Walton

    Estimated Worth: $64.7 Billion

    When Alice’s father, Sam Walton, founded Walmart in 1962, she was only 13. By 1990, Walmart had become the biggest retailer in the United States. Sam once said that his only daughter Alice is “the most like me—a maverick—” After he died 1992, Alice continued to fulfill his philanthropic vision.

    Through the Walton Family Foundation, she focuses on conservation work, protecting oceans and rivers to benefit people and the environment, and tackling food sustainability challenges. It is a shared belief in their Foundation that those closest to environmental changes are often closest to the solution.

    Passionate about sustaining the resources that sustain the people, her shared goal with the Foundation is to ensure healthy water for people and nature and work an economically and environmentally sustainable path forward for our planet.

    Joe Gebbia

    Estimated Worth: $8.3 Billion

    After Joe Gebbia graduated from the Georgia Institute of Technology, he moved to San Francisco with his friend, Brian Chesky, to follow their entrepreneurship aspirations. Together they created the revolutionary platform Airbnb, which made Gebbia a billionaire and a leader in the hospitality industry.

    Gebbia has focused much of his philanthropic efforts on battling climate change through trash removal. He’s donated to groups like The Ocean Cleanup to remove plastic from our oceans and rivers.

    Seeing that roughly $175 billion a year is needed to protect the oceans, but less than $10 billion total had been invested in the cause, Gebbia stepped up. After donating $25 million, Gebbia shared, “I’m proud to partner with The Ocean Cleanup in their crucial work to remove harmful plastics from our oceans.”

    David Filo

    Estimated Worth: $5.3 Billion

    David Filo co-founded Yahoo! in 1994 with Jerry Tang, which became one of the world’s biggest brands and most trafficked websites. While with Yahoo!, Filo has been behind several grassroots campaigns to improve energy efficiency to ensure Yahoo! is a solution, not a problem, to climate change.

    As early as 2009, Yahoo! said it wouldn’t purchase carbon offsets for its operations, focusing its climate strategy on reducing the energy used by its data centers.

    Outside of Yahoo!, David and his wife, Angela Filo, run the Yellow Chair Foundation, with climate change and the environment are among their top priorities.

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    Auria Moore

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  • Do You Qualify For These Green Tax Breaks? | Entrepreneur

    Do You Qualify For These Green Tax Breaks? | Entrepreneur

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    It’s tax time, and companies nationwide are looking for sustainable write-offs to help soften the blow and reduce their carbon footprint.

    Like it or not, the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (IRA) put into law many tax credits for green business practices.

    “It does contain a virtual garden of green incentives for small businesses’, entrepreneurs, and others seeking to do well for the planet and their pocketbook,” says Steve Miller, a former IRS Acting Commissioner and current National Director of Tax at alliantgroup.

    We asked Miller to sort through all the key tax credits available to your business so you don’t have to.

    Big list of tax credits

    Before deep diving into a few larger items, here is a general list of tax credits available via the IRA in 2022.

    • Sec. 45: Energy production credit: 3 cents per kilowatt hour of clean energy sold to the grid.
    • Sec. 48: Energy property credit: Credit for up to 30% of cost of purchasing clean energy property.
    • Sec. 45Q: Carbon sequestration credit: credit per metric ton of carbon oxide captured and then sequestered or used in your business.
    • Sec. 45U: Zero emission nuclear power production credit: 1.5 cents per kilowatt of zero emission nuclear power produced and sold.
    • Sec. 40B: Sustainable aviation fuel credit: $1.25 per gallon of sustainable aviation fuel produced and sold.
    • Sec. 45: Energy production credit: 3 cents per kilowatt hour of clean energy sold to the grid.
    • Sec. 48: Energy property credit: Credit for up to 30% of cost of purchasing clean energy property.
    • Sec. 45Q: Carbon sequestration credit: credit per metric ton of carbon oxide captured and then sequestered or used in your business.
    • Sec. 45U: Zero emission nuclear power production credit: 1.5 cents per kilowatt of zero-emission nuclear power produced and sold.
    • Sec. 40B: Sustainable aviation fuel credit: $1.25 per gallon of sustainable aviation fuel produced and sold.
    • Sec.45V: Clean hydrogen production credit: Credit for up to $3 per kilo of clean hydrogen produced.
    • Sec. 45W: Clean commercial vehicle credit: Up to 30% of the cost of a clean commercial vehicle.
    • Sec. 48C: Advanced energy project credit: Application-based credit for 30% of the cost of a facility to manufacture advanced energy property (i.e., making solar panels). $10 billion allocated.
    • Sec. 45X: Advanced manufacturing production credit: Varying credits for the production and sale of eligible property; credit amounts based on the energy production capacity of that property.
    • Sec. 45Y: Clean electricity production credit: Credit of .3 cents per kilowatt hour sold.
    • Sec. 48E: Clean electricity investment credit: Credit for up to 30% of cost of electricity production facility and storage equipment for a zero-greenhouse emission facility.
    • Sec. 45Z: Clean fuel production credit: Up to $1 per gallon of clean fuel sold by taxpayers.

    Some of the incentives of this new law can be paid directly to governments and non-profits, almost like a grant. A few of the incentives can even be paid to for-profit companies.

    Plus, this is the first time in a while, congress has allowed certain benefits to be transferred to third parties, meaning they can be sold to investors. Many tax benefits can be carried back three years instead of the usual one year, which means you can get a refund on already paid taxes in prior years.

    Energy efficiency credits

    Under the new plan, there are incentives for improvements to the energy efficiency of existing buildings. The government can allocate a deduction to the designers of the energy-efficient changes. While the prior deduction was $1.80 per square foot, the new provision allows up to $2.50-$5.00 per foot. Other changes expand the ability to allocate the deduction from governments to non-profits (think hospitals and colleges) and Indian Tribes, according to Miller.

    Research and development credits

    Miller points out that the Inflation Reduction Act calls for tax credit changes for research and development. How so? Previously, start-ups and small businesses could take a refundable $250,000 credit against their employment tax liabilities. This limit on start-up credit election doubled to $500K, and what taxes can be offset were expanded.

    “Any small business, whether they qualify for the start-up provision or not, should consider the R&D credit in any event as it is a valuable incentive,” says Miller. “Too many small business owners think of the credit as requiring bench research and white coats. That is not the case. Over the years, the IRS and Congress have expanded the credit to reward many types of innovation and research on US soil.”

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    Jonathan Small

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  • Entrepreneur | The Key Ingredient Company’s Miss Trying to Be Energy Efficient

    Entrepreneur | The Key Ingredient Company’s Miss Trying to Be Energy Efficient

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    Sustainability and green initiatives have grown in importance for businesses in recent years. Although firms are implementing many eco-friendly activities and policies, there is increasing pressure to take positive steps regarding technology and IT equipment.

    Sustainability reports are considered the norm in many companies. With new patterns of remote or hybrid working, green companies, however, strive to do more by sourcing eco-friendly products, identifying energy-efficient equipment (and processes), and investing in renewable energy.

    But online security is another significant area that many organizations miss.

    As companies expand and become more collaborative and connected through technology, their critical systems must stay secure. Can this strategy truly be considered energy-efficient?

    Related: A Job in This Industry Is Not Only In Demand in 2023 — Our Future Depends on It

    How much energy your technology drains

    Energy consumption by IT equipment, computers, servers, and thousands of other IoT (Internet of Things) devices is notoriously lacking in measurable data. A whitepaper by The Shift Project summarized that digital technologies are essential in the global effort to end dependence on fossil fuels. But the energy impact of this growing use could cause a ‘net increase’ in sectors’ carbon footprint.

    It’s almost impossible to estimate every device’s usage as it pertains to a company’s energy-preservation efforts. Even more challenging is the challenge of estimating the electricity consumed in securing devices, networks, and systems. In addition, you will also need to calculate the energy costs in protecting a business’ IT equipment from cyber-attacks.

    Tech experts will usually be the first to highlight how energy-efficient modern digital devices and systems are within a company. Meanwhile, there is a counterargument that argues that the IT industry’s share of energy use is steep, producing total emission levels similar to that of global transport.

    Despite the evidence that IT and cybersecurity cannot be considered 100% green and renewable, it’s only fair to applaud the industry’s efforts at finding renewable sources to use. Modern digital technology can optimize how more energy-intensive activities can be conducted.

    Safeguarding your cybersecurity

    It’s easy to overlook the amount of energy used when using essential devices, appliances, and systems every day, whether for work, school, or personal enjoyment.

    All of these everyday devices emit energy, including mobile phones, computers, boilers, washing machines, lights or heating systems, and the reality is, all of these devices are necessary. These devices’ adequate and appropriate protection is also crucial and fundamental for their successful operation and synchronicity.

    The risk of cyber threats has only grown in scale and severity over the years. Cyberthreats range from financial crime, ransomware, DDoS (distributed denial of service), and malware to hacking secure networks and systems to gain access to sensitive information.

    The threat landscape remains volatile for companies across all industries, and, ironically, the energy industry is particularly susceptible. Cybercriminals may be financially, economically, or politically motivated, with attacks severely disrupting activities. Not just daily activities and operations, but long-term strategic ones, too.

    Recently the cybersecurity firm Redscan surveyed 180 CFOs, CEOs, and other financial executives worldwide about cybersecurity. The results showed an ‘overconfidence’ around cyber risks, according to Mark Nicholls, Chief Research Officer of Redscan.

    “Almost 87% of the surveyed executives expressed this confidence, yet 61% of them had suffered at least three significant cyber incidents in the previous 18 months,” he said.

    Companies that are taking steps to improve global energy efficiency might be severely stunted if they do not implement proper security controls to protect networks and infrastructure.

    Simply ignoring cybersecurity is not an option, so what can businesses do to make sure this requirement is addressed in a way that doesn’t prohibit their energy preservation?

    Enhancing energy efficiency through tech

    Investing in environmentally friendly technology is one of the most effective ways a business can save more energy. This can range from small changes such as LED lighting, green switches, and smart heating controls to large-scale systems like wind turbines, solar panels, geothermal heating, or water conservation plans.

    Establishing widespread use of energy-efficient technologies requires companies to be mindful of future cyber needs. Building owners will likely need to upgrade IT infrastructure to accommodate modern safeguarding, so they must be supported to ensure all changes are handled with excellent care and consideration for preserving energy.

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    Ryan Kh

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  • Entrepreneur | The Evergreen Action Path to Reaching 100% Clean Energy

    Entrepreneur | The Evergreen Action Path to Reaching 100% Clean Energy

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    The current United States Administration has an ambitious goal: Cut carbon emissions and reach 100% clean power by 2035. Is this even possible? A new report from the Evergreen Action organization, partnering with NRDC (Natural Resource Defense Council), charts just how it could be done.

    Making it over the last stretch

    The good news is that in recent years, the United States has come very far in growing its renewable energy sources, providing much cleaner electricity than in the past. These leaps and bounds in growth have led to an important question for the future: Where do we go from here?

    In many respects, the first clean energy targets were the easiest to meet, requiring the least effort and focusing on the areas that are easiest to change. The targets remaining for the 2035 goal are more difficult. They are likely to require more resources and regulations to meet, as well as a significant shift in the industry and public thought about how energy works.

    Governments have many tools to help cross this gap, but taking action quickly is essential. Businesses should now consider potential rebates and funding options to save time.

    Related: 5 Tips for Creatively Going Green With Your Business

    Utilizing the clean air act and EPA to Revolutionize the Power Sector

    The EPA has significant authority to regulate certain business activities that can pollute the environment and threaten the health of citizens. That can include regulating carbon production and fuel exhaust through the Clean Air Act and other measures. But it also needs to include enforcement, something the EPA has traditionally failed at: As the Evergreen Action report indicates, 39 states have currently failed to submit articles like regional haze SIPs (Sharing Information on Progress) as required by law. That cannot continue if energy goals are reached.

    How does EPA action help move to clean energy? Part of the label “clean” means that these sources naturally produce little or no exhaust or fumes: Compare what an electric vehicle does to the air around it vs. a gasoline engine, and it’s easy to see how that effect can multiply when applied to an entire city – or a power plant.

    That gives businesses a few different options to act on. Those that may encounter carbon reduction requirements in their industry should start planning on new energy sourcing now. Compliance will become more important than ever. California’s carbon restriction program from the last several years is a good example of where many other regions could be heading.

    Related: Protect the Environment, Protect Your Business

    Building on the efforts of the IRA (Inflation Reduction Act)

    The IRA was passed in 2022 and included many measures to help grow the U.S. economy. Part of that was the largest investment in the clean energy sector that the country has ever seen. In the coming years, America must focus on using those funds to make the maximum difference.

    One of the most critical efforts resulting from the bill is an investment in new infrastructure needed for clean electricity transmission. That infrastructure is much easier to develop in urban areas, such as with convenient EV battery chargers in parking lots. Rural areas face significant challenges. That’s why the IRA includes a vital $12.8 billion for rural utility financing. This money is designed to help rural areas transition to clean sources of power, forgive debts associated with high-carbon fuel sources so they can be more easily retired, and much more. It also provides funding for new public transmission lines and other important components that will be needed to meet future goals.

    The IRA includes tax credits and other various tools to help encourage businesses to adopt clean energy practices. If your business (especially those involved in any kind of energy or infrastructure work) hasn’t looked at IRA programs, now is the time to begin. Brushing up on government bid experience is also advisable.

    Funding alternative sources of power, including nuclear and wind

    The federal government also has many ways to encourage and fund research and adopt alternative energy technologies. That includes Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, State Climate Grants and other “Force Multipliers” programs to help advance energy goals. Clean sources of power, including more wind farms and the adoption of small nuclear reactors, will be required to meet goals, and their growing use should be met by efforts to educate the public on their benefits and safety.

    These competitive grants can help a variety of businesses. Still, it’s essential to bring in (or consult with) expert grant-writing services to ensure that the organization is dotting all the i’s and mastering the details necessary to qualify.

    Possible vs. Practical

    These steps are all possible – mechanisms exist to implement them. But, of course, there is another question: How practical are they given today’s political climate? Such broad changes need broad political buy-in and consensus, which does not currently exist in the United States. Congress is currently split between parties with very different ideas about energy and regulations. Any additional laws or changes are likely to either not have enough votes to pass or to be met with lawsuits that will eventually arrive at the Supreme Court.

    This situation doesn’t look likely to be resolved any time soon. But to meet our important goals in the 2030s, an energy agreement is required. Part of the solution lies in greater awareness and firmer plans, which means studies like this are vital. Other solutions lie with individual efforts by states and green energy initiatives from companies around the country. That means businesses must stay on their toes, watch for opportunities and prepare for a future where energy choices are more important than ever.

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    Abe Issa

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  • 5 Ways to Protect Your Business from Climate Change Disaster

    5 Ways to Protect Your Business from Climate Change Disaster

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    Severe weather is the new normal. Recent floods in California, tornadoes in Alabama, and freezing temperatures in New York are just the tip of the ever-melting iceberg. In 2022 alone, the United States experienced 18 natural disasters, including wildfires, severe storms, tropical cyclones, flooding, freezing, and drought, costing $1 billion dollars.

    Research indicates that climate disasters will become more frequent and produce more damage. In 1980, the US experienced just $3 billion in climate events. But these events have steadily increased, hitting $22 billion in damages in 2020.

    Your business doesn’t have to suffer from a lack of preparedness. From picking the right property to weather-proofing your infrastructure, here are five ways to be resilient in the face of climate change.

    Related: 3 Apps to Prepare Your Startup for Severe Weather

    1. Understand your location

    Knowing the climate risks of your area will help avoid high costs down the road. But this could be harder than it sounds given that, in some cases, property owners may not share information, such as flood history, with a prospective buyer or may not have that information to start with.

    Thankfully, there are ways to find out about potential risks. For example, depending on which state you live in, there may be flood disclosure laws that make finding out about your property much easier.

    In Texas, sellers must tell you everything, including whether or not there was previous water damage due to flooding or if the property is located in a 100-year or 500-year floodplain or a reservoir. Other states, like Minnesota, require sellers to disclose anything that could “adversely and significantly impact a buyer’s use and enjoyment of the property.” Some states, such as Utah, have no requirements to disclose past information.

    If your state does not require any disclosures, you can do your research. Websites like FEMA National Risk Index, Risk Factor, and Climate Check let you search properties by address and calculate risk.

    Related: Do You Have the Right Insurance for Your Business? Here’s How to Understand Your Options

    2. Find the right insurance

    Once you understand your risks, you may need to find insurance. This isn’t as easy as it sounds. While insurance plays a crucial role in protecting property owners, insurance prices are rising as the industry is struggling to keep up with the demands of climate disasters. In 2021, the industry reached a 10-year high for covering losses from disasters at a whopping $42 billion, increasing premiums 12.1% between 2021 and 2022.

    To keep up with these threats, the insurance industry is creating new risk rating systems for climate insurance. These new rating systems have increased insurance prices for many property owners. However, there are ways to reduce your risk rating by disaster-proofing your property.

    As you look for policies, research the insurer’s risk rating and find ways to lower your risks.

    Related: This Company Turns Plastic Garbage Into Construction Materials

    3. Prevent damage before the storm

    Given the high price of insurance and the instability in the industry, preventing weather damage will help you avoid high costs. Flooding and high winds cause most of the damage. For intense winds, protecting windows, securing roofing, and securing loose items will do most of the job, but water damage may require more preparation.

    Whether designing a new building or retrofitting an old one, there are two ways to protect against flooding: “wet floodproofing” and “dry floodproofing.”

    For wet floodproofing, water-resistant building materials and a first story with minimal usage, reserved for light storage or parking, allow water to flow through the first level of the building without taking down the structure. For “dry floodproofing,” you can seal the building to flood waters and use removable barriers to keep water away from the structure.

    While these upgrades may be costly, you can qualify for funding to help reduce costs. For example, you can get financial assistance through a Hazard Mitigation Grant.

    If you experience damage from a flood, you may be able to get support from your local government to implement changes as you rebuild. In San Francisco, the city government launched a relief program offering up to $5,000 for businesses that experienced damage in the flood zone and $2,000 for companies outside the zone.

    Related: 3 Steps to Prepare Your Business for Wildfire Season

    4. Protect against fires

    Depending on where you live, you may be at greater risk from wildfires.

    Invest in fire-grade materials, including mesh screening and non-combustible gutters and fences, to help keep embers out of your home and prevent fire from entering. You can also purchase non-flammable plants to build a barrier between your home and fire.

    As with storm damage, if your local government has a Hazard Mitigation Grant, they may be able to help fund some upgrades to help you protect against fires.

    5. Participate in resilience hubs

    Most of these solutions have focused on long-term strategies, but disasters also have immediate consequences. Be sure to stock up on water and food and have an evacuation plan.

    Find out if your area has a “resilience hub,” which are designed to provide shelter, clean energy, and other resources to communities immediately following extreme weather events. Participating in developing these hubs can help ensure your business continues to thrive during disasters.

    Related: 3 Ways Tech Entrepreneurs Can Help, and Grow, During a Natural Disaster

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    John Boitnott

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  • Coffee Pods Might Not Be As Bad for the Environment As You Think

    Coffee Pods Might Not Be As Bad for the Environment As You Think

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    With three-quarters of the American population drinking coffee and at least 53% consuming a cup of Joe once a day, we are starting to wake up to the effects our love affair with this caffeinated beverage has on our environment.

    From deforestation to waste, the impact of increased coffee production is taking a toll on the planet.

    But new research has shown that certain methods of coffee preparation can produce less carbon emissions and be better for the environment.

    The researchers also discovered that it’s the way the coffee is manufactured — not the packaging itself — that causes the most harmful environmental impact.

    Let’s grind a little deeper.

    Related: Science Says When to Stop Drinking Coffee to Ensure a Good Night’s Sleep. And It Is Earlier Than You Think.

    Best ways to prep

    Researchers at the Université du Québec à Chicoutimi (UQAC) looked at the carbon footprint of several techniques used to prepare coffee at home, including:

    • Pods
    • Instant coffee (soluble)
    • Brewed (French press)
    • Traditional filter

    Their analysis showed that traditional filtered coffee is the worst for the environment. The process requires more coffee than the other three brewing methods and uses more water and electricity to keep the water warm during the making process. This leads to filtered coffee using 1 ½ times more energy than pods alone.

    Instant coffee is actually the cleanest form of coffee preparation due to the small amount of coffee and electricity required. However, coffee-making isn’t a scientific process. Studies have shown that many of us use 20% more coffee than what’s required, boil too much water, and therefore use too much electricity.

    Enter the pods.

    According to the study, coffee pods, long maligned for clogging up landfills, may actually take home the prize for being the most environmentally friendly. Why?

    The pod process is designed to use the exact amount of water, coffee, and electricity to make the perfect cup. Its foolproof system minimizes waste, saving between 11-13 grams of coffee compared to filtered coffee.

    Using recyclable pods, switching to a greener source of electricity, and taking your pods to collection points for recycling the aluminum case and coffee waste could be a better way to further reduce your carbon footprint when you have your next cup of coffee.

    Many pod makers encourage recycling. Nespresso even offers in-store collection points for you to recycle your coffee capsules. The company also states that they “re-use the coffee grounds to create nutrient-rich compost or green energy.”

    It’s not the method. It’s the packaging.

    No matter how you brew your coffee, the real waste occurs before you purchase it. Researchers in Quebec found that the harvesting of coffee makes up most of the carbon emissions — not the packaging.

    “Regardless of the type of coffee preparation, coffee production is the most GHG-emitting phase,” researcher Rodrigues Viana told the Washington Post. “It contributed to around 40 percent to 80 percent of the total emissions.”

    Researchers point to the “mechanization, irrigation, and use of nitrous oxide-emitting fertilizers — the production of which requires large quantities of natural gas” as the greatest culprit contributing to coffee’s carbon footprint.

    How to drink coffee responsibly

    So how do you enjoy a cup of Joe without worrying about how it’s impacting the planet? Researchers in Quebec recommend drinking less.

    “Coffee capsules avoid the overuse of coffee and water,” they write. “However, the convenience of capsule machines can lead consumers to double their coffee consumption, thus making this environmental advantage redundant.”

    In the end, it’s all about moderation.

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    Adrian Falk

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  • U.S. Safety Agency May Ban Gas Stoves

    U.S. Safety Agency May Ban Gas Stoves

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    For years, studies have shown that cooking indoors with gas stoves is potentially harmful to our health, particularly for children with asthma.

    Now a U.S. safety agency has weighed in on the potential dangers, warning that they may move to regulate their use. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, charged with protecting the public from unreasonable risks of serious injury or death, announced they are turning up the heat on gas stoves.

    “This is a hidden hazard,” Richard Trumka Jr., an agency commissioner, told Bloomberg. “Any option is on the table. Products that can’t be made safe can be banned.”

    Related: Electric Stoves Are Much Better for the Environment than Gas Stoves. Here’s Why.

    Going electric

    About 38% of U.S. households use gas stoves, but that number rises to around 70% in states such as California and New Jersey.

    For this reason, many cities and counties across the country have begun to adopt policies to require or encourage consumers to switch from fossil fuels to all-electric homes and buildings.

    In New York City, for example, the building code requires all-electric for new low-rise buildings in 2024 and taller buildings in 2027. Los Angeles passed legislation to ban most natural gas-fueled appliances in newly constructed residential and commercial buildings starting this month.

    The Inflation Reduction Act also offers tax credits for those who go electric. Middle-income households are now eligible for over a half-dozen tax credits for electric stoves, cars, and solar panels.

    Gas advocates push back

    Not everyone is in favor of banning the blue flame.

    The American Gas Association says that a ban on gas stoves is unwarranted.

    “The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and EPA do not present gas ranges as a significant contributor to adverse air quality or health hazard in their technical or public information literature, guidance, or requirements,” said Karen Harbert, AGA president. “The most practical, realistic way to achieve a sustainable future where energy is clean, as well as safe, reliable and affordable, is to ensure it includes natural gas and the infrastructure that transports it.”

    Others argue that the problem is in ventilation, not the gas itself.

    “Ventilation is really where this discussion should be, rather than banning one particular type of technology,” Jill Notini, a vice president of The Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers told Bloomberg. “Banning one type of a cooking appliance is not going to address the concerns about overall indoor air quality.”

    But Trumka disagrees, saying the Consumer Safety Commission will issue a proposal and possible ban in the coming months.

    “There is this misconception that if you want to do fine-dining kind of cooking it has to be done on gas,” he said. “It’s a carefully manicured myth.”

    ***Update***

    After we reported on this story, Richard Trumka Jr walked back his comment about banning gas stoves,, The story caused an uproar among some consumers and politicians, including Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia.

    Trumka clarified his statement, saying:

    “We are not looking to go into anyone’s homes and take away items that are already there. We don’t do that,” Trumka told CNN. “If and when we get to regulation on the topic, it’s always forward looking. You know, it applies to new products. Consumers always have the choice of what to keep in their homes and we want to make sure they do that with full information.”

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    Jonathan Small

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  • Digital Ads Are Destroying Our Planet and We Need to Act Now.

    Digital Ads Are Destroying Our Planet and We Need to Act Now.

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    The average consumer may not realize how much power goes into placing the targeted ad they see online every day. So for many, the hidden impact of digital advertising may come as a surprise: Digital advertising has a massive carbon footprint. A typical digital-ad campaign for a single brand can produce hundreds of tons of carbon dioxide. In the U.K., for example, an average digital ad campaign emits over 5.4 tons of CO2. To put that number in perspective, this accounts for one-half of one consumer’s annual emissions in the U.K. and over one-third of carbon emissions from fossil fuel per capita in the U.S.

    The world is failing to reach the Paris Agreement’s target to limit the rise of global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius in a multitude of ways, so you might be wondering: Why do we need to pay special attention to the amount of CO2 emissions contributed by online advertising specifically? Well, one reason seems obvious: such emissions often go unacknowledged.

    Like it or not, the global online advertising industry has a massive influence on everyone, making us all part of the problem. Aside from being a powerful driver of our frequently excessive (and wasteful) shopping habits, the mere daily viewing of multiple search ads, banners, interstitials and video pre-rolls, in addition to hundreds of the so-to-speak digital-out-of-home ads (on the streets, in shopping malls and elsewhere) has a massive impact on the global carbon footprint.

    Just think about it: A footprint of one short email is estimated at 0.3 grams of CO2, and this number can grow up to 17g for a longer version, according to Mike Berners-Lee’s research. And how many of those do you get every day? Tens, if not hundreds, and counting.

    And while the jury’s still out on whether we can make online advertising carbon-neutral, this key question remains: What actual steps do we need to take to get closer to this goal?

    But first, let’s define what carbon neutrality actually means.

    What is carbon neutrality?

    To put it simply, carbon neutrality implies the amount of carbon emissions is balanced with the amount of absorbed emissions by natural carbon sinks (e.g. rainforests).

    So to count as a carbon-neutral company, a business needs to demonstrate its amount of emitted greenhouse gasses are being negated by the amount of adsorbed gasses, either by reducing the number of its emissions or by purchasing the so-to-speak carbon offset credits — in other words, permits to emit a specific amount of greenhouse gasses, like CO2.

    Identifying the sources of emissions in the digital ad supply chain

    The first step in reducing digital ad emissions is to identify the main sources of these emissions in the digital ad supply chain. When it comes to online advertising, aside from the travel costs, the key sources of emissions include data transmission, data center and device usage in each of the following:

    • The production of ad creatives — from equipment rental to post-production and crew travel.
    • Programmatic ad transactions — defined as the automated buying and selling of online advertising space — play a huge role in the production of carbon emissions. For example, WPP, the world’s largest investor in media advertising, reports that 55% of its current carbon emissions come from the programmatic supply chain that delivers campaigns on behalf of its clients.
    • Ad targeting and measurement — this includes the selection of audience segments, uploading the audience segment to the advertising platform, and the continuous tracking of ad performance by multiple scripts on websites.
    • The delivery of ads across desktop and mobile web, connected TVs and mobile apps — for instance, streaming a one-minute video on a 50-inch LED TV in the U.S. reportedly results in 0.98g CO2 emissions, whereas watching the same video on one’s smartphone reduces the carbon footprint by almost six times.

    So, what are the possible solutions to reduce digital ad carbon emissions, and who should act on it?

    Advertisers need to drive change

    While every member of the advertising supply chain needs to do their part towards achieving carbon neutrality, brands and media agencies need to take an extra step, specifically in online ad production and media planning areas.

    Namely, the scope of actions may include:

    • The localization of ad production so it’s closer to the team’s location to reduce travel-related carbon emissions.
    • The use of 3D modeling animation instead of video shooting to minimize the CO2 emissions produced by production crew travels and utilized equipment.
    • The production of short video ads, instead of long ones. As a general rule, the shorter the video, the less the file weighs, and the less server load its delivery and streaming require. This, in turn, should result in reduced CO2 emissions by viewers’ devices, data transmission and data centers.
    • A reduction of the size of image ads. Similarly to video ads, the lighter the image file, the fewer CO2 emissions it emits.
    • The upcycling of existing media creatives by tweaking old video and image ads instead of creating new ones to curtail carbon footprint.
    • The delivery of ads during non-peak times in order to balance off-peak server load, which usually requires extra power consumption and results in larger CO2 emissions.

    On a broader scale, making a positive change also implies a shift in the perception of brand safety, that is, adding sustainability benchmarks to the picture.

    First, this involves defining the brand purpose and actually investing in the promotion of carbon-conscious behavior among the company’s customers.

    Second, this means optimizing for or even adding extra incentives for carbon-efficient publishers and ad tech partners (i.e. being willing to pay a higher price for placing ads on carbon-efficient websites, spending more money on carbon-efficient video ad servers, etc.), hence driving the further transformation of the entire ecosystem.

    And third, this requires the maximization of return on CO2 emissions, in addition to ROI. In other words, brands need to strive for the maximum reduction of carbon emissions, while maintaining overall advertising efficiency. For instance, a company may choose to target smartphone users with short video ads (e.g. 5- or 10-second long) instead of longer ones, which happen to perform better in the mobile segment.

    Related: 4 Ways Smart Maps Can Help Your Business Keep Its Social Promises

    But real change cannot be achieved without digital ad consumers

    While the majority of top-tier brands — like the members of the World Association of Advertisers (WFA) — have already made their Planet Pledge, and tech giants such as Microsoft and Google have reaffirmed their sustainability commitments, actual positive change would not be impossible without digital ad consumers.

    Even though most businesses’ carbon-neutrality promises sound ambitious, chances are the reported data is being miscalculated, misrepresented or both. It’s up to us, the consumers to keep them accountable, by doing the following:

    • An analysis of climate pledges that have already been made. You can do this by reviewing the brand’s website and other digital resources to find out which promises on CO2 carbon footprint reduction have already been made.
    • Continuously monitoring progress achieved. For example, check if the brand publishes regular reports on how it has been reducing carbon emissions in the past quarter, year, and so on.
    • Staying alert for the greenwashing red flags. A company that doesn’t share granular data on emissions, or keeps the message brief, like “We’ve cut emissions by half and now we’re carbon-neutral” are all common signs of greenwashing.
    • Being ready to leave, if the expectations haven’t been met. You might find out your favorite brand has been caught lying or misrepresenting its data on CO2 emissions multiple times. Taking a stand by quitting the use of its products or services ensures they’re being held accountable for deceptive and unethical marketing practices.

    Ultimately, it’s up to each of us to make our own carbon-conscious decisions, when it comes to our media perception, ad consumption and our shopping habits. If we don’t, we’ll pay an even greater price.

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    Anton Liaskovskyi

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  • The 5 Best (and Worst) Cities to Live Without a Car in 2023

    The 5 Best (and Worst) Cities to Live Without a Car in 2023

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    With car ownership more expensive than ever and gas prices averaging $3 a gallon, many city dwellers are ditching their wheels for their heels. This may be good for their wallets and their health.

    “Car-free days inherently reduce environmental impacts such as energy consumption and vehicle emissions, as well as health impacts such as driver stress and resident exposure to pollution,” said J. Patrick Abulencia, Associate Professor, Chemical Engineering at Manhattan College.

    Related: Buying a Car in 2022? Here Are 5 Ways To Get the Best Deal.

    With that in mind, LawnStarter recently ranked the best cities to live without a car in 2023, measuring them on 19 indicators of car-free-friendliness, including walkability, transit ridership, climate, pedestrian safety, and weather.

    Some of the results were expected, but others were surprising.

    Big cities ranked high

    Densely populated cities like San Francisco and New York ranked high on the list. Why? The more packed a city, the less distance to travel and the more transportation options available. In big suburbs or sprawling cities, commuters often have to own cars to get around.

    LawnStarter ranked San Francisco as the number 1 city to live without a car. The city got high marks for walking, biking, and public transportation.

    Here are the top 5 cities on the list:

    1. San Francisco, CA
    2. Boston, MA
    3. Washington, DC
    4. New York, NY
    5. Seattle, WA

    Some surprises

    Minneapolis ranked number 8 — the same city that, just last week during an arctic blizzard, was a crisp minus-6 degrees Fahrenheit. But Minneapolis workers don’t have to brave the cold. Downtown is connected through a system of glass-enclosed footbridges called Skyways, allowing people to move warmly through the city without going outside. When temps warm up, Minneapolis is a “cyclist’s paradise.” The city has the 16th best access to bike rentals, the eighth highest share of bike commuters, and way fewer pedestrian fatalities per 100,000 residents than in 177 other cities.

    On the other side of the car-free spectrum is Memphis, which was ranked the fifth-worst city to go without wheels.

    LawnStarter gave the city low marks for biking, safety, and walking. So much for Walking in Memphis.

    Memphis’s weather also isn’t favorable for a carless existence.

    “Although Memphis ranked a decent 56 in air quality, its relatively punishing climate (No. 181) makes it uncomfortable to be outdoors,” according to the survey.

    Most of the worst cities to live without a car were in the South. Why? Bad weather and bad public transportation. Also, the cities down South are mostly built for cars. The exception was Alexandria, Virginia, at #31 — if you can call that the South.

    Here are the worst cities to live without a car:

    • Memphis, TN
    • Shreveport, LA
    • Little Rock, AR
    • Clarksville, TN
    • Mobile, AL

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    Jonathan Small

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  • 4 Eco Hacks For a More Sustainable 2023

    4 Eco Hacks For a More Sustainable 2023

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    https://www.entrepreneur.com/growth-strategies/making-your-company-truly-eco-friendly-is-hard-here-6/435836When it comes to reducing your carbon footprint, there are many simple ways an individual or family can change habits that are wasteful into environmentally friendly activities. This is especially relevant when we have children who are following our lead, as they are the ones who are going to inherit the mess we are trying to fix.

    Changing wasteful and unsound habits now will ensure those habits are carried on by future generations. One recent poll showed that 76% of people are becoming eco-friendlier to help their children live in a better world. Keep reading to learn how to accomplish this.

    Are you serious about being an eco-friendly family? Here are great sustainable practices that you should follow.

    Related: Being Eco-Friendly Is Hard. Here, 6 Business Leaders Explain Their Most Effective Strategies.

    Conserve water

    The average family wastes around 180 gallons of water every week. Conserving water is one of the quickest and easiest ways to help the environment from your own home. Conserving water can be anything from limiting toilet flushes throughout the day to setting up a rain barrel to collect rainwater for reuse in the garden. There are water crises all over the world, so it is important that we all do our part to conserve this vital natural resource.

    Recycle or sell your old electronics

    This activity can be fun for the whole family as it can easily be turned into a scavenger hunt involving your whole living space and vehicles. When you recycle your old electronics responsibly either by donating them or selling them, you are creating a cleaner space for you to live in, and also contributing to the recyclable materials being used to make new products. There are some companies that buy and sell used electronics like Gizmogo, that can make the process of selling your old devices easy and painless.

    Some ways Gizmogo makes selling your old devices simple:

    • Free shipping – They will send you a waybill to print off so you can send your items to them for free.
    • Expert examination – Gizmogo employs experts in electronics who will evaluate your items so they can give you the best price possible.
    • Fair price for the market – If you do a little research online at what other places are selling used or refurbished items, you can easily see where your device falls in the mix. Compare that to the price you get from Gizmogo and you will be pleasantly surprised.
    • Fast payment – Once you decide to accept the offer, your money will be transferred to you in as little as 24 hours.
    • Data protection – GIzmogo is committed to protecting your data and will wipe your device clean of any personal information.

    Compost

    Composting is a process that uses kitchen waste and other types of organic waste and converts it into nutrient-rich food for plants. If you have a garden, then composting is especially helpful because it will help your garden grow and won’t contribute to overflowing landfills.

    At work, you can implement a compost program. Use sealable containers for compost in your office snack room for employees to add stuff like coffee grounds and discarded food scraps — avoid meat and dairy. Contact your local environmental agency about a composting collection service or drop-off area.

    Travel clean

    One easy way to reduce your carbon footprint is to replace your mode of transportation as often as possible to clean methods of getting around. Bikes, scooters, skateboards, and feet are all excellent vehicles that can get you where you are going without unleashing carbon emissions.

    Where possible, you can also take public transportation for long distances, or trade your vehicle in for an electric moped or hybrid. Even taking one day where you don’t use the car but use another way of getting around can help the environment and provide you with some healthy exercise. You can use this as an opportunity to have a fun walk with the family or do some local shopping in your area.

    There are many more easy ways to be eco-friendly and reduce your carbon footprint. From switching to green cleaning products to reducing the use of harmful chemicals, the steps to helping your environment for future generations are plentiful and very easy to take.

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    Blue & Green Tomorrow

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  • 4 Cities Harming the Environment

    4 Cities Harming the Environment

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    Cities are a key contributor to climate change.

    As home to 56% of the world’s population, cities produce more than 70% of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. High levels of economic activity mean high energy use, particularly in the building and transportation sectors.

    Building cities takes significant resources, and massive highways and parking lots do not capture carbon or prevent flooding as trees and wetlands do.

    Related: What Makes Smart Cities Smart

    How cities are bad for the environment

    As a result, cities produce significant amounts of air pollution. About 86% of people living in cities have seven times greater exposure to air pollutants than World Health Organization guidelines. This excess exposure impacts physical health and can even make you dumber.

    Cities also produce lots of waste and will keep making more. By 2050, cities will discard 3.4 billion tons of garbage. Not only does it take up valuable land, but waste also produces methane, making it responsible for 5% of GHG emissions globally.

    While there are about 14,000 cities around the world contributing to this problem, a recent report found that 25 mega cities (almost half of them in China) produce 52% of global GHG emissions.

    Here’s a look at the big polluters and some green solutions they’re employing to make these sprawling, urban areas cleaner and more livable.

    1. Air pollution in Beijing

    Home to around 21 million people, Beijing is one of the top 10 polluters, primarily due to industrial buildings and on-road transportation. For this reason, air pollution has been a significant area of focus for Beijing since the 2008 Olympics.

    Entrepreneurs in China are working to help people deal with toxic air, launching companies that create everything from air filters for homes, which use sensors to detect pollution and fans to direct that pollution out of the home, to bottled air designed to give people a hit of oxygen on particularly polluted days.

    These startups may be doing wonders for individual health, but there’s still an opportunity for businesses to help prevent pollution by increasing energy efficiency or decarbonizing transport.

    1. Transportation emissions in Los Angeles

    Los Angeles is known for its sprawling, 6-lane freeways and epic traffic jams. Like Beijing, on-road transportation accounts for a substantial amount of Los Angeles’s GHG emissions, 19% to be exact.

    Gasonline-powered private vehicles and industrial trucking that use fossil fuels account for most of LA’s on-road pollution, including GHG emissions, air pollutants, and heat and noise pollution.

    But new technologies are in the works that help get people where they need to go while reducing private vehicle trips. Micromobility projects, such as bike shares and scooters, allow people to ditch cars and rideshares for shorter trips using these smaller, zero-emission vehicles. Apps like Moovit, a map platform that improves access to public transportation by giving live updates on public transport services, get people out of cars and onto environmentally friendly transit options.

    The government is also being proactive. Last month, California air quality officials released a bold climate plan that requires California’s emissions to be reduced by at least 40% by 2030 and 85% by 2045. The plan includes a rule that all new passenger vehicle sales in California will be zero-emission or long-range hybrid by 2035.

    Related: Mercedes Unveils First Heavy-Duty Electric Delivery Truck

    1. Waste in New York

    While buildings and transportation account for most of New York’s GHG emissions, waste comes in third, accounting for 5% of the Big Apple’s total GHG emissions. In general, Americans waste a lot. The average American produces 2 kg of waste daily, up to 809 kg annually.

    The good news for businesses is that sustainable waste strategies create ten times more jobs than sending waste to landfills or burning it. Today New York City is only recycling 17% of its waste and composting 1.4%. Food waste has been a particularly stubborn problem for the city. Despite government-backed food waste challenges and bills curbing restaurant waste, the city continues to struggle as advocates call for more robust, reliable, and accessible composting.

    Companies are developing technologies to combat this food waste problem. One startup created a process to grind up old food and use digestive enzymes to turn it into fertilizer within three hours. Other companies are working to stop the problem at their source with Zero Waste Manufacturing. This strategy centers on reducing and reusing materials throughout the supply chain to achieve optimal levels of consumption.

    Related: How to Start a Waste Management Company

    1. Building efficiency in Frankfurt

    In Frankfurt, Germany, industrial, commercial, and residential buildings contribute substantially to GHG emissions.

    Increasing efficiency can play a major role in reducing these emissions. Smart city initiatives are one-way cities like Frankfurt increase their efficiency and improve their quality of life. Smart City Frankfurt worked with businesses, scientists, and citizens to identify 12 priorities that needed attention. They included intelligent traffic control, which reduces emissions from idling, smart heating for houses, which reduces unnecessary energy use, and improved environmental and health data.

    Not only do these initiatives help cities reduce emissions, but they also hold opportunities for new businesses to jump in and help develop new technologies. As global temperatures rise, cities will find themselves with new problems to manage, and demand for smart solutions will grow.

    Related: Here’s How Smart Cites are Going to Open Business Opportunities For People Dealing in the Latest Technology;

    If you want to know more about how your own city ranks in air pollution, check out IQ Air.

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    John Boitnott

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  • Airlines Finally Get Serious About Contrails. What Are They?

    Airlines Finally Get Serious About Contrails. What Are They?

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    What are those puffy white plumes trailing jets high up in the sky? They’re called contrails, and scientists have long said they contribute to climate change.

    Now some major airline companies are getting on board. Carries such as American, Southwest, United, Alaska, and Virgin Atlantic, and tech companies like Google, are working with the Rocky Mountain Institute to figure out which of these contrails are bad for the environment and what they can do about it.

    “Air travel has almost a double-sized impact on global warming than what we thought it was before,” said Andrew Chen, an aviation specialist with the Rocky Mountain Institute, told The Dallas Morning News. “The most interesting dynamic is that the airlines are not shying away from contrails.”

    Related: ‘The Fumes Are Unbelievably Bad:’ Residents Complain About Kyle Jenner’s Private Jet

    What are airplane contrails?

    Conspiracies abound about how the lines of clouds following jets are “chemtrails” released by the government in a secret program to add toxic chemicals to the atmosphere.

    But scientists say that these clouds are, in fact, water vapor trails or condensation trails (contrails, for short) created by airplane engines. The hot, humid exhaust mixes with the colder atmosphere, causing a cloud similar to what you see when you breathe on a cold day.

    Climate scientists believe contrails can trap heat in the atmosphere contributing to global warming.

    Carbon emissions from jets have long been the target of environmentalists, leading many airlines to retool their planes to use alternative energy. But the industry is now getting serious about contrail pollution, as well.

    “The science around contrails has become more clear in just the last few years,” said Jill Blickstein, vice president of sustainability at American Airlines told the DMN. “For example, we’ve known for some time that some contrails formed in the morning can have a cooling effect and that contrails formed at night were more likely to be warming. But we didn’t have a good sense of the net impact of all contrails. That warming impact has become clearer recently.”

    Not all contrails have the same impact. The worst seems to happen at night when the earth is cooler, but the contrails block heat from escaping.

    The good news is that airlines can avoid making contrails, but doing so may require changing flight patterns and burning more fuel, thus creating more carbon dioxide.

    To read more about this, head on over The Dallas Morning News.

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    Jonathan Small

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  • Three Letters That Will Make Your Company More Successful

    Three Letters That Will Make Your Company More Successful

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    In September 2022, Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard gave away his entire $3 billion company to ensure all of its profits would be used to combat climate change. The bold and generous decision represents a corporate shift toward environmental, social, and governance, better known as ESG.

    What is ESG? The term refers to increasingly important company standards in which decision-makers look not only at the company’s balance sheet but also its environmental, social, and governance policies.

    ESG advocates say this approach helps safeguard the planet, paves the way for more diversity in the workplace, and protects fair wages.

    But ESG also makes good business sense. According to PWC, 80% of consumers make sustainability-based purchase choices, while 83% of buyers believe companies should actively shape ESG best practices.

    Because consumers are using their dollars to support responsible businesses, business leaders consider implementing an ESG strategy. Here are five ways.

    1. Be intentional in pursuing ESG operations

    Lots of companies do good things without explicitly aiming to be ESG-focused. But deliberately choosing ESG processes offers a framework for your business’ legacy.

    Take a look at Patagonia. Chouinard decided to make sustainability central to the brand at the outset, mainly by focusing on renewable and recycled materials. Giving away the business to a climate-centered trust and non-profit organization is the capstone of that original purpose.

    Intentionally embracing ESG in your vision and policies means you’ll have a compass to consistently direct your projects, strategies, materials, and goals, which will build employee and buyer trust.

    Related: 3 Steps for Making a Positive Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Impact

    2. Move to electric vehicles

    Think about how you get your packages. Fleets of vehicles typically shuttle your stuff from the store or warehouse to your door. Other vehicles are responsible for transporting materials through the supply chain or getting workers to the office and other work events.

    All these vehicles on the road translate to a big chunk — 28% — of total greenhouse gas emissions. Using electric vehicles (EVs) is a simple way to reduce your carbon footprint, even when you can’t shift much else.

    Light-duty vehicles are the worst offenders and account for 59% of vehicle emissions. So, if it makes sense for your business, focus on switching out those vehicles first.

    Another bonus: EVs can function as mobile billboards for your business. Every time you or an employee takes a company-branded EV for a spin, the vehicle pulls extra weight by advertising for you. That’s significantly more visible — not to mention easier to scale and reassign — than your office building certified in Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) but doesn’t have any customers who visit.

    Related: 3 Changes You Should Expect To See in Transportation in 2022

    3. Assess your supply chain

    The supply chain connects everything from your raw materials to distribution. ESG means taking ownership of as many links as possible and asking yourself what you can do to apply it at every point.

    Be transparent as you examine how inventory gets from Point A to Point B. Even though 81% of companies still need complete supply chain visibility, 75% of consumers consider transparency helpful in strengthening customer-business trust.

    When consumers feel like a business has violated that trust, they take action. In 2020, 38% of Americans boycotted at least one company. Communicate whatever you’re doing to keep your operations squeaky clean on your website, in your marketing emails, on your packaging, and anywhere else you can display your messages.

    4. Clean up your power

    Every business uses power to some degree, but the kind of energy you use can impact the environment. Because traditional fossil fuels like coal and petroleum contribute to global warming, companies are looking to transition to cleaner energy sources, such as solar and wind power.

    Yes, clean energy can be expensive. But the costs of green energy were already at record lows in 2019. In 2021, almost two-thirds of new renewable power added was less expensive than the cheapest coal-fired power plants in G20 countries.

    Government assistance can also cut the financial sting. Look into tax credits available through the Build Back Better bill. You may qualify at the local, state, and federal levels.

    5. Bring your employees into the fold

    Your team members are your best brand advocates. But they can’t share what they don’t know. Your first responsibility is to work on your culture so that people feel comfortable asking what you’re doing in different ESG areas. Start conversations about where you’re at and where you’d like to be.

    Then, get creative about how you can make ESG visible in ways that are practical for your business — even beyond the environmental space. At our company, to support diversity and gender equality within ESG, we partnered with an organization that features male and female drivers. We also intentionally ensure half of our leadership team consists of women, and we feature female employees on panels.

    Related: Why You Need to Build Sustainability Into Your Business Strategy

    Customers have moved past the days when a good product or service was enough. Now more than ever, the marketing axiom that consumers buy from brands they trust rings true. Your purpose and values count. Bringing ESG into your business meets people where they are and help you make a lasting difference.

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    Brendan P. Keegan

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  • How Your Business Can Unpack the Importance of Recycling

    How Your Business Can Unpack the Importance of Recycling

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    Consumers in 2022 are well aware of the importance of recycling. After all, they have been bombarded with “recyclable” messaging on their products since the 1970s. But even the most optimistic are frustrated with the lack of progress and accessible recycling processes. As climate change increasingly impacts our daily routines, the urgency of these efforts is increasing.


    PonyWang | Getty Images

    Without swift action, the estimated 11 million metric tons of plastic currently entering the ocean annually will triple in the next 20 years. The time is now — and businesses must take immediate steps to understand the realities of recycling, the opportunity to contribute to a circular economy and the necessity to educate consumers.

    Related: How Entrepreneurs Can Turn Trash Into Profit (Literally)

    Recycling needs a reboot

    The data clearly shows just how confused consumers are about recyclability. There is an alarming gap between recycling perception and reality.

    One new report found that out of the 40 million tons of plastic waste generated in the United States last year, only 5% to 6% was recycled. In fact, glass, plastic and liquid cartons all have a much lower rate of recycling than perceived by the consumer.

    The reality is, most of the materials labeled “recyclable” are not recycled, or are recycled only one or two times before they hit the landfill. So while labeling these materials might seem like an easy way to promote recycling, it’s doing little to protect our planet.

    The good news is that consumers still want to be a part of the long-term solution. More than half of consumers are “less likely” to buy products in harmful packaging, and 44% said they “won’t buy” products in packaging that is harmful to the environment, according to Trivium Packaging’s 2022 Global Buying Green Report.

    But just because consumers like to buy sustainable packaging doesn’t mean they are taking the necessary steps to recycle it. This is why brands must do their part to encourage more recycling, including educating consumers on the large gap between perception and reality. Every business must have a hand in changing consumer behavior by creating recycling content across brand channels, communicating messaging about sustainable materials and finding ways to encourage and incentivize the recycling of their products and packaging.

    Related: What Is Sustainable Entrepreneurship, and Why Does it Matter?

    The switch to circularity

    It’s time for leaders to dig deeper and look at materials that recycle forever without degrading in quality and that have high recycling rates. These materials, like metal and glass, stay in the circular loop forever, achieving much higher levels of circularity.

    For example, 84% of steel packaging in Europe is recycled. Once it’s sourced, metal packaging is infinitely refillable and versatile, ultimately making it much more economical and environmental because of its durability.

    Reducing waste and moving away from the culture of disposability is one of the most significant shifts in modern-day consumerism. Brands must get on board. By moving away from materials that have a limit to the number of times they can be recycled and towards materials that can be recycled forever, companies large and small can not only move the needle in their own sustainability goals but contribute to a circular economy and help save our planet.

    Related: Being Eco-Friendly Is Hard. Here, 6 Business Leaders Explain Their Most Effective Strategies.

    Investing in the infrastructure: Public and private responsibility in the circular life cycle

    If businesses believe government policies are supportive of improving their environmental footprint, they’ll be more confident in transforming their manufacturing process to support infinitely recyclable materials. Conversely, there’s much that every brand can do to support a stronger recycling infrastructure.

    In recent years, large consumer brands have banded together for major recycling infrastructure investments. Companies have also worked directly with processing centers to invest in enhanced recycling machinery or partnered with recycling centers to promote new technologies that more accurately and efficiently sort recycled materials.

    No matter what size company, there are ways to participate. There are many examples around the world of businesses, government entities and communities collaborating to keep trash out of landfills. Many offer collection programs, even for hard-to-recycle waste streams, and work with businesses to enhance their circular supply chain, ultimately keeping materials in circularity.

    Related: Why You Need to Build Sustainability Into Your Business Strategy

    Implementation and education

    In a recent study, 88% of consumers said they wanted brands to help them be more sustainable and ethical in their day-to-day lives. And there’s no better platform to communicate important messages to your consumers than the packaging itself.

    Featuring language on packaging such as “metal recycles forever” and “100% Recyclable, Forever” across packaging or point-of-sale materials on digital platforms and social channels will help to both promote eco-friendly credentials and communicate the call to action to the end user.

    Recycling is far from the simple panacea that the advertising spots from the past 30 years wanted us to believe. It’s complex and it takes work. It’s time to take on that complexity and take recycling to the next level — which is circularity. That requires a check of existing sustainability goals. Small businesses that understand how to take advantage of this new circular infrastructure will win — and help save the planet in the process.

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    Rob Huffman

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  • Storms Are On the Rise. But There’s a Solution Under Our Feet.

    Storms Are On the Rise. But There’s a Solution Under Our Feet.

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    The past few months have been terrible for farmers across the globe, as crops have been exposed to one extreme weather event after the other.

    Pakistan shouldered a climate catastrophe, with devastating flooding that submerged a third of the country. And hot and dry weather in the U.S., Europe, and China threatens yields and drives up food costs.

    These are the realities of a changing climate. For farmers, the meteorological tumult has profound impacts. Sixty percent of the U.S. plains are seeing severe drought this year, and nearly three-quarters of U.S. farmers expect significant crop and income loss.

    Many are inclined to look to the sky for relief. But there’s an overlooked tool at our disposal to mitigate the worst effects of weather we can’t control —and it’s right beneath our feet.

    Related: This Solar-Powered Florida Town Was Built to Withstand Hurricanes. Did It Work?

    The soil solution

    From killing crops to selling livestock to disaster relief, governments and farmers have taken reactive measures to cope with extreme weather. But many believe in a more proactive approach, using soil to its greatest potential.

    Healthy soil generally has a more robust structure and higher organic matter. These characteristics have water-storing benefits – for each 1% increase in soil organic matter, the soil can hold around 20,000 gallons more water per acre. Even beyond drought, in heavy rainfall or flooding, good soil structure allows for permeable, sponge-like soil, giving the water someplace to go.

    The problem is we have degraded our soil over the last 200 years, killing 30% of the world’s topsoil and 70% of agricultural topsoil.

    In the soil, carbon is an important indicator of soil health. But when farmers use destructive agricultural techniques such as tillage, carbon is released into the atmosphere, which contributes to –– and exacerbates –– the climate crisis.

    But adopting methods that prioritize soil health can keep carbon in the soil where it contributes to a virtuous cycle: not only ensuring more resilient farms in extreme weather but radically improving farmer profits and mitigating the climate crisis.

    A tale of two farms

    This summer, my team witnessed a stark example of what healthy soil can do during a busy wheat harvest with farmers in Kansas and Nebraska. The temperatures were brutally hot, over 100 degrees Fahrenheit, and they hadn’t seen rain for weeks.

    On one conventionally farmed field, the soil was exposed and uncovered. The top few inches were so compact it was tough to dig into, and the ground was like powder. When we measured the surface soil temperature, it was 138-140 degrees Fahrenheit.

    Just 20 feet away was a field where the farmer had been trialing regenerative practices. The soil was covered with crop residue from the previous year, and beneath that armor, the soil was porous, moist, and measured just 90 degrees Fahrenheit.

    There’s no quick fix to creating more resilient farms, but what we saw on that field demonstrates farmers can take steps to protect themselves from extreme weather.

    First, we need to stop tilling. We destroy the essential structure to hold and direct water when we turn over the soil. It also exposes the soil to air and sun, which kills the rich network of microorganisms required for healthy soil.

    Second, leaving the ground covered can help increase the carbon in the soil. Armor, like the crop residue on that midwestern wheat farm, can protect soil from the elements that strip it of nutrients. Cover crops protect soil from erosion while increasing photosynthesis by driving more carbon into the ground through living plant roots.

    Lastly, growing a mix of crops is beneficial. Repeatedly planting the same crop drains the soil of the same nutrients. Instead, consider mixed and companion crops or rotating which crops you plant – for example, planting potatoes after harvesting corn is a common practice.

    How to make soil a priority

    These soil-regenerating techniques are widely known. But there are barriers to widespread adoption.

    Education is lacking. Some people still till their soil, for example, because they believe it will help improve the soil’s ability to retain water. Now that we know it has the opposite effects, farmers see that regenerative practices can help them reap dividends.

    We also lack access to affordable tools that provide accurate and reliable soil health measurements. Uncovering how much carbon there is in soil is an expensive process. It’s also slow, and the margin of error can be 40% to 90%.

    The midwest farmer I mentioned earlier who was trialing regenerative practices was able to see the difference between healthy and depleted soil side-by-side— and what it could mean for his yields in a dry year. But he was taking a risk; not every farmer can or wants to undertake the time, effort, and planning of regenerative agriculture on the chance their investment will pay off.

    To build farmers’ trust in soil-boosting regenerative practices, we need better tools to collect and measure soil health data. Our gap in soil data has dire consequences. Soil health is the most important metric correlating to a farm’s profitability and resiliency.

    The world has always experienced weather extremes. But now, nature is out of balance. Climate conditions that challenge the resiliency of our food system aren’t going anywhere. Scientists agree these events will become increasingly frequent and severe.

    Thankfully, it’s within our power to change our practices and prioritize better measurements and data. Ultimately, healthy soil benefits farmers and is our best tool to adapt and withstand whatever meteorological curveballs lie in wait.

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    Karn Manhas

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