| There is a lot of talk about corporate responsibility | | | | conceive it and implement it virtually simultaneously. |
| and the environment. Individuals are tiring of the onus | | | | Here are some of the things you can do: |
| being placed on them to change the world. Have | | | | - Recycle. Seems simple enough but you may have |
| shorter showers, water your garden less, switch to | | | | to find different depots for your various waste such |
| green power, change your light globes, car pool, take | | | | as paper, plastic, printer cartridges, batteries, |
| reusable bags to the supermarket, and recycle. All of | | | | computers and other electronic parts. |
| these are necessary but pale in comparison to the | | | | - Switch to paperless billing. It is resource intensive to |
| damage being done by big business and industry. | | | | print and deliver paper. It is also time consuming and |
| But what about small business? | | | | unreliable. |
| Somewhere in between large corporations and the | | | | - Switch to a Green Power company that derives its |
| individual, lies small business. Australia, a country of | | | | energy from renewable sources that do not pollute. |
| about 21 million people, incredibly has over 2 million | | | | - Reduce water consumption by ensuring your |
| small businesses. In the US approximately 99.9% of | | | | business has dual flush toilets and water efficient |
| all business is small. The ecological impact of these | | | | taps. |
| cannot be ignored. | | | | - Choose energy efficient vehicles for your business. |
| It is easy to assume that large corporations are, by | | | | - Choose sustainable suppliers. Research suppliers |
| the nature of their large profits, less ethical but is this | | | | whose ethos includes environmental sustainability. The |
| actually the case? Large corporations have large | | | | potential for eco-conscious small businesses to |
| reputations to protect. Often it is more cost | | | | support each other is large and underestimated. |
| effective for big business to invest in environmental | | | | - Donate to charities. Really any charity is a positive |
| impact minimisation than to clean up the mess | | | | step but a charity that is aligned with your business |
| afterwards. They also have the capital to invest in | | | | practice or goals serves to reinforce those values. |
| changing technologies to not only utilise the green | | | | - Become Carbon Neutral. This does not simply mean |
| machine but to actually profit from it, directly through | | | | paying for an offset for bad business practice or |
| carbon trading and indirectly through marketing with a | | | | paying for the right to pollute, this means establishing |
| social conscience. | | | | the carbon footprint of your business, then reducing |
| So where does small business fit in and what can be | | | | emissions as far as possible. Once a minimal emissions |
| done? The answer is very little or a lot. It depends | | | | target has been met the residual emissions can be |
| on your business model, your business goals and your | | | | neutralised by the acquisition of offsets. |
| values. The advantage that small business has over a | | | | The changes that you make may depend on your |
| large multinational is fewer layers of bureaucracy and | | | | local economic landscape but have the potential to |
| more transparency. Big business generally has a board | | | | impact locally and globally. Small business is more |
| of directors that need to be convinced, then a | | | | important than ever and has a responsibility to future |
| feasibility study conducted before changes can be | | | | generations. |
| implemented. As a small business owner you can | | | | |