You A Greenie?

You a greenie? This is not a judgment, just a question I am asking of people I talk with on occasion. If your answer is yes, that's great! I enjoy associating myself with socially conscious, like minded individuals. Some people have even asked me to help them become greener. I welcome this challenge also because it reveals the individual’s desire to make a change. Being a “greenie” starts with a conscience, then an act.

I believe that it is every Entrepreneur’s responsibility to be socially responsible.
So, as my business plans became more focused, I decided to step up my own efforts to be even greener. I took stock of my efforts to help the environment and looked for additional changes that I could make. The simple ideas that materialized are this week’s green tips:

• I changed all the light bulbs in my home to energy saving bulbs. The initial investments were a little more but some bulbs have lasted more than a year.
• I utilize Mass Transit and car sharing - Philly Car Share (Hybrid Vehicles Only) for business travel.
• I gave my support to groups and businesses that truly support green and sustainable causes.
• When visiting cafes, I request mugs, plates and non-disposable utensils.
• I signed up to have my name removed from ‘junk mail’ lists. Check out:
  www.thegreenmailbox.com.

Urban Aesthetics is a “Greenie”. The title of this blog is “U A Greenie” which stands for Urban Aesthetics [is a] Greenie. I took the same efforts that I utilized on a personal level and added them to my business practices. During this year's planning process, I created a “Green Initiative” for my business. In addition, we have added additional green services including Green Product Specifications and Green Client Initiatives with plans to add Home Energy Audits in the near future. We employ LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) AP personnel including Designers, Engineers and Architects.
Urban Aesthetics is a proud supporter of the following green groups:

• Sustainable Business Network
• Delaware Valley Green Building Council
• The Greater Philadelphia Green Business Program
• C.A.M.P. Sustain.Ability

So, I ask one last time, you a greenie? If not now, I hope you are on your way!

It’s Not Easy Being Green

It’s not easy being green but if you are advertising as a “Green” business, I hope that you, yourself are practicing a green lifestyle, no matter how difficult. Do you recycle? Do you reduce waste? Do you seek to reuse items as much as possible? Being green is not an easy task. However, as you start the change in your habits, it will begin to feel more normal. Old ways of living are difficult to change but with the right mindset and effort, being green is possible.

I will admit, it is not easy being green. It is easier to through your water and / or soda bottle in the trash while you are out instead of taking it back home to your recycle bin. It is easier to have an item placed in a plastic bag in the store instead of refusing the bag and placing the item in your briefcase, pocket or purse. Now I will admit, all items cannot fit in your purse or briefcase or should be without a bag but if we start to think about it, many items that we purchase do not require a bag.

It’s a challenge being green. Purchasing recycled paper and printing on recycled business card stock requires additional thought and money. You have to be committed to the cause in order to take on the responsibility. You have to want to be different than before; want to make a difference and want to help the cause.


It’s really not that easy being green. Especially in my business. We have a bad habit of using a lot of paper. It’s the nature of the business. Normally, we make a practice out of printing drawings, checking the prints and reprinting. Over the years, the level of difficulty in cutting back on these practices has gone up and down. In the early years, I made a conscious effort to cut up unused drawings into scrap paper to make small tablets. Recycling the paper was always a general practice. In the present, I offer “Green Client Services”, where drawings are not printed, they are emailed.

Although it’s not easy being green, here is:

This Week’s Green Tips for You and Your Business:

• Carry a refillable mug with you to your favorite coffee house.


• Read emails online as opposed to printing them. If printing is required, print on a sheet of paper that has been used on one side.


• Recycle Batteries and then invest in rechargeable batteries and a battery charger.


• Recycle printer cartridges. Staples offers a return on investment for all recycled printer cartridges.


• Purchase recyclable paper.
  

It’s not easy being green. But I hope you will join in and make the color change. For real.

GREEN

Being green is not a marketing campaign. Green is a way of life. To be truly green, your thinking changes, your day-to-day lifestyle changes and your habits change. Greening is a process which goes beyond taking a class, an exam and declaring your business green. Being green means that you truly care about helping the environment and you are doing your best to make it better.



I have been green for more than a decade. In college, while studying subjects such as Environmental Science, Urban Planning and Sustainable Design, I made the choice to be an Environmentalist. I had a green job before it was popular to call jobs green. I worked as an advocate for the Delaware Valley Citizens Council for Clean Air (Clean Air Council). While employed at the Clean Air Council, I headed the office Waste Reduction Team and also operated the Recycling Hotline. I also worked on the Pollution Prevention Program, funded by the Environmental Protection Agency.

During my senior year at Temple University, I also completed an Internship researching Environmental Injustice and Brownfields. For a period of time, I abandoned my thinking about the Environment because I was employed in a profession where we not only used too much paper but at the time, there was not a great concern for Sustainable Design. But green has proven to be something that is not going away. As I made my journey back to green, former Vice President Al Gore helped to solidify my thinking. He brought awareness to an extremely important topic. Now, I Am Greener Than Ever!!!

My thinking is green, my lifestyle is green and my business is green.

Yes, Urban Aesthetics is Green. Gold + Blue does make green!

This Week's Green Tip: Install a tankless water heater. Help save the environment by cutting back on energy usage. Conventional water heaters utilize energy (gas, electric, etc.) to consistently heat a tank full of water in order to keep steady temperature. In contrast, tankless water heaters have a heating element that heats water on contact. This cuts back on the continuous energy used to heat water in a tank. An added benefit is the constant flow of hot water as opposed to using all of the water heated within your hot water tank.