Hope for Haiti restoring the soil

Posted - January 21, 2010

Hope for Haiti restoring the soil

By Adriana Michael

What happens when a country has no trees left and its soil has been depleted with intensive farming, a high density population and poor governance? Look at Haiti. Our hearts go out to the people of this Caribbean nation. The recent earthquake is the latest in a series of problems which have left the country in a very challenging position.

Haiti is part of a tropical island shared with the Dominican Republic. Its land and mountains were once covered with at least 60 percent lush rainforest. Now it is deforested with 9 million inhabitants, 80 percent of whom are unemployed or living in slums and extreme poverty.

A dramatic history, political oppression and government corruption, lack of literacy, a growing population concentrated in one small geographical area with no access to basic services and external debt, have turned Haiti into the poorest country in the Western hemisphere.

Soil erosion is disastrous in this mountainous country. Haiti has no internal source of fuel except wood. For the past 200 years people have been cutting the trees of its rainforest without replanting. Currently over 98 percent of its land is deforested. With no trees, the remaining soil is washed away during the rainy season out into the Caribbean Sea.

Without its soil Haiti has also lost the means to feed itself and must import over two thirds of its food, while thousands of people in rural communities end up in Port-au-Prince with no work.

Providing water for the community is a major challenge. Only a few enjoy running water and sewerage systems.
The majority do not have access to potable water or toilets, leading to disease.

To get on its own feet, Haiti needs to be built on a new development model with a multi dimensional approach to solving its many problems. Where to start? Generating the structure to support sustainable agriculture is a solid base for long term positive social, environmental and economic change. Healthy soil retains and filters water resources, provides food and protects communities from flood and other natural disasters. Before the earthquake most funds from the continued international aid to Haiti focused on urban initiatives.

Knowing the causes of Haitian poverty is part of finding the right solutions. It helps people like us, the international organic community know where to focus our energies, resources, know –how and work attempting to lessen Haiti’s misery. This is an opportunity for organic and fair trade organizations and enterprises to join efforts and contribute in projects and initiatives that will bring real sustainable development to a nation neglected for so long. If you or your company would like to get more involved in Haiti, following are a couple of ideas.

The WASH Project: Use of human waste as fertilizer

Driven by a need to apply their knowledge helping the people of Haiti, three years ago Sarah Brownell and Sasha Kramer founded Sustainable Organic Integrated Livelihoods (SOIL), a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting soil resources, empowering communities and transforming wastes into resources. How could the much needed soil be recovered? With a well thought-out multi dimensional plan: Composting toilets to improve sanitation and agriculture.

Brownell is a mechanical engineer with a Masters in environmental engineering from Berkeley University and Kramer a Ph.D. in Ecology from Stanford University. Their rich knowledge and background and support from a strongly motivated team contributed to the successful launch of a water free ecological toilet. A pilot WASH Innovation Project with 25 indoor dry toilets and 4 public dry toilets began in 2008, in cooperation with Oxfam UK.

There are variations on the toilets, but the general idea is to separate liquid and solid wastes. The diluted liquid cargo irrigates fruit trees, while the solid waste is covered with sugarcane mash to improve the composting process and keep flies and odors away. Up to 600 gallons of solid waste is collected by each toilet and transported to a composting site where it converts into rich and safe compost, free of undesirable organisms after a year. The community can sell this compost to farmers who cannot afford any other fertilizers.

The WASH project works. There is high demand for more ecological dry toilets. Now that the latest earthquake has displaced over 400,000 Haitians from Port-au-Prince and huge tent cities are being prepared in open bare fields, SOIL could definitely contribute to the community and the environment. With more financial assistance, SOIL would generate more local jobs to build and deliver more toilets and offer an immediate solution that addresses simultaneously several social, economic and ecological problems. Now that is a sound sustainable project to support! To learn more about these dynamic and brilliant entrepreneurs and to help support the WASH project in Haiti visit www.oursoil.org

The 3M program More mangos certified more trees planted.

A couple of days after the Haiti earthquake, a message from organic certifier, teacher and volunteer John O’Malley Burns circulated among members of the Organic Trade Association, asking for help in protecting and expanding Fair Trade and organic certified mango plantations that he helped set up four years ago.

The Mouvman Moun Mango or 3M program is an initiative to produce Fair Trade Certified mangoes. It encourages small producers in different regions to plant and protect more trees as they receive a premium price. The harvest since the project started has been purchased by Whole Foods Market and the certification has also been covered by WFM and O’Malley. “Fairtrade mangoes at better farm gate prices is more money for the growers, who will see trees as more valuable, then they plant more mangos”, says Mr. O’Malley in Port-au-Prince.

“After so many years I continue to be amazed by the resilience of the people in Haiti dealing with the worst of catastrophes”, says Mr. O’Malley. “The informal sector has jumped back. They have re-established market places, sidewalk cookeries, moving about selling phone cards and cell phone recharge fees”. But Mr. O’Malley fears that without additional financial support the disasters will make it practically impossible to continue maintaining an Organic and Fair Trade certifiable grower group system in Haiti. “All hopes of exports of organic and Fair Trade mangos have been shattered, he says. “Life must go on, but establishing and implementing a long term plan that changes the way the country operates is key to a sustainable rebuilding”, says Mr. O’Malley. Contributions to help The Mouvman Moun Mango program are possible via Eco Ventures www.eco-ventures.org.

Support for more ecological toilets to solve major problems simultaneously and more organic and fair trade mango trees and other viable crops to generate more rural jobs while recovering the environment are definitely a way the international organic community could help Haiti now. To further discuss these and other options on how Haiti can restore the land and grow their own food or to share other initiatives we all could support, contact editorial@organicwellnessnews.com

Popularity of solar power energy increases with rising oil, gas and electricity costs

Posted - July 30, 2009

Popularity of solar power energy increases with rising oil, gas and electricity costs

O.W.N. News Network

High oil and gas prices and improving regulatory support for solar power are driving solar photovoltaic (PV) cell market. Other drivers include increasing popularity of “green” energy, rising electricity costs and emergence of more efficient solar PV technologies.

Research and Markets Ltd. www.researchandmarkets.com has produced its Photovoltaic Report “Solar PV Cells: An Introduction”, which analyzes the global solar photovoltaic cell market, with focus on production, capacity and expansion plans. It also discusses the regional markets, pricing trend, emergence of thin film technology and market forecast. Currently, the major challenge for the solar PV market is adequate procurement of solar grade silicon, says a release provided by Research and Markets Ltd. The planned capacity increase in polysilicon production in the coming years is expected to drive solar PV cells output capacity higher. Therefore, the outlook of solar PV market in the next few years largely depends on availability and pricing of polysilicon.

Germany, Spain, Japan and the US dominate the worldwide solar PV market with more than 85% of cumulative installed PV capacity. A key reason for high growth in these countries is the active role adopted by their governments in providing subsidies to the solar industry. However, growth in Japan has been hindered due to scaling down of subsidies program.

Crystalline Silicon technology has until now dominated the solar PV market, with about ninety percent market share. Thin-film technology is a less efficient, lower cost, alternative to crystalline silicon. Thin-films are usually used for large PV plants, in large commercial or industrial buildings.

There are fewer companies involved as we move up in the solar PV value chain. Germany’s Q-Cells was the world’s largest producer of solar cells in 2007, followed by Japan’s Sharp Corporation, Chinese manufacturer Suntech Power and Japan’s Kyocera Corporation. The top ten companies have a market share of more than fifty percent of the worldwide solar PV cell market.

Apart from a discussion of the competitive landscape, the report profiles the major solar cell producers with a discussion of their key business strategies.

Another related study by Research and Markets states that among all renewable energy segments, the photovoltaic (PV) system accounts to 24% of the overall renewable energy market and wind accounts for approximately 38%. Solar heating devices comprise 21% and others 17% that includes water, biomass and geothermal energy. In comparison to the matured wind energy generating system, the PV system is currently not limited to a defined geographical area. Any PV system can be set up for both industrial and consumer use and in both cities and countries. Solar PV cell industry is expected to be the most flourishing sub-sector in the alternative energy industry because sunlight can be obtained worldwide without any geological concerns.

Jobs are turning green

Posted - June 10, 2009

Jobs are turning green

By John Coghlan

With world-wide recession, the US and Europe have jobless rates at about 9%, while those in Asia are on the rise. But if workers are leaving jobs in high-cost goods sectors, green jobs are growing. For example, with growth in organic farming, the US has found itself lacking farmers. Food guru Michael Pollan says that given that organic farming is more labour intensive than large-scale, artificial-fertilizer farming, the need for farmers is growing. In developed countries the farm population has declined dramatically and farmers are aging. In the USA there are only two million with an average age of 55. In Canada the age average is 52, and 60 in the UK. The next decade there will be need for new skilled and knowledgeable farmers to take over the farming activity in a sustainable way.

With an aging population and more consumers willing to avoid high health care costs, health oriented careers with focus on prevention and proactive lifestyles will also be in demand. Also highly qualified teachers able to bring a holistic view to the classroom, to allow students to make connections between apparently unrelated activities and events.

Here Comes the Sun

Another green job that is growing is the solar-power installer. Installers can earn the wage of a skilled technician. And given the cost of energy and concerns about greenhouse gasses, more and more households and organizations are buying solar panels. Meanwhile, in the US, up to 48% of energy goes into building, and fuel prices and the problem of greenhouse gasses mount: energy-efficient builders will be in big demand over the next decade. And since building with resin-composites demands much less energy than with traditional materials, builders may also start building with these materials, producing jobs in this sector.

But at the moment, the fastest-growing source of alternative energy is wind power, accounting for over 300,000 jobs in the world. Since wind turbines are 90% metal, other industries using metallurgy - car companies for example, could convert some of their production to making these turbines.

The down-turn in the housing, car and high-tech markets is causing workers strife: time to go for green trades.

Chocolate for a Good Cause

Posted - November 1, 2008

Pacari Chocolate Goes Beyond Sweet Actions

By Lucia Lorente - as printed in O.W.N. Fall 2008

In Ecuador, some rural areas do not have access to electricity. Communities use a huge number of battery-operated flashlights, consuming 10-12 batteries per month at a total expense of around 5-8 USD – a high portion out of an income that is often less than 2 USD per day!

Further, batteries are toxic products that contain harmful metals and substances. The used batteries are not properly discharged. They fill fields all over, and children are found playing with the colourful used “toys,” even putting them into their mouths!

Aware of this situation, Pacari Chocolate, the first organic and fair trade chocolate developed in Ecuador from bean to final product, and its parent company Ecuadorian Organics have started a new program. The community-minded firm imports solar-powered flashlights to help farmers get around 5-6 hours of light. The batteries required last around three years, saving tremendous expense and waste.

The solar energy flashlights offer a temporary but smart solution, until the government brings electricity to those families, that also implies loss of more natural resources, as more forests are cleared to give space to new roads and antenas. “Solar energy is still one of the few free clean commodities available to all”, says Ecuadorian Organics co-founder Santiago Peralta. “We also aim to help limit the use of other fuels for lamps and candles that can cause domestic fires”.

Ecuadorian Organics has also launched the Organic Agriculture Educational Project, providing technical support in organic farming as well as used computers collected from overseas clients and donors who ship them to rural schools in Ecuador. A pilot project has served 1,000 children and the next phase plans to include other schools.

Danish Lead 2009

Posted - November 1, 2008

Denmark Country of the Year at BioFach 2009

By Adriana Michael - as printed in O.W.N. Fall 2008

Next year in February, Biofach, the most international and influential fair for organic trade celebrates its 20th anniversary. Denmark has been selected  “Country of the Year” to greet and share its amazing success story in the organic sector with over 46,000 visitors and around 2,900 exhibitors.

This is no surprise for those in the know. Denmark has a strong history of environmentalism. The country is a pioneer and trailblazer in wind power.

Today Danes spend an average of 80 Euros a year per person on organic food, making this small country of over 5 million people, the leader in the European Union (EU). Sales of Danish organic products grew by 33% in 2007.  A 6.5% of all food sold in the country comes from organic sources. The capital city of Copenhagen enjoys a 12%, while the Danish government scores even higher than the citizens, with 45% of food requirements in schools, hospitals and other official areas coming from organic production.

“We have chosen Denmark because it has one of the world’s leading organic markets,” said in a release Udo Funke, managing director of BioFach in Nuernberg. Biofach management is convinced Denmark will continue to play an important role on the organic market in the future. “Denmark is a strong export-partner with internationally recognised organic products.”

How did Danemark reach this benchmark?

Denmark was the first country in the world to introduce a state-controlled organic certification, represented by a red Ø-mark, says Paul Holmbeck, managing director of Organic Denmark, a national umbrella organization that coordinates all private and public efforts for the proper development of the organic sector in the country. “Our national organic mark is trusted by Danish consumers and enjoys a 94% recognition rate”, says Holmbeck. “People in Denmark believe in our government institutions”. If someone tries to break the rules, the process goes very public and this openeness creates consumer trust.

Holmbeck also believes that the merging of all consumer, farmer and trade organic associations in 2002 under the umbrella – Organic Danemark – was a real turning point in the country’s organic movement.

The merger of eight main different organic associations was a process that started back in 1998, when the first step was to move offices of all entities to the same building. Holmbeck has been involved with the organization since the beginning and has seen first hand the process of internal restructuring and organization that has made Organic Danemark the powerhouse it is today.

“We had the same objectives and worked on the procedures to make sure all needs of all entities were addressed and covered,” says Holmbeck. Having one voice, one umbrella has empowered the movement and its members even further. “Communication with government officials and the media and reaching end consumers has been much effective”, adds Nanna Hyldegaard Hansen, public relations manager for Organic Danemark.

One of the main accomplishments of the Danish organic sector i since its pioneering years has been the cooperation of farmers and processors with the major supermarket chains, a task that Organic Danemark has developed even further.

“We created a tailor-made marketing strategy with each chain,” says Holmbeck. “They are competitors and know we work with all of them, but we make sure to offer each chain added value for our relationship with them.”

Another contributing aspect to the strong development of the organic sector has been the product differentiation, thanks to strong cooperation between organic producers, research institutions and Universities and the amazing support received from the government. “Danemark  enjoys an environment that rewards innovation and a commitment to product development and to find more sustainable ways to obtain consumer goods”, says Holmbeck.

Given Denmark’s high levels of organic food consumption, it’s a sure bet that their strategy has paid off. Holmbeck also says that Organic Danemark is using the same approach to increase export activity with supermarket chains outside the country. During Biofach 2009 in Germany, visitors and exhibitors will enjoy a series of seminars and presentations to showcase Danemark’s success story and the different aspects of the programs currently in place , besides the release of results from research showing more evidence of the strong relationship between health issues and organic farming.

Australian Organic Skincare

Posted - November 1, 2008

Jasmin Skincare:  Facing the challenge of organic beauty

By Adriana Michael - as printed in O.W.N. Fall 2008

Imagine a laboratory at the top of a mountain, surrounded by virgin forests, and supplied directly with medicinal herbs, extracts, and essential oils from its own organic biodynamic farm. Such a mountain is called Mt. Tamborine in the beautiful Gold Coast hinterland of Australia, where Jasmin Skincare has developed its 100% organic certified line of skincare and cosmetics.

Founded in 2002 by Lihua Song and Gordon Chalmers, the driving force behind Jasmin Skincare has been the desire to offer people a natural and alternative range in an industry dominated by multi-nationals peddling synthetics. The company’s entire operation is vertically integrated, ensuring complete control of production, from farming of the active ingredients all the way to the end product delivered to the consumer.

Conventional wisdom in the beauty industry claims that the inclusion of a few ingredients are as far as organic cosmetics can go. They point to the sometimes poor performance of natural shampoos and deodorants as an indicator that truly natural beauty products will never sell as well as their synthetic counterparts. Fortunately, dynamic firms like Jasmin Skincare are proving those naysayers wrong.

It took this company three long years of research and development, and an investment of around eight million US dollars but, in the end,  Jasmin Skincare launched its own organic line. A claim not easy to make, as water is the main ingredient in most cosmetics and water can not be certified as organic.

With Jasmine Skincare, Song and Chalmers replaced the traditional water phase with ingredients such as shea butter, aloe vera gel and beneficial plant extract.” If we use water in any product it is in the form of certified organic rosewater and limited below 10% of the total formulation”, says Chalmers. The only exception to this are the five floral hydrosol mist sprays (rose, jasmin, neroli, chamomile and lavender). The lipsticks are only produced under the category of “cosmetics”, which as such contain no water.

With the boom of the green movement, it’s all too common to see cosmetics touted as all-natural when they’re anything but natural. Some brands may even have some organic certified ingredients. However, a careful look at the labels may reveal that the formula hides the usual cocktail of toxic chemicals.

Preservatives, in particular, are often not natural, may be petroleum derived, such as parabens, known to be harmful.

Finding organic solutions that would offer the same performance as traditional cosmetics has not been easy, but Song and Chalmers are dedicated enough to their ideals to practice what they preach. The company has paid great attention to emulsification issues, preservation and efficacy of the final product.  One of their best finds has been a natural citrus based preservative by UK firm Citrox Ltd.  “Using proprietary ingredients such as (those from) Citrox with a range of essential oils and extracts that have known anti-microbial functions allows us to increase shelf life to near comparable levels with our ‘chemical swill’ brethren.”, says Chalmers. Testing these mixes with various blends of our own, we are getting results that far outperform even the traditional parabens”.

Many cosmetics and skincare preparations have a pH problem, not with the formulation Jasmin got from Citrox. “A secondary benefit from using the Citrox natural formula is that it pulls the pH level down to levels that match normal skin, thus making the products easier to work with”, adds Chalmers. The results have been far better than Song and Chalmers expected. “We are launching our new Migaloo mid-priced certified organic range, with Citrox as the base preservative.”

Jasmin has proved it is possible to develop 100% natural cosmetics with organic certified ingredients that perform well. The line of over 100 products  is selling at selected spas and salons in Australia , China, Hong Kong and other Asian countries. Jasmin follows the Soil Association standards and has Australian OFC certification. According to Chalmers Jasmin is among the first, certified organic companies to ever pass the strict Chinese Ministry of Hygiene and CIQ import certification.

Over the past three years Song and Chalmers have developed a “show and tell” farm and manufacturing facility. Last year they hosted over 7,000 visitors. “We have given everyone a ‘first hand’ experience of both fresh organic produce and understanding how it is possible to manufacture skincare and cosmetics in an environmentally friendly way”, says Chalmers.
But the project does not end there. This year the firm undertook USDA certification and, once finalised, it plans to certify for the new EU organic standards.

The next stage is to move totally to wind and solar power generation, pay attention to a new concept of Jasmin’s themed stores and to focus on Europe, North America and the Middle East. A busy agenda ahead for an energetic duo and a lab sitting on top of a dream mountain.

Colombian Organic Firm

Posted - November 1, 2008

Daabon Sets Mood for a Greener Colombia

By Adriana Michael - as printed in O.W.N. Fall 2008

Daabon Organic, a third generation family-owned business in Colombia, is run by Alberto Davila Diazgranados, affectionately known to all as Don Alberto. He has turned a family farm founded by his father in 1914 into a progressive international enterprise, a pioneer in sustainable agriculture and a leading grower and exporter of organic bananas, palm oil, cacao and coffee. Don Alberto is an easy to approach man who enjoys the company of others. He certainly meets many people, running a company that employs over 1500 people and deals with over 400 contractors.

Keeping a business alive for almost 100 years is a challenging task.What has been the formula to its success? “Being fair with yourself and others, listening, setting clear rules for all family and co-workers, and finding the best people who share your vision and will be involved to reach the goals,” he says. Don Alberto learned from his father’s experiences as a banana exporter and plans on keeping the management of the business where it started: in the family. His five children are all employed by Daabon Organic, and  a structure is in place to welcome the 4th generation into the company as well.

“They all can join but need to show genuine interest in what we do, study abroad, work first for another company.Everyone is free to stay or to sell and leave”, he says. “So far everyone is still in…and with clear responsibilities and area of work, like in any other company”.

How has Don Alberto been able to transform such a large business into a completely organic enterprise? Throughout the seventies and eighties Daabon introduced conventional farming of African palm, cotton and rice crops. Soon they were aware of the incredible amount of pesticides the rice and cotton crops required. “We were stuck in a vicious cycle spending lots of money in infrastructure to spray the fields up to 28 times per year!”. The bugs got resistant and more inputs were needed. His son Manuel, raised the concept of organic farming. There was a market, particularly in France. Daabon converted the farms in 1993. “In the tropics you really need to be careful of what you do. We do not have seasons, but a rich biodiversity to protect.”

Another key to their success was to convince small land owners from the surrounding communities to become organic, and to show them a way of thinking and a lifestyle that went beyond conventional farming methods. They worked patiently with their local partners at all levels to show them why organic was the best way to go.

To that end, Daabon has created farming co-operatives, in collaboration with the government, to ensure the farmers receive technical assistance and financial support. Don Alberto describes one of his most rewarding experiences - he and his wife co-signed bank loans on 188 small farms, to allow the farmers to borrow capital to purchase seeds and start their own organic palm tree plantations. The effort has brought a 94% success rate, as most farmers understood the benefits of the concept.

Don Alberto and his team are in the process of converting Daabon Organic into a carbon-negative enterprise. He realizes that it will be a lengthy process, but one that will offer customers a new standard in conservation.

Water Pollution in China

Posted - September 19, 2008

300 million Chinese lack access to safe drinking water

Not only is China one of the world’s 20 most water-deficient countries, but irresponsible corporations and slack government have made water pollution highly prevalent in China. Today, about 70% of all rivers, lakes, and reservoirs in China are affected by water pollution.

Although water pollution legislation is in place in China, laws are not strictly enforced. Too often, local governments turn a blind eye to water pollution. The discharge of untreated wastewater into public bodies of water has become the norm. China’s industries dump an astonishing 40-60 billion tons of untreated wastewater into rivers and lakes every year, leaving little more than a precious 40% of water clean enough for drinking.

As a result, 90 million people in China are directly exposed to water pollution every day. Water for drinking, bathing, cleaning and cooking is often contaminated with toxins exceeding international safety standards.

This is one of the most serious environmental problems in China, and has fatal consequences for the population. The OECD estimated in 2007 that 30,000 Chinese children, mainly in rural areas, die each year from illnesses linked to consuming dirty water. Along China’s major rivers, there appears to be a higher than normal rate of cancer, miscarriages and low IQs.

Greenpeace is currently campaigning against water pollution in China by urging the government and industries to adopt clean production and enforce strict legislation to ensure proper treatment of wastewater.

The campaign will visit the most contaminated water sources in China, such as the heavy industry hubs of Jiangsu, Jiangxi and Chongqing, to expose the severity of China’s water pollution and identify key polluters. The group aims to generat transparency by creating spaces for public water quality monitoring.

From http://www.greenpeace.org/china/en/campaigns/toxics/water-pollution - reprinted with permission of Greenpeace.

Sustainably-Packaged German Snacks

Posted - July 30, 2008

Herr Foods Furthers Sustainably with Pump Retrofit

Germany’s Herr Foods has taken its sustainability to the next level by retrofitting a key part of its packaging line. The company plant’s 15 TNA machines, used to roll, film and seal its foods, are being retrofitted with P6010 vacuum pumps from PIAB.

The new system reduces noise, generates no heat and provides suction at extremely low pressures. Its compact size places it closer to the suction point, consuming less compressed air.
For 60 years, Herr has introduced innovative snack foods and packaging. The firm now offers 340 products, including potato chips, pretzels, popcorn, and onion rings.

“The most important environmental issue challenging Herr’s and other snack food manufacturers is with packaging materials,” states David Sexton, a firm electrical engineer for automation. The company leads in “modern and progressive manufacturing and packaging,” he says.

“The company started using automated cooking techniques as far back as 1952, and in the next decade began to revolutionize its packaging design and materials.”

Before the retrofit, the firm’s line was equipped with noisy mechanical pumps. This generated too much heat and required frequent maintenance.

“Reducing the noise and heat levels was very important to us,” remarked Sexton. “Not only did we want to improve the working environment in our facility, we wanted to reduce our maintenance and repair costs.”

Herr has a history of ecological awareness and conservation. For instance, it reuses water via irrigation and sludge as fertilizer. At Herr’s Angus Farm, sub-standard products get a second life as cattle feed.

The company has designed its manufacturing to be as environmental and efficient as possible. Steam-recovery saves fuel; exhaust filters prevent residues from being emitted; a heat exchanger uses manufacturing-generated hot water to heat the factory.

By creating fruitful and forward-thinking partnerships, this manufacturer and producer of tasty treats is sure to bring insight to the industry.

Green Business

Posted - May 1, 2008

Keeping Your Business Green On-Line

By Matthew Gibson - as printed in O.W.N. Summer 2008

Many of us run our business from our home, or a small office. While we may have little to no time to reflect on our impact on the environment, it’s now easier than ever to reduce that impact, starting with a few clicks of the mouse. Many actions do not require a lot of concentration or changes to your routine to ensure our green business stays green, on-line. Here are a few things that we adhere to within our organization that may also help you.

• Computer Power - One of the first things to do is ensure you have the proper power settings enabled on your computers and other electronic devices. Many people do not, thus using a lot of energy even when you’re not working. Just turn on the sleep modes of your computers and monitors to conserve power, or consider upgrading to a new 0-watt standby LCD screen.
• Paper Consumption - Paper, some would say it’s a requirement of every business. No longer. While some studies show that businesses are using more paper than ever by printing emails, receipts and other items, you can help reverse this trend and save trees. If retention of important information is a concern, develop a backup procedure and policy that fits your organization for both files and e-mail and you will be well on your way to rarely using that printer. Don’t forget to turn it off when it’s not being used, either! Another step is to convert all invoicing, billing and vendor statements to an online format. Set up all bills and notices as e-statements. Don’t forget to sign up for your government’s “do not subscribe lists” to reduce junk mail, if available. For those times when you absolutely need paper, use organic or recycled versions, and for internal jobs, use both sides. Another great tip is to buy a paper shredder. After shredding documents for security, you can use the shredded paper to safely ship items. Unplug the shredder when it is not in use!
• Collaboration - Instead of commuting or traveling for meetings, use the long-distance tools that are available to you - Skype, MSN, AOL Instant Messenger, or VOIP services for international calls to save money. Video devices can even be used, all with much less environmental cost than traveling. Sites like Skrbl even allow for on-line white-boarding. Forget the boardroom, take it on-line!
• Get Wired - Stock the coffee machine with fairly traded, organic coffee or tea, and if can not avoid sugars, go for natural sweeteners. Stop ordering out - bring a lunch in re-usable containers. If you go out for lunch, try biking, walking or riding public transit.
• Energy Use - Many organizations offer incentives for using solar power, wind power or other ecologically-friendly methods to light up your offices. Talk to your local energy provider to see if they offer such programs. Alternatively, many energy providers offer “Green Power” programs that you can sign up for.
• Carbon Use - Websites like Carbon Foot-Print, Carbon Fund, Carbon Mutual, or Carbon Neutral help to determine your business’ carbon usage. Buy off-set credits aim to help your business compensate for the environmental costs of what it can’t recycle by funding environmental initiatives.
• Recycled Tech - Don’t throw away your old electronics! Donate or recycle them. Some governments will give tax breaks when you donate old computers. This goes for cell phones, printer ink, etc.
• Lighting - Consider letting more sunlight into your work place instead of costly light bulbs. If that is not an option or you work at night, take a look at using LED Lighting to replace current lights. The initial cost is generally high, but long term the investment will pay for itself. Also consider motion sensors, timers or dimmers to control the office lights. They can all help reduce energy usage.

Matthew Gibson is President and CEO of Flewid Inc. (www.flewid.ca) a telecommunications firm based in Ottawa, Canada. Matthew also runs a popular blog on LED Lighting (news.thenewlight.ca). He welcomes feedback to m.gibson@flewid.ca.