Tips and tricks
on being sustainable

If your business consumes less, you spend less. Think about it like this, and sustainable business practice becomes more than just a green issue - it adds up to good economics.

There are lots of ways you can lighten your organisation's tread on the planet by operating more sustainably. Saving trees by printing on 9lives paper is just the start.

Chris Howe, WWF-New Zealand's Executive Director gives the top ten actions you can take today to make your business more sustainable:

  • Use recycled and chlorine free paper in your work place...
  • ...and instantly halve your paper consumption by setting computers to print double-sided automatically.
  • Green up your energy sources - choose an electricity supplier that uses 100% renewable energy.
  • Lighten your energy use - change conventional light bulbs to energy-efficient ones.
    Is your office guzzling electricity long after your staff have left the building? Reduce your power use - and your electricity bill - by switching computers and appliances off at the plug at night.
  • How green are your office products? Source them from office suppliers who are endorsed by an independent label like Environmental Choice.
  • Choose suppliers committed to sustainable business practices.
  • Travel green. Use public transport, carpool and buy and lease fuel-efficient vehicles such as hybrids or small cars. Join GreenFleet to learn about travel planning and efficient driving and offset your vehicle's carbon emissions - www.greenfleet.org.nz
  • Take the Get Sustainable Challenge to work out your organisation's steps towards sustainability - and if you're not already a member, join the Sustainable Business Network
  • Get your staff involved and inspired. You're good, but you can't single handedly transform your business. Good communication and the support of your team are vital to successfully to making your business sustainable.

WWF-New Zealand went carboNZero in 2005, the first non-government organization in New Zealand to do so. If your organization is ready to take the carboNZero challenge go to www.carbonzero.co.nz

For more advice on sustainable business practice, go to the Sustainable Business Network www.sustainable.org.nz