Posts Tagged ‘Environment’

If you currently spend any time working from home (or are perhaps considering doing so in the future) then you might find this post by Treehugger interesting. As well as offering suggestions on how to keep your office healthier, there are also some other handy tips, such as choosing the right desk and chair.

Image by Veo

You can hardly switch on the TV nowadays without being confronted with images of melting icebergs, followed by gloomy predictions about the world’s climate… so it’s pretty unlikely that the term ‘carbon footprint’ has escaped your attention.

So what role does this play in marketing? Put simply, attempting to reduce (or even neutralise) Co2 emissions offers businesses an opportunity to differentiate themselves from their competitors.

As well as demonstrating that your organisation is forward thinking, this would also send out a positive message to customers, and might even represent a strong PR opportunity.

Not only would you get a ‘warm fuzzy feeling’ from helping to save the planet, but you might actually save money on electricity bills too (freeing up more funding for marketing!). For example, switching just one electricity bulb to the low energy type, could save up to £12 a year. Multiply this several times, and the savings could really start to add up!

Being ‘ahead of the curve’ will also stand your business well for the future, as it is highly likely that environmental legislation will become tougher over the next few years.

Knowing where to start can be difficult though. How exactly do you calculate your carbon footprint?… and where exactly should you focus your attention?

The answer to these and other questions can be found at the government’s dedicated websites:-

Individuals should head to:- Act on Co2
Businesses & organisations should visit:- Carbon Trust

Of particular interest is the Carbon Trust, which is currently offering interest free loans of up to £100,000 for businesses to upgrade their equipment… that is certainly worth investigating, given today’s financial climate.

Finally, you might also find this Wikipedia article useful… it gives a nice introduction to the subject:- Wikipedia

Photo by crrazychaz