How To Avoid Making Inclusivity A Simple Buzzword For Your Brand

Odds are, if you’re in any way interested in sustainability, you have a soft spot for social justice measures that help people come other. Of course, how these practices are put in place can be hotly debated and often the white-hot fulcrum of our cultural and political disagreements in 2024, but the truth is that being as open to new people as you can is important, provided you do so with your rationale intact.

For this reason, companies that market themselves on sustainability (and we’re certain you’re quite justified in doing so), can sometimes find themselves falling into marketing “everything that’s good.” This might involve talking about diversity (great) or social responsibility (cool).

But it also means using a lot of buzzwords. You likely know what they are already. The truth is, a practice that isn’t marketed but internally structured i worth one thousand buzzwords that are half-delivered on. In some cases, customers can quite reasonably roll their eyes when they hear this marketing spiel because often they know it’s just talk.

So, how can you avoid that happening? In this post, we’ll discuss that and more.

Attach Inclusivity To Goals

Of course, inclusivity by itself is somewhat detached. What are you including people in? Not everything, after all. It’s not like you have an “inclusive approach” towards who has access to your customer’s personal and financial data.

So, attaching it to specific goals is generally good. Maybe you’re trying to make a playground more inclusive by offering different accessibility measures here - https://www.generalrecreationinc.com/inclusive-playground-equipment/ - and that can help raise your school’s acceptance of differently-abled children. If you’re running a for-profit, you might work with suppliers who pay fair wages for supplied labor abroad, support minority-owned businesses, or ensure your products are accessible to everyone, regardless of physical ability, with capable packaging and tutorials.

As you can see, this helps you avoid solely paying lip service to the idea of inclusivity, but with little follow-up.

Be Specific About How YOU Define Inclusivity

Now, the term “inclusivity” can mean a lot of things, and it’s often used in such a broad way that it loses its meaning. To avoid this, it’s wise to be specific about what inclusivity means to your brand. Don’t necessarily swipe this from someone else, consider what it means to you.

Does it mean creating products that cater to a wide range of skin tones? Does it mean ensuring that your marketing materials feature diverse voices and faces thanks to the nature of your product? Or perhaps it means curating a workplace where everyone feels valued so you can enhance your levels of staff satisfaction? Maybe you just remove names and ethnicity information from any applicant resumes that are later reviewed so you have zero bias involved in hiring. If you make it clear, people see exactly how you think about inclusivity for the better.

Check Your Competition’s Approach

Businesses consider their competitive approach in almost all fields, so why not this one? At the very least, you can learn what NOT to do. It’s always a good idea to see what others in your industry are doing because it gives you a benchmark for what’s expected. However, this isn’t about going “inclusive” for “inclusive,” but rather considering if others in your space market that at all.

Maybe your industry is so diverse now that you don’t really need to make it a huge marketing point. Perhaps others might think “wait, you weren’t doing that?” For example, the hospitality industry is known to be relatively diverse. In fact, this is so true that restaurants might reverse course and show just how authentic their cuisine is because they chefs come from that country and were raised in that culture. Sometimes, relevance and cultural matching is actually a good thing. If you check your competition, you can see exactly how.

Don’t Tokenize

One of the biggest issues lls in promoting inclusivity is tokenism—making a superficial effort to appear inclusive without putting in the real work. This often happens when brands feature a token person of color, someone with a disability, or a member of the LGBTQ+ community in their marketing materials, but don’t follow through by actually hiring them.

However, there’s another issue - hiring someone solely because of their identity is a bad idea entirely. That’s why it’s good to strive for inclusivity but never to make it a distinct, direct acquisition choice. This means removing bias instead of pursuing it in “the right direction,” that way, you can avoid struggles and harm.

With this advice, you’ll be sure to make inclusivity a real initiative, not just a buzzword.

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5 Everyday Items That Can Quietly Boost Your Brand

By Julie Starr • July 17, 2025

The best branding doesn’t always come from big campaigns or expensive graphics. Sometimes it’s the smaller stuff that leaves the biggest impression. Things people actually use, touch, or carry with them. That’s where your brand can quietly make its mark without needing to shout about it. If you’re only focusing on social media and business cards, you’re leaving a lot on the table. Here are five overlooked ways to get your name out there that feel natural, useful, and more personal. Thank-you slips If you’re already sending out orders, there’s no reason not to include a short thank-you slip. You can easily get these made through any decent online print shop , and they’re usually pretty cheap to run off in small batches. Just a simple note that says thanks, maybe with a reminder to follow you online or a cheeky discount code for next time. It’s quick, thoughtful, and makes the whole order feel more finished. Customers notice that kind of detail, especially when everything else they buy online comes with zero personality. You don’t need a complicated design either. Just something clean with your logo, a message that sounds like you, and maybe a social handle. The point is to give them a reason to come back or remember your name without it feeling forced. Branded zip pouches If you sell physical products, offer services, or run events, small zip pouches are surprisingly effective. Think of the kind you’d use for stationery, receipts, or travel bits. You can get your brand printed on the side and hand them out with purchases or include them in welcome packs. People keep them because they’re actually useful. They get tossed in handbags, school bags, or glove boxes and your logo just keeps turning up. Cleaning cloths for glasses or screens This one works brilliantly if you’re in tech, health, beauty, or anything involving screens or eyewear. A simple microfibre cloth with your branding on it can go a long way. Everyone needs one. Whether they use it for glasses, a phone screen, or their laptop, it’s something they hang onto. It’s not the kind of thing people throw away, and that means your name sticks around too. Receipt envelopes You might already use little envelopes to hand over receipts or business cards. Branding those envelopes is a small change that makes a big difference. Instead of someone getting a scruffy bit of paper in a plain sleeve, they’re handed something that feels a bit more finished. You can even add a message inside. Doesn’t need to be anything dramatic. A simple “thanks for visiting” or “see you next time” is enough to add a personal touch. Wet wipes or mini hand gels If your business is in hospitality, food, or anything hands-on, branded wet wipes or pocket-sized hand gels are surprisingly popular. People actually use them, especially at festivals, food stalls, pop-ups, or kids’ events. They end up in handbags or cars and stick around longer than you think. They don’t scream “marketing” either. They’re practical, and when done right, they make your business feel thoughtful. That’s what good branding does, it shows you’ve thought ahead.

How Student-Led ‘Energy Audits’ Are Cutting School Costs (and Lighting the Way Forward)

By Julie Starr • July 14, 2025

What happens when students stop waiting for adults to fix things and start conducting their own energy audits? Money gets saved. The lights get switched off. Data gets analyzed. And a quiet revolution in sustainability begins—inside schools that once overlooked their own inefficiencies. Across the globe, student-led energy audits are proving that change doesn't always need to come from a policy shift or a major capital budget. Sometimes, it begins with a clipboard, a spreadsheet, and a group of curious minds asking: Why are the hallway lights on at noon when sunlight floods the building? The Energy Detectives These audits aren’t science fair projects. They’re rigorous investigations, often done in collaboration with facilities staff, local environmental nonprofits, or even engineering mentors. Students go from classroom to classroom measuring electricity usage, checking for phantom loads , and identifying where heat is escaping in winter or air conditioning is leaking in summer. One high school in Ontario saved over $12,000 a year after its Grade 11 physics students ran an energy audit and suggested simple changes—LED upgrades, motion sensors in bathrooms, and smarter heating schedules. They didn’t just propose ideas. They pitched them with spreadsheets, thermal images, and payback timelines. It worked. Learning That Pays Off—Literally Unlike textbook learning, these audits blend real-world math, environmental science, economics, and persuasive communication. Students aren’t just learning about sustainability. They’re doing it. And the savings add up. From dimming overlit hallways to reprogramming HVAC systems that run all weekend for empty buildings, students are surfacing blind spots that administrators often overlook. In some districts, their findings are influencing energy policy. Elsewhere, the audits have inspired school boards to hire sustainability coordinators—often alumni of the student programs themselves. There’s something poetic about a school funding new books or laptops from money saved by students who found out the vending machines didn’t need to be plugged in 24/7. Why This Matters More Than Ever With education budgets tightening and utility costs rising, every dollar saved is a dollar that can go back into classrooms. And here’s where it gets interesting from a family finance perspective, too. If you’re a parent setting aside money for post-secondary savings, every bit of school efficiency helps. Fewer energy costs might mean more programming, better STEM facilities, or even bursaries. That raises a broader point: when families save for their children’s future, they often look into RESPs (Registered Education Savings Plans). And many wonder—is a RESP deduction available on my taxes? While contributions themselves aren’t deductible, the gains grow tax-free, and students often pay little to no tax when they withdraw the funds during school. A Movement Worth Replicating These audits aren’t just an exercise in environmentalism. They’re leadership labs. Students learn how to spot inefficiencies, speak up in board meetings, and make a business case for change. They don’t just flip switches—they shift mindsets. And they carry these habits into adulthood. The result? A generation growing up not only with climate anxiety, but also with tools to tackle it.