Sustainable Business Premises: What You Need To Know

Julie Starr • June 10, 2024

So you've found your perfect business premises and are all ready to get started fitting it out and making it your new base from which to operate. But before you start making any changes to the structure or layout, consider the transformative power of sustainability. By minimizing your environmental footprint and boosting your brand image and perception right from the beginning, you're not just doing your part for the planet but also setting a powerful example for others in your industry.


So, what do you need to consider before fitting out the building ready to accommodate your business?


Carry Out An Audit

Before you proceed, it's crucial to conduct an energy audit. This audit will provide you with a comprehensive understanding of the building's current sustainability features and pinpoint areas for further improvements, empowering you, as a key player in this process, to make informed decisions. By maximizing space, energy flow, and output, you can significantly reduce your environmental impact. This knowledge will give you the power to shape your business premises in a sustainable way, and your contribution is invaluable.


Increase Insulation

Before you change up the interior and add your equipment fittings, furniture, etc., consider how you can increase insulation. This not only helps to maintain a comfortable indoor temperature but also reduces the need for excessive heating or cooling, thereby saving energy. Work with insulation companies to help you identify any areas that need to be insulated and have it installed before you add anything else. Whether it's floor, internal walls insulation, roof insulation, or adding in energy-efficient windows and doors, identify all the places you insulate and do it.


Work With Sustainable Partners

To further increase your eco-credentials, which refers to the environmental achievements and practices that demonstrate your commitment to sustainability, choose your partners carefully. Ensure they're on the same page as you in regards to using sustainable practices and materials. Ask them how they're combating their carbon footprint, what initiatives they have in place, and how they work towards being more sustainable. Whether it's contractors making changes to the layout, the furniture you use (reclaimed or second-hand items that have been refurbished or upcycled), or the energy supplier you choose because they use renewable energy sources, know their impact and ensure you align with their ideals, too. This strategic partnership can significantly contribute to your business's sustainability.


Choose Energy Efficient Fittings and Furnishings

This can be opting for things like self-closing doors to prevent doors from being left open and heat escaping from the office. Choosing motion sensor lighting to reduce the possibility of lights being left on, having LED lights as they use less energy, and installing floor-to-ceiling windows to flood the space with natural light. Look at what your options are when it comes to the fittings and fixtures you use. For instance, you can choose energy-efficient appliances, furniture made from sustainable materials, and water-saving fixtures. Aim to use as many sustainable options as possible. By doing so, you support eco-friendly changes that benefit you and the environment.


Talk To Your Team

If you're bringing people on board to work with you, talk to them about the sustainable options you are putting in place and the importance of them being able to support these changes and work in a more sustainable way. While they are not part of the construction layout, and design of the building itself, if they're not on board or are unaware of the specific details you are opting for, then they won't be able to help you ensure these are working as they need to be.

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.