Top Tips For Maintaining A Green Workplace

Julie Starr • January 22, 2021



People are becoming increasingly aware of the environmental impact of their activities. A survey conducted worldwide in 2014 found that more than half of consumers were willing to pay more for services and goods from companies with good environmental policies . By implementing eco-friendly practices into your business, not only will you do your bit for the environment, but you will be helping your profit margins. Bear in mind that if you publicize yourself as being environmentally friendly, it is extremely important that you do what you say you do. Deceiving your customers by ‘ greenwashing ‘ them (false sustainability claims) may be worse than not doing anything at all.

So what can you do to maintain a green workplace? Let’s take a look.

Train your staff on sustainability principles

Everyone in your workplace, whether customer-facing, in an admin role, or doing manual work needs to understand the principles and methods of sustainability, or they will never be fully implemented. Think about having a Certified Energy Manager (CEM) staff to keep an eye on your systems, energy costs, and conservation initiatives. A CEM can help you optimize the energy performance of your workplace

Practice preventative maintenance

Don’t wait for a piece of equipment to break down before maintenance measures are implemented. Regular inspection, lubrication, and replacement of parts will keep equipment running at peak efficiency. By tracking the trends in reliability, risk factors, and energy use over time, you can stay ahead of the challenges, identify assets that are energy drainers and find ways to reduce your business energy consumption. Asset management software with predictive maintenance capabilities can be useful for automating the process and keeping you on schedule for things such as your air compressor service and repair . Not only does this help you to achieve your sustainability goals, but will lengthen the lifespan of your equipment and machinery and save you significant money in the long term.

Reduce your single-use product consumption

When you are busy in the office or workplace, it can be tempting to have all the convenience items, from single cup coffee pods to plastic cups that are thrown away after one use. We now know that single-use plastic is one of the most critical challenges affecting the environment at the moment, so if you can reduce it, you are well on your way to helping.   Buy in some cheap, branded mugs and encourage the use of them, and deploy a water fountain with paper or reusable cups instead of plastic bottles.

Reduce water consumption

Make sure all of the dripping slides and leaks are fixed as soon as possible and install low-flow toilets and faucets in the restrooms. If you have sprinkler-watered gardens, look at changing to a drip system to reduce water wastage and have rain sensors so that they are not used unless necessary. 

Use cloud computing software

Cloud computing has many advantages for small businesses, but when it comes to trying to be a little more environmentally friendly, it can make an enormous difference. First, it lessens the need for expensive servers to be purchased and managed. Second, it allows your employees to work from home, and thirdly, with everyone able to access documents digitally, there is less need for hard copy printing.

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.