Recent Articles From EvanCarmichael.com http://www.evancarmichael.com/ http://www.evancarmichael.com/Going-Green/2234/How-To-Reduce-Waste-At-Shopping-Malls.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Going-Green/2234/How-To-Reduce-Waste-At-Shopping-Malls.html What do you do with outdated seasonal banners at shopping malls? Typically, throw them out. In Vancouver they've taken a greener, much more beneficial path. And I have suggestions for them to go even further... http://www.evancarmichael.com/Going-Green/2234/Fuel-for-your-Entrepreneurial-Mind.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Going-Green/2234/Fuel-for-your-Entrepreneurial-Mind.html As an entrepreneur, you may at times question your sanity : long hours, uncertain outcomes, energy drain on the rest of your life. And yet you keep on going. You have to. The thrill of successfully launching a new endeavor, whether to make a living, a difference in the lives of people, an impact on the health of the planet, or all of the above is too great not to. And yet, there may be times that nothing’s coming to you. You’re either stuck for a new idea, or having doubts about or missing pieces to what you’re currently working on. In steps Springwise. Springwise is hub for people to share ideas, and is smartly designed for rapid skimming, by category, keyword, and country. http://www.evancarmichael.com/Going-Green/2234/How-Do-You-Spell-Green-Travel-BWC.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Going-Green/2234/How-Do-You-Spell-Green-Travel-BWC.html Learn about the Better World Club, the eco alternative to AAA, that advocates for a cleaner environement on a policy level, gives discounts to hybrid owners/renters, and even offers roadside assistance to bicyclists! http://www.evancarmichael.com/Going-Green/2234/How-to-Green-a-Restaurant-pt-2-Eco-Serviceware-What-Works.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Going-Green/2234/How-to-Green-a-Restaurant-pt-2-Eco-Serviceware-What-Works.html Welcome to part 2 of our restaurant greening guide. If you recall from part 1 of this series, I wrote about Ike’s Quarter Cafe, a restaurant that has found a great balance of quality food, sustainability in their facilities, and a wonderful experience. For those of you considering greening your restaurant, or just in search of ways to make eating a less impactful experience, this week we focus on that which goes around the food. As in the utensils, cups, bowls, plates, and even the foil. http://www.evancarmichael.com/Going-Green/2234/How-to-Green-a-Restaurant-pt-1-Ikes-Quarter-Cafe.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Going-Green/2234/How-to-Green-a-Restaurant-pt-1-Ikes-Quarter-Cafe.html Are you considering being a green restaurant? Consider the example of Ike’s Quarter Cafe, a New Orleans style restaurant in the gold rush era town of Nevada City, California. When I mentioned to my hair stylist yesterday that I would be writing about it, she said, “Oh really? I had no idea they were a green restaurant. I just thought they had good food.” Exactly. http://www.evancarmichael.com/Going-Green/2234/How-to-Green-Your-Mail.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Going-Green/2234/How-to-Green-Your-Mail.html Depending on your business, mailing can be a major expense and large use of resources. But it doesn’t have to be that way. EcoEnvelopes is a new company that has created reusable envelopes. As in they can be two-way, between you and your customer, eliminating the need for reply envelopes. It’s been said that a mailer, in order to be effective, needs 6 distinct pieces to it, to engage the potential customer in a number of ways. With such a visually striking mailer as the ones offered by ecoEnvelope, it could take much less then that. http://www.evancarmichael.com/Going-Green/2234/Greening-How-You-Take-Green.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Going-Green/2234/Greening-How-You-Take-Green.html There are many ways to green your business. Using recycled products, swapping out your lightbulbs, and offsetting/minimizing your carbon footprint probably come to mind first, right? What about how you process payments? Come again, you say? Yes, there is now a way to green how you take green: Dharma Merchant Services. http://www.evancarmichael.com/Going-Green/2234/Maximum-Impact-Restaurant-Greening.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Going-Green/2234/Maximum-Impact-Restaurant-Greening.html Are you eating? Here's a few statistics to chew on: In the US, restaurants are the top electricity consumer among retail businesses. 33% of it. Each restaurant produces an average of 50,000 pounds of waste. Eat up, unless you want to add to that last figure. That is, unless you happen to be dining at a restaurant certified by the Green Restaurant Association, which aids member restaurants in achieving a near zero waste status. http://www.evancarmichael.com/Going-Green/2234/Carbon-Offsets-Creating-Something-Real-from-Hot-Air.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Going-Green/2234/Carbon-Offsets-Creating-Something-Real-from-Hot-Air.html You’ve probably heard about carbon offsets. They’re everywhere these days, and it seems not a week goes that I don’t hear about a company pledging to go carbon neutral. And yet, it all seems so…full of hot air. What’s real? What do they really do? Which will make the most impact? How are the different purveyors, well, different? I have a suggestion: Take a look at LiveNeutral. This non-profit gives you a direct path to making a tangible, tax deductible difference, and can educate your company staff as well, deepening the positive impact. http://www.evancarmichael.com/Going-Green/2234/Idea-Blob-An-Infectious-Way-to-Fund-Your-Green-Business.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Going-Green/2234/Idea-Blob-An-Infectious-Way-to-Fund-Your-Green-Business.html If you’re like many ecopreneurists out there, you have a great idea or three cooking on the back burner right now, that could be a full fledged company, or perhaps a powerfully beneficial invention. And you think, with a little financial push and a lot of advice, it could really do something, becoming more then doodles on a napkin. Or perhaps you’re already up and running (like crazy) and some extra eyes, ears to help finesse what you’ve got going would be helpful. And $10,000 in extra money towards it would be a nice bonus. Where can you find this? One example out there right now is Idea Blob.