Read Living Green Online Magazine’s review of The Complete Idiot’s Guide® to Greening Your Business to discover how going green in the office not only helps the environment, but also improves the bottom line. For your convenience we’ve copied and linked the article below.

Business & Technology
Greening Your Business:
Good for the Earth, Even Better for the Bottom Line

http://www.livinggreenmag.com/archives/business_world/greening_your_business.html

Businesses are always looking to increase their profitability and market share. With fossil-fuel costs rising, consumers searching for environmentally responsible companies, and a mounting need for green or greener products, businesses are finding that joining the green initiative reaps financial benefits.

To help every business person green their company’s practices and office space, The Complete Idiot’s Guide® to Greening Your Business provides up-to-date, practical steps needed to make money by going green.

In this new book by authors Trish Riley and Heather Gadonniex, readers will learn how to:
• Set practical, achievable goals for the right green initiative
• Streamline operations
• Save commuting time and office overhead
• Cut fuel and energy costs
• Understand carbon credits and their value
• Make products greener
• “Green” manufacturing, packaging, and shipping
• Use paperless marketing programs

In his Foreword to the book, Dan Geiger, executive director the U.S. Green Building Council’s Northern California Chapter, points out that “There is now a broad consensus that the new economy that will emerge from the current cycle of ‘creative destruction’ will have to be green. Green business, green tech, green jobs…the list goes on.” Geiger also goes on to say, “Business can be a serious engine of change for the earth, for profitability, and for sustainable growth. Green business is not a marketing slogan. It is a proactive embrace of a holistic worldview that integrates sound business practices with values that promote the regeneration and sustainability of the health and vitality of all life on the planet.

The book is divided into five parts to make the process of greening a business as easy as possible. The first part explains why sustainable business is the “wave of the future” and how to begin planning for your business. In the second part, readers find out how to assess their green potential, and then how to achieve it.

In part three, the authors provide details on greening your space, ensuring indoor air quality, minimizing the environment, and naturalizing your landscape. Chapters are devoted to explaining how to green retail operations and food businesses, and how to cut packaging waste and expenses.

Part four shows readers how green business practices can lower costs—from purchasing more energy-efficient office equipment to having employees use mass transit or telecommute. Business people can also encourage employees to eat more healthy, engage in company-facilitated exercise activities, and make events and the lunch room as green as possible. To help people document the process, a chapter explains how to conduct sustainability reporting.

The last part of the book covers the important topic of communicating and marketing your green message—to management, employees, customers, vendors, and the public. It explains some of the certification processes that can document your sustainability successes, and shows the value of finding green partners, networking with other businesses, and participating in community programs.

According to Alisa Gravitz, Executive Director of Green America, “The Complete Idiot’s Guide® to Greening Your Business is the best book to use as a resource for going green. Whether you’re 101, 201 or 301, this book is really an excellent resource. The authors, Trish Riley and Heather Gadonniex, did a fabulous job of finding all of the resources that you need; all of the carbon footprint programs, all of the companies that provide good information about creating a good strategic green business plan…all of the resources you’ll need are in this book. I highly recommend it.”

Trish Riley, co-author of The Complete Idiot’s Guide® to Greening Your Business, helped us learn how to reduce our carbon footprint within the office. Read the TweetChat summary below and apply some of Trish’s advice in your workplace.

@CIG_Business Hi @TrishRiley! Here’s your 1st ? – What are some direct benefits of going green in a business setting?

@TrishRiley  Save energy = save the planet = save money.

@CIG_Business That’s great. Going green will help the environment, but how does it benefit company employees?

@TrishRiley They and their children will be healthier, they will have more time to pursue hobbies and creative interests.

@ CIG_Business What are the first steps a business should take when going green?

@TrishRiley Begin by engaging staff in the decision-making and planning process

@ CIG_Business Should everyone be involved in creating sustainability goals and a plan of action?

@TrishRiley Yes, at businesses, schools and in the community. Create a green team of people from all departments at all levels of the company – from delivery people to CEO.

@pennygn What if they don’t believe in global warming and don’t want to do it?

@TrishRiley Global warming is not a religion… it’s science. We all need to face this and work to turn it around while we can

@bozena4 Will it cost a company more money to go green?

@TrishRiley Some changes will cost $, such as installing a solar electric system, higher efficiency appliances, better windows. But all of those improvements will save money as they save energy, so the ROI is positive. And there are many energy-saving measures that save money from the start, like cutting back on energy, paper, waste, etc.

@bozena4 How can a business make sure its products are actually environmentally friendly?

@TrishRiley There are some eco-certifications that give consumer the green light, but make sure it’s reliable and has high standards. Research the business practices and customer experiences, too. My co-author, Heather Gadonniex did excellent chapter on eco-certifications in our book, CIG to Greening Your Business.

@ CIG_Business What can a business do to limit its paper consumption?

@TrishRiley Put paperwork on jump drives instead of creating big collateral packages

@pennygn What do you do in your community to promote and foster green opportunities/options?

@TrishRiley People need to be informed about environmental issues before they’ll be interested in trying to find sustainable solutions. That’s why education is important. We don’t get much environmental news in our media, so it’s hard to know what the problems are. And we also don’t get a lot of the good news, which is that many businesses all over the world are become more sustainable. That’s why I created www.GoGreenNation.org and started www.CinemaVerde.org, our environmental film festival. We also sponsor a local chapter of Green Drinks each month, where people who are interested in going green can network. It’s a great way to meet and showcase other green businesses.

@ CIG_Business We have time for one more question: How long will it take before the results of a company’s green efforts are noticeable?

@TrishRiley Energy efficiency can save money on your next bill! Some changes, more expensive, take longer for ROI

Participate in our next TweetChat with Amy Zavatto (@AmyZeats) author of The Complete Idiot’s Guide® to Bartending, Second Edition on Thursday, September 8 at 11:00 am CT. Learn how to mix up your own drinks by asking questions via Twitter with #AskCIG.

Many people have made the commitment to go green in their personal lives, so why not extend that mindset to the workplace? Co-author of The Complete Idiot’s Guide® to Greening Your Business (ISBN: 9781592578856, $19.95) Trish Riley will reply to questions during a live TweetChat on Thursday, September 1 at 12 pm CT. She will explain why every business can benefit from going green and discuss the basics of getting started, including how to:

• Set practical, achievable goals for the right green initiative
• Streamline operations
• Save commuting time and office overhead
• Cut fuel and energy costs
• Understand carbon credits and their value
• Make products greener
• “Green” manufacturing, packaging, and shipping
• Use paperless marketing programs

Log on to Twitter and search #AskCIG to participate. This TweetChat will be monitored by @CIG_Business and Trish’s handle is @TrishRiley. Please include #AskCIG in all questions.

Trish Riley (Gainesville, Fla.) is an award-winning environmental journalist and author of The Complete Idiot’s Guide® to Green Living (Alpha 2007). Her work has been published in many publications, including Hemispheres, Audubon, The Miami Herald, South Florida Business Journal, Sam’s Club Source, Subaru Drive, Natural Health, Natural Home, and E/The Environmental Magazine. She served on the board of directors for American Society of Journalists and Authors and is a member of the Society of Environmental Journalists. Riley is the founder of www.Cinema Verde.org, an Environmental Film and Arts Festival; www.GoGreenNation.org, an environmental news and resource site; and www.GoGreenGift.com, the original eco-starter kit.

Heather Gadonniex, (Berkeley, Calif.) LEED AP has been entrenched in the green business and green building marketplace, working in both the for-profit and non-profit sectors, for over seven years. She is the co-founder of Green it Group (www.greenitgroup.com), and focuses on sustainable business strategy, green building, and green marketing. Prior to founding Green it Group, Gadonniex served as the Sustainability and Marketing Manager for Timbron International, where she incorporated a complete corporate social responsibility platform into Timbron’s business model. As a result, Timbron won two awards for their efforts in Social Sustainability and the Environmental Building News 2006 Top Ten Green Building Product Award. Previous to Timbron, Gadonniex worked for Conservation Consultants, Inc. conducting energy audits and creating energy reduction programs for low income areas, and The Green Building Alliance where she spent time educating the public on green building and implementing the LEED rating system. In April 2002, Gadonniex co-organized the first Sustainability Summit at the University of Pittsburgh, highlighting the topics of corporate accountability, energy security, and green building. She holds a BA in Environmental Studies and Sustainable Development from the University of Pittsburgh, and is a Built Green certified green building professional and a LEED AP.