Wyoming Entrepreneur.biz Blog

PSP - Personally Subtle, Globally Significant

So what is your PSP?  Well first, what the heck is a PSP?  I attended the “Building a Culture of Sustainability” presentation by Judah Schiller of Saatchi and Saatchi S at the 2009 SHRM conference; great conference BTW.  I learned that PSP is a “grassroots effort” to encourage employees to incorporate sustainability into their personal lives.  This strategy recognizes that change begins at home with ideas that have a personal benefit to individuals, subtle things that make them happy like saving money or personal well-being.

 

Personal Sustainability Practices / Projects or PSP is a vehicle for helping employees become “healthier and happier” by adopting a small action that brings sustainability and benefits into that individual’s life.  For example, swapping out traditional incandescent light bulbs for Energy Star light bulbs (money savings) or riding your bike (I do that!) or walking to work (health benefits) rather than driving a vehicle.  These are little things that can easily be modeled or encouraged and even rewarded by an employer.   It’s not uncommon for these simple personal practices to mushroom into bigger ideas for the employee’s organization – one Wal Mart employee asked if the vending machines had to have the lighted fronts?  This simple question sparked the removal of the bulbs from the machines saving a boat-load of energy and of course, big bucks for Wal Mart!  Imagine what creative ideas your employees might have!

 

Help your employees (or your employer) “connect to a higher purpose; one that involves themselves, your co-workers, your family, your community, and your planet!”  Share your PSPs with us. 

 

Learn more at Strategy for Sustainability and watch a cool 1.5 minute video or get details at What is the Personal Sustainability Project?

Guest Blogger: Carol Stark "Is Your Business Filling Up Your Local Dump?"

Today's guest blogger is Carol Stark, CHMM, Environmental Scientist II, Solid and Hazardous Waste Division, Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality.

http://deq.state.wy.us/shwd/

Is Your Business Filling Up Your Local Dump?

Do you know that there are 51 landfills in Wyoming, and about 42 of those serve populations less than 10,000? Do you also know the monetary and environmental cost of running landfills is causing some of them to close (due to an increased awareness of operating costs)?

As a small business, you can make a difference in the longevity of your landfill. Cardboard, paper, metals, fluorescent light bulbs and nickel cadmium batteries can be recycled. Ink cartridges can be refilled; recycling ink cartridges is a sustainable business practice because it saves you money and also eliminates the packaging that would normally be thrown in the trash. Electronic waste (office equipment, such as computers, electronics, copiers, etc.) can be diverted from the landfill by donating to schools or computers for kids programs. Ask your computer repair shop for the nearest business that donates to Computers for Kids. Cell phones can be donated to other non-profit organizations. For leftover paint, call the nearest Habitat for Humanity; some will take unused paints. Donating to a cause is good business practice and can be great publicity.

For a list of recyclers in Wyoming, go to the Wyoming DEQ website at http://deq.state.wy.us/shwd/recycling. A fast search engine for listing the nearest recyclers, by type of material to be recycled, is at http://www.earth911.com/. If you can’t reuse or recycle a certain material, remember to ask your local landfill what they can or cannot accept.

Guest Blogger: Tim Bursch and "4 Tips to Profit and Impact"

Guest blogger Tim Bursch is a passionate about integrating business and social change. He lives in Minneapolis with his wife Heather and two great kids. You can see some of his ventures at http://timbursch.com/about-tim-bursch/

GUEST POST:

So you've heard the buzz about Social Entrepreneurs and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). It seems like a movement that is here to stay.

More people want to integrate their social interest and business. But how do you make a profit and social impact? It doesn’t matter if you're running a bakery or a bank. You can make a difference.

Consider these 4 steps and integrate a social mission into your business:

1. LISTEN AND THINK

• Research the needs in your community. Start talking to non-profits, educators and city officials. Ask them what they see, what are the needs and what are their challenges.
• Ask yourself some questions. What gets you excited?
• Brainstorm ways your business could make a practical difference? A bakery could offer discounts. A dry cleaner could offer an job interview special.

2. PLAN AND SHARE

• Choose your challenge and set a goal with your team or business.
• Get input from those already working with the issues in the community. Continue to build relationship with the non-profits, educators and/or city officials.
• Consider collaboration. You might find another business or leader that has the same vision.

3. JUST DO IT.

• Start.
• Measure and record. Just like you have sales goals and profit margins, make it fun to make a difference. Keep track of giving, recycling, planting, and volunteer hours.
• Revisit and adjust. Every 6 months or so, revisit your measurements, your plan and get feedback from your community relationships. Don’t be afraid to adjust.

4. MAKE IT PART OF YOUR BUSINESS.

• Be honest. Social mission is not a ploy to gain more customers, but more customers are looking for businesses engaged in social issues.
• Tell your story. Talk about what you are trying and what you are learning.
• Keep it simple. Make it easy for people to talk about. If you decide to invest 5% of profits in a local school, make that clear on your receipt.
• Invite. Ask customers to join you. Maybe they can volunteer to paint a house alongside you. It might be a donation jar on the counter.

How are you integrating a social mission into your business? Share your story.

"Sustainability" Wears Many Faces - Untours Combines Unique Vacation Alternatives with Low Interest Loans to Promote Economic Development

“Sustainable” is defined as, “Capable of being continued with minimal long-term effect on the environment.” Untours is a unique organization with a unique mission. Untours is a travel company, specializing in vacation rental packages to Europe. They provide travelers with lodging in a private apartment, cottage or farmhouse (even a castle); ground transportation; optional air transportation; transfer assistance; an optional group event; and professional support services before, during and after the trip. The owner, octogenarian Hal Taussig, believes that, “The purpose of any business is to serve human needs.” Thus, any Untour is an investment – not only in cultural understanding and experience, but also in making the world a better place via the Untours Foundation. Funded with profits from Untours and donations from individual Untourists, the foundation provides low-interest loans to innovative projects that address poverty by creating and supporting work, housing and Fair Trade. The interest rate on an Untours Foundation loan is one of the lowest in the world. The Untours Foundation has loaned over $5 million since 1999. The loans (not grants) are intended to be a “hand-up” not a “hand out,” and encourage economic sustainability for funded projects. Loans range in size from $6,000 to $250,000. Once loans are repaid, funds are reinvested in new projects. Explore your vacation possibilities with Untours at http://www.untours.com.

Wyoming Business Survival Day

In this tough economy, Wyoming businesses know they will have to run lean. Wyoming Entrepreneur.Biz can help. Call 1-800-348-5194 to schedule your free consultation with one of our business consultants. Our “Financial Health Check-up” is a good starting point to develop a new outlook for business success. Other Wyoming Enterpreneur.Biz expertise includes market and competitive research; business planning and valuations; internet marketing; HR consulting; management; international trade; accounting; marketing; legal audits; sustainability; government contracting; and more.

Wyoming Entrepreneur.Biz is a business consulting group, consisting of the Wyoming Small Business Development Center (WSBDC), GRO-Biz Procurement Technical Assistance Center, and the Wyoming Market Research Center. Our mission is to help Wyoming entrepreneurs succeed. Counseling and most market research services are free of charge to Wyoming residents.

Don't be a groundhog and keep your head in the burrow. Access the free services available to Wyoming businesses. For more information visit www.wyomingentrepreneur.biz.