Renewable Energy Guide for Office & Retail Companies

Most of our CSBA members are office-based businesses that get their power from the utility grid. It's easy to feel powerless with no control over the source or transmission of energy.

The World Resources Institute has put together a short guide to help Office & Retail companies deal with exactly this problem. What are your options? What should you be considering?

Check out the report: http://www.wri.org/climate/pubs_description.cfm?pid=4250

A description of the report from their website:

"Switching to Green: A Renewable Energy Guide for Office and Retail companies is a practical resource for companies that want to "green" their energy supply but don't know how. More than 70 percent of electricity in the United States is generated using fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and natural gas. The environmental impacts from this generation are considerable, ranging from air and carbon pollution to the myriad consequences of mining and drilling for fuel. Obtaining energy from clean, renewable resources-"green power"-can provide both environmental and economic value, and a growing number of American companies are making the switch.

Although many types of green power are not difficult to procure, the overwhelming amount of information available can make this confusing to do, especially for newcomers. Accordingly, Switching to Green was designed to cut through the clutter and provide the essential information for companies wanting to "green" their energy supply. It is intended specifically for office- and retail-based companies and organizations. Examples include financial institutions; real estate, retail, law, and publishing firms; universities; and nonprofit organizations. The readers of this guide do not need an energy background to understand the information provided."

Green Drinks -- Business Edition: Debrief of "Build-a-(Green)-Business"

At Green Drinks -- Business Edition on Wednesday, January 31, we went through the steps to Build-a-(Green)-Business. Based on suggestions from the crowd, we initiated a business plan, complete with strategic positioning, for a franchised recycling and composting drop-off center that also sells coffee, called Vermi-caffeinated.

The seminar was meant to illustrate the components of building a vibrant sustainable business, using the metaphor of the popular Build-a-Bear concept. The metaphor made the seminar fun and straight forward, but is still a valuable way to think about building a new enterprise.

Building a business can be a very structured and sequential activity, and planning each important step can reduce a lot of the stress and uncertainty of your new project. As Mary Cotey, the representative of CSBA member Forbo Flooring, often says, "How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time."

The steps of building a business aren't rocket science, but laying them out as steps can make a big difference in your success. Be intentional about how you come up with your idea, how you build your business plan, and how you evaluate what happens afterwards. It may just make your new venture as easy as creating a stuffed animal that looks like Elvis.



As if it had been planned, the City's Department of Business Affairs and Licensing is offering seminars on How to Write a Business Plan and How to Finance Your Business this month, along with their Doing Business With the City of Chicago and How to Get Certified with the City, and many others. For more information, visit: www.cityofchicago.org/businessaffairs.