A soon-to-open suburban Philadelphia bank has sustainability on the brain. e3bank in Malvern, PA is built around people, planet, and profits. The bank understands that profit and sustainability don’t have to be mutually exclusive.

e3bank’s web site says, “By leveraging the full spectrum of available technologies, reducing our real estate presence to a bare minimum, and employing a broad range of sustainable business practices, we have decreased both our environmental footprint and our operating costs.” Read the full story

The idea behind what Terracycle is doing is quite brilliant – take items that no one wants, and make something with it that someone does want. This reuse is far better than recycling for the environment, and for the business, provides raw materials at very low costs.

Hearing about the story is one thing. Seeing it is even better. With apologies for the low production values, we have added some video to the site that shows how Terracycle does what they do. Check out the first video that will show you how worm poop gets turned into fertilizer. As Albe says, good for the environment, and fiscally responsible.

New Zealand is moving towards a more sustainable way of life. The government, business owners, and ordinary citizens are all doing their part to promote eco-friendly business tactics. Read the full story

Corrie Wilder and Yelena Mogelefsky are two moms who first met several years ago on their morning commute on the Long Island Railroad. They still refer to those meetings on the commuter railroad as their “board meetings,” because much business was accomplished during those times. In fact, during those “board meetings” these two ambitious moms invented a product and devised a plan to take the product to market. Read the full story

Three hundred million. That number has two very important meanings in this country.

First off, it is the number of people that currently live in the United States: three hundred million Americans who are out there trying to live their lives in whatever way they see fit. But that quality of life may be affected very soon, and that brings us to the second meaning of the number. Read the full story

As businesses continue to develop with the help of advancing technologies, there’s one thing many think they need to leave behind in order to keep expanding: the quest for sustainability. However, what many small companies don’t realize is that becoming environmentally friendly does not detract from their ability to compete in a difficult market. In fact, those organizations using sustainability as a lens for innovation may even have a leg-up on their competition. Read the full story

As a university student who just geared up for a new semester, I had so much to think about: moving all my belongings into my dorm room, completing class registration, and buying all my textbooks. One process I dread is purchasing my books; the requirements for each class seem to drain my bank account of a few hundred of the hard-earned dollars I earned over the summer. Thankfully I found a new book resource that’s more convenient, easier on my wallet, and certainly much more green than the usual alternatives. Chegg.com allows me to rent my books at a cheap price, then return them at the end of the semester. For every book I rent, Chegg plants a tree. Many of Chegg’s practices exemplify how sustainability is a key driver of innovation, a concept that was introduced earlier this week on Padosa. Read the full story

Japan is making great strides towards sustainable business practices. Local and state governments, companies, and individuals are all working together to make the country a more eco-friendly place to live and do business. Read the full story

The other day, as I was shopping for kitchen supplies for my new apartment, I came across a box of drinking glasses. The box was simple and utilitarian: it was made with cardboard and printed on with black ink, and it was labeled “Eco-friendly” at the bottom, proudly displaying the words, “Made with recycled cardboard and soy ink.”

Immediately I thought, “That’s great! Soy ink is a much more sustainable printing solution!” Then I realized that I had no clear idea of what traditional ink is made from and put the box back down, feeling too ashamed to continue shopping. Well, as it turns out, soy-based ink is indeed better for the environment and easier to recycle than the average petroleum-based ink, but the point stands that, at least at first, we all fall for the words on the package. Read the full story

“In 2004, about 6% of all energy consumed and about 9% of total electricity production was from renewable energy resources,” reports the Energy Information Association. The developed world’s dependence on harmful sources of energy such as fossil fuels is nothing new; the Industrial Revolution spurred this trend. But, as energy prices now rise steadily in today’s withering economy, many small businesses find themselves drowning in the costs of powering their organizations. This won’t be the norm forever, though. One of the most important and exhilarating—and possibly one of the riskiest—ways to help the economy, and aid in reversing the global warming humans and their industries have brought on, is to invest in alternative energy sources. Read the full story