When most small business look for cost cutting tips to include in the office, they usually overlook their HVAC systems. Depending on the type of business you have, HVACs may play a huge role in your day to day business operations. And if a water system is a significant component of your small business, you may want to consider using a tankless water heater. 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

There is a concept called “social proof” that refers to our instinct to be influenced by what others around us are doing, without our being aware of it. This concept is being effectively applied to help individuals reduce energy consumption. Positive Energy, a Northern Virginia company, has developed tools and technology that help individuals reduce energy usage by revealing what their neighbors are doing. Read the full story

Last month, the U.S. Commerce Department announced the nation’s Real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) figures for the second quarter of 2009 fell at another record level. In other words, people are buying and selling very little in this country right now. This should come as no surprise to anyone who has read the ad section of a newspaper or visited a mall in the past few months: stores are closing left and right, running liquidation sales and doing anything they can to get rid of so much product. What everyone’s trying to sell doesn’t matter, because to put it simply, no one’s buying. The question is, “What have we done wrong, both as consumers and as vendors, in the past? What are we doing wrong as we look toward our future?” Read the full story

If you are looking for a way to innovatively market your products and services, TerraCycle is a company worth learning about. The unique way they capitalize on waste has inspired me to view garbage in a whole new light. Their approach to waste has set them apart and I think other companies can benefit from applying a similar outlook toward waste. TerraCycle produces and packages their products entirely from waste and they have become pioneers in the world of eco-capitalism. Their unique story has been written about countless times and you can read all about it here. Padosa recently took a site visit to their Trenton, NJ headquarters. Read the full story

Purchasing high efficiency equipment produces big savings on your bottom line. To help you pay for it, New Jersey just added two new programs to its Clean Energy product portfolio, the Clean Energy Solutions CHP grant program and the Clean Energy Solutions Capital Investment (CESCI) Loan/Grant. These programs help underwrite new efficient heating systems that produce onsite energy. These proven technologies also produce savings by insulating your business from energy market price increases. Read the full story

When building or remodeling a facility, business owners have many opportunities to install efficient, money saving systems. Landscaping is often one of the last concerns for any company building a new facility. Yet, it may be one of the easiest and most effective ways to reduce the building’s long-term operation costs. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, 30% of US water consumption is used for outdoor purposes. Read the full story

Usually the term “greenwashing” carries a great deal of negative connotations. But taken more literally, green-washing may actually be a low-cost janitorial asset to your office building. Using environmentally-friendly cleaning supplies will promote employee health, improve ecosystems surrounding your building, and  save you money in the long run. Read the full story

In the past, many religions worshiped the almighty sun, whom they believed watched benevolently over them and decided their fate and destiny. Now we worship the almighty dollar for many of the same reasons, but who says we can’t go back to our roots and do both? Read the full story

BusinessWeek had an excellent article on the benefits and challenges of greening a building. The article provides some payback data for some of the better upgrades – lighting, variable-speed drives, and upgraded windows. It also introduces one of the biggest challenges that building owners face in going green, particularly in multi-tenant buildings – there is not an alignment between who pays, and who benefits. A great article.