Building a Greener Community: 5 Smart Strategies

You've probably swapped out the plastic straws for the reusable or bamboo ones, and you've remembered your tote bags at the grocery store. You might have even composted a banana peel or two. But going green or living a sustainable lifestyle on a bigger scale takes a lot more work and a lot more consideration.

Building sustainability into your community isn't just good for the environment, it's also a fast tech way to bring people together and reduce your costs. If you want a healthier and happier place to live, the best thing you can do is make sure that your environment is a healthy one. Let's take a look at some simple ways that you can make your community more sustainable.

Build a community garden

There are a few things more satisfying than growing your own food, but if you get all of your neighbors involved you can make it a community effort. You can each choose a vegetable or a fruit to grow and then work with one another to trade off. One of you could grow zucchinis and others can grow capsicums and you can then build a community where you can even make your own salsas. Add compost bins to your neighborhood to keep the food scraps out of the landfill, and feed your gardens at the same time.

Promote solar power for your public spaces

One of the most powerful ways to gratify the community is to harness the power of the actual sun. By encouraging solar panel installation for public housing, community centers and schools, you can help reduce utility costs, promote long term energy independence and cut carbon emissions. It's a smarter solution that benefits everybody involved, especially in areas where energy affordability matters the most.

Host a green clean up day

Bringing your community together with an eco-friendly clean up day is a great way to introduce and maintain sustainability concepts into the neighborhood. A volunteer group can pick up litter, plant trees, recycle electronics or even paint over graffiti. Once a month you could trade off who does a run to the tip for any overflowing rubbish so that your neighborhood stays clean and tidy. You can make this quite the event and generally when people come together to work in a community it goes very well.

Opt for better community lighting

Traditional street and building lights are energy hogs, but switching to LED lighting can slash your energy usage while making public areas safer and brighter. Work with local leaders in your local councils as well as property managers to explore a lighting upgrade in your parks, schools and public walkways. Not only will these last longer, but they'll also reduce maintenance costs and look great doing it.

Organize car free days

Cars are great, but they're not always the most sustainable option. If as a community, you campaign for a better local bus service or bike rally, you'll be able to reduce emissions, promote exercise and reimagine your streets as a community.

No matter where you begin—whether it’s planting a garden, organizing a cleanup, or switching to renewable energy—your efforts ripple outward. And in today’s world, your local sustainability work can inspire others far beyond your block. Remember to use social media to share what you're doing, highlight community partners, and tag your city or neighborhood to encourage broader participation. At Taiga Company, we believe that communications are a critical tool for scaling impact. A single post or photo can spark momentum, draw support, and help shape a culture of sustainability—one story, one neighborhood, one city at a time.

< Older Post

Newer Post >

5 Everyday Items That Can Quietly Boost Your Brand

By Julie Starr • July 17, 2025

The best branding doesn’t always come from big campaigns or expensive graphics. Sometimes it’s the smaller stuff that leaves the biggest impression. Things people actually use, touch, or carry with them. That’s where your brand can quietly make its mark without needing to shout about it. If you’re only focusing on social media and business cards, you’re leaving a lot on the table. Here are five overlooked ways to get your name out there that feel natural, useful, and more personal. Thank-you slips If you’re already sending out orders, there’s no reason not to include a short thank-you slip. You can easily get these made through any decent online print shop , and they’re usually pretty cheap to run off in small batches. Just a simple note that says thanks, maybe with a reminder to follow you online or a cheeky discount code for next time. It’s quick, thoughtful, and makes the whole order feel more finished. Customers notice that kind of detail, especially when everything else they buy online comes with zero personality. You don’t need a complicated design either. Just something clean with your logo, a message that sounds like you, and maybe a social handle. The point is to give them a reason to come back or remember your name without it feeling forced. Branded zip pouches If you sell physical products, offer services, or run events, small zip pouches are surprisingly effective. Think of the kind you’d use for stationery, receipts, or travel bits. You can get your brand printed on the side and hand them out with purchases or include them in welcome packs. People keep them because they’re actually useful. They get tossed in handbags, school bags, or glove boxes and your logo just keeps turning up. Cleaning cloths for glasses or screens This one works brilliantly if you’re in tech, health, beauty, or anything involving screens or eyewear. A simple microfibre cloth with your branding on it can go a long way. Everyone needs one. Whether they use it for glasses, a phone screen, or their laptop, it’s something they hang onto. It’s not the kind of thing people throw away, and that means your name sticks around too. Receipt envelopes You might already use little envelopes to hand over receipts or business cards. Branding those envelopes is a small change that makes a big difference. Instead of someone getting a scruffy bit of paper in a plain sleeve, they’re handed something that feels a bit more finished. You can even add a message inside. Doesn’t need to be anything dramatic. A simple “thanks for visiting” or “see you next time” is enough to add a personal touch. Wet wipes or mini hand gels If your business is in hospitality, food, or anything hands-on, branded wet wipes or pocket-sized hand gels are surprisingly popular. People actually use them, especially at festivals, food stalls, pop-ups, or kids’ events. They end up in handbags or cars and stick around longer than you think. They don’t scream “marketing” either. They’re practical, and when done right, they make your business feel thoughtful. That’s what good branding does, it shows you’ve thought ahead.

How Student-Led ‘Energy Audits’ Are Cutting School Costs (and Lighting the Way Forward)

By Julie Starr • July 14, 2025

What happens when students stop waiting for adults to fix things and start conducting their own energy audits? Money gets saved. The lights get switched off. Data gets analyzed. And a quiet revolution in sustainability begins—inside schools that once overlooked their own inefficiencies. Across the globe, student-led energy audits are proving that change doesn't always need to come from a policy shift or a major capital budget. Sometimes, it begins with a clipboard, a spreadsheet, and a group of curious minds asking: Why are the hallway lights on at noon when sunlight floods the building? The Energy Detectives These audits aren’t science fair projects. They’re rigorous investigations, often done in collaboration with facilities staff, local environmental nonprofits, or even engineering mentors. Students go from classroom to classroom measuring electricity usage, checking for phantom loads , and identifying where heat is escaping in winter or air conditioning is leaking in summer. One high school in Ontario saved over $12,000 a year after its Grade 11 physics students ran an energy audit and suggested simple changes—LED upgrades, motion sensors in bathrooms, and smarter heating schedules. They didn’t just propose ideas. They pitched them with spreadsheets, thermal images, and payback timelines. It worked. Learning That Pays Off—Literally Unlike textbook learning, these audits blend real-world math, environmental science, economics, and persuasive communication. Students aren’t just learning about sustainability. They’re doing it. And the savings add up. From dimming overlit hallways to reprogramming HVAC systems that run all weekend for empty buildings, students are surfacing blind spots that administrators often overlook. In some districts, their findings are influencing energy policy. Elsewhere, the audits have inspired school boards to hire sustainability coordinators—often alumni of the student programs themselves. There’s something poetic about a school funding new books or laptops from money saved by students who found out the vending machines didn’t need to be plugged in 24/7. Why This Matters More Than Ever With education budgets tightening and utility costs rising, every dollar saved is a dollar that can go back into classrooms. And here’s where it gets interesting from a family finance perspective, too. If you’re a parent setting aside money for post-secondary savings, every bit of school efficiency helps. Fewer energy costs might mean more programming, better STEM facilities, or even bursaries. That raises a broader point: when families save for their children’s future, they often look into RESPs (Registered Education Savings Plans). And many wonder—is a RESP deduction available on my taxes? While contributions themselves aren’t deductible, the gains grow tax-free, and students often pay little to no tax when they withdraw the funds during school. A Movement Worth Replicating These audits aren’t just an exercise in environmentalism. They’re leadership labs. Students learn how to spot inefficiencies, speak up in board meetings, and make a business case for change. They don’t just flip switches—they shift mindsets. And they carry these habits into adulthood. The result? A generation growing up not only with climate anxiety, but also with tools to tackle it.