How Your Ability As A Manager Affects Your Business’s Sustainability

Julie Starr • May 21, 2020



Sustainability, to put it simply, is all about making the best use of the resources at your disposal, avoiding waste when possible, and re-using what you can. Aside from paper, carbon, water, and the like, you can think of your employees as a resource, too. They’re a resource that, when engaged, can help make the company a lot more sustainable. But how, exactly, do you empower them to achieve that? Here are just a few ways you can make better use of the employees in your team to make a more sustainable business.

Make it a core part of your messaging

First of all, you need to make sure that you’re not being shy about your company’s dedication to sustainability. Your entire team should be aware of the fact that you are committed to reducing waste and managing your impact on the environment. As such, you should learn how to communicate your company values often and loudly. This can include putting the words in writing, such as in job postings, in employee meetings, in strategy forecasts, and more. Not only can this put those values in the back of your employees’ minds, but it means you’re also more likely to attract like-minded people who will actively participate in efforts to make the business more sustainable.

Get everyone talking about it

As a business with a social media platform, you have the opportunity to spread not only your marketing messages but also your commitment to green causes through the internet and to a potentially huge number of followers. However, instead of taking care of this by yourself or leaving it only to the marketing team, you can involve people from all roles of the organization . By getting all of your employees to post about what they are doing to be more sustainable, such as through a series of blog posts, then you get everyone a lot more engaged about what they’re going to say and, in response, what they are going to do to be more sustainable.

Make efficient use of your manpower

Now, you’re going to need to have people in the workplace to get stuff done. But are you going to need as many people as you usually do? Remote working is on the rise, and allowing people to stay home can reduce the resources they use on the commute, not to mention the amount of equipment and energy you need to power the office. Employee scheduling software can make sure you never schedule too many people to come into the office and allows you to see when employees can work from home instead. Remote working is becoming a lot more popular in the business world and sustainability is just another reason why.

Take the time to inform them

The vast majority of people are aware of the need for sustainable business practices and the general reasons as to why we should reduce waste. However, if you want your employees to be both more engaged in your existing sustainability efforts and better equipped to contribute to brainstorming such tactics in the future, then you should take the time to have educational talks on specific kinds of waste and the benefits of particular sustainability efforts. By turning the vague concept into more concrete facts, you can make sure that your sustainability goals do not remain nebulous for too long.

Make your case for the company

You can’t simply drill a value into the heads of your employees. Either they are on side or they aren’t. Some people are going to be motivated enough by the shared desire to do good for the environment. However, some people aren’t going to be as motivated by that. If those people are generally invested in the performance of the company, however, then talking to them about how it may affect profitability can be a much better strategy. When outlining your sustainability goals, take the time to make the economic case for sustainability . Tell them how it will benefit the business and they will be more likely to support whatever measures you are taking. After all, the better the company does, the more potential in their own career there.

Give them the room to engage with sustainable practices

If you want to incentivize people to act in a certain way, then making it easier to do so and rewarding them when they do can be a great way to go about it. For instance, if you’re encouraging employees to work remotely, then you can also offer them a discount through the company accounts on things like LED lights that can make working from home more energy-saving. Otherwise, you can also use employee reward systems to encourage things like getting involved in sustainable causes during their downtime. To some people, they would like to be more engaged in sustainable practices, but they don’t have enough practical reasons.

 

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.