Own A Business? Follow A Path of Sustainability

Julie Starr • Jul 13, 2021



Sure, owning a business means caring about profits, fostering partnerships, and maintaining a healthy work environment. But, when was the last time you analyzed your business through the lens of sustainability ? 

If this year has taught the public anything, it’s that our environment is at peril. In the 21st century threats to the environment put wildlife populations and habitats in jeopardy. Every year the news spreads stories of deforestation, global warming, water pollution, natural resource depletion, and alarming growth of population.

Sustainability is the practice of meeting your needs without hindering the ability of future generations to do the same. It’s a basic concept of limiting the waste of natural, social, and economical resources that affect the environment. 

As a business owner, you might have too much on your hands to give yourself another task. Know it’s not about shifting your focus from growing your business to abandoning your goals to pursue total sustainability. Rather, by following simple steps, you will be an ally to a movement concerning the reduction of carbon emissions that requires responsibility and ethical awareness. 

Improving Ethical Awareness: Leading With Example

The first step starts with you. Actions speak louder than words. If you are urging your team to follow a sustainable lifestyle, practice this yourself. Preaching about sustainability will only get you so far. 

Have discussions about issues in your business that contradict environmental efforts. Address such problems with strategies that both earn you profits and follow the doctrine of sustainability. 

Equipment & Materials 

Depending on your business Invest in equipment that lasts longer. Not only will you be saving a pretty penny in the long run, but you will also lower the amount of equipment you throw out due to wear and tear. Purchase computer chairs , office desks , and cabinets that are durable and reliable. 

Ditch paper altogether. Businesses are thriving in the digital world and there is little to no reason to continue using paper as a form of marketing, advertisement, or announcement. 

Work Environment & Waste

This step requires no excessive investment or effort. You must simply discuss work environment expectations that align with sustainability. For example, encourage employees to inform themselves of environmental campaigns and their mission. 

Let your team know of the rules surrounding waste. Have bins where you can throw away the glass, plastic, and metals for them to be later recycled. 

Your Legacy

Be mindful of what type of legacy you are leaving behind. Why only be a successful business owner but also an individual that demonstrates an understanding of the importance of sustainability and takes action?

Adapting a business to become more economically sustainable is not an easy job. Yet, practicing the aforementioned steps and engaging in the movement of sustainability sets your business apart. 

Sustainability is not about preferences, but about exercising responsibility, having common principles, and tuning in to your community’s circumstances. 

Is Your Small Business an Appealing Place to Work?

By Julie Starr • 07 May, 2024
Bringing passionate, enthusiastic and talented people into your business is obviously a top priority when you’re growing a company. However, the only way to onboard the brightest talent is by ensuring that your brand is an appealing place to work. Driven employees have certain expectations when it comes to choosing their ideal workplace, so you need to show them what you have to offer. Whether you’re looking into your business ethos , or reassessing certain compensation plans, you can do so much to ensure you’re attracting the best possible employees. Consider some of the following methods and your small business will soon be the go-to place for skilled, driven and talented individuals to work. Pay and Benefits Should Be Competitive When you’re running a small business, the idea of paying regular salaries to your employees will always be on your mind. Keeping up with bills and ever rising costs will never be easy, but you have to offer a competitive salary in order to attract the right type of people to your business. You should also consider all elements of a compensation plan so that your employees always feel valued for their contributions at your workplace. It may be worth talking to your current staff members to see what would be most important to them so you can assess it in the near future. Create a Career Development Plan Working towards the next goal is certainly something that most career driven individuals are keen to do. Staying stagnant in the same role for a prolonged period of time can reduce motivation and cause issues with staff retention. Making sure that there are clear progression opportunities will help to bring in the most talented and focused employees who are willing to put in the work and climb the ladder within your business. Adopt an Eco-Conscious Approach More and more employees are looking for workplaces that put the environment at the forefront and actively choose sustainable processes. Taking care of the planet and going green with your business may help you to align with the right talent for your company. Although this might not be the priority of everyone, it’s certainly a very popular value that a number of people carry in the modern day. Working in an environment where sustainability is a priority is extremely appealing and these people will help you to work alongside like minded colleagues within your business. Your small business goes above and beyond you as an individual; it’s also about the people who work for you and the potential employees you could be onboarding very soon. You can be sure that you’re reaching out to the right type of people and attracting the best possible talent by offering competitive salaries and benefits and working in a sustainable way that always keeps the environment in mind too. Hopefully, these ideas will give you a huge advantage when it comes to bringing in new people who would be an asset to your business.

How to Make Clinical Trials More Sustainable

By Julie Starr • 07 May, 2024
Running a business means you should know how to follow a sustainable path toward success. But while this is straightforward in some industries, it can be trickier in other professions. One common problem involves scientific businesses and laboratory environments that often struggle to ensure full sustainability and eco-conscious approaches. So how can clinical trials become more sustainable? Here is some advice to consider. Early Planning Planning is always a useful tool when working out how to improve sustainability within any workplace. You already know what you need to do, so why not focus on planning the different stages to ensure you can avoid delays or other problems that could generate wasted resources and electricity? Planning in laboratory settings is arguably even more crucial as the controlled environment requires a careful approach that is entirely error-free to ensure success and genuine results that scientists can use. Digital Solutions Businesses are using digital solutions more often as these can accelerate lessons and help them find accurate information immediately. The same can apply to clinical trials where using AI will reduce costs and provide quick insights into what you have learned, allowing you to make the most of the data without worrying you’ve made a mistake. Furthermore, this approach can avoid delays and reduce the number of people required in the lab at any time, meaning you can use fewer resources and don’t need to worry about getting to and from the lab. Partnerships Partnering with other companies or organizations can also help clinical trials become more sustainable. You can collaborate to share information, which means you have an entire library of data at your disposal without needing to collect it yourself. This can provide fast and efficient solutions and you don’t need to waste time and energy going into the field to collect this data yourself. Finding The Balance As much as clinical trials can improve sustainability, they also need to know how to find the balance. Since many central laboratory services require face-to-face conversation, it’s important to determine when to hold these meetings and invite patients into the controlled laboratory environment. You know you need to collect samples, but you must do as much as possible to avoid wasting resources. Ensuring you get everything right the first time will make a significant difference and help maintain a sustainable approach. Recognizing Where to Improve No business is perfectly sustainable, so understanding where to improve will be a continuous process. Clinical trials and similar environments can identify strategies to reduce the carbon footprint and take a more eco-friendly approach to their work. Although you won’t reduce your emissions or environmental impact entirely, you can do as much as possible to minimize any damage by maintaining transparency and following compliance regulations that put your laboratory in the best position to excel in every area. Sustainable Building sustainable practices is vital for any industry, and scientific environments are no different. These tips should highlight how and why clinical trials can become more sustainable to improve conditions and reduce the impact on the planet while also striving to further humanity’s knowledge and ability to overcome diseases and other issues.
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