Set Up A New Company To Be Green And Great From Day One

Julie Starr • March 4, 2022



Are you thinking about setting up a new company? If so, then you need to work on ensuring that your business is green friendly from day one. Achieving a higher level of sustainability will improve the perception of your business and guarantee that you look like a brand that is prepared for the challenges of the future. So, how can you make your company eco-friendly from the first day on the market? Here are some of the options that you should explore with your business model. 

Choose The Right Office Space

First, you should think about choosing the right office or business space. You need to choose a location that is eco-friendly. For instance, you should try and find a space that provides the right level of insulation. This will be useful through both the winter and summer months, preventing your energy bill from smashing through the roof. We’ll discuss tech options a little further down but it’s worth noting that some business properties have tech equipment built-in and integrated as part of the location. When you explore a business space, make sure that you check whether the tech being used is eco-friendly. Ideally, it should have an A+ rating for energy usage. 

Renewable Energy

Of course, if you are thinking about reducing your energy usage, then you might also want to explore renewable energy options that you can use in your business model. For instance, you should consider solar panels. Solar panels used to be expensive, but these days they can fit into the budget of any business that you might be working with. Particularly when you explore the different subsidies available. Storage solutions can also guarantee that you can use the energy you create at the point when it would benefit your business and your bills the most. 

The Right Tech Solutions 

Next, you need to focus on exploring the right tech solutions in your business model. The best tech solutions will mean that you can conserve energy without impacting the service that you provide to your clients. For instance, you might be thinking about integrating IoT technology into your business model. If so, then you need to make sure that you do invest everything required for an effective setup including IoT SIM cards . But you should also consider whether the tech you are using matches the green standard that you want in your business model.

Packaging 

If you are selling products to customers and clients, then it’s important to think about aspects of your business model such as packaging. This is a key point that customers are going to notice because it will impact them directly. As such, you need to think carefully about the materials that you are using in your business packaging. As well as being green, they still need to keep products safe. This is particularly important if you are planning on selling products that are either breakable or hazardous. If you are using an outsourcing solution, you should also check their green standards too. It’s important that they match your own. 

Vehicles

For some business models, it will be important to think about the vehicles that you are using. For instance, you could be running a logistics service. The vehicle you select will have a huge impact on the costs of your company as well as the impression you create with clients. For instance, you might want to think about investing in a fleet of hybrid vehicles. If you are exploring this possibility, then you just need to think about the cost of maintenance. This must fit into your monthly and annual budget without any issues. Some reports suggest that hybrids are more expensive to maintain. 

Marketing 

Finally, you should think about the marketing for your company. There areeco-friendly marketing options that should be explored. For instance, these days, you should avoid using flyers and other paper marketing tactics. If you use these options then you will likely end up in trouble for harming the environment due to using unnecessary amounts of paper. Instead, you might want to focus on a digital marketing strategy. You can still gain the same level of attention when you explore the right options here. 

We hope this helps you understand some of the key steps that you can take to ensure that your company is green friendly from the first day you open the doors. In doing so, you can gain the benefits of keeping your company sustainable in both the short and long term. This includes lower costs and a more positive reception from customers and clients.

 

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.