When and How to Review Your Business Sustainability

Julie Starr • May 4, 2022



Business sustainability is a process that should be regularly reviewed to ensure that your company is operating as efficiently and ethically as possible. Some factors that you’ll want to consider include the environmental impact of your operations, the social responsibility of your business, and how well you are managing your resources. In this comprehensive guide, we will outline the best practices for reviewing your business sustainability, as well as provide tips for making improvements where necessary.

Why Review Business Sustainability?

There are several reasons why it’s essential to periodically review your business sustainability. For one, it allows you to measure your progress and identify areas where you may need to make improvements. Additionally, reviewing your sustainability can help you stay ahead of changing regulations and trends and better understand the impact of your operations on the environment and community. Financial implications are also a key consideration – by understanding the cost savings that can be achieved through sustainability initiatives, you can make more informed decisions about where to invest your resources. Finally, taking a close look at your sustainability practices can improve communication and transparency with stakeholders, customers, and employees. As you can see, there are many benefits to regularly reviewing your business sustainability. However, it’s important to note that there is no one-size-fits-all approach – the frequency and scope of your review will depend on your company’s specific needs.

When to Conduct Your Review

As a general rule of thumb, we recommend conducting a review at least once per year. This will ensure that you have the most up-to-date information about your company’s operations and performance. Your bookkeeping department will play a vital role in this process, as they will be responsible for tracking your progress and keeping track of any changes that need to be made. So make sure that you coordinate with them in advance to ensure that everyone is on the same page. Of course, some businesses may need to review their sustainability more frequently than others – for example, those who are subject to stricter environmental regulations or who are rapidly expanding their operations. Ultimately, it’s up to you to decide how often you need to review your sustainability, but we recommend doing it annually at a minimum.

Best Practices

With that in mind, let’s take a look at the best practices for conducting a business sustainability review. There are four key steps to conducting an effective business sustainability review:

Set Objectives and Goals

The first step is to determine what you hope to achieve with your review. For example, do you want to assess your progress on specific sustainability initiatives? Measure your carbon footprint? Evaluate the social impact of your operations? Once you have a clear idea of your objectives, you can develop measurable goals and indicators . This will give you a roadmap for conducting your review and help ensure that it is comprehensive.

Gather Data

The next step is to gather all relevant data, both internal and external. This data will be used to assess your company’s performance on specific sustainability indicators. Some examples of data that you may want to collect include financial records, energy consumption data, employee surveys , and customer feedback.

Conduct Analysis

Once you have collected all the necessary data, it’s time to start analyzing it. This is where you will identify any areas of improvement and develop strategies for making changes. Again, it’s important to involve stakeholders in this process so that everyone has a clear understanding of the findings and can provide input on potential solutions.

Communicate Results

The final step is to communicate the results of your review to all relevant parties. This includes sharing your findings with employees, customers, shareholders, and other stakeholders. You should also create a plan for implementing any changes that were identified during the review process.

By following these steps, you can ensure that your business sustainability review is comprehensive and effective. Remember, the goal is to continuously improve your company’s sustainability practices so that you can reduce your impact on the environment and build a better future for all.

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.