Why Building Your Own Office Might Be The Most Sustainable Option

If you’re looking to create a more efficient and eco-friendly office, then you might think to reuse what’s already there and to purchase or lease an existing space. However, for the greatest long-term impact, the best solution may, instead, be to build your own. Here, we’re going to look at just why building your own office may be the most sustainable option.

Opt For More Sustainable Materials

First and foremost, you should think about what your office is going to be made out of. There has been a widespread growing interest in the use of more eco-friendly materials, including sustainably sourced wood, recycled steel, and options such as paints and flooring that don’t include as many volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Reducing the environmental impact of the construction process can ensure the best start for a more eco-friendly workspace.

Aim For Energy Efficiency

One of the biggest concerns about any modern workplace is how it produces and uses the energy that keeps the lights on. Not only can you invest in appliances that reduce your overall energy demands, but you can also incorporate natural light, as well as technologies like smart lighting, to minimize your need for energy consumption across the board. Investing in solar panels can help you take your efforts even further, reducing your business’s reliance on the grid.

Work With The Right Team

Naturally, there’s only so much that you can do without a full understanding of how offices are designed and built. Working with the right architects, engineers, and commercial construction teams can ensure that your business is able to meet not just your own building standards, but green building certifications, as well. It’s important to work with experts who understand aspects like green technologies, materials, and biophilic design if you’re trying to create a space that’s as well-integrated with the environment as possible.

Consider Water Use As Well

Although it may not be the first thought on your mind, office spaces can use a lot of water as well. After all, you need to provide bathrooms for your employees, and all of the fixtures in there use water. As such, investing in water-saving technologies like low-flow fixtures and smart faucets can ensure that you’re wasting more of this increasingly valuable resource than you need.

Invest In Construction That Prevents Waste

With better planning on how you use your space, you can make sure that you avoid taking up any more room than your business needs. The bigger your office space, the more resources you’re going to use to keep it lit, climate-controlled, and comfortable. Efficient layouts optimize natural light and airflow, cutting energy needs. This prevents overbuilding and reduces material consumption. Thoughtful planning supports flexible, multi-use spaces that adapt to changing needs without requiring extensive renovations.

Of course, the environmental impact of your office space, whether you build it or move into it, goes well beyond the initial setup. You have to ensure that your business continues to invest in sustainable practices to make the best use of the environment.

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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.