Why Sustainable Efforts Benefit Your Business Bottom Line

Julie Starr • October 25, 2022



Sustainability is often represented as an effort we undertake , at our own behest and cost, and by pursuing a worthwhile outcome. In some cases, this might be true. For instance, energy-saving bulbs may require a bit of an adjustment when first using them, but the electricity savings are profound. We’re willing to make that difference.

In many cases, however, sustainability in business is often seen as an added cost that may not be worthwhile unless it can serve an operating cost reduction, improve a marketing purpose, or otherwise.

There’s more to business sustainability. Business sustainability strategies offer advantages in liming your spending and those expenditures may not be as expensive as you had thought. If applied correctly, they may even help your bottom line in the best possible context.

With this advice, you’ll be able to move forward and manage a positive result. Let’s see how and why sustainable efforts benefit your business’s bottom line.

Marketing Possibilities & Conscious Consumers

As mentioned above, there’s nothing wrong with marketing your sustainability efforts provided they have substance, and you can prove, transparently, what improvements you’re making. Reducing plastic in your packaging, sponsoring worthwhile causes such as donating to environmental causes, or supporting smaller initiatives by bringing them on as suppliers can make a fantastic case as to why a consumer would choose your business over another. You may be surprised at just how effective this can be in the long run, because the conscious consumer is no longer a niche, but a growing norm of the market.

Sustainability Is Its Own Form Of Innovation

Becoming more sustainable is a means by which you can present new products or value in a better way, even if that original product hasn’t changed. For instance, if you shift your packaging to become completely recyclable, there is a marketing opportunity to engage previous and new customers with this messaging while simultaneously, educating them about sustainability in the process. Of course, you will have provided new value, but as you can see, sustainability can help a business become fresh and present, provided you keep up with the sustainability standards, reporting, and communicating appropriately.

You Can Cost Sustainability Into Your Pricing

In many cases, consumers are happy to pay that little bit extra in order to go for the product that has less impact on the environment. So, while putting up your prices dramatically just because of less plastic use is probably not a good idea, any more stringent efforts can be costed and perhaps made up for slightly. For the most part, consumers will accept this as a good reason to why they should consider a renewed price, especially if it’s subtle. You can use tools such as an amazon repricer to achieve that appropriately-pitched cost in the best terms.

With this advice, we hope you can see how sustainability efforts not only have a limited impact on your bottom line, but can benefit it, or at the very least mitigate the cost of your new efforts.

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.