Reduce Carbon – Source Locally
by Danny Brown on February 11th, 2008
One of the key points that governments worldwide are trying to get over to businesses of all sizes is to become greener. With pressure from consumer groups and health authorities, making sure everyone is as environmentally friendly as possible is big news for the political parties. It’s not just the big corporations either – everything from small one-person businesses to small-to-medium companies are being targeted. So how can you make sure you fall into line?
One of the best ways to do this is to source locally. This works on two levels as well – not only is it a great way to reduce your carbon footprint, it also enables you to support other local businesses. And the flip side to that is that they can then offer you their support, making it a win-win situation all around.
Because you’re cutting down on the amount of physical miles your products need to travel when you source locally, the vehicle emissions will obviously be a lot lower than traveling to a different state or county. And it’s not only you that will benefit from this – sourcing locally will also mean you don’t have suppliers adding even more carbon fumes to the atmosphere.
After all, although a supplier might not be classed as part of your company, you’re still indirectly involved in their pollution, since you’re the recipient of one of their deliveries. So what are the best ways to source locally?
There are many ways to help you source whatever you need locally, and you may actually be surprised by the ease in which you can do this. Some of the best ways include:
* Use your local directory. If you’re a business that needs specialized products or services, you may indeed need out-of-area help. However, there may be a local company that you’re unaware of that can provide you with what you need.
* Arrange or attend a local business network meeting. Again you might be surprised by what’s actually on offer in your community. And you’ll be getting your own name out there at the same time.
* Ask existing local suppliers if they can recommend anyone’s services.
There’s another good reason to source locally to help reduce your carbon footprint. Because the environment is obviously such a big political issue, parties are using it as voting power. Part of their promises is that they will come down strong on companies who don’t meet the required level of green awareness.
Therefore, if you don’t meet these requirements, you could find yourself with a large fine, or in the worst-case scenario, have your business license suspended until you come up to scratch. So now might be the right time to start seeing what’s in your local area supplier-wise – it could save you more than you think.
