“I think the ideas are spreading that being green can lead to cost-saving,” Keirns said. “Businesses benefit both on the business side and internally.”
Going green
Businesses that sign up for the Clark County Green Business Program are paired with a specialist like Keirns that helps them find the best green solutions for them, deciding what is feasible now and what may be a future tactic.
“We may work with people on coming up with some best practices or a certain operation,” Keirns explained. “I’ve worked with companies to figure out ways where they might be able to look at energy savings through changing their thermostat or hot water heater settings. In that case, Clark Public Utilities is a huge partner of ours.”
Keirns’ number one piece of advice for businesses: “Be organized and decide what to prioritize for projects based on [your] own business operations.”
Building awareness
Steve Valenta, owner of Vancouver’s popular mobile eatery The Mighty Bowl, recently completed the green business program. He called it a “great launching pad” for building awareness.
“It’s easy just to think that garbage and recycling makes you green,” he said. “I think my ‘aha moment’ was just realizing how broad the basis was for it means to be a green business…There’s a lot more to it.”
Inspired by the program, Valenta is now seeking a biodegradable bowl for his customers to use. Though he has yet to find one, he is determined to establish The Mighty Bowl as a waste-free company.
“At this point, being a zero waste company isn’t possible, for us at least. However, that is a long-term goal of ours, to have zero waste or zero garbage. I think that’s down the road.”
Like The Mighty Bowl, Entek Corp., a locally owned HVAC company, is also a member of the Clark County Green Business Program. Their employees are now using iPads on the job to reduce paper waste and to improve the quality and speed of internal and external communication.
“When a company has sustainable practices, the likelihood of them becoming a dinosaur is much less,” said Entek representative Lisa Schmidt.
What does green really mean?
Over at Vancouver’s Waste Connections, Waste Reduction Specialist Sarah Adams is focused on the world of waste reduction, green energy and storm water system assessments. She admitted that businesses often struggle to figure out where to begin when it comes to green initiatives.
“Sustainability – it’s a nebulous word for a lot of people and when people say you should be sustainable, it doesn’t really give you an idea of what to actually do,” Adams said. “We’re trying to change the way we’re having that conversation.”
Savings are certainly a draw of the county’s green business program, but the experience itself is also rewarding, said Adams, who provides businesses with information and inspiration.
“The program is just really doable,” she said. “You don’t have to have any prior knowledge of what’s going on before you start the program. You just jump in.”
To get involved with the Green Business Program and for information about upcoming events, visit www.clarkgreenbiz.com.
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