Is your business ready for sustainability makeover? The Sustainable Business Network (SBN) has technology to help.
One of the organisation’s latest releases is stand-alone website assessment. You don’t need to be member of the Network to use www.getsustonline.org.nz and for small fee of $295 you are given the chance to measure just where you are on the sustainability journey. Businesses can download bunch of resources to help make that journey easier, plus, based on your responses, there’ll be report on what to work on. Your responses are also compared with businesses of the same size and type, giving users chance to benchmark themselves.
Businesses looking for more comprehensive and tailored assessment should check out SBN’s Get Sustainable Challenge programme.
If measuring emissions is your game, SBN also promotes free-to-use carbon calculator. ACE, by Catalyst R&D has recently had version upgrade, is simple to use, and ideal for Kiwi SMEs. It can be downloaded directly from sustainable.org.nz.
Speaking of websites, check out Greenfleet.org.nz. Sign up to the programme and you’ll get great advice on efficient vehicle alternatives, personal travel planning for staff, measuring fleet emissions, and reducing and offsetting your annual CO2 emissions through their community tree planting.
Staff engagement is often very high in internal projects that focus around using more sustainable transport methods for the daily commute. This helps breeds great culture at work, people who have been cycling or running enjoy the added health benefits that come with the switch, and statistics show increased motivation and retention at the workplace naturally follow.
Once you’ve made good start on your make-over and want to talk to the New Zealand public about your product or service, list your organisation on www.greenlist.co.nz.
This new green directory offers one-stop shop for genuinely green products and services. Each organisation loading listing has to weigh itself against sustainability principles. Readers can ask questions and comment on the listing, and the organisation then has the chance to respond, explain and build in the feedback. The ratings therefore become more and more trusted over time.
Rachel Brown is CEO of the Sustainable Business Network.
