Go Green - Whats makes us green
Saturday, March 12, 2011 at 12:56PM 
What makes you green? Somehow this is a common question I get asked at most of my initial meetings with clients. While it isn’t a question I mind answering I think it would be an interesting topic to write about. Since ZESstudio inception about 3 years ago now this has been a central key to our business and is something we are very proud of. This post shouldn’t be taken as this is what we do as designers to be green but as ideas for what all people and business owner’s can do to better our planet. After all being environmentally friendly doesn’t just apply to automakers. We all should be aware of how our companies, or ourselves as freelancers, are effecting the environment around us. The actions we take today not only affect the world that we live in but will continue to shape the world that our future generations will experience as well. Just because as designers we are not directly effecting the environment to the extent of companies such as automakers and industrial manufactures doesn’t mean that we are exempt from all responsibility.
We all have the capability to be very proactive in keeping our companies and work green. So I ask, why not?
If you are not convinced you could always consider the marketing benefits. Both businesses and consumers continue to respect and choose companies that are green and environmentally friendly. Additionally it positions your company as aware, caring and proactive. Even if you are choosing to be green for marketing reasons it still benefits us all and that is fine with me.
So the question now is how?
Green Hosting
Simply hosting a website uses a fair amount of energy. The server must be on all the time and can use a significant amount of energy if the sites hosted require a lot of processing power. There are several companies that offer “Green Hosting” where energy for the servers is generated through renewable sources such as wind or solar, or alternatively balanced out through the purchase of carbon offsets. An example of a company local that does a great job at green hosting is WebMeadow out of Litton, NH.
Carbon Offsets
Continuing on something I mentioned in the green hosting section is carbon offsets. If in your area there is no green hosting alternative or you just want to continue to reduce your carbon footprint there is no reason you can’t purchase carbon offsets. Even if you are not covering 100% of your carbon footprint you are at least working towards solving the problem. Basically, instead of reducing your own emissions, a polluter can receive credit for supporting a project that either reduces emissions abroad or reduces emissions in an industry domestically that is not required to reduce emissions. One note though before your purchase your carbon offsets is to make sure to you research where the offset you are paying for goes to insure it aligns with something you as a business or person believes. If interested take a look here for more information.
Green Printing
This seems in a way less important in the world of web and PDF documentation, but if you do print work there are several options for environmentally friendly printing. You can opt to print onto recycled paper or use soy based inks. Both of these will reduce the amount of waste that is created through your printed work. Also take a look at green printing companies like our fellow green alliance members Ram.
Recycling Equipment
The design industry along with other small businesses is extremely technology centric, meaning the purchase and upgrading of equipment on a regular basis. I am willing to bet that there are plenty of times where you have found yourself in a situation where you have equipment that simply doesn’t seem worth having around. Maybe it is too old to sell and you really don’t know who you could give it too. Maybe it doesn’t work anymore. Sure you could throw it away, but putting those types of components and materials into a landfill is extremely bad for the environment.
Rather than throwing them out, please take the time to find a good electronics recycling company to help you get rid of your equipment.
Use of Energy
One of the easiest and best things you could do would to simply be aware of the energy that you are using and do what you can to reduce it. This means turning off your computer when it is not in use, turning down the brightness on your screens, not leaving lights on, biking to work (or using public transportation), etc… It is amazing how much energy can be saved by being aware and proactive about reducing your usage.
It Is Easy and Worth While
It really isn’t hard to make your business a little greener and you are contributing to the future of our world. Do you have any other ideas or methods for making your design business green? Please post them in the comments!
Reader Comments (2)
It would be great if everyone think and live the greenest way possible. In this way, we can help save our planet.
Plastic bags are not biodegradable even if they say they are they do not decompose fully. Also the ink is made up of cadmium, and is highly toxic when it is released. Whereas paper bags are reusable and biodegradable. However supermarkets use paper that has never been recycled before and they always say recyclable not recycled.