Information is Power

Or information about power is empowering...or to be more precise: power-saving. That's the message of the Fast Company blog, quoting Dan Hill's blog, City of Sound. Meters that tell you how much energy you're using should help you save. Both links will um, link you to a selection of products you can buy.

Stop heat from going down the drain with the water

Business Week's "Green Biz" editor Adam Aston found this device, but didn't provide the link to the manufacturer. It must work on the same principle as the legs of Arctic terns and other birds that stand on ice but don't freeze: heat exchange. Two pipes (blood vessels, in the case of the birds) close together, one carrying cold up and the other heat down. Each has a temperature gradient, but in inverted relationship to each other, so the actual temperature difference at any point is minimized, and thus little heat need be lost. I learned this principle in theoretical biology class some time ago. Quite some time ago.

Do you think there's enough coverage of all things green?

It may seem pervasive -- but it's not. Yet. No mention in my February issue of Inc. "The Handbook of the American Entrepreneur." But wait, surely there's something on the Web site?

Yes, in fact. And it begins: "Imagine asking today how the Internet affects business. It's an absurd question, like asking how electricity changed business. Asking the same about sustainability, it turns out, is equally absurd. Like the Internet, sustainability spurs innovation in everything, from how you see your business model to whether you see your employees (why not let them work at home more?)."

The only problem? It's a link from Fast Company, now owned by Mansueto Ventures, as is Inc. It's entitled "50 Ways to Green Your Company" and it's worth the read. But it's not in Inc.

Coping with recession now vs. global warming later

The short-term crisis vs. the longer-term one has always been at the center of business management. This time the long-term issue is a little larger in scope.

What are some ways to resolve the conflict between the two?

1. Split time and effort. So Google allows its staff one day a week -- 20% -- for undirected, presumably longer-term research. Small businesses will say that every hour of employee time counts, and there’s no equivalent “slack” in the ropes as there is in a larger company. I’m not convinced! Not that you can sacrifice social interaction to this cause any more than you can sacrifice responding to customers, but as an example, think how much time is spent in personal conversations, gossip, shopping online, etc. Yes, everyone knows employees who arrive early, sit down and start working, and don’t change the rhythm of their work effort until the day is done. But the rest of us hate that person! I think it’s possible and even urgent to schedule time for two new activities: innovation and long-term thinking; and reducing your carbon footprint. Maybe start with an hour each a week? Work away from your regular desk, if possible, to reduce the rubber band pull back to your routine.
2. Find short-term benefits to make swallowing the effort involved in dealing with long-term issues go down smoothly. Not sure what those might be! If compact fluorescents cost more than incandescents, short-term accounting will resist. But maybe some of the time you spend in point 1 can be devoted to research: are there rebates available which deliver a short-term benefit? Does showing your staff that you care about an issue they care about inspire them to work harder/smarter, and lower turnover?
3. Do you have a third?

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