Businesses often have a recycling program set up or a water conservation system in place, but actually going green seems impossible and costly.  Even if efforts are made, it is hard for a business lacking the proper equipment to measure their progression.   This is where Climate Smart comes in.  Climate Smart is a Vancouver-based program that simply shows businesses how to reduce their carbon footprint and save money doing it.  Lloyd Lee, business development and marketing manager of Climate Smart, says that cost is a common misconception that businesses have about employing ways to reduce the harmful effects of their operation, when realistically, it ends up saving the operation a lot of money.

Climate Smart began as a pilot program launched by Eco Trust Canada, once an unfulfilled niche was seen for small to medium sized businesses to have guidance and support in their environmental efforts.  Lee says, “There are a lot of services available to larger corporations but 98% of businesses [in Canada] are small businesses and there was no one helping them.”  Climate Smart started with 10 businesses and has now reached about 650.  The program allows businesses, with anywhere from 1-500 fulltime employees, to enrol in the program for training and access to software that will allow them to calculate their current environmental footprint, steps to reduce it and a plan to maintain their efforts.  Lee says that this is often the most difficult step to take, “businesses don’t know where to start.  That’s where we really help them.  We give them a framework.”

The unique thing about Climate Smart is the camaraderie it lends to all involved in the program. “You might have a restaurant talking to a construction company,” Lee says and all in the name of being conscious of what we are doing to our environment.  The main thing is that people who are in charge of businesses realize that every impact is great and every effort to lessen that impact is greater.  Changing practices in the business also allows the people who work there to take some habits home with them, “Small businesses are the engines of our economy; change goes home with the employees and up the chain to other businesses.”

The efforts each business can make depends on its trade and size but with Climate Smart, every small to medium sized business can begin taking the steps to ensuring the preservation of our environment and in turn, the perseverance of their own business by making the right choice before choices like these are enforced.  For more information on joining Climate Smart, visit www.climatesmartbusiness.com.