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Introduction to going green

Written by: Marcus Kett

Article Overview: We all now know the importance of being aware of global warmiong and so it is our responsibility as business men to make enviromental judgements on how we do business. We have made several changes to our companies and will over the next few articles share our findings and plans for the future. Together we can make a difference.

Introduction to going green

This is an overview on the changes we have made and an insight on future developments in our vision of being a 'Carbon Neutral' company.

Alternative Fuel - LPG (liquid petroleum gas)
Our first change was to upgrade our fleet of commercial vehicles to run on gas and in the UK was a huge financial saving of 80% on fuel. With the ever increasing fuel duty charges in the UK the saving was welcomed. The saving was not the only surprise but it was evident that there was considerable environmental benefits with reduced poison emissions and reduced oil pollution in our engines sump. You may have asked why the oil found in the diesel engines blackens quickly compared with gasoline engines, with LPG (liquid petroleum gas) it hardly blackens at all and lasts much longer in the sump. You can expect fewer oil changes with a LPG powered vehicles as the gas burns much cleaner than gasoline or diesel and the cause of oil blackening is carbonisation blowing past the rings then into the sump, hence diesel engine oil blackens much faster. There is much to be gained by changing to LPG.

Wrap up and Keep Warm
In the UK special HIPs (home information packs) have become law for all who are selling there home. The HIP is a compendium of details regarding any legal searches and energy saving details just like a energy rating you may find on a refrigerator. Commercial premises are a complicated issue in respect of energy. There are two main energy drains in buildings, Heat and Light. Heat has to the biggest culprit but there are things we can do. Insulation and controlled ventilation is the key to massive savings. If you manage your premises then you must start by sealing every possible gap and insulate every possible external surface, Roofs and floors; then adding controlled moisture controlled ventilation systems at high and low points, this will not only help keep the heat but also help to control air bourne moisture, making for a more comfortable environment. Thermal imaging can show up a whole host of issues .

We have only touched on energy issues and will elaborate in more detail, starting with Thermal Imaging and how it may unlock the potential of your premises. We will base our articles on a model premises and hope to tackle and help solve issues with a variety of solutions.

Remember 'you save energy, then you save money'.

Marcus Kett

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Article Tags: air bourne, alternative fuel, carbon neutral company, commercial premises, diesel engine oil, duty charges, energy rating, environmental benefits, external surface, fuel duty, gasoline engines, heat and light, information packs, legal searches, liquid petroleum gas, massive savings, oil changes, oil pollution, thermal imaging, ventilation systems



Related Forum Posts
Re: Making Money in 2010 - What's Next? - I Think that more "green" technology will be produced this year, and it will spark the era of green devices, from hosting websites becoming powered by green technology to over 10 % of hybrid and bio fuel engineered cars increased in production. I' m not sure about cellphones mainly because of the growing scare of possibly getting cancer when people use too much phones.
Re: How would you segment "Green Consumer"? - [quote="Ryann":1p5rd7n4]I am having a difficulty coming up with the characteristics of the "green consumer". Typical demographic factors (age, income etc) seem too general for this category. How would you segment different groups of environmentally friendly consumers? Ryann[/quote:1p5rd7n4] I don't know for sure, but I think one segment of the "green consumer" is: 1.) A mom. 2.) With children or pets who doesn't want them to accidentally get poisoned from being exposed to harmful chemical products. 3.) Middle class or higher income, since "going green" isn't about picking cheaper alternatives. It's about picking socially conscious choices. 4.) Probably ages 25-35 (i.e. young). Baby boomers are pretty set in their ways and brand loyal... so I can't imagine them switching to a green product. The other segment I would consider are young female business professionals who want the social status of being "environmentally friendly". These women want to be viewed as people who are making a difference and they'd likely have point no. 3 & 4 as well. But maybe I'm way off.
Re: How would you segment "Green Consumer"? - Hi Ryann, Rather than trying to market your environmentally friendly cleaning products to individuals, why not target corporations instead? Most large businesses want to be seen as "going green", and they can buy/consume more of your product than regular households. Truthfully, I only know of 1 person in my entire network of family and friends who I'd classify as a "green consumer". People will often say they care about being environmentally friendly... but when it comes down to it, "going green" isn't convenient and we're all guilty of being lazy (it's already a pain to separate the food waste from the other garbage). For example, hybrid/electric cars are still quite expensive to buy and people could easily get more value buying a gas powered car. Moreover, after about 7 years the battery needs to be replaced in a hybrid/electric car, and no one in their right mind would want to spend another $5000 for that (and that's why used hybrid/electric cars have no re-sale value).
Will North America make carbon taxes anytime soon? - Hi this is Ilia and im from Canada. Today is Tuesday sep 22, 2009, and the world's politicians are meeting to talk about climate change. I'm worried because my country and the US are not taking this issue seriously! Both countries are not signing any agreements nor making huge changes, due to the fear of damaging their economies. This seems stupid to me, because i feel there is great money to be made in investing into our energy grid and turning it green. Do you guys have any articles that show the North American plan for investment in green technology, or carbon taxes?
Re: Green Business Ideas! - Apparently this is "Green Week" on TV, lots of marathons of crime shows like Monk and NCIS, with commercials for "going green," and actors telling how "they're" going green by riding their bikes more, et al. Meanwhile, while we in the US are forced by our government to reduce our "carbon footprint", China et al will continue to [i:2vds3pqt]increase [/i:2vds3pqt]their carbon footprint, and there's nothing the environmentalists can do about it..


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