Finding your niche by going eco friendly

By Janet Rorholm

Mike DeMuth, owner and founder of Eco Friendly Interactive, a Web development company, had two important reasons to adopt environmentally-friendly practices for his company — his two children.

“I have a couple of daughters and to me it was important… to make the world better for future generations,” DeMuth said. “It sounds trite, but that’s how it is.”

He’s not alone. Many area business owners are stepping up and trying to become more environmentally friendly for their children and grandchildren, but the good news is that it can have an immediate impact.

DeMuth, who sought out and received a green certification from the Green Business League, has seen business soar as other environmentally-conscious businesses seek to work with other like-minded businesses, a benefit he hadn’t expected.

“People are searching smarter. People are looking online for companies with products and services that are environmentally friendly while buying local whenever possible. That’s why my business has boomed,” DeMuth said.

In addition to increased business, DeMuth has reduced expenses in becoming more environmentally friendly.

“We don’t use paper for anything,” he said.

The company e-mails its invoices saving the cost of the paper and postage as well as printer ink, which used to be one of the company’s biggest expenses. DeMuth has also saved travel expenses by using video conferences with its clients who are located across the nation.

For DeMuth that hasn’t just saved money, it’s saved him time. Not only can he be more productive in less time, it has kept him home where he gets to spend more time with his daughters.

DeMuth is also using more efficient light bulbs, recycling, buying Energy Star computers and eliminating the use of bottled water.

Jeff Carey, founder of The Iowa Green Team, a green coaching and consulting business, worked with DeMuth on getting the Green Business League certification. Carey understands DeMuth’s reasons for wanting to go green because he felt the same way.

“I’m a longtime IT guy and this was a lifelong dream of mine to be in the environmental field,” he said.

Carey said no one needs to be scared about becoming more green, but it does require a commitment and education. He said most people fall into one of three categories when it comes to believing we need to change our ways and become more environmentally friendly: environmental activists, open-minded skeptics and disbelievers.

“It just takes time to educate and make people aware of what all this means,” he said.

When a business is building a new facility they can turn to LEED to build the most environmentally friendly and energy efficient facility it can, but for others its about looking at practices and products used day in and day out.

“Every business is different, but there are a lot of common denominators,” Carey said.

Carey said that once a business begins to embrace environmentally-friendly practices they begin to realize it puts them at a real competitive advantage. But getting there isn’t easy.

“You’d be surprised at the hesitancy to change. Money is a part of it, but mostly change is just not natural for most of us,” he said.

Carey said part of his role as a green consultant is to do some hand holding for a company as it implements changes.

While many businesses try to go green by forming a committee tasked with putting new practices in place, Carey said they key to becoming more eco-friendly is to start at the top with key decision-makers.

He said it is also important for companies to adopt a green mission statement that looks at the triple bottom line: people, planet and profit.

“So many people talk about carbon footprints. There’s no magic algorithm,” Carey said. “You just want to think about the environment when you leave your footprint.”

He worked with a local hotel that cut energy costs through an educational process. They put stickers next to light switches asking customers to please turn the lights off when not in use.

“That $20 in stickers has saved them thousands of dollars,” Carey said.

Once a company has made significant progress internally at going green, Carey urges companies to look outside its own company and look at its vendors and suppliers, asking them what they are doing to go green.

Carey is working with Prairiewoods to develop some green start programs to educate business owners, employees, schools and homeowners on what they can do to embrace the green movement. He also holds Green Drinks every third Thursday of the month at various venues. The idea is to bring people together to talk about what they can do.

Will Carr and his wife, Nina, wanted to develop an environmentally-friendly company when they decided to go into janitorial services. After much research, they started Green Earth Commercial Cleaning, which does both commercial and residential cleaning.

“We actually started this company after a discussion about how to leave a legacy for our kids. What can we do that they can take over and we’re all about recycling…” Carr said. “For us, this is a way to teach our kids to leave a better planet for the next generation.”

Not only do they use HEPA vacuums and eco-friendly cleaners, but they also use organic uniforms and clothing and recycled paper for their business cards.

They’re advice: You don’t have to do everything at once. Taking it one step at a time is the easiest way to make a difference.

In its effort to become more environmentally friendly, Pool Tech Midwest in Cedar Rapids began recycling everything from paper, cardboard and scrap metal, reducing the amount of paper it consumes and using a green janitorial service, Green Earth Commercial Cleaning.

“We want to use environmentally-friendly materials and chemicals when we can. We’re an aquatic pool builder. We deal with hazardous materials that aren’t real good for the environment, but taken care of appropriately, they are OK,” said John Walton, chief accounting officer at Pool Tech Midwest in Cedar Rapids.

Since business is down in the economy, Pool Tech Midwest, like other companies, has had to layoff employees, so cost is always a consideration as it tries to become more green.

“We try. There is always more you can do,” he said.

While recycling is more expensive than hauling away everything in the trash, the company felt it was important to implement, but other efforts like employing a green janitorial service haven’t cost more. The company is also trying to convert all of its operations manuals to CDs and DVDs, helping save reams of paper.

“If everybody does a little something, it goes a long way,” Walton said.