INNOVA philospohy ?is based on cherising every thing we have and we do. We need to avoide become a nation of disposable goods, income, people and property. We all need to be green minded. If we lived as the greatest generation lived with the same ethics and morality we wouldn't have a need to think green, we all would be green.
As our business grows, we want to make sure we minimize our impact on the Earth's climate. So we’re taking every step we can to implement innovative and responsible environmental practices across our company to reduce our carbon footprint, ensure efficient computing and help our employees and clinets be green.
Google and Google Apps has help us to be a ?greener compnay . We are not only sharing what we have learned but also we are asking you send us your though and input.( see below ) . We belive solution to our most complex problem is to tap to collective global wisdom facilitated by ?Google.
We all need to make sure we don't blow it - good planets are hard to find. We belive every littel ?green attmpt and innovation will count. We have the tools and knowledge .
.......this is the work of angles. ?in a world which so many people are deprived, it is a sin to be insignificant. ( Michael Hammer )?
Innova gone green - using Google business solutions and Google Apps
For us, going green staterd from a wellness program for us and our employees to reducing our energy consumption to making a green (or greener) product and services. This ment committing to a sustainable business model — a cradle to grave effort and starting being significant.
We start figuring out what that meant for us ?and what maked sense for our business. We reviwed and implement the best we could ?what the Harvard Business Review called the “shared value”. ( find a copy of this document in Googlelator knowedge base )
Our goal is simple . Our green effort will create a “meaningful benefit for society that is also valuable to the business.”
To start with we chosed Google Apps since is a scaleable system which its deployment, application and its effect in businness and cleint made our compnay greener. For eample;
Google apss helps you to be Greener?
Google Apps real-time collaboration brings us one step closer to the true “paperless office”
Google Apps has no need for hardware, which saves our landfills for waste we cannot live without. ?No Hardware=No Disposal of Hardware!
If Cloud Computing becomes the standard then the amount of servers occupying homes and businesses will decrease by millions....the amount of energy we will save globally, is unfathomable!
Google Apps offers video, audio chat and collaborative live document ( doc, spredasheet, presentation , drwa ..etc. ) editing and communication. In combination with Google calendar , we have initiate a program to have our project managers to work from home at leadst two days a week . This is extremly green effort since we not only use less energy but also have additional work space that can accomdate growuth. Let face it , if one can not ?manage employee's time and productivity via above tools in the residence , for soure can not manage from behind their desk . It si easier to video chat than call or ?go to their office . This also reduces Real Estate and office energy cost.
Using Google Anroid cell phone and its power full and free applications. We have access to full Google Apps application at work place, clinet office and project field. Using applications such as " Hey Tell" ( a waikiki talkie apps with buit in GPS ) , Google maps, Google voice, ...etc. This helps us to travel less , communicate more and reduce errors.?
Google Apps helps our company go green by having no need for portable storage devices that need to be manufactured and ultimately disposed of...cloud storage is accessible from anywhere so you don have to save your information to take it with you!
Using Google serach , find and purchase recycled products.We can be easily identified on the labels. Sometimes these products will have “Recycled product” or “Post consumer waste” written on them. using this key words we conduct our serach for products.
We carpool whenever possible. With the rising costs of gas and toxins released into the air from automobiles, carpooling would be a smart way to go green. Creating a way for employees to travel together will reduce the unwanted factors that are destroying our environment. If possible, let some employees work from the comfort of their homes. Telecommuting is rapidly becoming a popular thing with some businesses.
Use videoconferencing ?and Google Video chat instead of traveling to multiple destinations. Not only will this cut down on lost time while traveling, but it will help to turn our business green as well. Start doing as much of our business online as possible. us ?to control transactions via the Internet.
Turn excess office waste into something useful. Talk to your employees and come up with a business plan to either eliminate extra wastes all together or think of other ways to reduce it drastically. Creating a recycle center in your business will let employees and customers know that you are serious about turning your business green. Encourage them to donate certain items to be recycled as well.
Turning off equipment ?( Printer, PCs , Servers ) when it's not being used. This can reduce the energy used by 25 percent; turning off the computers at the end of the day can save an additional 50 percent. We can turn off and put our server out of commission since we have Gone Google Apps . It is a pleasure not having mail and data server anymore.
?Encouraging communications by email, and reading email messages onscreen to determine whether it's necessary to print them. If it's not, We don't!
We deployed fax server and also activated all our user access to fax server email account via Google Apps MAIL " Grant access to your account " futhure " . Thus reducing fax-related paper waste .
Using Google serach , we found a supply of paper with maximum available recycled content and choosing suppliers who take back packaging for reuse.
Using Google serach ?and Google local news alert , instigating an ongoing search for "greener" products and services in the local community. The further our supplies or service providers have to travel, the more energy will be used to get them to you.
We also belive of being a ?local business and activily promoting Green ideas and actions — realize it is an advantage in our clinet eyes.?
Actively engage in and promote the green life beyond what we sell. Be authentically green by consciously using less energy, trying to find local suppliers so we carbon footprint is smaller, and even live a green personal life. The payback are greate, ?Loyal customers, a decent business, and the satisfaction that you are doing good.
In 2009, Using and taeching Google apps , INNOVA ?assisted a groupd of Green countious engineers, designers and students in Santiego collage to start a Green movement that could trun out to be a new green technology edjucational courcolum for the collage and luanching pad for stutents and their green based profesional lifes. ?( find a copy of this document in Googlelator knowedge base )
We also assited ?designing and delivery of a Green awarness website?http://sites.google.com/a/greenrepertory.com/city-of-brea/
Our plan is to keep in mind is the need to tell our employee and cleints ?about our green efforts — customers and suppliers and anyone else.?
With Google's Marketplace we advertise with out making costly flyers that end up being on the ground when people take them off cars and throwing them.
With Google sites you can make onsite newsletters. No more printing.
?Google Apps private youtube videos, make training classes at your leisure. No more waisted money on public speakers, loss of work time and loss of stale donuts. More $$$$.
Our Blog is ? " Go Green with Google and Google Apps" and you can follow us in Twitter and facebook .
How to make your business greener
Going green doesn't necessarily require major changes in how companies are run. A number of small steps, some of which don't cost money to implement, can very significantly change how business is conducted. Here are some actions companies can take to go green:
Conduct an energy audit - Most local utilities offer businesses free on-site consultations on how they can reduce usage and save money. Frequent suggestions include: Improve insulation, install timers to automatically turn off lights, use energy efficient light bulbs, keep temperatures at comfortable ranges that are not excessively cool in the summer and warm in the winter.
Conduct annual "Going Green" or "Sustainable Organization" Surveys - Survey your employees to assess how well your organization is doing with regard to implementing green business practices. The survey should request suggestions for becoming a greener organization. This can be a separate survey focused on going green issues only, or it can be added as part of an employee opinion/satisfaction survey. Conducting the surveys annually will enable your organization to assess going green progress and provide information, suggestions and insight for future actions.
Go paperless - Encourage e-mailing. When paper is necessary, photocopy on both sides and use old letterhead for scrap paper.
Recycle - Recycle glass, paper, plastic, metal trash and manufacturing waste materials. Go through your trash. You'll get a new sense of how much it costs to buy, store, and dispose of stuff. Eliminate unnecessary photocopying and reuse packaging for shipping.
Reduce commuting - Encourage carpooling (provide preferred parking for carpoolers). Offer transit passes to employees who take the bus or subway, and bike racks for cyclists. Encourage employees to telecommute where possible.
Reduce business travel - Teleconference instead of traveling. For must-go trips, keep track of the miles driven and flown and buy "carbon offsets" from a non-profit like Carbonfund.org to make up for the greenhouse gas emissions.
Buy green - Tell suppliers that you're interested in sustainable products and set specific goals for buying recycled, refurbished, or used. Make the environment, and not just price, a factor when purchasing.
Detoxify - Many offices have toxic substances, such as used batteries and copier toner, on hand. Talk to suppliers about alternatives to toxics, and make sure you properly dispose of the ones you can't avoid using.
Rethink transportation - Consider the petroleum it takes to ship and receive products. Evaluate the impact of products you buy or sell, and find ways to mitigate those impacts. Purchase or lease energy-efficient cars and trucks for your employees' business uses and delivery of products.
Provide leadership and resources for going green - Assign a respected executive-level person to head up Going Green/Organizational Sustainability initiatives, and provide financial and other needed resources. Include "going green" in your company's mission statement and business plans.
Get employees involved - Create a team to lead the company's eco-efforts and determine where you can have the biggest impact for the least amount of money.
Communicate about Going Green issues - Inform suppliers and customers about your efforts. And get in touch with local regulatory agencies, many of which offer financial incentives to businesses that implement green initiatives. Keep employees and shareholders/investors informed about going green progress.
Save water - Monitor sinks and toilets for leaks that waste water. Eliminate water waste in manufacturing processes and in watering the company's lawns.
Explore opportunities for implementing alternative energy sources - Evaluate opportunities for using solar energy, bio-fuels, wind power and other alternative energy sources.
Implement green manufacturing processes - Use energy-efficient equipment, and streamline processes to use fewer steps and less materials and packaging.
Implement green policies - Establish policies and standards such as hardware energy consumption, waste disposal, using recycled and environmentally superior content, water and energy efficient products and alternative fuel vehicles, among other measures.
