Business Celebrates EARTH Day!

Tomorrow marks the 44th celebration of Earth Day – First celebrated in the United Sates in1970, Earth Day (April 22nd) marks the anniversary of what many consider the birth of the modern environmental movement in 1970.

There are many ways this celebration is observed in our country and region – Take a look at what DNB First is doing to promote GREEN banking in our branch offices: Wanted to make sure you were aware of our new “Make a GREEN Statement” campaign. The campaign will run April 22 through mid-May, and it’s aimed at showcasing our “earth friendly” products and services like Mobile Deposit, Remote Deposit Capture (RDC), eStatements, On-Line Banking, Bill Pay, and more…

We will be leveraging various community sponsored events throughout the month like the Document Shredding and Electronics recycling event tomorrow in Thorndale, and the West Chester University Earth Fair coming up later this month. Our campaign officially launches on April 22 – EARTH DAY when we will be providing to customers in our branches some quick energy saving tips along with an energy efficient light bulb. Customers who enroll in eStatements during the campaign will be entered into a drawing for an iPad to encourage GREEN banking.

The United States Small Business Administration is going green too! Look at what they are doing to help businesses grow green.
Helping Small Businesses Grow Through Green Efforts

by Stephen Morris, Community Moderator

• Created: April 18, 2014, 12:31 pm
• Updated: April 18, 2014, 2:45 pm
Note: this post is by Donna J. Butler, SBA’s Senior Sustainability Officer & Deputy Chief Operating Officer

SBA helps small businesses find solutions to make their operations run efficiently. That’s why this Earth Day and every day SBA encourages small businesses to incorporate a green office environment. Whether it’s changing to a more energy efficient lighting system, implementing a recycling program, or considering eco-friendly machinery—all of these techniques help to conserve energy and save money. SBA also helps entrepreneurs and organizations build on green ideas and turn them into a successful business.

Taking an Idea and Turning it Green
Small business owner Carina Whitham of California took her passion for renewable energy and used SBA’s counseling services to help start an executive search firm Whitham Group Executive Search. Today, Carina’s firm successfully recruits and places executives in the arenas of Solar, Wind, Biofuels, Biomass, Geothermal Energy and all other areas of renewables.

SBA also supports sustainability through initiatives such as the Regional Clusters Initiative—which combines a network of organizations and businesses in a geographic area that grow through increased collaboration, efficiency and innovation. SBA funded its initial clusters in collaboration with the Department of Commerce, the Department of Energy, the Environmental Protection Agency, and several other agencies. Regional clusters such as Illinois Smart Grid, Clean Energy, and GreenMe are expanding thanks to the support from this initiative. Today, they are making their communities more sustainable and eco-conscious.

And for small business owners seeking to upgrade an existing facility with energy efficient upgrades or financing innovative eco-friendly tools–SBA.gov has a reference list ofgreen financing and green certification options.

SBA Green Practices
SBA is also reinforcing green practices throughout its office culture. The Agency’s priority goal for Fiscal Year 2014 was to increase paperless loan processing. SBA succeeded with this goal and saw an increase in the use of paperless processing with both the 7(a) and 504 loan programs. The 7(a) program use increased from 72 percent to 90 percent and the 504 program use increased from 55 percent to 75 percent. Additionally, SBA is collaborating with the General Services Administration to ensure that SBA’s Headquarters and Field Offices are housed in facilities that are energy and water efficient and are maintained with non-toxic and recycled content products. SBA has also reduced its greenhouse gas emissions from employee commuting by nearly 15% since 2010 in part through the increased use of mass transit and telework. This year, SBA initiated an agency-wide toner and ink cartridge recycling program in partnership with the U.S. Postal Services.

Go Green and Thrive
Celebrate Earth Day today and everyday by adopting new environmentally sound practices for your business. SBA is here to help you grow your business and succeed in your green efforts. Visit our website or connect with our local offices and resource partners for your small business needs.
About the Author
Stephen Morris is online media coordinator for the U.S. Small Business Administration where he manages digital outreach to the small business community.