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Consumer awareness of sustainable business practices has grown exponentially in the past few years.  That makes the decision to make your business operation more sustainable considerably easier.  Chipotle restaurant supplies the perfect example.  They’ve been successful with a slightly more expensive product in a down economy precisely because customers appreciate their sustainable practices.

If you’ve set a sustainability goal for yourself, then the next thing you need is a plan.  How are you going to make your operation more sustainable?  What are the areas that can provide the maximum benefit with the least amount of investment?  How do you plan to market your efforts to your customers?

All are good questions, and you’d better have answers before you start spending time and money. 

Here’s four steps to get you started towards a greener, more profitable future:

Improve energy efficiency.  In most businesses this is the easiest place to cut costs with minimal investment.  The added bonus is that you get to tell your customers how committed to sustainability you are after you’ve cut energy bills.  Simple improvements like training your staff to manage equipment efficiently, cutting heating and cooling bills, and investing in energy efficient water heating can make a huge difference.

Of course, every business is different, and the strategies that work for you aren’t going to work somewhere else.  When you’re creating your sustainability plan, identify where you can improve efficiency then estimate how much you’ll save on future bills versus how much it will cost you to implement your plan.

Come up with a program.  Another key to a successful sustainability plan for your business is figuring out ways to reduce waste.  Recycling and composting programs are the two most common ways to address this.  Unfortunately, unlike energy efficiency improvements these waste reduction programs are either cost neutral or increase your operating expenses.

That doesn’t mean they don’t provide benefits.  The public relations mileage you can get out of a good recycling or composting program can prove invaluable.  Remind customers you recycle or compost waste.  The local newspaper in your neighborhood is also another great way to get the word out about your program.  Newspapers run stories like this all the time, and it can be great free advertising.

Change your buying habits.  You’re a consumer just like everybody else.  The purchasing decisions you make for your restaurant say a lot about how you run your business.  Making sustainable decisions will also make your operation a lot greener.  

Some places to start:

• Source products locally and/or create your own
• Use compostable disposable items like corn cups
• Buy only certified sustainable raw materials like timber

Don’t be bashful – talk about yourself!  Implementing a successful sustainability plan doesn’t do you a bit of good if no one knows about the hard work and money you’ve invested.  As you put this plan into action, don’t be afraid to tell everyone you can think of about what you’re doing.
Talking about your sustainability plan shouldn’t be a one shot deal.  It’s going to take time to implement, so make that process an ongoing conversation with your customers.  Don’t be afraid to utilize multiple methods for communicating as well.  You’ll be pleasantly surprised just how interested the world will be about your sustainability efforts.