eco-friendly

The first article in the Tips for Greener Photography series offered tips to make your photography office greener. This month the focus will be on incorporating green practices into your business. There are simple things you can do right now to change your business practices and workflow, make your business greener, and offer greener products.

Here are some ideas to inspire you to make your business more eco-friendly.

Greener business practices and workflow

    * Go paperless by leveraging the power of the Internet and uploading client information and forms to the Web. Your client can book her wedding, sign her contract, and pay invoices online.

    * Utilize online Web galleries to proof your sessions and albums. In-person projection proofing is also a great way to reduce the need to provide your clients with paper proofs.

    * If you provide your clients with digital images, use portable or reusable hard drives to deliver the images instead of a CD or DVD. It is always more desirable to provide a client with a reusable versus a disposable option.

    * Choose online banking, have your bills sent via e-mail and pay them online.

    * Print all of your paperwork double-sided, then recycle your waste paper.

    * Use recycled paper for necessary printing, including marketing collateral, business cards and sample products. Many printing companies offer printing with soy- or wax-based inks and recycled paper; check out the list at Greener Photography (greenerphotography.org/links.html).

    * It is better to reuse than to recycle. Reuse cardboard boxes to ship client orders. Donate extra cardboard boxes to local preschools, art classes, or shipping stores. Reuse shredded documents as packing material.

    * Recycle ink cartridges, CDs and DVDs. For more information on recycling CDs and DVDs check out cdrecyclingcenter.org.

    * Try to eliminate sensitive paperwork that requires shredding.

    * Use short-run printing when it is appropriate. For example, print a small quantity of brochures, then order another small quantity when your inventory is low.

Greener office practices and technology

    * Conserve electricity by turning off and unplugging electronics when not in use: computers, televisions, projectors, scanners, printers, battery chargers, lights.

    * If you use an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) to protect your computer and storage drives, plug a power strip into the UPS, and turn off the strip when your electronics are not in use.

    * Use compact fluorescent lights (CFLs) and recycle them properly when finished.

    * Use website hosting that operates with renewable energy certificates or runs their power directly from renewable energy sources. Find a list of companies at Greener Photography (greenerphotography.org/links.html)

    * Subscribe to online newsletters or magazines. Donate existing magazines to schools, hospitals, nursing homes or libraries. If you can't re-use, then definitely recycle.

    * Plan your errands into as few as trips as possible to save on gas and time. Read more about economy of motion.

    * Purchase office supplies that are reusable or made from recycled material.

    * Consider buying used, refurbished, or remanufactured equipment before buying new equipment.

    * Reuse your junk mail for shipping labels or draft printing.

    * Dispose of unusable electronic waste safely (Greener Photography Links page).

Greener client products and services

    * Offer greener paper products for clients, including recycled paper for announcements and cards. Look for certifications such as Forest Steward Certification (FSC), recycled, or organic.

    * Offer prints using fibers such as canvas or cotton rag.

    * Offer frames made from recycled/reclaimed wood.

    * Offer albums and books with eco-friendly components.

    * Buy products and components made locally when possible, or at least buy those made domestically. Look for claims such as “Made in the USA,” non-toxic, and sustainable.

    * Patronize companies with an environmental action plan.

    * Create incentives for your clients to use other local, green businesses; network with other green businesses to cross-promote eco-friendly offers.

    * For links to greener client products and recycling information, go to Greener Photography.

Incorporating eco-friendly practices into your photography business is easy. These tips will get you started on the right track. Look for more green tips in future web exclusive articles.

For more tips on greener photography and resources to help you find greener products and vendors, visit greenerphotography.org.

For more information on some of the products and services mentioned here to help make your business greener, visit:

Greener Photography (http://www.greenerphotography.org/index.html)

The Freecycle Network (http://www.freecycle.org)

E-waste recycling (http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/conserve/materials/ecycling/index.htm)

Green web hosting (http://www.greenerphotography.org/links.html)

Erica Velasco is a lifestyle wedding and portrait photographer based in Phoenix, Ariz. She specializes in eco-chic custom photography services, using eco-friendly photographic practices and products. You can view more of Erica's work at visionphotographs.com and visionphotographs.com/blog.

This is the first in a series of tips on how to make your photography business greener. We'll start with taking a look at your physical space—office, studio and client meeting space. What does a greener photography studio or meeting space look like? Here are a few ways that you can make your space greener … and save money, too. Look for more Tips for Greener Photography each month!

Location, Location, Location

• Be convenient. Have your space easily accessible by public transportation, close to other convenient locations.

• Look for a studio with good natural light to minimize use of electric lighting.

• Consider the sun exposure of your space and the needs of your climate.

• Make it multi-functional! Coffee shops, cooperative artist spaces, and home offices are an easy way to share the impact of your studio/meeting space.

What's on the Inside? Paint, Stain, Flooring, Plastering.

• Use milk- or clay-based paints for walls and ceilings.

• Look for zero- or low-VOC paint and other materials.

• Use natural flooring made from local materials and/or reclaimed materials

• Avoid synthetic carpet.

Furnish It Green

• Buy used furniture.

• Buy furnishings locally.

• Look for certifications, such as Forest Steward Certification (FSC) and organic furniture/components.

• Look for uncertified, but still important claims, such as Made in the USA, Non-toxic, Sustainable.

Smart Appliances

• Buy used, but not older then 10 years.

• Look for Energy Star certified.

• Keep your refrigerator efficient: check fridge gaskets, keep fridge between 38-42 degrees, keep it full.

Smart Conservation

• Turn off and unplug electronics when not in use, such as computers, TVs, projectors, scanners, printers, battery chargers, lights, etc.

• If you use a UPS (uninteruptible power supply) to protect your computer and storage drives, plug a powerstrip plugged into the UPS and turn everything off at the strip.

• Use compact fluorescent lights (CFLs) and dispose of them properly when finished.

Studio Samples and Photographic Products

• Consider using press-printed products printed on recycled cardstock, such as sample prints, brochures, business cards, etc.

• Consider printing sample prints on fiber paper such as canvas or cotton rag.

• Show off your greenness with albums and frames that are eco-friendly.

• Buy products and components made locally when possible. If not local, at least buy those made domestically.

• Look for certifications, such as Forest Steward Certification (FSC), Organic.

• Look for uncertified, but still important claims, such as Made in the USA, Non-toxic, Sustainable.

• Buy from companies with an environmental action plan.

Be a Green Host/Hostess

• Offer your clients filtered tap water or invest in a water cooler rather than offering individual plastic bottles of water.

• Provide snacks/drinks to clients with glassware/reusable utensils, not disposables.

Keep it Clean but Green

• Use natural cleaning products.

• Recycle your ink cartridges.

Get the Temperature Right

• Keep your heat set to less then 68 degrees.

• Keep your cooling set to 78 degrees or higher.

• Dress appropriately. Heating a body is much more efficient then heating air.

• Use ceiling fans, especially in rooms with high ceilings.

Work Efficiently

• Schedule meetings back to back, find other ways to minimize time spent in the office.

• Bundle errands to minimize your driving to/from studio or office.

In the coming months, we'll bring you more in-depth tips on making your photography business greener. For more tips on greener photography and resources to help you find greener products and vendors, visit greenerphotography.org.

For more information on some of the energy-saving devices mentioned here, visit these links:

Smart Plug

http://blog.wired.com/gadgets/2008/12/smart-plug-powe.html

P3 Kill A Watt Electricity Load Meter and Monitor

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16882715001

Energy Use Calculators

http://www.santee.org/save/energycalculator.html

http://hes.lbl.gov/

Energy Star Products

http://www.energystar.gov/

Thea Dodds is a New Hampshire wedding photographer. She is also a Founder of Greener Photography, a non-profit organization that promotes environmentally-responsible photographic practices and products. You can learn more about Thea's work at authenticeye.com and greenerphotography.org.

GP: How green is your business - what green business practices do you embrace?

GBG: Here are some of that ways we are green:

- We recycled everything that can be recycled

- Our web hosting company uses 100% wind power

- All of our packaging, shipping, and printed materials are made from PWC recycled paper and soy inks

- The book, The Green Bride Guide: How to Plan an Earth-friendly Wedding on Any Budget, was printed on FSC certified recycled paper. This saved 142 trees, 99 million BTUs, 51,862 gallons of water, 12,495 lbs of greenhouse gases and 6,660 pounds of solid waste.

- We use all-natural, biodegradable cleaners in our office

- We only brew organic, Fair Trade Coffee

- All of our office furniture is reclaimed or repurposed

- We have installed recycled carpeting

- We use carbon neutral shipping to offset our emissions

GP: How green are your products - what green products/components do you offer?

GBG: The Green Bride Guide is built around the idea that we can make a real, meaningful dent in the waste and pollution created by the wedding industry if we educate people on how to go green without sacrificing style or tradition.

To do this we offer the following tools and resources:

- Our Green Wedding Directory allows couples to find local eco-friendly vendors for every step of the wedding planning process. Each listed vendor has a green leaf rating of 1-5 that is generated when they apply, based on that company's environmental standards. A business must earn at least one green leaf to qualify to be listed in the directory. We try to help businesses that don't qualify or would like to earn a higher rating increase their green practices.

- Our Shop and Registry include only items that have been hand selected based on how and where they are made, materials used, the social responsibility of the company, and the environmental impact of their production. Each product has its eco-strategies on its listing that explain exactly why that product was chosen for our shop.

- We offer a carbon calculator to help couples determine what the impact of their wedding will be, as well as how they can offset that impact.

- Our Seasonal Décor and Eco-Chic Style blogs are continually updated with fresh ways to keep things as local and seasonal as possible.

- New Real Green Wedding stories are posted weekly, featuring a broad range of celebrations. Whether a wedding has a few green elements, or is totally organic from the food to the silk of the bride's gown, these stories show couples that there are lots of ways to go green. More importantly, they show that it is not all or nothing proposition and you don't have to feel bad if everything isn't 100% green.

GP: Why did you choose to offer green products and implement green business practices?

GBG: When our founder Kate L. Harrison was planning her wedding in 2006, she was surprised at how difficult it was to find the eco-friendly resources her and her fiancé were looking for. In the process of planning and compiling information she began what eventually become The Green Bride Guide: How to Plan an Earth Friendly Wedding on Any Budget. Our website, TheGreenBrideGuide.com followed.

Because the wedding industry is a $70-billion-dollar-a-year-industry, Kate saw what a potential boost it would be to sustainable business if even part of this revenue were going to green businesses.

Not only that, but the average wedding produces 400-600 lbs of garbage and 63 tons of CO2. Green weddings save energy, conserve resources and decrease pollution.

GP: How has offering green products and implementing green business practices affected your company?

GBG: As a young company, we rely a lot on word-of-mouth to get our name out. We have tried to build a community based on providing comprehensive, credible resources that are also inclusive enough to serve the general public. So far, we have received wonderful feedback from couples and businesses about what we are providing, and the word seems to be spreading. The green wedding business is small, but growing and gaining support everyday. People are responding positively to this resources that was, as little as four years ago, virtually non-existent. We hope to continue to provide reliable information for those who seek it.

GP: What are your hopes for a greener photographic industry?

GBG: One of the questions we ask vendors when they sign up for the directory is "Do you exclusively offer eco-friendly products/services?"

We get a lot of feedback from photographers that they will never be able to reach our highest green leaf rating because photography is a high-tech field and will never be 100% green.

It is true that there will always be components that are not totally eco-friendly. Weddings are the same way. But we feel that if you are doing pretty much everything you can to offer green photography services, then it is fair to say that you are offering all the eco-friendly services that photography allows for. Couples are always going to have photographers at their wedding. It's an important art form that allows people to remember their celebration in a very specific and special way. If you are cutting the impact of that choice down as much as you can, then that is really what it is all about.

We hope to see more and more photographers committed to limiting their personal impact on the planet, and getting certified so that the criteria for what makes a green (er) photographer continue to spread and become standard.

GP: What is your favorite eco website or eco-product that we may not have heard of?

GBG: http://www.idofoundation.org

The I Do foundation allows couples to set up wedding registries where a portion of guests' gift purchases are donated to a selected charity. There is also an option to create a charity registry, where your purchase directly supports that charity. We love the I Do Foundation because it provides a way to make all wedding registries green in some way.

Thanks so much to Samantha Grasso of The Green Bride Guide for taking the time to answer our questions!

If you have an idea for a spotlight feature or interview, let us know!