Think of a local business that is well known for being environmentally friendly. Do you ever wonder why they do it?

What sets businesses like this apart is that they never consider their efforts as “extra”. The manager would not think to say, “in addition to performing your job description, we’d like you to use less paper.” Instead, a new employee will notice right off the bat that things are done differently there, and it’s a normal part of the job. The copier in this company would be loaded with paper already used on one side, forms would be used electronically, and the purchasers would reach first for products made with recycled content. To do otherwise would be, well, abnormal.

By definition, ”A sustainable society meets the needs of the present without sacrificing the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” Companies with a philosophy like this weave their sustainability ethic throughout their business operations – through their offices, cafeteria, shipping dock, restrooms, supply rooms, and right on down the street as you’ll see in a moment.

For example, take a look at Yes! A Journal of Positive Futures, a Bainbridge-based, nationally recognized magazine that educates its readers on sustainability practices. Their business is promoting sustainability, that practices what it preaches.

“Every action we take is a vote for the sort of world we want to live in,” says
Co-founder and Executive Editor Sarah Ruth van Gelder. “If we want a living planet, with vibrant local economies, and a future for all our children, we need to find every way possible to ‘vote’ for that sort of future.”

Prior to moving into its new suite, the company chose paint containing low volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The benefits were twofold: a healthier environment for those performing the painting and also for themselves as future tenants.

Next, were carefully chosen floor coverings low in toxicity. The modular carpet-tiles used are refurbished — and can be retextured, restyled, and re-dyed again. Got a stain? Remove the offending “tile” and replace it. For bare floors, natural linoleum was the choice instead of polyvinyl chloride (PVC). Since it is made of linseed oil, pine rosins, wood and cork fiber it is a candidate for composting someday in the distant future when it has met its intended use.

When the remodeling was complete, the company filled the suite primarily with reused furniture from another organization and with locally manufactured office furnishings made from materials salvaged from a deconstructed old barn. Their credo: Needlessly transporting items long distances is a drain on natural resources. There you go, sustainability at its best!

The employees recognize the waste management hierarchy (reduce, reuse, recycle) throughout daily operations. One easy and cost effective strategy for reducing waste is using old grocery bags for office trash bags. The company reuses office supplies, and even food waste goes into a worm bin. Virtually everything else gets recycled, such as paper products and mixed food and beverage containers. Little is thrown away because using up resources does not paint a positive future.

Then to top it off, down the street employees went, assisting other tenants in the building and the attached condo units to help them recycle. This is in their spare time when they are not publishing a quarterly magazine printed on 100 percent post-consumer, certified processed chlorine free paper — and helping educators develop sustainability curriculum for schools.

Why would anyone do this? Companies like Yes! ask themselves how they could not do it.