How To Save Money And Make Your Business Sustainable

For businesses large and small, there is a continuing quest to make operations more eco-friendly and sustainable as part of the growing clamour to be a leader in social responsibility. In many cases, running a more sustainable operation means that there are also significant money savings to be made. What are the best options available to both large and small businesses, which will reduce their carbon footprint as well as make their bottom line look healthier?

Guest Post courtesy of Scotts Contracting, St Louis Renewable Energy

Premises

One of the growing trends in building design is that of the ETFE roof. As well as being prominent in many modern designs, the understanding of the impact an ETFE roof can have on a business has seen it become a highly sought after solution by many business owners. Whether it is building their own premises or renting a commercial property, ensuring the building has an ETFE roof can lead to many ecological and financial benefits for a business.

Benefits of using an ETFE roof include:

· Cheaper and greener construction than glass, as well as weighing only 1% of the equivalent area of glass, meaning other environmentally damaging construction materials do not need to be used as much in supporting the roof structure.

· Much higher levels of light transmission than glass, meaning the building can benefit from much lower lighting costs – both an environmental and financial plus!

· An ETFE roof acts as a natural insulator for a building, so similar to the last point, a building will see their heating usage and subsequent bills reduced massively. With most heat from buildings lost through the roof, ETFE could well be the answer you need.

Owners of small business are often paralysed by the feeling that they are unable to have any wide impact on the overall environment; however by choosing a premises with an ETFE roof they will be doing exactly that. The financial benefits also associated with ETFE roofing can also be a huge incentive to new businesses looking to reduce costs.

Alternatives

There are other many widely used alternatives that business owners can use to save money. Building a premises, or renting one, with an ETFE roof is not always possible, so what are the other options available?

· Cut down carbon emissions caused by journeys to work – are any of your team able to work from home? Even considering a property with an ETFE roof, do you need a premises at all?

· Use energy monitoring and saving appliances throughout your business to reduce usage and costs.

· Ensure you recycle as much as possible.

By carrying out these small, simple, yet massively effective steps, you can potentially save your business a lot of money moving forward. Try and affiliate yourself with an environmental awareness group or another that produces certifications, so you can build your credibility as an environmentally aware and friendly business, while all the time continuing to grow profits.

URL: http://www.vector-foiltec.com/
Keywords: ETFE roof


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Green Blog <http://stlouisrenewableenergy.blogspot.com>

Bokashi For Students-Guest Post

Bokashi For Students

Composting is an increasingly popular habit that helps individuals, the environment and even the economy. For busy students in graduate programs online, who are often living in small housing like apartments or dorms; many methods of composting are unfortunately impractical due to space and time constraints. Bokashi offers a quick and convenient composting solution for students with little time and space.

Bokashi is the Japanese word for fermented organic waste. The microorganisms found in Bokashi break organic matter down quickly, compactly and in an odor-free way. Although it is referred to as composting, what is really happening is the microorganisms are fermenting the food waste in a Bokashi bin. Bokashi is a mixture that is added to food scraps. The mixture contains one of several different types of carriers such as bran, rice hulls or sawdust along with the effective microorganisms (commonly referred to as EM). The Bokashi mixture aids in the fast fermentation of the food scraps and helps significantly speeds up the process of composting, which will really help make the process faster for students.

Because composting is so beneficial to the environment, using a system like Bokashi is a great solution for students or others who need a compact and easy way to dispose of kitchen scraps in an environmentally friendly way. Here are some of the reasons Bokashi is ideal for busy students who wish to compost:

Location and Space

Those who use traditional composting techniques must carefully consider location when starting a compost pile. An article from The University of Illinois outlines some helpful tips for homeowners who would like to begin composting. The article suggests choosing a location with good drainage and avoiding too much direct sunlight or wind. Bokashi composting, however, can be done anywhere. Students can use any bucket or purchase a specially designed Bokashi bucket and place it almost anywhere.

Time

Turning the compost pile, watering and even monitoring temperature are all common suggestions for those trying to succeed at composting. For busy students, Bokashi is ideal because none of this is required. Kitchen scraps are added to the bucket, followed by a sprinkling of Bokashi. The only additional step is to drain the liquid from the bucket every few days. The liquid can them be diluted and added to plants. The simple process is repeated until the bucket is full at which point students can use their compost to grow their own apartment garden or donate it to someone else with space to garden. Materials can take months to break down into compost using other mehods, making Bokashi the quick alternative.

Money

Students will find that Bokashi composting is cost effective in a number of ways. The only equipment required is a bucket and Bokashi; no other special tools are required. Students can dispose of many types of kitchen scraps and create high quality compost quickly and easily. Students who would like to grow a small garden can even use their Bokashi to fertilize a small patio garden.

Students can choose to use any large bucket or make an initial investment and purchase a convenient Bokashi bucket. Students have two options when it comes to obtaining Bokashi to add to their food scraps. The least time consuming method is to buy pre-mixed Bokashi and simply sprinkle it on the layers of food scraps. This will require regularly purchasing bags of Bokashi, or you can mix your own. There are step by step processes for making Bokashi to mix with your food scraps. In this case the carrier Wheat Bran is mixed with warm water, molasses and EM (the microorganisms). A number of variations can be used like using sawdust or rice hulls as a filler. The requirement is that a carrier be mixed with the composting microorganisms to be effective.

Making an Impact

Students interested in reducing waste and helping the environment will find that Bokashi is the ideal way for them to do so. The Bokashi process allows users to compost almost any kitchen scraps, including meat and dairy that cannot be used in regular composting. Students will feel good knowing they are producing less waste and reducing pollution by using the Bokashi fermenting method to dispose of food waste.

Pest Free

Bokashi composting is odor free and contained in a small container; therefore it does not attract rodents and other undesirable pests the way regular composting can. For students who often rent or live in dormitories this is important.

With the many personal and larger environmental benefits that can be realized through composting; it is appealing to many people, including students. Unfortunately many students are not aware of this simple and versatile way to compost kitchen scraps and believe that composting is not practical for typical college living situations. Bokashi makes composting possible for people like students who would not otherwise be able to participate.

Anthony recently completed his graduate education in English Literature. A New Mexico native, he currently resides and writes in Seattle, Washington. He writes primarily about education, travel, literature, and American culture. garciaanthony39@gmail.com

See Collection of Guest Posts on St Louis Renewable Energy

Guest Post Provided by: Scotty, Scotts Contracting

If you are interested in Green Building on an Investment Property Check out the Benton Gut Rehab Blog Series-Benton Gut Rehab Green Blog Series

Part 1: History

Part 2: Stone Foundation Repair

Part 3: Tuckpointing the Brick Walls pt 1

Part 4: Tuckpointing the Brick Walls pt 2

Part 5: What were they thinking?

Part 6: Paint Pro Tip #35

Part 7: Repairing Water Damage-Exterior Wall

Part 8: 1st Floor Weatherization

Part 9: See the Difference a Little White Paint Makes

Part 10: Interior Framing-Plumbing-Laundry Room

Part 11: Kitchen Framing Tip #36-Benton Rehab Project

Part 12: Water Main Repair- Benton Rehab

Part 13: Benton Rehab Project Drywall Installation and Tip: Number 1172

Guest Post, Guest Blog Tips

Five Tips Every Guest Blogger Should Know
One of the best ways to increase your visibility is to become a guest blogger at a popular blog. This is a chance for you to gain exposure to a new audience and credibility by being associated with highly-respected bloggers with major followings. Guest blogging is a win-win situation for everyone if done right: the blog gets excellent and free content to use while the guest blogger gets increased exposure for their blog, brand or products.

Of course, there are many other people who want to become guest bloggers for the same reason it might make sense for you to do the same. In order to get the prime guest blogging spots on the top sites you need to make yourself and your content stand out from the pack. Here are five tips on how to make that happen:

1. Read and Understand the Blog: It's amazing how many people contact major blogs wanting to be guest bloggers without fully understanding what the blog is all about. Each blog has its own topics that are of interest to the owners and their readers. If you suggest content which is not appropriate your guest blogging request is going to be denied.

Instead, read through the past two to three months of blog posts to see what topics the blog is focused on. You'll want to avoid pitching topic ideas that have already been covered, but at the same time you might be able to pitch a rebuttal to a previous post or a different take on a popular theme. This will also give you a strong sense for the tone of the blog.

2. Know the Guest Blogging Guidelines: Not all blogs accept guest bloggers, so you'll want to make sure they do before you pitch them with your idea. If they do accept guest posts, chances are that they'll have specific guest blogger guidelines published on their site. It's important to review these rules before you contact a blog. You don't want to break any rules at the start which might anger the blog owners and make it harder for you to convince them to let you be a guest blogger. If you seem uninformed about the guidelines of the blog, it's tough to convince a blogger that you will provide great content.

3. Write the Blog First: If you are dealing with a very popular blog, chances are that the site's owners and editorial team are extremely busy. Taking the time to establish a rapport with the blog's management, pitching a story idea and then working through the details is time-consuming. In many cases, it's better to just write a blog on a topic you feel confident will work and send it to the blog. If they like it, they can publish it without having to jump through hoops. If they reject it, you can take it to another blog.

4. Prove Yourself: It's important to provide your credentials when sending over a guest blog in order for the bloggers to understand that you are an expert in the field. A guest blog written by a savvy industry professional is going to carry more weight than one written by a random person. Explain to the blog why you are the right person to discuss a certain topic with their audience and what perspective you bring that can't be found anywhere else.

5. Write a Compelling Headline: A great headline can do more than bring readers to your blog -- it's also the perfect way to grab the attention of the owner or editor of a blog. Much like readers, the people you contact with a request to guest post might only skim to the title of your proposed post. If it's interesting and engaging, they'll want to read more; if it's boring or stale, they'll move on. One great tip is to write a headline that proposes a question you will answer in your article.


GUEST POSTS ARE CLOSED or BY INVITATION ONLY Scotty 10/10/2014

Information Provided by:Scotty, Scott's Contracting GREEN BUILDER, St Louis "Renewable Energy" Missouri http://stlouisrenewableenergy.com; contact  for additional information or to Schedule a "Free Green Site Evaluation"