Giving greenfully!!

Christmas is just around the corner and it's that time where we all look for something to give our friends, relatives and, if we are in business, we may like to thank our key clients. When you select a gift, there is a new factor, as well as price and quality. This new factor is how this gift represents you as being someone who cares for the planet.

That does add some complexity - but it is quite simple. For your greetings, use email or cards printed on recycled paper. If you are purchasing sweets, chocolates, cheeses or other edibles, then consider locally produced instead of imported. For wines, consider wine from your own country - that's easy in Australia as we have a wide range of good local wineries. If your gift is one from another part of the world, then think about Fair Trade goods, such as Fair Trade coffee.

For a more expensive gift, you may like to give an experience, rather than something that may end up in a drawer unused. And think of experiences that are low impact, such as a voucher for a kayak or sailing cruise, rather than a jet boat around the bay. If you give a dinner in a restaurant, always ensure that the venue has a wide range of vegetarian options. Just use some thought so that the gift you give is one that is appreciated for its environmental impact as much as for its thought.

pic ex Flickr Christmas Gift Tags from MyTangerineDreams

Go Meet Online

Change in society always brings new business opportunities - and I have been working on one of these opportunites over the past few weeks. I was contracted to help develop a case study for small businesses to connect online with other small business owners, with suppliers and with clients. There are a flurry of new online meeting products now available to allow users to see each other, share desktops, and work on documents together at different offices. Our parameters meant that we wanted a program that would work on both Mac and PC environments, offer voice over IP, and be fairly simple to use.

We used an online meeting program called Megameeting, which allowed ten or so business owners to meet online in a virtual meeting room where we could chat, share tips, and discuss business challenges. While there definitely are improvements still to come in this emerging area, I have been amazed how everyone liked (even enjoyed!) this form of communication. It was great to conduct a meeting without having to catch public transport or fight through traffic and hunt for parking places. And with high petrol prices and airfares on the rise, it makes huge sense for business owners to consider using online tools where possible.

So "going green" may be as simple as changing the way you connect with those you need to meet regularly - and that could be just one more way to put you ahead of your competitors.