Intuit's GreenSnapshot: Do You Have it in Your Green Biz Toolkit?

Our professional consulting practice puts us in front of small business owners representing different sectors of the economy. Like most, these small business leaders are curious how helping the environment can be good for business but are constrained by limited time and resources. Fortunately, for QuickBook users, a free tool, GreenSnapshot is available. Recently, Intuit launched a free service that uses QuickBooks data to calculate the business' carbon footprint and offer suggestions on how to reduce it.

As explained in our business sustainability programs, integrating sustainability concepts into core business functions makes companies more nimble in a fast-changing world. It also makes a business’s brands more attractive to consumers and retailers, and its management more respected by employees, regulators and the financial markets. In short, the drivers for improved business sustainability equate to cost savings and improved performance. GreenSnapshot is a small business resource that helps you do just that.

Small business owners can use the tool to gain insights to the impacts of the business and use those insights to expand eco awareness in the business. Start by communicating the initial findings to suppliers and employees, look for quick wins to reduce the impact, and set out for longer term initiatives. Ideas explored in our business sustainability consulting include:

Office Energy Consumption – Evaluate the average energy use per square foot of office space and implementing best practices to reduce: energy consumption studies, efficiency practices, equipment modifications, etc.
Employee Commuting – Offer employees incentives to ride public transportation or participate in car/van pooling or begin an employee telecommuting program or bike commuting program.
Water Conservation – Manage water entering the company and look for opportunities to reuse water.
Management Systems – Raise eco awareness and company commitment through established sustainability policies, standards, metrics, and self audits.
Recycling and Waste Reduction - Anywhere there is a trash can, there should be a recycling bin.
Resource Conservation – Consider material and energy consumption across the entire value chain…reduce, reuse, recycle.
Sustainable Partnering – A key aspect of business sustainability is making sure that you manage your supply chain and partner with companies with similar values.
Sustainable Education and Development - There is always more you can do to make your business more sustainable. Encourage education and innovation within the organization.

Business sustainability is a business improvement mindset that drives changes in the organization to deliver real value for the environment as well as your business. Small business owners limited by time and resources can leverage Intuit's GreenSnapshot tool to get a quick view of environmental impacts and begin to take eco action to reduce them.