6 ways to help your organization save money and the planet.

We have six years left to implement climate solutions for the health of the planet and its people. Now is the time to rise and take action. You can reduce the cost, the carbon, and the complexity of taking action on the climate with these 6 steps.

1. Get it on the Agenda: Schedule a Board conversation to discuss the impact of a changing climate on your organization’s mission, impact and future. At the Board level, prioritize a commitment to action to reduce cardon emissions, save your organization money, and better serve your constituents.

2. Tap into Savings: If your organization owns your building, schedule a free energy audit as soon as possible to unlock free services and government incentives. Contact CET to get started: https://www.centerforecotechnology.org/save-energy-at-work/

3. Drive Green: If your organization owns vehicles, look into state and federal incentives to move to electric vehicles, which are lower cost to run and maintain. Contact https://www.mass.gov/service-details/state-and-federal-electric-vehicle-funding-programs to get started.

4. Reduce Waste: If your organization generates waste, look into ways to reduce and recycle. Contact RecyclingWorksMA.com for FREE assistance.

5. Plug into the sun: Where does your organization get its electricity? Power brokers, such as the non-profit PowerOptions, can help source your organization’s electricity from renewable sources: https://poweroptions.org/

6. Write a Green Mission Statement: A Green Mission Statement is your organization’s commitment to action on sustainability. It supplements your organization’s overarching mission statement. Put another way, it is your current mission expressed through a sustainable lens.  

Coming up with an official statement will hold your organization accountable and engages and inspires people who care about your mission. Ideally, it will express how you will be more environmentally responsible than in the past and get into specifics relevant to your area of work. According to the Green Business Bureau, a good Green Mission Statement should include:

WHY - what you believe

GOALS - what you hope to achieve 

CRITERIA - how you will measure success

To get started, see https://risemanconsulting.com/green-mission-statements