You recycle at home, take your own shopping bags to the grocery store, and maybe even ride a bike when you would rather drive. At night you sleep soundly wrapped in organic cotton sheets woven on a handloom at a Third World collective farm.

The dangerous side effects of our reliance on petro-energy, pesticides, and non-renewable resources are well documented. Runaway global warming could lead to the deaths of millions by starvation, malaria and a host of other tropical diseases. Pesticides poison groundwater while the rampant clear-cutting of forests tips the first domino in a complicated chain-reaction of environmental degradation only charted by a supercomputer.

The growing awareness of the fallout from environmental damage and pollution has made all of us “greener” consumers, but has it made you a greener retailer? “The small retailer is just starting to discover the benefits of going green,” said Jeff Grant, president and CEO of Trio Display, an internet-based store design and fixture company. (www.triodisplay.com)

“The small retailer is just starting to discover the benefits of going green,” said Jeff Grant.

According to Jeff, there are many ways to integrate green into your store. You can start with your choice of flooring. PET polyester carpet tiles are made from recycled soda bottles and are very durable. Since re-carpeting your store can be prohibitively expensive, and incredibly wasteful (unworn carpet is thrown away along with the worn carpet), by using carpet tiles all you have to do is replace the tiles in the heavy traffic areas. You save resources and money.

Simple changes to lighting can engineer big savings and save our non-renewable resources. Over ninety percent of our nation’s electricity comes from coal, gas, oil, and nuclear plants. By switching to LED or ceramic metal halide bulbs for display lighting you will realize substantial savings over the long run. But direct energy usage isn’t the only way alternative lighting saves. Both LED and CMH burn much cooler than the standard halogen display lighting, which cuts down on air-conditioning costs. Even replacing incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescents helps the environment. Some estimate that replacing one incandescent bulb with a compact fluorescent will prevent a half-ton of carbon dioxide, a major culprit in global warming, from entering the environment over the bulb’s lifetime.

Energy and materials conservation in retail also pays marketing dividends. The eco-consumer—and everyone else, is starting realize the environmental consequences of the most seemingly benign purchase and the customer sees value in patronizing “green” businesses. If your business can make authentic claims as a green retailer you’ll have an advantage over your competitors.

As the relationship between our everyday actions and the health of this great big blue planet of ours becomes more and more apparent, the greening of retail only seems natural…and responsible.

Tips for the Green Retailer

1. Buy supplies made from recycled materials–bags, copy paper, etc.
2. Offer re-usable shopping bags with the store logo on them for a nominal cost or on high ticket purchases.
3. Offer a discount to shoppers who bring their own bags.
4. Recycle cardboard packaging.
5. Use dry popped corn as a packing material, and include with the shipped item a note saying it can be reused or spread out for birds to eat.
6. Always ask suppliers if they can use eco-friendly packaging. They probably are not yet, but if more people ask for it, they will see the benefit of offering it.
7. Use creative ideas for gift wrapping. Don’t automatically put a box into another box, and then wrap it. Use original packaging, use a gift bag, maybe reusable ones made from scrap fabrics.
8. Donate old and outdated merchandise to charities rather than destroying it.
9. Ask vendors what materials they will accept for recycling—hangers, crates, etc.
10. Try to offer as many “green” versions of products as possible and make sure to tout this as a feature and benefit.
11. When remodeling ask your contractor to use as much green material as possible, flooring made from sustainable woods, materials made from recycled materials, etc.
12. Install a motion sensor on the light switch in your stockroom.
13. Talk your mall owner or management to buy a baler for cardboard and plastic. The trash can then be sold to pay the cost of the baler.

Stay current and consistent with your green “strategy.” As consumers further embrace the idea, your business and our environment will reap the benefits.