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The Big Impact from Greening Small Businesses
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When it comes to the environment, small business is big business.
Although large companies continually grab the headlines with far-reaching announcements about carbon reduction, recycling and eco-friendly products, small businesses have just as much ability to affect the environment.
In the United States, small businesses (defined by the U.S. Small Business Association as independent firms with less than 500 employees) employ half of the private sector workforce and use half of the electricity and natural gas consumed by the commercial and industrial sectors. In 2006, small businesses accounted for 99.9 percent of the 26.8 million businesses in the country.
Clearly we can't expect only the largest businesses that make up the remaining .1 percent to take action. While it's no groundbreaking revelation that everyone has to do their part to lessen their impact on the environment, the challenge lies in bringing the smaller players together and putting them all on the right track. If that sounds like an uphill battle, the good news lies in the numerous groups working on the issue, the leaders of which agree: what it all comes down to is working on the most local level possible.
The Business Alliance for Local Living Economies (BALLE) one of the largest of these groups, an affiliation of 52 business networks spread across 22 states, Washington, D.C. and Canada. BALLE works with its member networks to share ideas, experiences and tools that those groups can then take home and spread within their own local communities. Because each network is focused only on a specific area, it's able to work on region-specific needs and resources.
"What a small business is able to do that a large business is not, is they have a much closer connection with the community," said Ann Bartz, BALLE's network development manager. BALLE's focus is on moving local businesses to sustainable practices, Bartz said, and that varies by region and the types of businesses.
The group defines a local business as one in which the owner has full autonomy and authority to make decisions covering all aspects of the business. Typically these are small businesses, but BALLE doesn't set a size limit for members. Working with autonomous entities and free-spirited entrepreneurs can pose challenges, but it offers many other opportunities for success and innovation.
"They are a lot more flexible in the steps they are able to take," Bartz said. "They are able to make their own decisions about what types of lighting they want to put in or what types of relations they want to have with other businesses in the community."
Some of BALLE's networks were around for years before BALLE existed, joining the network because they shared the same goals and ideas. Other networks sprouted up because of BALLE, Bartz said. Businesses interested in sustainability formed a network specifically to join up with BALLE, or contacted the group for advice on how to make a network.
Green Networking
Although there are other groups organized like BALLE -- a nationwide organization that works with smaller local networks -- there are other ways for green businesses to come together, including many other independent green business groups or sustainability programs developed by chambers of commerce.
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