Nottawasaga Futures August 2012

Greening Biz News Information to help your business go green and save money!

Energy Funding Resources Summer is a good time to incorporate green business strategies. Air conditioning and increased water use strain our energy and water systems and increase our business costs. This month, we consider ways to reduce our environmental footprint during the summer.

Contents Page 1 Incentives for reducing

energy

Page 2 Local business strategies to reduce energy…and save money

Page 4 Summer workshop series

Page 4 Monthly Green Tips

Page 5 Additional Resources

Go Green. Save Money.

Incentives for reducing energy

An energy audit identifies your best potential for savings. Your local hydro company is providing an incentive for up to 50% of the cost of an energy audit until 2014. An energy audit will provide your business with information and an action plan on how to reduce your energy costs. Visit www.saveonenergy.ca/business or contact your hydro company to find out how to apply.

Is it time to replace pumps, refrigeration or unitary air conditioning? Take advantage of the hydro retrofit funding to reduce operating and maintenance expenses. Agribusiness measures can also qualify for this funding which covers up to 50% of the project costs. Visit www.saveonenergy.ca/business for more information.

Page 3 Summer reading ideas

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Nottawasaga Futures August 2012

Local business strategies to reduce energy consumption…and save money

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Energy reduction is important for reducing business costs and reducing environmental impacts. On average, commercial buildings are responsible for 40% of the energy used through heating, cooling, lighting, and equipment use. This month, we share examples of local businesses who conserve non-renewable energy through design, improved insulation and energy generation.

LOL Café and Fortify Networks – Cookstown Business owners who own their building know that investment in capital improvements is both expensive and necessary to maintain equity in the property. Tammy and Jacques, owners of LOL Café and Fortify Networks, invested in major renovations to their Cookstown building. They reinsulated the building and replaced windows at the same time as they upgraded the heating, cooling and ventilation systems (HVAC). Investing in energy efficient HVAC equipment makes sense once your building is insulated and draft free. Somerville Nurseries – Everett Building owners, landowners and business owners are taking advantage of the opportunities to harness renewable energy resources. Fred Somerville at Somerville Nurseries has installed solar energy panels on his business property to generate energy to feed into the grid. Fred estimates he will be generating a profit in

Tammy and Jacques Fortin of LOL Café in Cookstown

Nottawasaga Inn Resort & Conference Centre

Peter Biffis of Nottawasaga Inn pointing to the heat exchange system that takes cold water from

the outdoor pool to cool refrigeration compressors while warming the pool water (it

never freezes).

Tammy and Jacques completely retrofitted the historic Dawson Building at the corner of highways 89 and 27 in Cookstown. The Fortins are confident their initial investments to make the building more efficient will pay off: “Whether it’s 5 or 10 years, we know the changes will pay for themselves.”

The Nottawasaga Inn Resort & Conference Centre in Alliston has undertaken many green initiatives on their way to obtaining their Four Green Key certification.

Recently, the resort was licensed through Ontario Power Authority to create energy through wind power.

Business owners like the Biffis family have done their research and understand that investing in renewable energy now will pay back financially in the future while showing their commitment to the green economy today.

…continued on page 3

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Nottawasaga Futures August 2012

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about seven years, in the meantime he is receiving positive feedback from employees and customers, impressed by his commitment to renewable energy generation.

Keogh Construction – Alliston For new building construction, more owners are turning to a passive solar design. Paul Keogh of Keogh Construction harnesses the natural solar load on a building through thoughtful siting and design.

Even if you are in an existing building with a south facing exposure, you can take advantage of the solar load in the winter by opening blinds and lower air conditioning needs in the summer by installing window coverings and awnings that block the sun.

…Somerville Nurseries continued

Looking for a broad perspective on why we are moving to a green economy? Consider Bob Doppelt’s, The Power of Sustainable Thinking or Paul Hawken’s, The Ecology of Commerce.

For examples of sustainable business approaches try Greening your Business Profitably from Harvard Business Review. This book features articles and examples from a number of business leaders.

In Strategies for the Green Economy, Joel Makower, green business expert (www.greenbiz.com), addresses questions like “What is a green business?” and “Do consumers really care?” This book provides an excellent introduction to understanding the opportunities and challenges of greening your business.

These and many other green business books are available for loan from our

library. Go online to reserve one today! www.nottawasaga.com

Summer reading ideas from the Green Economy Centre Library

One of the houses built by Keogh Construction, a local company dedicated to helping home owners build energy-efficient homes. Describing his new passive solar designs, Paul Keogh says, “I would love to be building developments of them around community gardens one day.”

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Nottawasaga Futures August 2012

Monthly Green Tips q Conduct an environmental audit to

identify savings and reduce energy, waste and water.

q Provide insulated window coverings to block out the sun.

q Move office furniture close to natural

light sources to reduce lighting needs. q Turn off lights at night. q In the cool morning, open windows, turn

off air conditioning. q Examine your building for drafts and

cracks. q Retail and restaurant owners/operators,

consider installing an air door to keep out the bugs and keep in the air you paid to heat or cool.

Summer workshop series Join us at the Innisfil Municipal Offices on Friday

August 24th from 9:00 to 10:30 am for an information session on Human Resources Strategies for Small Business. Lasting Solutions, Northern Lights and Nottawasaga Futures will be presenting human resource strategies for small business and ideas for greening your human resources. Register by contacting Wendy at 705-435-1540 or email wendy@nottawasaga.com

Planning is underway for our September workshops including a Clean Marine certification workshop on September 11th and a Sustainable Manufacturing information session featuring Chad Metcalfe, President of Value Stream Solutions on September 18th. For more details or to register please contact Wendy at 705-435-1540 or email wendy@nottawasaga.com.

Green Economy Centre’s Energy efficiency workshop at Gigi’s Café.

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Nottawasaga Futures August 2012

Additional Resources

September’s Greening Biz News topic:

Green Business Best Practices If you are a business in South Simcoe and would like to share your green business practices, please contact us. By sharing your experience you help us encourage sustainable business practices and grow the green economy.

We can also come out to your business or a local venue to talk about the opportunities to further green your business. Call Susan at 705-436-3806 for more information.

We can come to you!

Contact the Green Economy Centre for more information about energy reduction strategies and incentives:

Alliston Office: (705) 435-1540 Bradford Office: (905) 775-9119

Innisfil Office: (705) 436-3806 Toll-free: 1-800-509-7554

www.nottawasaga.com/get Email: ced@nottawasaga.com

Green Economy Centre Partners