Green Selling Tip: Planning for Success in 2009

Whether we like it or not, the economy is going to impact our industry and as a result it may affect our sales and incomes. But since none of us control a 100 percent market share, there are still plenty of opportunities to grow and succeed even in a stagnant or temporarily shrinking economy. While there will always be winners and losers, we have plenty of opportunity to determine our future, but to succeed in this economic environment we have to be smart, have a good plan and execute it well.

So to begin 2009, I highly recommend that you conduct an annual self-assessment to determine where you are, what you’ve accomplished during 2008, and finally develop a specific plan for 2009. And while all of this is very basic, it saddens me to find sales people who don’t take these steps because it is the details that increase our chances of success. And I sincerely want you to succeed!

Revised Green Guide for Health Care™ Operations Section Released
Updated section of the best practices toolkit focuses on continuous improvement in facility operations.

(Arlington, VA) The most significant revision to the Green Guide for Health Care Version 2.2 Operations section to date has been released, marking the completion of a rigorous development process including two public comment periods. The Green Guide for Health Care, a project of the Center for Maximum Potential Building Systems and Health Care Without Harm, is the first voluntary, best practices green building and operations toolkit customized for the health care sector.

“The revised Operations section heralds a new era in sustainable facility operations in health care,” said Janet Brown, director of Sustainable Operations at Practice Greenhealth who, along with Cecilia DeLoach Lynn, Lorissa MacAllister, and Adele Houghton, led the revision of the Operations Section of the Green Guide for Health Care. “The expanded scope and revised organization around departmental work will appeal to operational facilities eager to establish their leadership in environmental excellence.”

From the Green Selling Tips Archive:
Green Selling - Green Cleaning as a Marketing Tool

No one has to tell building owners and operators about the competitive nature of the real estate market. Sure, "location, location, location" goes a long way, but what if you’re strategically located next to another great building? How, then, do you differentiate your building to attract new tenants?

What, too, can you do to increase the level of satisfaction among all building occupants, including existing tenants and employees, in the case of an owner occupied building?

Expert Insight:
Green Cleaning Tips of the Trade from Recent Award Winners

We felt the 2008 winners of the Green Cleaning Awards for Schools & Universities sponsored by the Green Cleaning Network, Healthy Schools Campaign and American School & University Magazine had a lot to teach us all - so we decided to share these insights.

We hope you can help implement something, or a few things, from these excellent programs.

For this brief glimpse into their programs' success - we look to First Place winners from Universities, Colleges and K-12 schools and districts: The University of California, Santa Barbara; Miami Dade College, North Campus; and Jonesboro (AR) Public Schools.

From Forest News Watch: UK Government timber procurement policy recognizes FSC, PEFC, SFI, CSA as evidence of sustainability

The UK government commissioned a review of certification schemes to monitor compliance with its own timber procurement policies, conducted through the so called Central Point of Expertise on Timber (CPET). CPET undertook an initial assessment of five forest certification schemes in 2004, carried out a further review in 2006, and is committed to reassess schemes every two years to monitor continued compliance, including assessing the certification schemes most widely used to certify timber used in the UK to establish which provide adequate evidence of legality and sustainability.

Green News Roundup: This Month's Top Headlines

Green Science Incautious approval of germ killer? A popular fear of germs has led to an explosion in the number of products including handsoaps containing triclosan. Despite a growing body of research suggesting that triclosan is an endocrine-disrupting contaminant, a new US EPA assessment of the chemical finds little cause for concern. This article from the American Chemical Society raises questions about the safety of triclosan, and while we certainly want to encourage handwashing, it raises serious questions about why we continue to sell handsoaps with triclosan when good old-fashion soap and water is equally effective in most non-healthcare or non-food handling situations. Read More Here

Green Cleaning The start of something big. The EU’s long-debated chemicals legislation is finally under way and is already beginning to affect the US market. The European Chemicals Agency has published a candidate list of 15 “substances of very high concern”--to flag chemicals most dangerous to consumers and to spur development of safer replacements and environmental groups have identified hundreds more some of which are used in cleaning products. Read More Here

Green Policy How the Obama stimulus plan may help environmental projects. President-elect Barack Obama has been talking up green jobs, green energy, and green infrastructure for a while, but as pressure has mounted for a new economic stimulus package, his push for green spending has acquired a sense of immediacy. Read More Here

Green Health Exposed to solvent, worker faces hurdles. There is a huge gap between what researchers are discovering about environmental contaminants and what they can prove about their impact on disease. Only a tiny fraction of worker’s compensation payments are received by those exposed to harmful substances at work. Read More Here

Green Schools In fake grass, some see real threat. For two decades, state public health officials have waged a massive campaign to eliminate children's exposure to lead, yet some specialists are concerned that the toxic element may have found its way into schools in the form of artificial turf fields. Read More Here

Green Labor Labor leader's green leanings. Hilda Solis, Barack Obama’s pick for Labor Secretary, has been a pioneer in getting barrio kids into college to train for green jobs. Now she'll put into action the Obama plan to train workers for the new, green economy. Read More Here

The Ashkin Group Calendar of Events

Click below for The Ashkin Group's schedule of upcoming events and presentations.