Doing business green

By Wendy Elliott

welliott@kentvilleadvertiser.ca

NovaNewsNow.com

Seventeen business owners or their representatives took part in a green business workshop recently in Coldbrook.

Rob Mains, one of the two instructors, said he found the participants very receptive to suggestions offered by the Dalhousie University-based extension service.

“They are often frustrated at being unable to access the kind of information” that improves energy efficiency and saves money.

Small and medium-sized enterprises rarely have the time or resources to focus on energy saving and environmentally friendly initiatives. So Mains and his colleague, John Choptiany, are traveling across this province, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick and heading to Newfoundland to offer a session that leads to reduced waste, energy conservation and savings.

In several locales, Mains noted, collaborative groups have formed as a result of the workshop to seek funds and further information about concepts like retrofitting.

“We like to get the right information to the right people. The sessions are very interactive,” he said. “They are a small, diverse audience scattered around the region.”

The pair brings the latest information on government financial assistance and details on best practices as outlined by the Dalhousie University Eco-Efficiency Centre.

Choptiany said the workshops cater to those who want to find local solutions. “No one size fits all,” he said.

One of the best results, he added, is the ongoing networking within the groups that continues after the two facilitators are long gone.