Setting effective sustainability goals, developing plans to measure consumption profiles and prioritizing “green actions” to reduce waste and save money was the aim of the June 1 GreenAction Workshop conducted by Tom Bowman, chairman of the Bowman Design Group.
With support from the Long Beach Green Business Council and the Aquarium of the Pacific, Bowman led the first local GreenAction Workshop to guide small business owners in developing customized green business plans.
Bowman’s GreenAction Workshop is based on the award-winning green business plan the developed and implemented at his own company, a plan that reduced the company’s greenhouse gas emissions by 65 percent in less than two years with an annual cost saving of $9,000. Bowman refers to small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) as “climate first-responders” and says the collective impact of the nation’s SMEs often are overlooked as an immediate and cost-effective step toward reducing the nation’s greenhouse gas emissions.
“Our success is easy for any company to replicate. We used a simple, systematic approach that wasn’t difficult or expensive to implement,” said Bowman.
But, few small business owners know where to begin. The GreenAction Workshop presented a proven approach through a combination of hands-on exercises and peer-to-peer learning. Each participant created a complete sustainability plan based on his or her own goals and business needs.
Bowman’s green business expertise has been recognized internationally and has earned the Bowman Design Group several sustainability awards. Most recently, the firm became the only company in the United States to receive a “Sustainable Company” certification from FAMAB, the German exhibition and events industry association.
The pilot workshop was held June 1 at the Aquarium of the Pacific.
Los Angeles-based Bowman Design Group translates complex ideas into engaging stories. The results create unique and memorable exhibitions, events, multimedia, and print communications for corporations, museums and other institutions.
