We’ve only got one of it, so we better take good care of it.

Plant earth, that is.

I have to admit, I have always felt a strong kinship to the green world. Even though I grew up in a large metropolis in the 80’s, my childhood was full of playing in dirt, helping my Dad grow things in our little backyard garden and summers at camp where I realized my love for the outdoors and all the activities you could do outside in it.

My parents had a strong hand in guiding me towards thinking about where things come from and where things go when they are done with or how they could be reused for something else. I’ve tried living my life by making good choices in the purchases I make, how many purchases I make and if it’s necessary or not, and how I carry out my daily activities. It’s not always easy, but there are always ways to help make a difference, no matter how small they might seem.

When I first started my business, I really wanted to integrate green principles and have been thinking a great deal about how that might look for a photography business. These are some of the things I would like to work towards:

Products

• Source out a green flash drive supplier. Images are often given out on CD’s or DVD’s with an accompanying leather-style case, if given the option. Once the images are on your computer, of what use is the disc? It would be fantastic to pass along something that could be used time and time again.

• An even further step is to offer a completely green means of distributing files — through a third party online file sharing program that allows the client to download their photographs securely without creating any packaging waste or shipping emissions.

• Source out packaging materials that are not only 100% post-consumer recycled but will also fit with my current branding. That means papers, boxes, ribbons and any other sort of material that I might find would be useful for creating rigid yet beautiful packaging for your images.

• Source out a printing company in Vancouver that uses environmentally-friendly inks and energy efficient machines for business cards, stickers and any other print materials I might need.

• I have already found three excellent green album suppliers, but my ultimate goal is to marry a local book-binder and printer in Vancouver to custom design photo albums using high quality, environmentally sensitive and durable materials. This is a longer-term project that I am really excited to start looking into!

• My ultimate goal with providing products is to find as many local producers as possible to not only cut down shipping distances but to keep product costs down and keep the dollars in our local communities.

Business Practices

• I have been developing an online system that allows clients to view contracts, information materials, their invoices and other items digitally. This cuts down on print materials that might otherwise get thrown out or recycled. The ultimate goal with this system is to link an online payment program such as PayPal for easy payment for packages and also selection of items to build packages with.

• Begin a collection of rechargeable batteries for my flash.

• Carpool with other photographers or with my clients to reduce vehicle use. This may not always be a possibility or even feasible, especially for weddings, but if the moment allows, this is a great way to reduce vehicle emissions.

• Turning off my workstation every evening to save energy.

• Over the year as I develop and learn more about running and maintaining a business, I would like to incorporate “green” principles into my Business Plan and to have solid goals to work towards in the future.

• Encourage clients to print only what they need.

• Establish an online viewing gallery that clients can order prints from.

In the Wider Biz

• Become a member of Greener Photography

• Become a Certified Green Photographer

• I’d like to host a “greenest wedding give-away” to a prospective bride that is incorporating environmentally conscious choices into her special day. 
  

And this is just the beginning! There are also all the choices that I make on a daily basis….choosing to purchase local and in season produce (although I still love pineapple, eep!), choosing to take transit, walk or bike instead of the car, choosing to recycle, choosing to compost kitchen waste, choosing to turn lights off when you’re not in the room, the tap off when you aren’t using the water and turning the heat down and bundling up in a sweater.

And you can help by choosing companies that uphold green principles in their businesses. Small steps together can end up making a huge impact!