Whether You Are Certified Or Not; Good Ideas

I was talking with a friend about how I comply with my org. certification and he thought I should post it. Here you go:

One part of the regulation, 205.200, says: “Production practices implemented in accordance with this subpart must maintain or improve the natural resources of the operation, including soil and water quality.”

Most certifiers do not enforce this – but I think it is a good idea regardless so every year I try to find a new way to add a practice in my business to my organic system plan (and my business procedures) to reduce my impact on the planet. The first year I simply made sure that all my boxes and all my office paper were recycled – to some percentage. The next year I figured out that I could give all of my empty drums to folks who were either in the bio-diesel business or who wanted to make barbecues – so I posted in the “for free” section of craigslist. No more problems looking for homes for my empty drums! Then I switched to 100% recycled/bio-degradable puff for packing our boxes. Most recently I wrote all of my customers and told them we wanted to shift to paperless invoicing – we email all invoices (I do have 2 customers that insist on paper). This saved paper, envelopes, time, gas to the P.O., stamps, and printing ink! We done a few other simple things, swirly light bulbs, up the recycle content of boxes and paper, we recycle everything anyway – it is law in our county.

For next year we are talking to the landlord and I’m helping them shift the entire landscape around our building to native & Mediterranean, low water need plants (getting rid of the grass – not like were playing football here!). Fortunately I have a hobby of brain dead low maintenance gardening so I’ve got the resources, suppliers and plants at my fingertips. We think we can save the building (CAM if your are a commercial renter) a bunch of money with this change.

Anybody have any other ideas?