Greening The Backshop
“We’re able to re-use almost 100 percent of that water, because the saw uses the most,” he says. “We can’t use gray water for the polishers, but this is a start and, until then, we hadn’t been recycling anything.”
Coovert hasn’t been shy about talking up the company’s changes with clients, a fact that’s been made easier by putting its letterhead and business cards on recycled paper, and using recycled paper for all paper documents generated in the office.
Absolute also underwrote an initiative to give out 2,000 compact fluorescent bulbs. That effort has been publicized by the third consultant, Mark Birsinger of M.A. Birsinger & Co., who helped Coovert beef up his internet marketing by emphasizing Absolute’s green connections.
“We contracted with him to help us with our marketing,” Coovert says. “The main thing he’s done is revamped our search engine optimization (SEO) and helped us increase our web presence. We weren’t showing up at all, and now we’re in the top five in every possible search you can imagine. It’s been a significant difference and we’re getting dozens of inquiries a month from our website.”
Despite the positive publicity from the makeover, Coovert admits he isn’t getting nearly the revenue boost from it that Pickitt is seeing from his addition of solar cells. But, he notes that St. Louis is a pretty big city, and Absolute is, at best, a small, niche player.
“We’re doing what we can,” he concludes. “We aren’t going solar or putting in a wind turbine. As a small business owner, I can’t afford to be too green. But, there are things I can do, like spending a penny more a sheet to get recycled paper, and taking my light bulbs out. It’s not difficult, and not only are we doing it for the planet, but we’re doing it for ourselves.”
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