The EDC will be closed
 Thursday, Dec. 31 at 12:00 Noon & Friday, Jan. 1

Read Baylis' Herald Tribune Column

Gardening: growth through advice and access to capital
It's not backyard victory gardens or urban chicken coops. Economic gardening is a practice that has generated a lot of buzz in economic development circles across the country this past year.

As the national and regional economies slowly recover, states, regions and communities are turning to economic gardening as a more targeted and certain approach to creating jobs. [more]

10 Green Ideas Businesses Can Consider in 2010
Going “green” is more than just about what products to use, it’s about changing your mindset to understand that all of the little – and big – things you do will make a tremendous impact. 

Here are 10 green ideas, provided by EDC Investor Coastal Chemical & Paper Supply, that any business can easily implement and pass on to employees for in-home use:

1. Partner with the Sarasota County Green Business Partnership to assess environmental process improvements within their operation.

2. Assess solid waste reduction:  recycle cardboard, paper, magazines, phone books, aluminum cans, glass bottles, and #1 or #2 plastic bottles.

3. Upgrade toilets from a 3.5 gpf to a 1.6 gpf – This will reduce one person’s annual water use from 27,300 to 12,500 gallons.

4. Energy star qualified light bulbs use about 75% less energy than standard incandescent bulbs and last up to 10 times longer, which saves about $30 per bulb in electricity costs over the bulbs lifetime.

5. According to some manufacturers, a ceiling fan can save up to 40% on summer cooling costs and up to 10% on winter heating costs.

6. Buy recycled copy paper, business cards, cups, plates, toilet tissue, napkins, paper towels and facial tissues.

7. Do your laundry using cold water whenever possible.  Heating water is the #1 energy consumer in most houses.

8. Turn off your computer's screen saver.  By using the computer’s ‘sleep mode’ energy usage is reduced by 60-70%.  Turn off your monitor when not in use.

9. Have FPL perform a Business Energy Evaluation of your facility.  This comprehensive analysis can be beneficial in helping you plan for, control and manage your energy expenses.

10. Use DFE (E.P.A. ‘Designed for the Environment), Green Seal, Ecologo, or other certified cleaning products in your facility where the organizations' green certifications are verified and they look at the entire lifecycle of a product.  From the raw materials used to make it, to whether it is recyclable or disposable.

While this is a top 10 list, there are many others ways to go green:  from what cleaning products to use to how certain systems can reduce water and chemical usage.  If you have questions on how your business can be Green, please call Scott Miller, president & CEO, Coastal Chemical & Paper Supply, Inc. at (941) 955-8145.