Global warming is everybody's business. That's why Ecotrust Canada offers a unique service that helps entrepreneurs turn an environmental problem into a business opportunity.

Climate Smart is a cost-effective service providing small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with three streamlined workshops to teach them to measure, reduce and offset their carbon footprint. The service also offers four hours of one-on-one technical assistance by telephone and user-friendly software designed specifically to help businesses track their greenhouse gas emissions.

By taking action on global warming, you can cut your energy costs, brand your products and services as environmentally responsible, and recruit and retain employees with a shared commitment to the environment. That's what we call a cool business.

Join a Climate Smart Group

Climate Smart brings groups of about a dozen companies together to learn about climate change strategies for small business through peer learning and through three workshops run by climate change experts. The group format keeps costs low for each participating company. The service is best suited to businesses with staffs of between five and 500.

Each of the three workshops will teach participants how to:

• measure your carbon footprint by mapping your operations, collecting your emissions data and calculating your footprint
• reduce your footprint and cut your energy costs by identifying your best carbon reduction opportunities and setting specific reduction targets
• offset your footprint to become a carbon neutral company by learning about the emerging voluntary carbon offset market

Climate Smart is designed to provide your business with the training and tools needed to become more environmentally responsible and competitive in an era of soaring energy costs.

Small Business, Big Impact

SMEs are the engine of BC's economy, representing about 30 percent of BC's GDP and 58 percent of all private sector jobs. While each individual enterprise's carbon footprint may be small, the cumulative emissions of 300,000 SMEs are significant. Since 2007, some 50 small businesses and organizations have learned to measure, reduce and offset their carbon footprint through Climate Smart.

Benefits

• Increased energy and operational efficiency and cost savings
• Marketing advantage
• Employee satisfaction and recruitment
• Peer network of climate change-savvy businesses
• Certificate of participation 

Workshop Dates

• Climate Smart Group No. 7: Nov. 13,  Dec. 11 , 2008 & Jan. 15, 2009 in Vancouver
• Climate Smart Group No. 8: Jan. 20, Feb. 17 & March 17, 2009 in Vancouver.

Cost

$1,500 + GST for up to two participants per company

Registration

Please fill out an application form and email it to gen@ecotrust.ca. To download the (MS Word) form, click here.

Contact

Michelle Bonner at Ecotrust Canada at 604.682.4141 x 234 or michelle@ecotrust.ca.