The Green Balance Sheet
Online tools can help grocers determine their green P&L.
In a commercial for the Certified General Accountants of Canada, one of the accountants asks the camera, “Do I believe the environment deserves a balance sheet?” to which he replies, “Yes, I do.” How does this statement impact small-business owners? Do we have a responsibility to try to assist in improving that balance sheet? And if we do, how do we know we're being successful?
We all have a responsibility to the planet, just as we do to our customers. The problem, however, is that business has traditionally approached efficiency by looking at P&L statements as a indication of how well or how poorly we're handling energy efficiency in our operations. Many business owners have undertaken energy-efficiency projects to one degree or another and simply looked at the bottom line of their utility bills to determine whether any savings occurred. The problem with this methodology is the fact that we've been seeing, and will continue to see, increases in the unit cost of energy.
One of the most important tools that small-business owners can use to determine just how successful they are in obtaining good results for the environment and their businesses is an analysis of their own carbon footprint. I'm currently in the fourth year of data with Carbon Counted, an online reporting tool developed by Steve Cox and Andrew Conway of Toronto.
What a detailed carbon footprint analysis will do for your business is to help you understand exactly how you're using energy in your business, set benchmarks for typical consumption, and develop plans on how you will lower your energy use in the months and years ahead.
Carbon Counted is simple to use. Once you've registered your business and input some basic data, you simply have to enter your units of consumption from your utility bills, and the quantity of refrigerants used by contractors to recharge leaks in your systems. From that data, you should receive a report that will show you where your C02 emissions are coming from, and over time, how they're changing as you make changes to your operations.
So, back to the accountant's question: Does the environment deserve a balance sheet? If you're not considering the impact your business is having on the environment, the planet's balance sheet likely won't be the only one to suffer.
Rio Ranch Wins $250 Shopping Spree from Pan-Oston
Rio Ranch Market has won a $250 customer shopping spree as part of Pan-Oston's Utopia Across America Tour, a program in which two of the Bowling Green, Ky.-based vendor's Mobile Innovation Centers — buses that showcase retail technology-related products and solutions — are visiting grocers across the United States. Retailers that participate in the tour are eligible to win $250 to use for a customer shopping spree promotion. One winner in each state visited will be awarded.
Progressive Grocer is following the tour in real time via two groups in the Independent Grocer Network (one for Bus Route 1 and one for Bus Route 2), as well as on its website and in the pages of Progressive Grocer Independent, PG's special supplement for independent grocers and the wholesalers that serve them.
Rio Ranch Market operates seven stores in Southern California and employs more than 400 associates. It offers one of the largest selections of specialty items from Mexico, Central America and South America.