The WhatTheyThink Earth Day webinar - Certifications as Part of a Sustainable Business Strategy - sponsored by Océ North America and broadcast on April 22, drew a lot of attention. More than 330 registrants indicated that "green" is indeed a topic of interest to the graphic arts industry. (Listen to the archived event here>>) Serving as a panelist was Tom Sineath, CEO of T.S. Designs, representing a company that has taken the balance between People, Planet, and Profit to heart. A member of the April 22 audience said, "Tom is one of the few that walks and talks the green process!" Eric Henry, President of T.S. Designs and Tom's partner, has been a driving force in the company's move to become more sustainable, growing the company to more than 70 employees and printing millions of t-shirts every year. When you run out of ideas to apply to your company, take a look at the list of activities and initiatives that Tom, Eric, and their staff have in the works. You'll be able to come up with a few that will work for you! Admittedly, some of these won't work in an urban area, but think of this as a list of "thought starters:"

• Install solar panels
• Install a wind power generator
• Install a biodiesel "still"
• Build a greenhouse for employee garden space
• Compost lawn and break room waste to heat the greenhouse
• Purchase as many supplies locally as possible
• Locate a beehive on company property to sweeten coffee and tea in the break room
• Provide fair-trade coffee and tea for employees
• Encourage employees to bring and use ceramic mugs
• Turn part of your lawn into employee garden plots
• Use and recycle environmentally friendly light bulbs
• Turn part of your lawn into a natural meadow, eliminating the need for watering, herbicides, and pesticides
• Plant trees around your building - T.S. Designs went from 1 tree to more than 100 on their 4 acre space
• Encourage employees to join a CSA farm - Community Supported Agriculture - a cooperative effort between consumers and farmers
• Become active in community and industry organizations that reflect your company's values

As for the "Profit" portion of the equation, Eric says, "We're finding 50% of people come to us because of our business practices. Profit isn't a dirty word, but profit by itself isn't everything."