1. Waste Not, Want Not
All waste that your business generates might be costing you unnecessarily. So take a hard look at where and how your salon creates waste and come up with ways to reduce, reuse or eliminate it completely. One area that generates lots of waste is the color department. Encourage colorists to be more precise when mixing formulas. Recycle your foils and color tubes and send them to a local recycling plant. Let clients process naturally instead of under the dryer. Leave waste where it belongs – the bathroom.
2. Water Me
Some of the world’s rivers are emptying faster than nature can fill them up. Salons use tons of water every day, and there are definitely ways to cut back on wasteful use. First, check your salon for water leaks that may be going unnoticed. When feasible, shut off all water-using outlets and monitor your water meter. If it’s showing water input, you have leaks in your system. The money for repairs will be considerably less than the dollars literally being washed down the drain if you don’t. Turn off the water when it’s not being used, like between cleansing and conditioning. Install low-flow faucets, toilets, valves and energy-efficient washers when your budget allows.
Take the Aveda Water Flow Test: Use a bucket and a timer to measure how many gallons of water you use per minute for sinks, shampoo bowls, and showers. Aim for a goal of 2.5 gallons per minute or less to avoid water waste.
3. Shut it Down
Effective immediately; make it a policy to shut off all lights and equipment when not in use, and especially when the salon is closed. Electronics use energy while they’re plugged in, even if they’re switched off. Make this simple task a complete no-brainer by plugging all of your electronic goods into an energy-efficient power strip so at the end of the day all you have to do is flip one switch.
4. Bright Idea
Keeping a salon light and bright is like gassing up a Hummer, especially if your salon has tanning beds. In a tanning salon, lighting can account for as much as 40 percent of your business costs, so one way to keep this costly energy-guzzler at a more manageable level is to replace incandescent lights with fluorescent bulbs. Try Eco-Lites. The lights not only give off the perfect tone to assess color, they also use 40-60 percent less power, reduce heat values and last ten times longer that the average bulb. Many credit these new lights for substantially reducing their electric bill.
5. Paper Cuts
Help preserve fragile forests – and your operating budget – by reducing your paper waste. Set your printers to print double-sided or collect used paper that’s blank on one side and printed on the other. Stock your bathrooms with post-consumer recycled tissue products. Purchase ceramic mugs for your clients’ coffee rather than throw-aways. Finally, send out correspondence to your clients via email or on post-consumer recycled paper whenever possible.
6. Flex Your Green Thumb
Offset your salon’s carbon footprint by doing some simple but beneficial landscaping. Planting leafy trees or shrubs on your salon’s property will not only give you stellar curb appeal, it will also increase your water efficiency and restore oxygen back into the air. And if you’re feeling extra-ambitious, contact an organization that plants trees on your behalf to neutralize your carbon footprint. Some of these programs could even be tax-deductible.
7. Get with the Program
Don’t heat or cool an empty building! Program your thermostats to automate your HVAC system so you scale back your heating and cooling when the salon is closed. In the summer, set your system so your desired temperature kicks on about an hour before opening and then set the temperature to rise several degrees about an hour after closing. Do the opposite in colder months. Six months of energy savings will generally pay the installation costs of HVAC units, which is a great ROI! Create a long term plan in your budget to install a new high-efficiency system and you’ll really see the savings. According to Pacific Gas & Electric Company, for every degree you lower your heat in the 60-degree to 70-degree range, you’ll save up to five percent on heating costs.
8. Not So Friendly Skies
Air travel is not only costly, it’s bad for the environment. Encourage your staff to carpool to work. Attend continuing education classes nearby that you can drive to, and get your staff to carpool. Great classes are offered online too!
9. Responsible Remodeling
Planning to remodel an outdated space? Make it green by building with sustainable materials like bamboo flooring, recycled metals, energy efficient windows and other locally-manufactured materials. Check the current LEED standards for commercial properties to see how you can earn a green building certificate. Building with energy-friendly materials could result in a sweet return on your taxes come tax season. Finally, check the Classifieds section in the paper to find salon equipment and furniture you can repurpose instead of buying new.
10. Glamorous Green
Amp up your customer service and without adding to your costs. Ditch bottled water and opt for a Brita water pitcher you can fill up right at the tap. Serve it with a lemon wedge or cucumber slice and you’ve got top-notch water – right from the sink! Serve snacks and goodies on glass plates and with cloth napkins rather paper and you’ve eliminated waste and upped your glam factor tenfold. Use environmentally-friendly, clean-burning soy candles in your reception area and spa rooms rather than paraffin candles, which contain petroleum. Set out pretty coffee table books in the reception area for your clients to read and donate old magazines to a local women’s shelter.
Article by: Maria
Working happily with National Merchant Services
www.processnms.com
Happy Processing!!!
Article Source: http://www.behindthechair.com/displayarticle.aspx?ID=1451
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