PaperlessKitchen Blog

Marketplace Article Illustrates The Economic Benefits Of Sustainable Business Practices

If you're the owner of a small business, developing a sustainability plan is obviously the responsible thing to do for the planet, but a recent article published on Marketplace.org (http://www.marketplace.org/topics/sustainability/wet-towels-hotel-rooms-corporate-goal) points out that it may also be good for your business, particularly if you hope to obtain large accounts from major corporations.

The article discusses a practice at Aria Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. The hotel has adopted a policy of not providing clean towels to guests unless they specifically request them. This breaks from the water-conserving practices at most hotels in Vegas, where a card is normally placed in the room instructing guests to leave towels on the floor if they want new ones. If you're staying at Aria, it doesn't matter where you leave your towels; if you don't contact the front desk or housekeeping to make a special request, you won't be receiving clean towels at any time during your stay.

Marketplace discussed the reasons behind this decision with the leadership at Aria. It turns out that the resort established the policy because of the lengthy questionnaires that major corporations send to them when they are selecting a facility to host large conferences. Having special sustainability policies can give hotels an edge and help them secure the business of companies like IBM.

Even if you're not in the hospitality business, this article shows how beneficial green business practices can be. Large corporations use these types of forms for all types of event planning and purchasing, so if you wish to compete your industry and win large jobs, thinking big and taking steps to go paperless and conserve can help you get an edge.

The Impact Of Paperless Cockpits

Earlier this year, we reported on American Airlines' newly approved iPad technology that allowed the airlines to reduce the size of the paper manuals that the FAA required pilots to keep on board. At the time, it was evident that the new system would be better for the planet, but with the program underway, it is now apparent that the paperless cockpit is good for business, too.

American Airlines estimates by removing the 35 pounds of paper from their cockpits, they will save 400,000 gallons of fuel each year. This will result in $1.2 million in savings annually, not to mention reduced costs for purchasing paper.

Clearly, paperless cockpits are ideal from a business standpoint, and now that American Airlines has proved successful, JetBlue is also considering a paperless cockpit program.

U.S. airlines are not the only ones going the paperless route. In Australia, the Australian and International Pilots Association has backed the development of paperless systems at all of the major airlines, and the association's president, Barry Jackson, estimates than within a year, all of the airlines that operate in the country will be using iPads instead of paper manuals.

Paperless kitchen wants to know: Would you take whether or not an airline was paperless into consideration when booking a flight? Tell us in the Comments section!