These days, “going green” in any industry seems like a no-brainer: consumers are demanding it from every product and service and it helps attract the very best and brightest employees. In most cases, it also saves a business owner money! In the fitness industry specifically, many businesses, especially those just starting out and trying to make a name for themselves are still struggling to comply with environmentally friendly standards. Here are just a few suggestions for starting down a greener path for fitness business owners:
Dim the lights: Make sure you’re using energy efficient bulbs in your facility and turning off the lights when not in use. You could also consider installing skylights to reduce the amount of lights needed!
Say no to plastic! Instead of offering clients bottled water, consider a water cooler to encourage clients to bring their own reusable bottles to reduce waste.
Get online! Ditch the fliers and handouts and opt for marketing online. You can use websites like SweatGuru.com to send marketing messages to your clients (like discounts, specials, etc). Email and Facebook will work just as well (if not better) than handouts.
About the Author
Jamie Walker is a personal trainer and co-founder of new fitness tool, SweatGuru. Prior to SweatGuru, Jamie and Alyse have owned and operated Fit Approach, a wildly popular San Francisco boot camp, blog, and online community whose “Sweat Pink” motto has inspired more than 5,000 global members and 20,000 monthly visitors to lead healthy lifestyles. Before she was bit by the start-up bug, Jamie spent seven years in Silicon Valley working in high-tech corporate communications with enterprise software and consumer technology companies such as Salesforce.com, Workforce Software, Jigsaw, Blinx and others.
A NASM and Yoga Alliance certified instructor, food-loving vegan and avid ultra marathoner, Jamie’s passion for health extends into everything she does.
She has been featured in Forbes Woman, Trail Runner Nation, The San Francisco Chronicle, BlogTalk Radio and more. She is a featured speaker and yoga leader at conferences such as BlogHer, FitBloggin, IDEA World, and CaptialOne 360 Entrepreneurship classes. She is also an IDEA Fit Inspired Advisor.
Jamie holds a degree in Political Science from the University of California, Berkeley.
