Full house at the BSA! Business leaders giving feedback to the City of Boston Climate Action Plan.

This morning at the Boston Society of Architects space, CALC in conjunction with The City of Boston's Greenovate team hosted a small business meetup where companies could learn how to take advantage of the city's environmental programs. Panelists included Steven Rumpler from Boston Main Streets and Todd Cowger of Rise Engineering. Also in attendance was a small group of climate champions who have taken advantage of the opportunities afforded by the Greenovate platform; they each shared their experiences of both success and challenges they faced.

Individuals in attendance were encouraged to share the way their small business led the way in sustainability and what programs and incentives they already use to save their company money. Tech Networks of Boston offers employees an MBTA program in which TNB reimburses half of their MBTA pass and we also have a smart car available for company use. This saves our company travel expenses going to and from client sites, and is a great incentive for employees to stick to using public transportation. These are just some of our green office initiatives.

The last part of the meetup focused on suggesting changes to existing programs to further help small business sustainability. This included increasing outreach to small businesses to make them more aware of the advantages of "going green", consequently saving them money as well as benefiting the environment. Individuals also suggested expanding bike programs to outlying areas and giving commuters more time-sensitive options. If you are interested in contributing to the effort to help shape the 2014 Climate Action Plan, you can email CAP2014@Cityofboston.gov.