Business Treading Lightly is a business sustainability coaching and mentoring service for businesses in the Illawarra, Highlands, Shoalhaven, Eurobodalla and Bega Valley regions.

It is a three and a half year initiative funded by the NSW Environmental Trust and supported by the seven local Councils.

The program commenced in July 2007, with the team recruited and the first businesses engaged by mid 2008. With funding of $2 million over the grant term, BTL has been able to recruit a team of skilled business sustainability advisors and a marketing specialist.

Under the grant, BTL is required to create reductions in business energy, water and other resource use, as well as reduce waste to landfill and support biodiversity outcomes.

The way that we do this is to help businesses implement changes to their processes and facilities that make business sense and save money.

BTL now has around 150 businesses making significant changes.

So what will BTL actually do for my business?

BTL knows that businesses don’t need more reports, websites and self-help guides. Most of the businesses we know have great ideas of how they want to change – it is finding the time and space to prioritise and work on these projects.

BTL uses a number of structured tools to help businesses create the habits and routines for managing their business more sustainably.

You can find out more about the tools at How can I Get Involved, but at their heart is development of an action plan, and practical help from BTL in obtaining and understanding baseline data, prioritising your needs, and calculating the savings and return on investment.

Once you get started and have had your first success, we raise your profile in the local media, can start you on a progressive recognition program, and can help you market your own success.

Making champions out of our partners is a key objective.

So you can learn and share with other businesses we also run network and cluster meetings in your area with other businesses in your sector or your region.

We know that running a business is more than a full time job. That’s why we provide you with significant one-on-one time with a locally based sustainability advisor until you get some runs on the board.

Every business is different, and we don’t pretend to be more of an expert on your business than you. But as each program is tailored to your buiness BTL can help in getting you started, facilitating the development of an action plan, and giving you the tools to understand and measure the benefits.

There are many businesses in this region who have had amazing success in reducing their costs and becoming more sustainable.

You can read about them at Case Studies.