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) The Colour of Success 18th March 2007Flexicar was recently profiled as a case study in the Small Business Review in Melbourne's Sunday Age and The Sydney Morning Herald. TWO years ago, civil engineer Monique Conheady made a radical career change from her job as a project manager for a large infrastructure corporation. With several friends from her student days at Melbourne University, Monique co-founded Flexicar, a car-sharing business based on successful models she had seen in Europe and North America. Since then, her new career as CEO of Flexicar has really taken off. The company started in 2005 with some keen investors who wanted to support a sustainable business enterprise, a great idea, and Monique as the only staff member. "We won a business planning competition, which got us off to a good start," Conheady says. The business has since grown to support three full-time staff and a few part-timers, plus a range of 40 different carbon-offset fuel-efficient cars. Flexicar has about 850 members who pay a monthly fee based on the amount of car hours they are likely to use; fees start from $10 a month for five hours. Members are given a smart-card programmed to access any car they have booked through the system. "Although we started the business because we wanted to make a difference to the environment, the reasons that people joined at first were more about saving money," Conheady says. However, in recent months more members seemed to be driven by environmental concerns. "We're offering a service that is environmentally sound and costs less than the alternative of owning a car," she says. Click here to read the full story. THE LOWDOWN SAVING WATER * Rainwater tank installation, grey-water recycling and water-saving devices all mean big orders for small businesses. * Success stories: www.watershedwest.com.au; www.aquareuse.com.au; www.biolytix.com. * Accreditation: Standards Australia, www.standards.org.au; WELS scheme, www.waterrating.gov.au. SAVING ENERGY * There are many opportunities for business owners with different skills, whether it's selling low-energy products, providing consulting advice to reduce home or business emissions or offering carbon-offset energy schemes. * Success stories: www.neco.com.au; www.climatefriendly.com.au; www.energyconservation.com.au. * Accreditation: Standards Australia, www.standards.org.au; Energy Star (for appliances), www.energystar.gov.au; Green Power accreditation, www.greenpower.gov.au; carbon trading, www.greenhouse.gov.au. ORGANIC FOOD * "Food miles" are increasingly important to savvy consumers looking for fresh, sustainable local produce. * Success stories: Buy clean food - www.theorganicgrocer.com.au; Grow your own - organic food landscapes, www.greenrooms.com.au. * Accreditation: www.ofa.org.au/organic-certification.html. ONLINE SHOPS * Web-based stores specialising in ecologically sound products include www.neco.com.au; www.eco.com.au; and www.thegreendirectory.com.au. Common search term variations: Flexi car, car-share, carshare, Flexi-car, Car Share, carsharing, car sharing... |
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