Changing the Color of your Holistic Practice

Going Green in the Healing Arts
By Kaye Coleman, Campus Manager SWIHA Flagstaff!

            Going green is increasingly important in this day and age.  It is something all holistic practitioners and businesses need to be conscious of, and certainly many of our clients will expect it from us. Since mainstream methods of medicine, such as pharmaceuticals, have a big impact on the earth due to their manufacturing process (plastic bottles and chemicals to dispose), the very act of holistic healing work is a way to be green.  Beyond the holistic work that we do, there are other elements of our businesses that could be greener. SWIHA offers the following tips on how to be green. As an institution, we have made many of these changes to be more in tune with green ideals.

Email and Paper

·          Emailling Newsletters with special offers to your client database is a great - completely paperless - way to stay in contact. 

·         All intake forms should have a place for clients to enter their email address so you can build your email list with your practice!

·         Since you will most likely need paper forms for your business, using 100% recycled paper is the best way to make the smallest impact.

·          SWIHA has switched to 100% completely recycled paper at both locations.  

Organic Products

·         For body workers in private offices go organic when buying lotions ... especially when buying aromatherapy products.

·         If you can, stay away from commercial products and products that are tested on animals.

·         If you sell products to your clients, switch to a reusable cloth bag instead of a plastic or paper bag. Suggest to your clients that if they keep using the same bag when buying products from your salon you can give them a percentage off there next purchase of products.

Other Supplies

·         For hydrating our clients, use regular cups for water instead of paper cups or bottled water.  Most bottles end up in landfills! You can certainly recycle them, but remember to remove the cap - it often is not recyclable. 

·         You might consider having a water dispenser that you can fill up at the local grocery store; having water delivered impacts the environment with the gas used in the delivery truck.

·         Change out all the light bulbs to high efficiency florescent light bulbs. It is not only green, but extremely cost effective. SWIHA has changed out all regular light bulbs on both campuses and noticed a significant reduction in our electricity bills.

·         Use roll towels instead of paper towels. Paper towels take a lot of energy to produce and as such have a large impact on the environment.

·         Use green cleaning products. These keep our school and clinic sanitary and do not negatively impact the earth.   

·         Change computers to monitors to flat screens. They cut down on some of the Co² we put into the atmosphere.

·         At SWIHA Flagstaff, we painted our school and clinic with eco-paint which significantly reduces fumes and provides an esthetically pleasing environment without the toxins of regular paint.

·         We also have a complete recycling program ... all the way down to glass.  Recycling is easy to add to any business. 

Commuting

·         Lastly, if you have the ability to walk or bike to your office, this is yet another way to positively impact our environment.  The less we drive the better.  It also can be quite enjoyable to be outside when traveling to sessions. 

·         Walking or biking allows us to slow down a bit and take in our beautiful surroundings. So that when we show up to serve we are present and peaceful.

All of these ideas are easily instituted into any healing arts business.  Now the idea of service is not just extended to our clients, but also our beautiful planet. SWIHA campuses have implemented all of these to some degree.

Kaye Coleman

Campus Manager:  Email  ~ This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

SWIHA Flagstaff