Industry Leader Interview: Tom Bowman Helps Small Businesses Save Big on Energy

Tom Bowman knows that energy efficiency is good business for small companies. He advances energy efficiency as founder and president of Bowman Design Group and Bowman Global Change, and was a 2010 Stars of Energy Efficiency honorable-mention award winner. Here’s what Bowman has to say about small businesses and energy efficiency:

Alliance: Through your work with the National Academy of Sciences, Scripps Institution of Oceanography and energy companies across the country, you discovered an urgent need to improve science communication and employ its results to make more sustainable decisions. How does Bowman Global Change help organizations achieve these goals?

Bowman: I’ve been a science translator for those organizations through my design firm, Bowman Design Group, making complex ideas accessible to the rest of us through hands-on exhibits. But I realized that people interpret science information through other lenses, such as values, personal experiences and political philosophies. I launched the global change consultancy to bring a wider range of experts together and find engaging ways to help people come to grips with energy, climate change and other sustainability challenges.

Alliance: Once you decided to make energy-efficient improvements in your own operations, what results did you see?

Bowman: We reduced the company’s greenhouse gas emissions by two-thirds in a little over one year by cutting our gasoline use by 60%, electricity by 40%, water use by 20% and natural gas by 8%. We took very simple steps that save about $9,000 annually, and made further reductions since then.

Alliance: Tell us about the small business community, as it relates to an untapped potential for savings through energy efficiency.

Bowman: We might be the nation’s best near-term energy resource because so many small businesses can get dramatic results quickly. The challenge is to help small business owners find their best opportunities, weigh options and overcome the misperception that energy efficiency must be costly. Good information is hard to find, and it will take research to gather information in a useful way.

Alliance: Given that “good information is hard to find,” do you have resources that you could suggest to our readers?

Bowman: Unfortunately, you can’t find everything you’d like in one place. For example, you can compare fuel economy for cars and trucks at the EPA’s Green Vehicles Guide, then Consumer Reports can help you sort out the total cost of ownership. It’s even more challenging when you want to compare office equipment, manufacturing tools, or upgrades to your building.

Alliance: I understand that the 29.6 million small businesses in the United States tend to have greater ability to change because of their relatively small size, but some wrongly assume that green practices are costly. When a small business tells you that they don't focus on energy efficiency or even utility bills, how do you convince them that energy efficiency is worth their attention?

Bowman: Most small business leaders want to contribute to healthier communities and our nation’s energy security, but they believe that they’ll have to make big upfront investments in hassle and money to get there. That’s not true, especially if they can get some help. We are using our case study to show that contributing can be a lot easier than most people think, and that simple changes can lead to inspiring results without sacrifice. And it’s good for business too: our clients have actually thanked me for doing what we’ve done. You can’t buy that kind of appreciation, it’s genuine.

Alliance: You recently published a paper about the potential for engaging small businesses in energy efficiency in Yale's Environment 360 journal. What was your message?

Bowman: We can’t expect Americans to take energy security or climate change seriously as long as we define these problems as challenges for big business alone. The truth is, these are everyone’s concerns and energy efficiency is the first step. It’s a step that involves everyone – every household, every business and every institution. Our job, now, is to engage the 29.6 million small business owners in a proactive energy efficiency campaign that helps them overcome the barriers and get off the sidelines. 

Alliance: In what stage is this “proactive energy efficiency campaign”?

Bowman: It’s beginning to take shape as an official campaign. I’ve developed an approach that will help small business owners quickly identify opportunities based on the types of firms they operate. We’re developing a partnership with the Alliance and other organizations to research and plan the effort, and I think we have a good shot at building a nationwide campaign for small business energy efficiency in the coming year.

Alliance: What else should small business owners know about energy efficiency?

Bowman: It’s a cliché that energy efficiency is easy and cost-effective, yet very few of us know where to begin. Try this: ask yourself whether you can reduce energy use in the normal course of business. Rather than adding a new project to your already busy day, try making energy efficiency a top priority in all of the decisions you are making anyway. The little benefits pile up quickly, and you’ll be amazed how quickly the savings roll in.