The “triple bottom line” is something you’ve been hearing about lately. It refers to thinking about your business in a way that measures your impact on people, planet and profits.

Instead of solely reading a Profit and Loss statement and focusing on the “bottom line” (how much your company netted), the trend towards measuring a triple bottom line means you find measurable indicators socially, ecologically, and economically.

Globally, we’re seing more and more women starting and running businesses: with this comes more sustainable and green ways we can choose to implement.

• We can make workplaces more mother-friendly.
• We can offer opportunities to work remotely and use web tools for collaboration.
• We can offer more ways to communicate.
• We can make decisions based on how we impact our staff and vendors, clients and partners.
• We can be more eco-friendly, sustainable, and far-thinking in terms of our goals.

This year I’m going to be focusing more on the triple bottom line and how it applies to your business. I’ll be reviewing work collaboration tools and ways you can remain competitive by focusing on your social responsibility report card.

Would you like to see a sample report card?

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Here’s ours: we’ve used this for the last 6 years to identify if we’re on track with our goals to make a sustainable company.

10K Webdesign is committed to social responsibility and environmental sustainability. We are taking the following actions (this is our report card):

Environmental Sustainability

Water: We monitor our water use and make every effort to reduce our consumption.

Paper: We do the majority of our work online, and we deliver files electronically. When we use paper it is at least 30% post-consumer recycled and nonchlorinated.

Electricity: We use compact fluorescent bulbs, turn off lights when not in use, and purchase energy-efficient appliances. We utilize double-paned windows and good insulation to reduce energy usage. We refrain from air conditioning.

Food Waste: We compost all organic matter and food waste. For company functions we use sustainable-origin utensils, cups, and plates — bring your own mug.

Commuting: We encourage online meetings and predominantly meet via phone, Skype, e-mail and WebEx.

Each one Teach one: We support other groups in their effort to be more green.

Social Responsibility

Women and Minorities: We hire and subcontract women and minorities.

Grants/Loans: We donate a portion of profits to our Kiva.org portfolio as low-interest loans to support micro-entrepreneurship efforts.

Education: We write regular articles and give presentations on social and sustainable business practices within our communities.

10K Webdesign founders donate significant amounts to charities and we annually offer pro bono services to non-profits that share our mission.

We offer a discount on all quoted estimates if your business is green-certified or takes other socially responsible or environmentally sustainable steps.

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To learn more about Monica S. Flores, web developer at 10K Webdesign, see her bio for Women on Business or visit her website http://www.10kwebdesign.com. Follow her on Twitter as @monicadear.