Business writing lives on forever. At least the online versions. Have you thought about what footprint your business writing will leave behind?

Earth Day is April 22. It focuses on the state of our planet and sustainability. In honor of Earth Day, this post reviews the state of your business writing and its sustainability.

Your Business Writing Footprint

Sustainability is about survival. For our planet, it is often measured in terms of our ecological footprint.

• Our footprint is the amount of land and resources we consume.
• It gauges our impact on the environment.
• And evaluates its effects, like climate change.

Picture your business writing as your own Earth Day. What can you do to leave a better footprint?

Tread Lightly for a Better Business Writing Footprint

Earth Day focuses on reducing our ecological footprint. It builds awareness of what that means and how each of us can make a difference.

Think about your business communication. How can you improve your writing to leave a better footprint? The following are 7 ways for sustaining your business writing.

Business Writing Freebies and Resources

The following are a few freebies and resources for sustaining your business writing and communication.

1. Minimize Words

• Video presentation for 3 Simple Business Writing Tips for Trimming the Fat or you can watch it below.

2. Conserve Energy

• Free download for examples of Redundant Words

3. Improve Insulation

• Purdue Online Writing Lab’s Evaluating Digital Sources

4. Turn Down the Heat

• I recommend Lynn Gaertner Johnston’s book, Business Writing With Heart (no affiliation – I just like it)

5. Recycle

• The link is an example of repurposing a business writing piece (in this instance, a case study)

6. Reduce Consumption

• The Creative Penn offers Productivity for Authors.

7. Walk More

• Master Class shares 6 Writing Exercises to Practice and Improve Your Writing Skills

On a Serious Note

Of course, Earth Day is more than an analogy for business writing. We should take our responsibility to this earth seriously. And individuals can and do make a difference.

I encourage you to check out the Earth Day Organization’s 52 actions and tips to make a difference.

What footprint-saving ideas do you have? Metaphorically or otherwise?

Note: This April 21, 2022 post is an update to the original post that published on April 23, 2012 and was updated on April 22, 2024. I updated the Earth Day Organization’s links, and in 2021 I created a video from the prior Slideshare presentation.

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