The average Joe doesn’t really think in terms of accessibility when it comes to the web and how a website might be read aloud by screen readers. The fact is, it’s important for your website to make sense to all people – even those with special needs. Continue reading “Accessible Websites – Semantics, Hierarchy & The Reader”
Have you ever been stressed out when trying to complete tasks during a busy day? Yea, us too! Jacobito Design uses OmniFocus (a Mac specific program) for this very reason… We like to cruise through our day with the least amount of stress, moving easily from task to task, without thinking, “what needs to be done next?” It’s all easily managed with Omnifocus. Continue reading “Are you Omnifocused?”
As it is with all startup businesses, Jacobito Design has written into its business plan to eventually make a profit. We’ll complete this goal by starting out lean, saving money, and being as Green as possible. Our thought is that if we set up green protocols, in the beginning, we’ll save money through energy and operating costs over the long run. Plus we’ll feel good about it!
At the moment, because we rent the facility used for business, we’re unable to completely be in control of the amount of heat used to be comfortable. We can, however, control the amount of energy used in other aspects of business. Our cooling costs are at zero because we practice passive solar, so that’s not an issue. This leaves lighting and energy used for IT.
The amount of lighting we use for day-to-day business has been well thought out—we really try to only use what’s necessary. We do this by using as much natural light as possible, and by using energy efficient lighting, such as CFLs. CFLs are great because they are four times more efficient, and last up to 10 times longer than regular incandescent bulbs. Plus, they can be used anywhere an incandescent bulb can be used.
Reducing the amount of energy needed for IT is a little more difficult to control, but can be controlled none-the-less. For laptops, chargers are taken out of the wall once a laptop is charged. Once a laptop is charged, if it isn’t being used, it is shut down. At night we make a habit of turning off desktops, so a non-functioning machine doesn’t drain energy.
Reducing our fleet costs is probably the easiest protocol to follow. Jacobito Design is, for the most part, run out of living quarters. So there are days when fleet costs are non-existent. When planning meetings or running errands, we plan our trip ahead of time, so time and fuel expenses are optimized.
At Jacobito Design, we are true believers in “Reduce Reuse Recycle”! We reduce the amount of waste we have by going paperless – we keep files on hard drive & on our cloud server. We take notes either on a smartphone or on a computer. We reuse paper by using both sides of the paper when printing – this reduces both amount of paper used and also reduces the amount of ink used for printing. And we recycle paper, plastic, and glass.
Ultimately by following these green protocols, we feel that we are not only helping out our bottom line but also contributing to the well-being of others and our environment.