Now that we've all had the chance to get our "orange and black" on (last night was utter insanity on Church Street), it's time to start thinking green again. I'd like to call attention to Toronto's first "green" courier company, The Greenteam. (Did anyone say green?)

The Greenteam is a subsidiary of the 20-year-old operation, Secured Courier. At the beginning of this summer, Secured Courier president and CEO Greg Linton unveiled his newest venture, The Greenteam, taking 60 of their vehicles off the streets (during business hours) and replacing them with cyclists, walkers and TTC-takers. The goal is to reduce gridlock in the downtown core, reduce emissions, and offer a faster/cheaper/breathe easier courier service.

Linton's been in the courier business since the early 80s, and he understands that measures need to be taken on a corporate level, if this monster called global warming is to be slowed down. He also realizes that offering a green courier service will enable him to decrease fees (no gas surcharge, parking, tickets, insurance or maintenance costs). As a result, he's seen a boom in business over the last couple of months.

"The response from the business community has been extremely positive," Linton affirms. "We have increased business, have signed many new clients, and we have a steady stream of interested companies calling and e-mailing inquiring about using Greenteam."

Linton also hopes to have his vehicular fleet converted to hybrid/electric in the near future. "One thing that we are finding is that we are getting calls from many companies that are located outside of our Greenzone operating area. As a result, we are talking to at least three auto manufacturers about Hybrid and electric cars. It is my hope that we can over time switch our brokers over to these types of vehicles and really expand the Green team to offer the service right across the GTA and Southern Ontario." The Greenteam operating area currently entails the downtown core, from the lake up to Eglinton, and from Dufferin over to Bayview.

Linton's eco crusade doesn't stop there, either. His next step is to equip his couriers with hand held computerized signature pads, which will eliminate the need for paper altogether. Secured Courier's new online order system also saves paper, time, and money. And, 5% of all Greenteam profits go to Toronto's Tree Advocacy Planting Program. The Greenteam also organizes tree-planting events, so couriers and patrons can see and feel the immediate reward of their efforts. In my opinion, the Greenteam is proof that a well-established mid-size company can go green, without having to sacrifice business (quite the opposite, if done properly!)