Being green is becoming more and more important as the years go by and the issue is arguably at its peak right now.
Because of this, many businesses are trying to do their part to leave a smaller carbon footprint in an attempt to help the environment.
More often than not, this is achieved by making eco-friendly products their foundation. A common way to do this is by controlling the supply chain and making sure only ethically sourced, nontoxic, safe ingredients and materials are used.
Now you may be struggling to figure out ways that you can adopt these practices into your own business. After reading this article you’ll find there are many ways for businesses to go green and make the world a better place.
Power Down
First up, a simple method for a business to start down the road of being green is to power down equipment every night and not just put it to sleep. It’s a myth that the energy cost of starting up equipment is equal to leaving it running all day. With this in mind, a great idea is to turn off all the equipment not currently being used at the end of the workday. This will save money and leave a smaller carbon footprint; therefore, improving the mark you leave on the environment.
A Digital Future
Another environmentally beneficial practice is to go digital like so many other companies are doing. When paper isn’t strictly necessary, stop and think to yourself, “Can this information be just as well communicated digitally?” Nine times out of ten the answer is going to be, “Yes,” and there aren’t many better ways to save the planet than by saving the trees.
Recycle
If the use of paper can’t be avoided, perhaps you should think about recycling. If paper must be used, why not use recycled paper? And why stop at just recycled paper? Recycled toner is also an option. Wherever you can, replace any commonly used resources with recycled versions. This recycling doesn’t have to stay as just a corporate decision either. A fun idea would be to also introduce a recycling program for all employees.
Energy-Efficient Lighting
It’s a very common practice nowadays and has been adopted by many companies in every sector. Swap out old, outdated, and wasteful lightbulbs with more energy-efficient ones. You could even take it a step further and implement motion detectors that activate these lightbulbs so that they automatically turn off in empty rooms.
Planting A Seed
Studies have shown that literally making the office a little greener can improve productivity and improve air quality. So, you can shoot two birds with one stone by gifting your employees all with a little desk plant or if that’s too much then you can even invest in a shared office plant. Filter the air and give your employees a boost in motivation and morale by providing some greenery.
Remote Work
If 2020 has provided any benefit, it was by showing how good for the planet it can be to work from home. Businesses should encourage remote work at least once a week, thereby avoiding the use of electricity, water, and air conditioning in the office. It’s been shown that by taking even one day out of the week to turn off the whole office and letting employees work from home, not only can you save money (that would otherwise be used on energy bills) but you can do your part to help the environment too.
Carpool
If remote work isn’t a viable strategy, then perhaps encourage a new commute to work. Carpooling incentives could be a good strategy and you can never go wrong with encouraging the use of public transportation methods. In 2017, transportation activities accounted for 29% of total greenhouse gases emitted into the environment and according to a 2016 survey, roughly 150,000,000 workers drove approximately 115,000,000 vehicles to and from work each day. With statistics like these, it’s easy to see why encouraging the use of public transport or avoidance of vehicles altogether would be an overall greener solution to a long ongoing issue.
How Green Are You?
If you’re still struggling to come up with ideas, then you can always ask for an energy audit. Identifying where exactly you can save energy (and thus money) is always a fantastic technique to be a little greener.
At the end of the day, being a more environmentally conscious company will show customers that you care. It will help your reputation, it will make your brand more trustworthy, and most importantly it’ll help make the world a better place.
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