Doing the right thing for the environment while operating your business is easier than you think. Most measures are so simple that you may have yourself thinking about why you never thought about them previously. Get on board with these eco-friendly measures that will make the world a better place for our children.
Consider the Time and Place
Setting up a long-term plan on how you use disposables in your office is crucial. Perhaps the easiest way to make your business more environmentally friendly involves the tasks surrounding printing. First off, print as few documents as possible. Cloud sharing and other online techniques make it easy to share and edit documents in real time, foregoing the need to print hard copies. Go paperless as much as possible with bills and similar documents. When printing is an absolute necessity, make sure you use recycled paper. In addition, place unused copies in bins to prompt further recycling. At the same time, find resources where you can recycle items such as toner cartridges to help further the effort.
Be Open to Unconventional Ideas
Although solar power is fairly well known to business owners, going solar may not be a feasible alternative because of office rental agreements or other regulations that may prohibit you from choosing your own energy source. Thinking outside the box is what is important in these circumstances. Evaluate your business’ energy consumption is one way. Do things like unplugging computers and monitors when not in use and disable screensavers. Find a hosting company that embodies green practices and use power strips to better control electrical usage. Take the stairs as much as possible instead of using an elevator. Although many are small steps, they do add up. While it isn’t often talked about, geothermal heating can save your business a lot of money.
Reduce Commutes
The further you and your employees must travel to get to work, the more you pollute the environment. Consider different environmental measures such as work-from-home days, establishing a company carpool or providing incentives or subsidies to take public transportation to work. Establishing such measures will not only help the environment but will also make life easier for your employees.
Chances are, other businesses in your community have also attempted to become more eco-friendly. Find out what they’re doing when socializing at Chamber of Commerce mixers and other events. The more that you can do for your business, the better off we will all be.
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