5 Low-Cost Ways To Make Your Business Greener
Running a company is great, but comes with obvious environmental impacts. If you’d like to know how you can reduce your environmental impact and save money then take a look at the following tips…
1. The power of paper
According to recent statistics, the average office worker uses 10,000 sheets of copy paper each year, and 6,800 of those sheets are thought to be waste. This is a shocking figure to digest, not only for the sake of the environment but also in terms of the finances you’re wasting on office supplies. Going paperless where possible is the first way of alleviating this, switching to a cloud-based online filing system rather than hard-copies. Try to print as little as possible, but where you must print, start ordering recycled paper instead.
Speaking of recycling, make sure you set up a policy for this too.
2. Conduct an energy audit
Go around your office and conduct a green audit. Ask yourself where you can improve. This could range from simple repair work, as sealing leaks and cracks in your office to contacting your local utility company to sign up to “green power” – energy provided by renewable resources. It’s also important to replace any outdated, resource-wasting equipment, and install energy-saving equivalents, such as LED lightbulbs and sensor-based lighting systems.
3. Give people flexi-time
Working from home more means you’re not stuck in traffic every morning contributing to petrol fumes. Extending this policy to your workforce, and introducing Skype for meetings means less travel on a larger scale. Plus, you’ll save a huge amount by not having to power and heat an entire office building, as your home won’t use too much extra energy by having one extra person there during the day.
4. Opt for a green courier service
If you use private vans to run up and down the country with one or two items every time an order comes in, it’s not only a huge waste of money, but it also has a massive impact on the environment. Opting for a professional and reliable courier service who will deliver multiple items to an area, means less trips and fewer fossil fuels used up, so a greener customer service all-round.
5. Reward green practices
Finally, it’s important to start encouraging your employees to adopt greener practices. Reward those who use public transport or cycle to work, ask for their input on ways to conserve energy in the office, and reward those who readily adopt the schemes we’ve discussed above with an extra day’s holiday or an evening out on the company.
Has your company gone green? Tell us about it with a comment.
About the Author Staff Writer
Our writers come from all over the world, but one thing unites them - their passion for sustainability.