Sustainability and Going Green for Businesses
There is a lot of talk about going green in the business world. Going green, or creating a sustainable business is based on reducing your impact on the environment. The basis of a green business is to use resources that are eco-friendly and have sustainable business policies.
Businesses of all sizes can begin to go green in a variety of ways. From small changes to larger go-green strategies, it is fairly easy for businesses to become more environmentally friendly and incorporate sustainability practices.
What Can Your Business do to Go Green?
· Use LED light bulbs – they are more energy-efficient
· Replace older equipment with newer, more energy-efficient equipment for the office and kitchen
· Change power settings on computers so that they “sleep” when not in use
· Turn lights off in rooms that are not being used or use motion light sensors
· Encourage the use of reusable cups and cutlery and rely less on plastic bottles and single-use plates/cutlery/straws
· Look for fair-trade coffee and tea options
· Avoid buying individually wrapped office snacks
· Switch to reusable K-Cup pods to avoid the single-use coffee pods if you have a K-cup coffee maker
· Use Recycle bins and have an office/business Recycle program
· Switch to environmentally friendly cleaning products
· Use recycled paper
· Make bill payments online
· Use an electronics recycle program instead of throwing old electronics away
· Create a paperless environment and utilize cloud technology or servers to go paperless
Your business can incorporate solutions that are long-term as well. Using renewable energy, installing bike racks and encouraging car-pooling for your employees are some solutions.
Going green helps your business save money and creates a better work environment for your employees. Small changes are the way that any business can start to become more sustainable and incorporate green business practices.