BESTCITYTRIPS
With more individuals and businesses becoming environmentally conscious, you want to make sure your own company makes “greener” choices! Business owners together with their employees can contribute in many ways when it comes to being more eco-friendly. From installing skylights to encouraging recycling in the workplace, you can do your bit for the planet!
Going green makes you stand out as a company that cares for the environment and the greater good. But, being eco-friendly also means you can reduce running costs such as energy and water usage if you make the right changes. So, you can improve your bottom line AND your reputation!
Wondering what a business can do to go green? Consider the ideas below.
5 Green Ideas for Making Your Business More Eco-Friendly
1. Use Renewable Energy
Sourcing renewable power from the sun, wind or geothermal is an alternative option to burning coal for supplying energy to homes and businesses. Using renewable energy to power your business isn’t only good for the environment but also places less demand on existing electricity generation grids using fossil fuels.
Installing solar panels on your office building allows you to power up lighting, run printers and computers, and operate HVAC units and other electrical equipment used in the workplace. It also means you keep operating when there are power outages!
While the initial installation is costly, your energy bills will decrease, saving you in the long run.
2. Go Paperless in the Workplace
The impact of paper consumption is immense, with some offices using up to 10,000 or more sheets of A4 paper daily. Over 50% of this same paper ends up on the landfill site! Such wastage can be avoided if you encourage your employees to go paperless in the workplace. This can be achieved by converting to digital technology using cloud-based storage rather than the traditional filing system.
You can also insist on reducing the printing of emails and other documents unless it’s absolutely essential to have a hard copy. Other simple but effective changes could include:
- Drawing up a paperless office policy
- Encouraging recycling and reusing of paper in the workplace
- Only using high-quality, recycled paper and Green Printing Services
- Using e-signatures to avoid printing documents
Going paperless in the workplace will save you costs as well as reduce your impact on the environment.
3. Install Skylights for Natural Lighting
You can save on high monthly energy bills by installing skylights in the workplace and allowing in more natural light. There are other benefits to using natural lighting in your office building:
- Reduced demand for burning fossil fuels: Skylights decrease the need to use electrical lighting. It also means less pressure on the grid while decreasing the number of greenhouse emissions.
- Better workplace productivity: Natural sunlight has many health benefits including improved moods and increased exposure to Vitamin D. A happier, healthier workforce does mean better productivity!
- Improved aesthetics: Installing skylights can improve the appearance of your office building, increasing the resale value of your commercial property.
The skylight cost quote will vary depending on what you want so make sure you speak to the experts in the industry to get the best advice and the right installation for your workplace.
4. Reduce Your Carbon Footprint and Go Digital
You can reduce your office’s carbon footprint by going digital as much as possible. This could include using email campaigns as part of your marketing campaign or switching over to online payment programmes. Using social media instead of flyers for promoting your products or services will also help to decrease your company’s carbon footprint.
Reducing fuel consumption is an excellent way of lowering your impact on the environment. Opting for online meetings means you and your employees won’t need to travel as much when engaging with customers or colleagues in other locations.
5. Use Simple Eco-Friendly Methods in the Workplace
If you don’t want to completely overhaul your office to become environmentally friendly, there are simpler methods to go green in the workplace. These include:
- Recycling bins: Placing recycling bins strategically throughout the office building will encourage employees to recycle.
- Energy-efficient lighting: Replacing incandescent lights with energy-efficient lighting such as LEDs will reduce your energy consumption by up to 75%.
- Reusable cups: Encourage your workers to bring their own mugs or supply reusable cups in the staff kitchen to reduce throwaways.
- Energy settings: Make sure everyone takes advantage of energy settings on their computers, printers and other appliances in the office.
- Live green plants: Reduce the use of ventilation systems in the workplace by having green plants in the building, improving indoor air quality.
Implementing even the simplest ways of going green means you’re taking care of our most valuable resource, the natural environment. Every small step counts, so do your bit!
Final Thoughts
If you’re starting a new business, going green from the start will earn you respect—from the people working for you to the customers using your services. Using these green ideas will help you reduce your running costs while improving your carbon footprint status. This way, everybody wins!
