By Rieva Lesonsky
Being environmentally responsible is a hot-button topic these days. More and more, consumers seek “green” attitudes in companies they do business with. Attracting customers isn’t the only reason to “go green” – saving the earth can also save your company plenty of money. And in today’s economy, I think that’s one thing we can all agree is worthwhile. Here are some quick ways to green your business and see more green in your bank statements.
Get audited. Most utility companies will do an audit of your business’s location for free and advise you on ways you could save energy costs. Take advantage of this service. There are also independent businesses that provide similar audits, then help you make the necessary changes.
Buy green. It’s easier than ever to find energy-saving products, services and equipment. Taking the results of your green audit into account, consider things like energy-efficient light bulbs, Energy Star compliant computers, monitors, video equipment, office refrigerators and the like. You can find green products at EnergyStar.gov. Also consider buying recycled paper, toner cartridges and the like.
Recycle. It’s simple to implement a recycling program these days. Many communities provide recycling bins you can use in your office to collect paper, cans and other recyclables. If your community doesn’t, see if you can enlist an employee to handle the recycling duties. This is a lot of work so you should give the person the profits from the recycling—it’s a small price to pay.
Give back. Many schools have recycling programs where the schools profit from old toner cartridges, cans or plastic bottles. Find out if your local school does this and you could not only help the earth, but local children—and earn brownie points with customers too.
Give up the bottle. If your company provides bottled water to employees or visiting clients, did you know that plastic is considered the fourth largest category of municipal waste (according to EPA data)? Stop the madness and buy an inexpensive set of drinking glasses or mugs that your staff and visitors can share. Get a filter for your office kitchen tap or invest in a filtration bottle for the refrigerator.
Go paperless. As “cloud computing” gains steam, it’s easier than ever to give up paper files. Invest in a good scanner and scan paper documents to store digitally. Ask clients to e-mail you documents instead of faxing or mailing. Be sure to back everything up offsite. By relying on digital instead of paper copies, you’ll not only help the planet but also protect your company in case of disaster.
Enlist your staff. Chances are there’s someone on your team who’d love to you’re your green efforts. Ask the entire staff to come up with ideas for ways you could eliminate waste. Want to incentivize them? Offer the best suggestions a cash reward or a percentage of the savings you realize. By involving your staff, you’ll increase their sense of ownership in the project and make it more likely to succeed.
Image by Flickr user epSos.de (Creative Commons)
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