Taking care of the environment is the responsibility of all of us. With global warming becoming one of the most serious and biggest issues, our planet and all the life on it is under threat. Therefore we must prioritize environmental responsibility now more than ever.
As I was searching for cable providers by zip code this afternoon, I came across such horrifying environmental statistics that I could not focus on any other detail for a while. We use non-decomposable materials daily, and we are not even aware of the extent to which we are contributing to the destruction of this planet. But if you run a business, or are working as an employee, there is a lot you can do to contribute to the well-being of your surrounding environment. Have a look at these tips on how to make your business eco-friendly.
Reusable Office Supplies: Make a Quick Switch
More than 4 million pens are added to the waste every day, in the USA alone. Imagine the destruction such a small and insignificant stationery item is bringing to the planet. If you simply switch to refillable pens at your workplace, you can do your part of the job in saving this planet.
You can replace sticky notes with small dry-erase boards in the meeting rooms and on the work desks. You can also use tablets or notebooks. If you have a habit of taking notes on your electronic device, you are already unknowingly helping the cause.
Promote Green Procurement
Your environmental impact can be reduced by practicing green procurement. Check your office supplies and take notes on which ones you can replace with more sustainable products. Don’t go for overly packed products. Go for buying recyclable or reusable materials, and skip those that contain toxic substances.
You can make your business eco-friendly by choosing to buy from manufacturers who produce bio-gradable office supplies. You can promote local businesses (which is a good thing!) and eliminate the risk of leaving carbon footprint if you are getting them shipped from some faraway places.
Prefer Green Web Hosting
Let me share an interesting but horrifying fact here. The running of servers just in the USA takes up as much energy as running five nuclear power plants. This is because servers have to be kept running and active at all times, and hence, cause environmental damage.
Using green web hosting is affordable, and it makes sure that the least amount of energy is used to keep your business website running. Also, it is friendlier to the environment.
Greatly reliable, it is an amazing way to make your business eco-friendly. It becomes easier for your customers to trust your business more as you are taking a positive initiative to protect the environment.
Energy Consumption: Reduce it to Minimum
You can reduce energy consumption by adopting several ways. You can replace your light bulbs with LED lights and fixtures. You can also switch to eco-friendly alternative energy sources like solar, geothermal, or wind to power your office
Make Recycling a Policy
This is one of the best things that can happen to your business and the best possible way for you to contribute something valuable to the environment. Whether you have a small workplace or a big office building, it is most likely that your workplace produces a lot of waste daily. If you make recycling a company policy, it can make a huge difference.
Cardboard packages, water bottles, paper, you can start by recycling the simplest and obvious items. You can always work on the less obvious items like inkjet cartridges and toner cartridges later, by sending them away for recycling.
Also, go for recycling your old computer systems and their accessories. You can always confirm with the manufacturers when you make the purchase. Dell and HP are names that offer to recycle.
Make your Restrooms Waste-Free
You can apply eco-friendly changes to your restrooms too. Most of the people are careless when it comes to using running-water taps. You can replace your normal lights with motion-activated ones, and help save the environment. This will also lessen your electricity bill. Similarly, you can get automatic faucets installed to minimize water waste. Also, consider switching your tissue-paper dispensers with automatic hand dryers.
As a small step, I asked my ISP to share their brochures regarding spectrum TV choice package electronically in future. Going paperless may be the easiest thing we could all do. If you have any other ideas or suggestions, share in the comments below.
