Each year in the United States, 5,321,480,000 tons of carbon emissions are released into the atmosphere, which equates to the same weight as 24 million Statues of Liberty or 6 trillion baseball bats! Because of this alarming figure, and the fact that carbon emissions are at their highest recorded level in history, there are many fears for what this could mean for the planet over the next few decades. In an effort to mitigate the effects of climate change, many governments from around the world have set targets to reduce their carbon footprint by around 2030. This is why it’s incumbent on all types of businesses to start becoming more environmentally-friendly, and while it may be slightly more challenging for larger corporations, smaller businesses should be able to make the transition easier, as they tend to have more flexibility. Here are some effective ways that will make your business more sustainable:
Paperless
While it’s true that paper use in the office place can be unavoidable at times, there’s no doubt that the digital age has made it easier to view and edit documents. Many businesses these days are going paperless in a bid to reduce the amount of paper waste that gets sent to landfills, and they are using tablets, laptops or even smartphones to access these important files. Cloud systems allow you to upload, download, create or simply open any type of document, wherever you may be. This makes it far more convenient than printing or faxing sheets of paper, and it also saves a lot of time and money. More than 10,000 sheets of paper are used each year by the average worker, which comes up to around 3 feet in height! Your business could significantly lower the amount of emissions it releases by keeping operations digital, and for the moments when paper is absolutely necessary, you can choose eco-friendly and recyclable paper.
Green Hosting
Many businesses might not be aware of the fact that web hosting servers can produce more tons of CO2 in a year than a car, depending on the amount of websites and clients that are registered at one time. In fact, all of the servers in the United States combined give off around the same amount of emissions as five nuclear power plants. To combat this, you can opt to go with green web hosting, which relies in part, on renewable energy sources. There are a number of green web hosting companies that do their bit by using energy-efficient cooling systems to keep the excessively high temperatures of servers at bay.
Computers & Electronics
Technology is constantly advancing and there will always come a time when you need to upgrade or replace your current computers or electronic devices. What you should never do is simply throw them out in the trash, as they will just be sent to large landfills, where they will emit all types of harmful toxins. Instead, you can contact the manufacturers that you purchased them from and ask if they can take or even buy back the parts. If these vendors don’t have a recycling program, then you’ll be able to find a number of e-waste companies that will take them off your hands. Many parts found in old computers can be re-used to produce new electronic items, or they can simply be refurbished and given to those who are less fortunate in the community.
According to Olivia Tan, the co-founder of CocoFax, “Another great way to go green is by using online faxing services.”
Sustainable Suppliers
When sourcing goods or services from other companies, you should always go for those that share your eco-friendly values. Choosing companies that use excessive packaging, toxic materials or that use any other unsustainable practises, makes your business complicit when it comes to harming the environment. As it is a collective effort to minimize these negative impacts, it’s imperative that you really look into who you do business with, and you can generally find out this information from their website. Notable things to look out for include recycling, use of renewable energy, minimal water and electricity consumption and natural materials and substances.
Energy Efficiency
Office buildings tend to use copious amounts of energy each year, and according to the U.S Environmental Protection Agency, 30% of this energy is wasted. There are quite a few measures that your business can take to tackle this, and the first is to treat the office as if it were your home. When people are at home, they tend to be more frugal with how they consume energy, especially because it will save money on utility bills. Taking this mindset into the workplace is key to saving on energy consumption, so you should have a policy in place that requires all electronic devices and computers to be turned off once they are not in use. This also extends to the lighting in rooms, and employees should be reminded to switch off the lights on their way out. Switching to more energy efficient light bulbs such as LED or CFL can also save you money each month, and they will last much longer.
Recycling
When you have everyone on board with recycling, then the total outtake of energy can dramatically reduce. First things first, where possible, you should remove trash cans from around the office space, and instead, recycling points should be made available throughout the business premises. There should also be signs and instructions that explain to employees how it should be done. You might want to consider recruiting a recycling consultant, who will be onsite to implement and monitor a successful waste management strategy. They will be able to inform your employees on what the basic do’s and don’ts are when it comes to recycling different materials, as there is a lot of confusion sometimes as to what can and can’t be thrown in the trash. The best way to motivate your workers to recycle is to explain to them the benefits it has on the environment, and how even the most smallest objects can be reused into more energy.
