Whether your business is small or large, it can be a heavy burden on the environment for all the office and construction needs. Stacks of paper, ink cartridges, computer parts, etc., are necessary to run a business and if you are not smart about your amount of usage, you could be making a huge impact on our planet without even thinking about it. Here are some ideas to “go green” for businesses of any size.
Your computers are essential to working and you have to keep them on for at least 8 hours a day. You can do something as easy as setting the computer settings to max power saving. The energy consumption is then minimized and reduced. If you have to replace parts in the computer or work station, considering going with a greener choice, perhaps sometimes organically made. This also will help lower electric bills.
If you end up getting rid of an old computer to replace with new software, you do not want to just trash it with last night’s dinner. The equipment will end up in a landfill, which just further damages our environment. There are asset recycling programs offered by HP, Dell, Staples and Office Depot that will properly recycle the machines. This can also be referred to as ewaste disposal. There are also local companies that can recycle your hard drives, computers, and other electronics that will come to your location and pick up the electronics.
One of the most common and already implemented steps to going green is avoiding paper all together. Companies can utilize electronic invoices, statements and so much more. Most of the country is on the internet any way, and would much prefer to have their bills received by email instead of relying on the postal service. PDFs are a great tool and pretty much any formatted document can be converted into a PDF.
For those businesses that transport their own products to customers, a good cost cutter and energy saver would be to get hybrid delivery vehicles. The cost of the vehicle may be pricey up front, but the amount of money saved on gas and maintenance will be better in the long run. There are even opportunities to see tax deductions for these types of business expenses. If you do not use your own transportation and rely on an outside source, try to find a company that transports and is also green and environmentally friendly. While you do not receive monetary benefits, you are helping to benefit the future of our planet.