Building a business that also is good for the environment is something crucial in this day and age. As we enter a whole new decade it is even more important for us to take measures to look after our world and gain a better reputation with our audience.
There are many ways you can make your business more eco-friendly this year whether it be installing a large water tank to collect rainwater for your office, using less paper, or even having motion sensing lights. Here are some of the ways you can be more environmentally friendly this year.
Utilize Natural Light
Natural light is an important thing in the office for several reasons. First of all, natural light can actually improve employee performance as it is better for the eyes and the brain than artificial lights. Secondly, if you use natural light to keep the office bright all day, you won’t need to use lots of electricity on lights.
Use Light Timers
If you have a lot of corridors and bathrooms in the office that will otherwise stay lit all day long, you should consider timed lights. These will light up when people are in the room, and then after 5 minutes of no movement they will turn off to conserve energy.
Paperless Billing
One of the parts of a business you might not think about at first is the side of your business with your bank accounts and billing. To be more eco-friendly, think about going for paperless billing and bank statements to save paper.
Only Print Essentials
While we talk about paper, it is crucial for us to print only things that are essential. The good thing these days with business is that not many things need to be printed in paper and everything is based online, so conserve paper here and don’t print things out just because you can.
Use Both Sides of Paper
If you do need to print something out, always set the printer to use both sides.
Recycled Paper
Something you may not have realised is that you can buy recycled printer paper as well as recycled paper notebooks for the office. This is something that will make a massive difference to you and your employees and is a crucial thing to consider.
Ask people not to print
One of the ways you can both warn others not to waste paper and make yourself look better is to put a message in your email signature that asks the recipient not to print the email unless essential.
Buy Reusable Bottles
One way to both give yourself a bit of free advertising outside of the office as well as be more eco-friendly is to distribute reusable water bottles and coffee cups to your employees. You can find many printable coffee cups and water bottles online and you will be able to add your logo. It will be a great way to show that as a company you care about the environment.
Use Power Strips
Power strips can be a handy tool for the office and will connect your devices seamlessly as well as save some energy.
Turn Off Electronics
This one might seem really obvious, but offices will often leave their devices turned on all the time, even over the holidays. If you truly want to save energy, make sure that everyone in the office switches off their computer when they leave instead of leaving it locked and on standby.
Update Your Light Bulbs
It is incredibly important now and again to update your lightbulbs so that you are able to make the most of efficiency. Try to find energy saving bulbs for your light fittings and they will make a massive difference to your energy usage in the office.
Smart Thermostat
A great way to save some energy and also improve office habits is to get yourself a smart thermostat. This will adjust itself to your office and your needs, and as a result it will save you energy in the future.
Allow Employees to Telecommute
Although it is not traditional for employees to work from home, this is something that is becoming important. Make sure that you allow employees to work from home if their role allows it because it will not only help you hire people from further afield, but it will save your resources.
Consider a Four-Day Week
One other way to think about working days is to take one day away. Believe it or not, many places of work that have a four day week are much more productive and healthy. This is likely due to people being able to better balance work and home life, reducing stress and sickness. Choosing to have a four-day week is great for the environment because you will be using energy for one less day!
Limit Meetings
Meetings can be productive now and again, however often they are not necessary in person. If you often travel to meetings with people, this is something you might want to consider not doing any longer. Instead of using lots of energy and money travelling to and from meetings, set up a call!
Bike it
Why not have a workout on the way to work and back? If you want to get fit and also allow yourself to save some energy, cycling to and from work is a great idea.
Skip the Office
What’s the best way to save energy and not up your carbon footprint in the morning? Stay at home! Instead of travelling to the office and using lots of the company’s energy, stay at home and use less by using your laptop.
Use Green Cleaning Products
It is important to be green in every aspect of your business and this extends to the cleaning of the office space every day. When cleaning the office make sure to avoid cleaning products that place fumes in the air and damage wildlife in the oceans. Find cleaning products that have been made naturally and ones that don’t contain lots of harmful chemicals.
Team Build for good
One of the best ways to team build as well as be healthy and happy as a business is to use your team building day to do something good. Help to clean up a nature reserve or plant some trees. Do something that will benefit the community and environment around you.
