How Small Businesses Can Go Green

Eco-friendly offices are becoming more common and it is not as difficult as you might think to reduce your office’s impact on the environment. Even if you are already recycling paper, there are many other ways you can go green.

The first step is increasing awareness of environment issues among your employees. Many may already be recycling or using energy efficient appliances at home and will be receptive to your efforts. Put together an outline of the company’s new green initiatives and send it to every employee - getting everyone on board is essential to a successful effort.

Small Changes You Can Make

If your office already recycles paper, you can move on to other issues, such as electricity. Electricity is one of the biggest offenders when it comes to waste in the workplace. Take inventory of where you can install automatic shut-off switches – studies have shown these can reduce electrical use in offices by as much as 40%. Switch all incandescent bulbs to compact fluorescent bulbs for even more energy savings. Computers also require huge amounts of energy. Simply setting office computers to power down if they are idle for more than fifteen minutes can translate to an energy savings of up to 50% for each computer.

Finally, if you have a break room, you are likely using disposable paper plates, cups, and utensils. Get rid of them. It may be handy to toss a cup or plate in the trash after using it, but doing so creates much unnecessary waste. And while recycling paper is fine, washing mugs and plates is even better. Invest in some inexpensive dishes for the break room and buy some eco-friendly dish soap.

Revamping the Office the Green Way

When you remodel your office, keep green ideas in mind. When replacing appliances, look for the Energy Star brand, which uses less power and produces less waste.

If you are open to making structural changes, remodeling your windows and doors will go a long way. Energy saving windows and insulation will pay for themselves in just a few years in reduced heating and cooling bills.

Finally, installing low flow toilets in your office will reduce your waste significantly. Flushing the toilet wastes more water than any other office activity in the US. Low flow toilets can save even a small office thousands of gallons a year in wasted water.

If you are going to take on a major renovation, check out the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED Certification Program. LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design and is a prized certification for buildings designed or renovated by green standards. Many businesses today look for partners with this certification. Going green is not just responsible – it is good business.