There are many reasons why reducing one’s carbon footprint is a good idea. From the perspective of an entrepreneur, going green is both cheaper and more ethical. Needless to say, it also sends out a strong message, which results in some great PR for your company. A lot of millennials and Gen Z members hold environmentalism in high regard, which is why this might become an angle in winning them over. Still, the question of the motive isn’t nearly as difficult as the one of the execution. With that in mind, here are five tips to help you reduce the carbon footprint of your business.
Go paperless
The first thing you need to keep in mind is the fact that an average office worker prints out10,000 sheets of paper every year. As disastrous as this figure may seem from the perspective of environmentalism, this is just part of the bigger problem. Paper consumption leads to deforestation, however, what about toner cartridges? In other words, the waste issue of this system is even greater than you’ve initially thought it to be. The simplest way to handle this issue is to go paperless.
Encourage green commute
The next thing you need to take into consideration is the commute of your employees. Here, you should encourage green commute by any means you have available. For instance, help people team up for carpooling or keep reserved parking spots for telecommuters (those in best of positions). Other than this, install some bike racks in front of the building (or even better in the lobby, where it’s more secure) in order to incentivize people to cycle to work. Incentivizing the use of public transportation is another great idea. All in all, your choice of office (in terms of location) may have an impact on the commute of your employees.
Manage your own fleet
Your own delivery system is a major polluter but, seeing as how you might be unable to run a business without it, the best you can do is try to make it as green as possible. First of all, you should have more control over it. So, when trying to set up your own fleet and looking for trucks for sale online, you need to pay closer attention to the issue of fuel economy of the vehicle model. Second, you need to start optimizing your routes. The simplest way to do so is to invest in a reliable fleet management system and hire a seasoned fleet manager.
Improve energy-efficiency
There are several ways in which you can increase the energyefficiency of your office. For instance, install solar panels in order to produce your own electricity. You could also switch to LED or start using more energy-efficient appliances. Both of these trends give you the same performance while spending less energy to do so, which is a win-win scenario for everyone.The best way to achieve this is to do your research before investing. Look for low-power appliances or those that are approved by the Energy Star program.
Green hosting
Previously we’ve suggested digitalizing the majority of your business, however, even your online presence can be made eco-friendlier. One way to do so is to consider the option of green hosting. This means that your host uses a renewable source of energy to run their servers or, at the very least, that they’re using low-power devices to do so. Either way, by entrusting your hosting to some of these organizations, you’re supporting a green economy, thus contributing to a solution, rather than being part of the problem.
In the end, by opting for these eco-friendly trends, you get to save the planet while spending less money, which benefits you in two separate ways (from the budget standpoint, as well as from the ethical standpoint). Also, once you get started, it becomes quite easy to maintain these green entrepreneurial trends going. Remember, you owe it to your business and your planet. Plus, with all the above-listed advantages (saving power and resources), you simply can’t afford to ignore this trend.
