When you thinking about climate change, you might think about Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth or Ed Begley Jr.’s bicycle-powered toaster. It might seem like a Hollywood exaggeration, but climate change is a reality.
Despite all the attention climate change gets, we have done little to abate the problem at the heart of it. In fact, carbon emissions are still growing exponentially. Now, more than ever, it’s important for businesses to be leaders and embrace corporate environmental responsibility.
Not sure how? We’ve got you covered. Read on to learn how to green up your business.
Use Recycled Products
We often think about recycling as something we do rather than something from which we benefit. But in reality, there are a wide variety of recycled products that you can use in your office.
What are these products? There’s a lot! You can get everything from paper, to file folders, binders, pen, markers, and so much more.
Think about this – if you don’t use recycled products, every page your company prints we cause more trees to be cut down, processed, and delivered for distribution. Recycling closes this cycle. Wouldn’t you rather make a less impactful choice?
Manage Your Waste
Does your business subscribe to the one trash can model? Stop! At a minimum, your business should have different bins for regular trash and for recycling. Bonus points if you set up a third bin for food waste.
Waste management is one of the most important steps your business can take toward environmental responsibility. Businesses produce a lot of waste, and if you’re not recycling, it’s all going straight to the landfill.
If doing right by the environment isn’t incentive enough, keep in mind that your company can actually make money from recycling by way of cash rebates.
Commit to Reduced Energy Consumption
This is another big one. Offices use a ton of energy just to make it through the day. Start by coming up with energy usage policies and procedures. Require your employees to turn off their computers completely at the end of the day. Install motion detecting lights.
There are so many super effective options you can implement to reduce your energy consumption!
Want to make an even more dramatic difference in energy consumption? Consider utilizing alternative energy sources such as solar or wind power.
Reduce Your Commute
It’s no secret, everyone hates commuting. What’s there to love about hours spent sitting in traffic every week?
If it’s a reasonable thing to do, consider letting your employees work from home one or more days a week. It’s as good for the environment as it is for employee morale.
Ready to eliminate your daily commute altogether? If you want to take it to the next level, consider a virtual office. Readers in the United Kingdom can utilize a service like Hoxton Mix. Businesses get a fantastic mailing address and usage of office space when necessary.
Little Steps Make Corporate Environmental Responsibility a Reality
Coming up with a plan for corporate environmental responsibility can seem daunting. The good news is that any small step towards environmental responsibility is a positive step. Implement more changes over time and soon you’ll be a leader!
Interested in learning about more ways to go green? Check out the rest of our blog for everything you need to know!
