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Top 10 Green Business Tips

In a challenging economic climate for new businesses, rising energy costs is something most small and medium-sized enterprises can do without.  That’s why energy efficiency is one of the most important aspects of improving the environmental sustainability of any business.

Here are just 10 of the many tips to green your business that can be implemented quickly and easily:

Monitor Office Equipment

It is said that over half of energy used in the workplace may be wasted on equipment and appliances that are simply left on but unused.  Regular checks in the office for monitors that have been left switched on, unused chargers still plugged into the wall and idle photocopiers can save considerable money on energy bills.

Managed Print Services

In a business and economic climate where time and resource has never been more vital to the success of a company, the implementation of a managed print service can revolutionize the print environment of businesses in a multitude of sectors.  By automating many tasks such as management control, maintenance and consumption businesses can reduce complexity and minimize downtime.

Remote Meetings

With the cost of transport firmly in mind it is now growing much more efficient for businesses to conduct meetings and conference calls remotely.  The increasing popularity of services such as Skype makes it easy to keep in close contact without having to leave the confines of your office or boardroom.

E-newsletters

Businesses looking to keep their customers up-to-date with the latest developments should consider sending out an email newsletter rather than a paper-based newsletter.  Not only will you do less damage to the environment, an e-newsletter can be tracked to monitor the marketing benefits that printed flyers simply cannot.

Solid Ink Technology

Many firms are beginning to recognize the benefits of Solid Ink Technology rather than a normal laser printer.  Not only can it reduce the energy consumption of color printers by an additional 42 per cent, it uses less energy with numerous power-saving options when not in use and produces 90 per cent less waste than a conventional laser printer.  Solid Ink, from Xerox, is not a new technology by any means but it is certainly one that businesses are increasingly beginning to adopt.

Promote Lift-sharing

Do you have a number of employees that live within close proximity of each other?  Have you considered promoting a lift-sharing scheme among your workforce?  Staff can save considerable money on fuel and transport costs by sharing it with colleagues and therefore reducing your company’s overall carbon footprint.

Reduce Waste Before Recycling

Improving recycling methods in the workplace is a positive step to greening your business but more importantly it is important to first reduce the amount of waste you actually create.  Businesses should adopt a ‘reduce first, recycle later’ policy to put a serious dent in your carbon footprint.

Liaise With Your Energy Supplier

With many green tariffs now available from a number of major energy suppliers it is very possible your business could be paying more than it should to source its energy.  You may be able to secure a grant to install renewable heating technology that allows you to source your own energy.

Allow Telecommuting

Don’t be afraid to allow your staff to work from home once a week if it is feasible for your business.  By doing so you can reduce the amount of energy produced in the office and employees will also reduce their carbon footprint.

Electronic Document Management

Rather than capturing and storing paper-based documentation on a daily basis and having to use significant resource and storage space to do so, electronic document management solutions capture and store documents in digital format.  15 per cent of all paper documents are misfiled or misplaced and this kind of system improves efficiency in the office and reduces paper waste.