If you run a business, it’s a wise idea to look into how to make it much greener. The more eco-friendly your business is, the more customers will want to buy from you. However, it’s not all about profits (although that is a positive benefit from becoming greener in business); it’s also about taking care of the planet. Business owners have a moral obligation to limit their (and their customer’s) impact on the environment – to make their business eco-friendly and promote that idea. With that in mind, here are some of the ways you can reduce the carbon footprint of your business and reap the rewards that will come from it.
Encourage Green Commuting
The more vehicles there are on the road, the worse it is for the environment. Although there are many things that cause pollution, cars and trucks are among the worse, and you are able to reduce the number your business uses, that’s a brilliant want to reduce your carbon footprint.
Although in some cases it won’t be possible to stop using motorized vehicles (although you can look at ways to ensure your business is not making unnecessary trips), if you can encourage your workers to commute using greener alternatives, that’s a good start. Could any of them walk or cycle to work, for example? Perhaps public transport is an option, or maybe they could car share, which reduces the number of cars on the road. Even better, could they work from home and not have to commute at all?
Reduce Your Waste
Every business and every individual produces waste. Much of it will go into a trash can and then be collected and taken to landfill. That entire process is bad for the environment, from the trucks collecting the waste to the landfill itself. Ideally, you should try to cut down on the waste you produce. Start by making your workplace as paperless as you can, for example.
Another thing you can do is to start promoting recycling at work. If you can recycle waste rather than throw it into landfill, you can certainly help the environment and reduce your carbon footprint. It costs much less to recycle something rather than take it to landfill, and if you can then buy recycled products to use in your business, you’ll be completing the cycle. The more people who can do this, the better the health of the planet will be.
Use Less Energy
When you run a business (or even when you’re at home), you’ll be using energy. Electricity, gas, and water are all forms of energy, and without them life would be very hard indeed. However, although it would be impossible right now to stop using these forms of energy entirely, can you reduce the amount you use? There are a number of ways this can be done. For example:
- Switch off lights when you’re not in the room
- Use LED bulbs
- Only use the water you really need to
- Use ethical or renewable suppliers – they use sustainable energy such as solar power
- Install solar panels
Until such time as we are able to use truly sustainable energy easily in all homes and businesses, reducing what we use and using the most eco-friendly we can find is a good alternative.
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