It’s a new year, and many take this opportunity to make a fresh start. One of the most common goals is to protect the environment by adopting an eco-friendlier lifestyle. However, New Year’s resolutions aren’t just limited to personal goals. In fact, many businesses have resolutions of their own to help them set goals and achieve more in the year to come. These are some of the different ways to make your business greener.
Consider Office Lighting
If you want to reduce the amount of harm your business causes the environment, the first thing to consider is how much energy you expend. Unfortunately, even lighting your office for a day can waste a lot of precious energy. As such, it’s important that you adopt a more sustainable way of functioning by regulating how much light you use.
One of the most effective ways to reduce your office energy consumption is by incorporating more natural light into your design. If you can, leave your office widows unobstructed and encourage your employees to sit near them. This conserves more energy from overhead lighting while promoting positive health in your workers. You can also consider replacing your existing lightbulbs with more energy-efficient ones, such as LEDs. While these new bulbs might be a bit of an investment, they ultimately last longer and can save your company more money over time.
Not every office can use natural light in an effective way. You may need to find other ways to reduce your energy consumption. Fortunately, there are several other options. For instance, you could install dimmers and timers for your overhead lighting. These devices ensure that you remain in control of the amount of energy you use by customizing how much light is dispersed throughout the day. You can supply just the right amount of light for each time of day without wasting energy.
Go Paperless
Paper is another resource that is heavily consumed in an office environment. In fact, there’s often so much of it on our desks that we can’t possibly keep track of it all. That’s why many companies are beginning to crack down on their paper use. Fortunately, advances in technology have made it easier to do so. Paperless billing services, document organizing software, and email correspondence all reduce the general need for paper products. Over time, this change conserves thousands of paper pallets and slows down the rate at which they’re produced.
You can also encourage employees to further reduce the amount of paper they use by requiring they they only print the essentials. Since notes can now be taken on tablets and smart devices, there’s no need to carry a pad of paper to each meeting. Instead, have them print things like schedules and official physical documents that require a signature. When they do need to print something, it also helps to utilize both sides of the sheet to half the amount of paper they use.
Eliminate Plastic Water Bottles
Another way to make your business greener this year is by creating a water bottle refill station. These water coolers can disperse clean, drinkable water to the entire office without the need to waste plastic bottles—and you don’t need to supply them. Simply encouraging your staff to switch to refillable water bottles can prevent millions of harmful plastics from getting thrown in landfills. Even if employees still use some plastic water bottles after you make this change, you can also adopt a recycling program to dispose of the bottles in the proper way. The environment will be better off, and your employees will have less exposure to the chemicals found in the plastic bottles.
Installing a water cooler in your office also has a series of additional benefits that you may want to take advantage of. For starters, you also have more opportunities to encourage a healthier lifestyle among your employees. Since many individuals don’t like the taste of water, they don’t often drink enough of it to remain healthy and productive. This offers a chance for you to educate your workers on how important it is for them to stay hydrated and what they can do to make water taste better.
Reduce the Use of Chemicals
Between harmful bleach fumes and toxic aerosols perforating our work spaces, it’s a wonder that we can even breathe. That’s why every eco-friendly business goes out of their way to support eco-friendly cleaning brands. Whether it’s our hand soap, counter top cleaners, or window shiners, each of these products have greener alternatives that perform just as well with fewer chemicals. Replacing your current office cleaning products with one of these can reduce the amount of pollution your office generates.
In doing this, you also reduce the amount of chemicals ingested by your employees. This could make them less prone to things like headaches, dizziness, and fatigue while at work. Since there are fewer chemicals in these products, you’ll also cut back on the amount of allergic reactions your employees have. This allows them to focus better and remain productive and efficient. Ultimately, by taking care of your employees, you take care of the environment and save money to further grow your business.
For help taking your first steps toward a sustainable business, reach out to Drink Meta. In addition to providing you with the drinking water your employees need, our high-quality bottleless water cooler rentals reduce the amount of plastic water bottles used. With this tool in your workplace arsenal, you can expect to see the health of your employees improve along with that of the planet.
