Contrary to popular beliefs, businesses going green does not only limit the materials entrepreneurs use for their systems and production, but it also requires more effective use of their resources and energy to mitigate the present waste stream problems our world is facing. Furthermore, a survey of U.S. shoppers revealed that 48% of these consumers would willingly change their shopping behaviors to help lessen their contribution to the adverse effects on the planet. Thus, the green movement may have an immensely favorable long-term influence on any company’s brand and revenue.
Make the switch to recyclable office equipment
Around 8.3 billion metric tons of plastics have ended up in trash over the past decades, with 91% of them not getting recycled. Businesses can help lessen this number by transitioning their usage to reusable and refillable office equipment, such as pens and coffee cups. Switching to a paperless operation can also help you achieve a more sustainable business. For example, you can start by replacing your sticky notes with tiny whiteboards to reduce the amount of paper waste produced. The innovation we have today also makes storing documents more convenient and accessible for anyone within the team.
Go for more eco-friendly web hosting
Operating the whole network of servers in the country is almost identical to powering five nuclear reactors. These servers must constantly be up, resulting in a more significant toll on our environment. Therefore, optimizing your web usage through sustainable web hosting guarantees that at least a portion of the power required to run your business is from bioenergy, which is considerably more eco-friendly and cost-effective.
As a medium of interaction and entertainment, video streaming has become a staple in every user’s smartphone, replacing texts on many popular social media sites. In fact, according to recent data, the average American spends about 5.8 hours viewing online videos alone. Naturally, businesses will follow, as most advertisements are placed on these content and video streaming platforms, earning them more leads and traffic.
Additionally, internal corporate operations widely use videos to give out information during training programs, hiring processes, management reports, and meetings, especially at the onset of the pandemic. Furthermore, real-time communication is enabled through live streaming, eliminating the need for physical distancing among team members; thus, this has made remote working more accessible to many.
As more and more businesses are turning digital, business owners need to look more into various marketing plans, product solutions, video content management software, and other internal operations to handle the sheer amount of content before causing conflict among consumers and harming the environment.
Energy-efficient buildings
Buildings, structures, and facilities in the United States use roughly 40% of the nation’s energy for illumination, temperature control, and appliance usage. Therefore, the desire to decrease building pollutants has prompted a fast-growing architectural sector. Although not all businesses are suited for green energy programs, it’s essential to look into the different ways to better a company’s operation and structure, whether its owner is establishing a new one or remodeling an existing firm. Business owners can achieve this by taking advantage of various renewable sources, such as wind energy or solar panels.
Use automated hand dryers in restrooms
Reducing trash is an integral part of making a firm more environmentally friendly. However, our dependence on convenience and comfort sometimes results in companies overlooking the advantages of using a more eco-friendly alternative. For instance, drying hands through a hand dryer instead of using paper towels. Given the absurd number of tissue that a firm may consume in a single day, one of the most straightforward methods to decrease corporate waste is to choose the greener choice.
Investing in hand dryers can help a company’s environmental policies and lead to loads of savings in the long run from purchasing a month’s supply of paper towels.
Increase the amount of natural light available.
Make sure to leave your blinds and drapes open to allow natural light in as much as possible. Painting walls with pale, brilliant colors also helps in reflecting light around the workspace and decreasing the need for fluorescent lighting, especially in the daytime. Additionally, choosing the right color for your workspace is found to affect one’s mood and productivity. It also offers a slew of advantages, ranging from a better supply of sunshine, giving employees a good source of vitamin D levels to improve mental health.
Advocacies centered on protecting the environment have grown more serious now than ever, especially with the constant news about our landfills and oceans choking on plastics and wastes. As a result, our ecosystem is deteriorating at an alarming level. Businesses contribute heavily to the millions of tons of garbage thrown away annually, affecting air quality and the emission of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Therefore, companies should do their part in hopes of reducing the carbon footprint and increasing consumer trust.
