Top 10 Green Business Tips

Top 10 Green Business Tips

By Helen in Business, Tips & Advice, management

Making your business operations more environmentally friendly is not such a hard task if you start with making minor changes and than gradually get to the more radical ones. Greening your business step by step will help preserve the environment and show your concern about the health and safety of your workers and a desire to improve the quality of life in your local community.

Green Certification for Retail Establishments

Being a socially responsible and eco-friendly company is not only good for the environment, but it also makes a lot of business sense. Conserving resources and cutting down on waste will help your company save money. By implementing green practices into your small businessoperations you will help protect the environment, increase your bottomline, and demonstrate a goodwill of your company. Doing business in environmentally responsible way is a great way to feel good about what you do.

There are many ways for a company to make its business practices more green. You can choose your own shade of green and decide on the type of green practices that are best suited for your small business. Here are the top 10 easy-to-implement ideas for running a green small business:

1.Have a company policy in place to turn off all office equipment when it’s not being used, overnight and at weekends. This can significantly reduce the use of energy since most electronic devices are idle and unused for most of their life. You can buy inexpensive timers to do this automatically, and you will notice substantial savings of energy and money.

2. You can lower your energy costs by using lightning more efficiently. The basic thing is to switch off the lights in the non occupied rooms. For this purpose you can install motion-sensors or automatic dimming switches. The other low-cost upgrade is to replace all of your incandescent lighting with fluorescent bulbs.

3. Install programmable thermostats to automate your HVAC system and to drastically scale down your heating and cooling when your business is not in operation.

4. Replace your old office equipment with modern devices that are more energy efficient. Modern equipment has energy saving features and often uses up to 50% less energy than the older equipment. Upgrading air compressors, lighting, and other energy-consuming equipment with high efficiency models offers a good return on investment and in very short periods.

5. Buying Energy Star rated products for your business ensures you that you are getting the most efficient computers, printers, copiers, refrigerators, windows, thermostats, ceiling fans, and other appliances and equipment.

6. As the travel and transportation costs are on the rise, efficiency in transportation is also one very effective way to lower your energy costs. If your business has company-owned cars, consider the option of buying hybrid vehicles.

7. Water and sewer costs are also rising in the States and are now a significant cost for any business. You can lower your water bills by taking simple and low-cost steps to improve your company’s water efficiency. Regularly check for and repair all leaks in your facility. Install low flow aerators for sink faucets and lavatory sinks. Install pressure reducing valves if necessary to reduce high water pressure.

8. Using laptops instead of desk computers will make your office more energy efficient as they consume a lot less power. Laptops can consume up to 80 percent less energy than desktops.

9. The waste that your company produces adds up on your bills. Try to find the ways to reuse the waste your company is producing, reduce it or eliminate it completely. Waste reduction results in lower waste removal costs, and also cut costs on raw materials, office supplies and equipment.

10. Develop a comprehensive green business plan for your business that will include resource conservation, waste reduction, transportation, computing and equipment efficiency, and the design and actual operation of your business.