Do you ever fell like your business isn’t doing what it could (or should) be doing to help maintain the environment? It’s pretty easy to forget about the rainforests while your printer is ploughing through reams of paper in the office. Becoming sustainable might seem hard when you are just starting to consider it, but in the long run, it becomes just the same as doing anything else in your company. Here are four ways to start becoming more sustainable.
Get an Environment Audit
You can’t know what to change until you know what is wrong. That’s why getting an environment audit is at the top of the list. Using a professional company, like Air Noise Environment, is the best way to find out what you are doing right, what you are doing wrong and what you can do better. The audit can help you identify potential problems early, allowing you to find solutions before any serious issues arise. Some of the things they will look into are chemical and fuel storage, waste regulations and stormwater discharge.
Recycle
Most companies have a recycling plan in place, but if you don’t then it is time to get one. Recycling doesn’t just mean throwing your waste away properly, it also means using recycled products. In an office situation, paper is becoming less and less needed as technology further develops. You don’t need to print off a memo when you can email it twice as fast and faxes are becoming far more infrequent. But for when you do need paper, use recycled paper. It’s no different from normal paper and it is produced with less than half the energy. Make sure your office recycling plan is on top.
Use Green Appliances
When you spend more, you get more. It might not seem financially viable to spend more money on light bulbs or printers or anything else in the office, but in the long run, putting in the money and buying something good might just mean you don’t have to go out and repeat the entire process next year. LED lights, though they are more expensive, last far longer and use a much smaller amount of energy than standard light globes. Look at the ratings on appliances before you purchase. The lower the kilowatt rating the better. Remember that less energy used means cheap electricity bills too.
Track Your Progress
Pushing though a whole heap of new energy efficient, environment saving strategies is fantastic. But only if it lasts. Saving the environment for a day doesn’t keep it safe for the rest of the year. Keep a watch on the new strategies that have been put in place, and remind people when they fail to fulfil them. Check to ensure items are being recycled, and that they are recycled correctly. At the end of the working day, make sure all appliances are powered down and lights are turned off.
Thinking of ways to make your company more sustainable is easy. Keeping it that way is the truly hard part. How have you kept your company sustainable?