8 Sustainable Business Practices Your Company Can Adopt Now
Sustainable business practices aren’t just for the corporate behemoths to consider: Even the smallest of businesses can make a positive environmental impact by going green. And luckily, many eco-changes around the office are perfectly simple to adopt. From offering employees public transit stipends to enforcing a plastic-free kitchen, here are eight quick adjustments to take on board.
1. PLASTIC-FREE KITCHEN: Take a page from Earth Day's 2018 campaign and make this the year you give plastic the boot—at least as far as your office kitchen is concerned. It's worth investing in heavy-duty plates, glass cups, ceramic mugs, and reusable utensils, as well as banning straws. It's also worth sharing these intentions with your team: Encourage them to bypass the plastic when they get take-out, and provide coffee, tea, some breakfast staples, and perhaps even a weekly lunch to cut down on the need for to-go cups and takeout boxes.
2. GO PAPERLESS: In our increasingly digital world, printing out emails or reports doesn't just feel pointless—it's downright anachronistic. It's also not exactly sustainable to go through reams of paper on the regular. For all but the most essential tasks, keep the printer off-limits (though giving employees notebooks for brainstorming and blowing off steam is a good compromise).
3. DIGITAL MEETINGS: Bad news: Plane travel is unambiguously bad for the planet. In fact, "no other human activity pushes individual emission levels as fast and as high as air travel." In lieu of hopping across the country or traveling overseas for a single meeting, going digital is both more efficient and far more eco-friendly. Try savvy platforms like Join.Me and ClickMeeting for seamless conference calls and virtual presentations.
4. START A RECYCLING PROGRAM: Whether your company is located in a co-working space, is retail-based, or occupies its own office, recycling is one of the most essential sustainable business practices you can adopt. If you're starting from scratch, begin by conducting a survey of your company's waste and then contacting your municipal waste management provider or building manager; you might need to source an independent service to haul off your recyclable waste on a weekly basis. Add in employee training so everyone is briefed on recycling tips—and even put an indoor compost bin in your kitchen if you're feeling ambitious.
5. ENCOURAGE TELECOMMUTING: Flexible working hours and virtual office days aren't just policies that'll keep your staffers content—they're plenty sustainable, too. By encouraging telecommuting, your employees won't spend their time idling in traffic jams (and can work from their favorite local cafés instead). Both Mother Nature and your team wind up happier and healthier.
6. PUBLIC TRANSIT STIPENDS: The best sustainable business practices kill two birds with one stone, and providing funds for public transit (as well as stipends for biking or running to work ) certainly qualifies. Your employees will almost certainly appreciate the financial break and the incentive to get some fresh air, and your city will benefit from having fewer vehicles clogging up the streets.
7. INVEST IN A SMART THERMOSTAT: You know what's not sustainable? Blasting the A/C at 60° all summer long (or cranking the heat so high in the winter you're forced to keep the windows ajar). It's time your office thermostat got smarter...which is where devices like Nest step in. The smart thermostat is proven to save energy, can be controlled from your phone, and even comes with a temperature sensor that helps you keep your office in a comfortable range.
Image courtesy of Nest.
8. OTHER SMALL CHANGES: From switching out your lightbulbs, to energy-efficient LEDs, to unplugging all of your electronics at the end of the day, to choosing suppliers and partners with green credentials, there are plenty of other simple, eco-friendly changes you can make as a small business owner. Putting sustainability at the center of your mission statement might require some forethought, but know that you, your employees, and the planet will reap the rewards.
1. PLASTIC-FREE KITCHEN: Take a page from Earth Day's 2018 campaign and make this the year you give plastic the boot—at least as far as your office kitchen is concerned. It's worth investing in heavy-duty plates, glass cups, ceramic mugs, and reusable utensils, as well as banning straws. It's also worth sharing these intentions with your team: Encourage them to bypass the plastic when they get take-out, and provide coffee, tea, some breakfast staples, and perhaps even a weekly lunch to cut down on the need for to-go cups and takeout boxes.
2. GO PAPERLESS: In our increasingly digital world, printing out emails or reports doesn't just feel pointless—it's downright anachronistic. It's also not exactly sustainable to go through reams of paper on the regular. For all but the most essential tasks, keep the printer off-limits (though giving employees notebooks for brainstorming and blowing off steam is a good compromise).
3. DIGITAL MEETINGS: Bad news: Plane travel is unambiguously bad for the planet. In fact, "no other human activity pushes individual emission levels as fast and as high as air travel." In lieu of hopping across the country or traveling overseas for a single meeting, going digital is both more efficient and far more eco-friendly. Try savvy platforms like Join.Me and ClickMeeting for seamless conference calls and virtual presentations.
4. START A RECYCLING PROGRAM: Whether your company is located in a co-working space, is retail-based, or occupies its own office, recycling is one of the most essential sustainable business practices you can adopt. If you're starting from scratch, begin by conducting a survey of your company's waste and then contacting your municipal waste management provider or building manager; you might need to source an independent service to haul off your recyclable waste on a weekly basis. Add in employee training so everyone is briefed on recycling tips—and even put an indoor compost bin in your kitchen if you're feeling ambitious.
5. ENCOURAGE TELECOMMUTING: Flexible working hours and virtual office days aren't just policies that'll keep your staffers content—they're plenty sustainable, too. By encouraging telecommuting, your employees won't spend their time idling in traffic jams (and can work from their favorite local cafés instead). Both Mother Nature and your team wind up happier and healthier.
6. PUBLIC TRANSIT STIPENDS: The best sustainable business practices kill two birds with one stone, and providing funds for public transit (as well as stipends for biking or running to work ) certainly qualifies. Your employees will almost certainly appreciate the financial break and the incentive to get some fresh air, and your city will benefit from having fewer vehicles clogging up the streets.
7. INVEST IN A SMART THERMOSTAT: You know what's not sustainable? Blasting the A/C at 60° all summer long (or cranking the heat so high in the winter you're forced to keep the windows ajar). It's time your office thermostat got smarter...which is where devices like Nest step in. The smart thermostat is proven to save energy, can be controlled from your phone, and even comes with a temperature sensor that helps you keep your office in a comfortable range.
Image courtesy of Nest.
8. OTHER SMALL CHANGES: From switching out your lightbulbs, to energy-efficient LEDs, to unplugging all of your electronics at the end of the day, to choosing suppliers and partners with green credentials, there are plenty of other simple, eco-friendly changes you can make as a small business owner. Putting sustainability at the center of your mission statement might require some forethought, but know that you, your employees, and the planet will reap the rewards.
