It’s no secret that there are MANY green ideas for the office that you can apply if you want your business to reduce its carbon footprint. However, some of the ideas out there require you to make lofty upfront investments to cut back on emissions. Are there simpler ways to improve sustainability?
Yes, there are!
In this article, we’re going to give you 4 fast and easy green ideas that will help you push your office toward a more environmentally-friendly approach to operations. We’re also going to talk about the benefits going green has on a corporation.
Quick hint: It’s not the only green you can save $$$.
With that being said, let’s dive right in and take a look at the positive impacts going green can have on your business.
Cut Costs
Aside from saving the environment (which is a MASSIVE benefit in itself), what if we told you that going green can actually improve your bottom line?
Yes, you can cut overall costs if you decide to take on simple green initiatives such as the reduction of energy consumption and recycling electronics that you no longer use.
Think about it: The bigger your industry is, the more money you’ll save when you cut back on energy use.
Environment Violators Pay a High Price
It’s also worth mentioning that if a business commits any environmental violations, the average cost of environmental fines can range between $2,500 – $1,000,000 per day, per environmental violation. Ouch!
Now, you’re probably not the type to commit a severe violation, like dumping dangerous run-off into local ponds.
However, it’s good to know that violations can cost a pretty penny. It’s better to “think green” and move towards low-carbon solutions than run the risk of penalty.
Green Initiatives Grow Businesses
According to recent statistics, a business can grow 28x faster when it chooses to adopt a green strategy. That’s a significant boost in growth rate!
Furthermore, going green can shed a positive light on your brand to both customers and partners. In today’s environmentally-sensitive world, consumers place a higher value on businesses that offer strong solutions to energy waste. In fact, 92% of consumers put more trust in brands that are environmentally responsible over those that aren’t.
In other words, people would rather work with a corporation (whether it’s B2B or B2C) that promotes a green office over one that doesn’t. This is one of the reasons why a business can see much more growth when they push work sustainability initiatives.
4 Easy-to-Implement Green Ideas For The Office
Now that you know some of the benefits of going green, let’s brainstorm some fast and fabulous green ideas for the office that you can apply with ease.
Keep in mind that most of these topics relate to the overall energy consumption of your company. If you are able to cut back on energy use, you can save a lot of money AND foster a more sustainable approach to your workplace.
Let’s get started.
1. Adopt Weatherization Practices
Have you ever heard of the term weatherization? Simply put, weatherization refers to the construction or modification of a building to make it more energy efficient.
Often, big manufacturing corporations will invest a lot of time to make their building(s) more efficient. In turn, this saves them a ton of money in the long run. Weatherization can refer to the building’s overall design all the way down to the nitty-gritty, such as the type of windows installed in each room.
Obviously, this is an article that focuses on quick and easy green ideas for the office. So, what is a simple way to integrate weatherization into your sustainability plan?
Use Natural Lighting or LEDs
For one, you can search out all of the spots in your building that offer natural lighting and rearrange the office to capitalize on that “free light” from the sun.
If this is not an option for you, then switch your light source to energy-efficient LED-type bulbs. Especially if you operate industrial warehouses that require a lot of lighting to illuminate each building, LED lights are a great way to go green.
Pro-Tip: You can even set the lights on motion sensors that automatically turn off when motion isn’t detected for a specified amount of time!
2. Opt for Energy Efficient Batteries
Depending on the type of industry you’re in, batteries can make up a huge part of your operations. Unfortunately, big batteries that are used in industrial and manufacturing corporations can create a lot of unnecessary waste if they aren’t disposed of properly.
Sadly, when batteries aren’t recycled or sent to special facilities to be broken down, they can end up in our landfills and leach toxic chemicals into the soil.
One way to combat this problem is to switch to more energy-efficient batteries. Oftentimes, these types of batteries will last longer and give you more life per use. You can also look into solar-powered batteries if you’re located in a region that is optimal for solar energy.
Once you’re done with the batteries, be sure to send them to a facility that can dispose of them properly.
3. Monitor Heating & Cooling
Some business operations can cause excessive heating (ex. Manufacturing machines that off-put high levels of heat when in use), which usually requires your fans or air conditioning to work in overdrive.
Alternatively, you might work in a region that is very cold and requires additional energy to heat up operations. Over time, this can become very expensive! Here’s what you can do about it.
Easy Ways to Lower Energy Consumption
Whenever possible, consider ways to reduce the amount of energy it takes to heat and cool different aspects of your workspace. Going back to the weatherization concept, some green ideas for the office might be as simple as changing the layout of your warehouse or office building.
For example, instead of operating big machines in the middle of an indoor warehouse, move them towards doorways or windows. That way, you can open the doors to allow outdoor air to dissipate the heat without amping up the air conditioning.
Pro-Tip: You can also set up motion sensors that will turn off air conditioning or fans when doors and windows are open. This will combat excessive energy consumption to heat and cool the office.
4. Recycle Used Electronics
By now, you probably already have a recycling initiative at your workplace. However, recycling can go further than just plastic and paper.
Did you know you can actually recycle electronics that you no longer use? For instance, obsolete IT equipment such as computers, wired landlines, flash drives, and fax machines can all be recycled!
How to Properly Recycle Electronics
Now, if you decide to recycle your obsolete electronics, it’s extremely important to send them to a reputable electronics recycling facility like Great Lakes Electronics Corporation.
A good facility will make sure all of your private information is securely wiped and destroyed so it doesn’t fall into the wrong hands.
Then, the company will disassemble the electronics and safely dispose of toxic chemical compounds and minerals found within each product. Finally, the electronics will go through a thorough recycling process to break down the product as much as possible.
Go Green with Great Lakes Electronics
At the end of the day, there are many simple steps you can take to make your office space more green.
One of those ways is to recycle your obsolete electronics with our professional electronics recyclers at Great Lakes Electronics. Give us a call anytime at 888-392-7831 to see how an electronics recycling plan can benefit your corporation.