Hardly a week goes by without there being another story in the news about how we are damaging the planet. Man-made climate change, plastics in the oceans and the loss of thousands of square miles worth of rain forests are just some of the ways in which we are destroying Earth for future generations.
It’s a hot topic, which is why many businesses are wondering what they can do to help. How can a company be more environmentally responsible, doing their bit however small to help save the planet while at the same time benefiting from the reputation boost that comes with being an eco-friendly business?
Here are three actions you can take to help your business save the environment.
Reduce the amount of paper you use
The amount of paper that the world gets through is a huge problem for the planet. 14% of the global wood harvest is used to make paper, but this requires twice as much energy to turn that wood into paper as it does to create a plastic bag.
If your business can reduce the amount of paper it gets through, then you could be helping to reduce deforestation. Offer receipts electronically, move away from hard copies of files and documents in favor of storing everything in the cloud and encourage employees to avoid printing at all costs.
Install technology that can help reduce your energy bills
Reducing how much you are spending on energy isn’t just good news for your balance sheet – it can help save the environment too. Less expensive energy means less damage to the planet and thanks to technological advances, it’s easier and more efficient than ever to reduce those bills.
Installing solar panels on the outside of your building can help you to generate your own energy by harnessing the power of the sun, adding filtration to your water system or investing in a water cooler. This will mean employees can drink from a source supplied by you rather than having to buy single-use bottles frequently. Tankless water heaters from https://www.moreyphc.com require far less energy as it heats water only when it is required.
Turn off power draining devices overnight
If your office leaves its computers on overnight, then you are doing a huge amount of damage to the environment. Having your technology assume standby mode during out of office hours means that they are still draining power. This is not just bad for the planet but also draining you financially, with vampire power costing consumers more than $3 billion a year in the United States alone.
Go around your office and identify all the devices that assume standby mode overnight. It might be your printers; it could be copiers, or it could be television screens. Once you’ve got a thorough list of all these power drainers, assign somebody the role of making sure that they are switched off and unplugged at the end of the working day. You’ll be driving a stake through the heart of these vampire power sources and saving the world at the same time.
