In recent years, many companies have initiated “greening” policies or programs that seek to cut down on waste by replacing products, procedures, energy sources, or office structures with more efficient and sustainable alternatives. While most of these changes require extra expenses up front, almost all of them result in long-term savings while also positively influencing the environment.
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by Lauron Lewis
Greening opportunities are limited only by imagination, and many companies have pursued greening programs on a broad variety of fronts. Positive results can be harvested quickly, and many companies have used their successes to complement their public relations efforts and have dramatically improved their reputations as good corporate citizens as a result.
As leader of your enterprise, you can easily initiate the greening process—if you haven’t already done so—by easily selecting a few approaches that align well with your business. Following are 10 ideas, starting with the easiest and most cost-efficient, that may help you get started:
- Switch to post-consumer waste (PCW) products.
You already may be using paper with the recycling symbol on its container, but you can do better than that. PCW paper is made entirely from recycled paper, and its quality can be as good as the paper you’re already using for a slightly higher cost. But combine usage of that paper with copying documents on both sides of a piece of paper by easily adjusting your printers, and it won’t be long before you are saving significant money.
- Use biodegradable products.
Over recent years, a host of biodegradable cleaners, solvents, and other products used to maintain office spaces have grown in popularity and have become more competitive in terms of cost. Not only are these products easier on the items they are meant for but they also do much less damage to the environment. Their vapors and residues are also much easier on people who come into contact with them. In addition, most of these items can be obtained in bulk quantities.
- Use compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) or light-emitting diode (LED) lights.
Both of these types of bulbs are more expensive than traditional incandescent lights, but they both last significantly longer. They also require much less electricity. Over time, your business will save significantly in terms of bulb and electricity costs.
- Use Energy Star®
When the time comes to replace appliances, purchase those that have the Energy Star tags. These products, all competitively priced, have been recently designed to consume energy as efficiently as possible. Over a period of time, they will offer considerable energy consumption savings.
- Use blinds in offices.
Office windows facing the path of the sun draw in considerable heat through much of the year and can significantly raise air-conditioning costs in summer. Blinds have the additional benefit of retaining some heat during the winter, somewhat reducing heating costs. There are also reflective coatings that can be applied to windows that will reduce the heat transfer, but these are more expensive to install.
In tomorrow’s Advisor, learn five more tips about greening your company.